NFL Week 4 Odds: Unbeaten Minnesota Vikings against Green Bay Packers, Betting Picks & Score Prediction

The Green Bay Packers are 0-1 with starting quarterback Jordan Love in the lineup this season and 2-0 without him.

But Love is likely back from injury on Sunday and the Packers are short favorites on the NFL odds against NFC North rival and unbeaten Minnesota.

Minnesota Vikings +115

The Vikings are one of five unbeaten remaining and looked incredibly impressive in Week 3 with a 34-7 win over Houston. Before a garbage-time final drive by backup quarterback Davis Mills, Vikings coordinator Brian Flores’ defense allowed just 224 total yards to the Texans. The Vikes generated two picks, five sacks and completely controlled the line of scrimmage. Former Texans edge rusher Jonathan Greenard had three sacks in the afternoon and six QB pressures. Ten Minnesota defenders earned at least two QB pressures, including six apiece by Greenard and Jihad Ward.

Sacks

The Vikings – who had five sacks in Week 1, six sacks in Week 2 and five sacks in Week 3 – are the third team since 1990 with at least five sacks in each of their first three games of a season, joining the 2001 New Orleans Saints and 2000 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Vikings have allowed a total of 30 points this season to the Giants, 49ers and Texans, and Flores is drawing raves for the way he disguises pressures and confuses quarterbacks.

Sam Darnold pic.twitter.com/KLL20OnPqZ

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) September 24, 2024

Sam Darnold

Minnesota QB Darnold completed 17-of-28 attempts for 181 yards and a career-high-tying four touchdowns. That’s an NFL-high eight touchdown passes in three games for Darnold in Minnesota’s well-designed Kevin O’Connell offense, which on Sunday dissected a tough Houston defense. Darnold connected with Justin Jefferson for an early score, and also hit Aaron Jones and Jalen Nailor for touchdowns before connecting with TE Johnny Mundt for the game-sealing score. Darnold is the first Vikings QB to start and win the opening three games of a season since Brett Favre in 2009.

Jefferson and Nailor are the first pair of teammates to record a touchdown reception in each of their team’s first three games of a season since 2018 (Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans and Chris Godwin).

Darnold did bang up a knee, but an MRI revealed no damage, and he should be fine for Sunday. The former No. 3 overall pick has thrown for 657 yards in three games while completing 67.9 percent of his passes. Darnold, who has never thrown for more than 19 touchdowns in a season, is on pace for a career year if he can stay healthy and continue at this current trajectory. Darnold his thriving despite No. 2 WR Jordan Addison (ankle) missing both of the past two games and star tight end T.J. Hockenson (knee) still residing on the reserve/PUP list. Addison might play Sunday.

Aaron Jones

Jones carried the ball 19 times for 102 yards and caught five of six targets for 46 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s win. The rushing yards were also a season high for Jones, who is averaging a whopping 5.4 yards per carry through his first three games as a Viking. He’ll look to keep rolling, and put together a revenge game against Green Bay, as he starred with the Packers for the first seven seasons of his career before being surprisingly released this off season.

“I can’t quite put my finger on what it is,” Jones said of the Vikings. “It’s different. Because I’ve been a part of some good teams, but this is a special team.

Green Bay Packers -140

The Packers come off a second straight win behind backup QB Malik Willis, 30-14 at Tennessee. Willis totaled 275 yards (202 passing, 73 rushing) and two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) with a 120.9 rating against his former team, and safety Xavier McKinney recorded his third-consecutive game with an interception to begin the season.

Xavier McKinney

McKinney said before the season his goal was 10 picks, and his three interceptions in three games matched his 17-game total from all of last season. With seven interceptions in three games this season, the Packers also matched their 17-game total from 2023. So far, the Packers have nine takeaways, their most through three games since 2009. Only one player in Packers history, Irv Comp in 1943, has ever picked off 10 passes in a season. (Night Train Lane holds the NFL record with 14 interceptions as a rookie with the Rams in 1952).

The Packers have 612 rushing yards this season and are the fifth team with at least 600 rushing yards in their first three games of a season since 1990, joining the 2006 Atlanta Falcons (675 rushing yards), 2019 Baltimore Ravens (650), 2013 Philadelphia Eagles (627) and 2008 Atlanta Falcons (609).

Matt LaFleur

LaFleur is rivaling Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell in early Coach of the Year discussions right now, largely because he’s tailored Green Bay’s offense to the strengths of while starting QB Jordan Love has been on the mend. Willis was acquired via trade with Tennessee in the preseason after Titans brass lost faith in their 2022 third-round pick. He’s looked very capable in two starts filling in for Love, who sprained his MCL Week 1. Love managed a trio of limited practices prior to being ruled out Week 3, so he may have to log at least one full session in order to be cleared to face Minnesota.

However, there’s a good chance Love returns Sunday, but the Vikings defense must prepare to face either quarterback. Love managed a trio of limited practices prior to being ruled out Week 3, so he may have to log at least one full session in order to be cleared to face Minnesota.

Malik Willis

Willis, meanwhile, is the fifth player since 1970 with a passer rating of 120-or-higher in his first two starts with a team, joining Brad Johnson (1999 with Washington), Jeff George (1994 with Atlanta), Jim Plunkett (1980 with the Oakland Raiders) and John Hadl (1973 with the Los Angeles Rams).

Agains the Vikings

Green Bay has won two of the last three and three of the last five home games against the Vikings. The Packers have scored 30-plus points in five of the last eight games vs. Minnesota. In each of the last five games between the two teams, the scoring margin has been 14-plus points, including 23-plus points in three contests. It is the most consecutive game in the series decided by 14-plus points, surpassing four-game streaks from 1961 to 1962 and 1990 to 1991. Prior to that five-game stretch, six of the seven games were decided by single digits, including a tie.

Under LaFleur, the Packers are 6-4 against the Vikings and have scored 21-plus points in eight of the 10 contests. Green Bay’s six wins over Minnesota since 2019 are the most in the NFL. Linebacker Preston Smith registered three sacks and two forced fumbles against Minnesota last season. Smith has posted six sacks in the last six games against the Vikings. Smith has 8.5 sacks against Minnesota, the most he has against any single opponent.

Jayden Reed

The WR Reed posted 10 catches for 172 yards (17.2 avg.) and two TDs last season in two games versus Minnesota, becoming the first NFL player to record 10-plus catches, 150-plus receiving yards and multiple TD catches against the Vikings as a rookie. The Vikings are the only NFC North opponent the Packers play in the first eight games, tied for the fewest since realignment in 2002 with 2012 and 2015.

Packers vs Vikings Info

When: Sunday, 1 PM ET
Where: Lambeau Field
TV: CBS
Radio: Tunein.com
Stream Option: https://tv.youtube.com/learn/nflsundayticket/

We're talkin' chess, not checkers ♟️@RealMikeRob breaks down the @packers offense vs the @Vikings defense ahead of this weekends matchup 👀 pic.twitter.com/VquucEM9LJ

— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) September 25, 2024

Packers vs Vikings Series History

Including playoffs, the Packers are 66-58-3 all-time vs. Minnesota. They split last season, with Green Bay losing at home 24-10. Kirk Cousins threw a pair of touchdown passes before leaving in the fourth quarter with an injury. That would prove to be Cousins’ final-ever game with the Vikings as it was a season-ending injury, and he’s now with Atlanta. Green Bay QB Jordan Love was 24 of 41 for 229 yards with one touchdown and an interception.

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