Green Bay Packers: 3 players who need to step up at Minnesota Vikings
The Green Bay Packers need these three players to step up in order to defeat the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.
Monday Night’s matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings carries different weight for both teams. The Packers are trying to lock up the division and improve their playoff positioning. They have a first-round bye on their mind and are looking to take another step toward securing that week off.
As for the Vikings, they have an outside chance at winning the division (Green Bay would have to lose out and Minnesota win out). However, they still need to lock up the playoffs altogether and a victory against the Packers would just about do it.
The Packers defeated the Vikings in Week 2, but here we are at the end of the season with each of these teams taking their unique paths. With a potential playoff rematch looming in a couple of weeks, here are three Packers who need to step up if they want to re-claim the NFC North this week:
Kevin King
The Vikings have two stud wide receivers in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. Thielen returned from a hamstring injury last week and will be ready to go once again against the Packers. Jaire Alexander has already established himself as a legit cornerback on the other side and now it’s Kevin King’s turn.
King has been up and down all season long, sometimes turning in good performances and other times getting burned more often than not. It’s imperative he brings his A-game against the Vikings, as he’ll be matched up with either Diggs or Thielen for most of the game. If Kirk Cousins and the passing game can get going and burn the Packers down the field, Green Bay will be in big trouble.
Allen Lazard
Speaking of the passing game, Green Bay desperately needs production from its wide receivers. The position group dropped four passes last week and left a ton of yardage on the field. Lazard only hauled in two receptions for 14 yards in that game and wasn’t much help either.
If the Packers want to become true threats, they need another pass-catcher to step up besides Davante Adams. Teams are locking in on Adams and basically ignoring the other receivers. That’s not a formula for success. Whether it’s Lazard or another wide receiver, the time is now for them to step up.
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Blake Martinez
Even without Dalvin Cook, the Vikings still have a dangerous running game. They’ll rely heavily on, including the play-action to open things up downfield. In order for Green Bay to make them one dimensional, they’ll have to shut down the ground attack, and a lot of that will depend on Blake Martinez.
Martinez it the king at making tackles three or four yards down the field. That’s not good enough. The defense needs him to make a living at the line of scrimmage and bring backs down after a minimal gain. If he can shut down the ground game and make the Vikings one dimensional, it will go a long way in determining the outcome of the game.