The Saratogian (Saratoga, NY)

Vikings, minus QB Cousins, look to beat Packers again

- By STEVE MEGARGEE

While the Green Bay Packers have dominated the NFC North lately, there’s one division opponent they’ve struggled to solve.

The Minnesota Vikings have won their last two matchups with the Packers and are the only NFC North team to beat them during Matt LaFleur’s three-year coaching tenure in Green Bay. The Vikings (7-8) will try to do it again Sunday night as they attempt to boost their playoff hopes amid potential single-digit temperatur­es in Green Bay.

“Our mindset is right now (that) we have to win the rest of these games,” Vikings running back Dalvin Cook said. “No matter how we win it, no matter how we do it, we have to go win.”

They’re going to have to try to win without their starting quarterbac­k.

Minnesota put Kirk Cousins on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday, making him unavailabl­e for the Packers game. Sean Mannion, who just came off the reserve/COVID-19 list, will likely make his third career start.

Cousins threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns without an intercepti­on when the Vikings beat the Packers 34-31 on Nov. 21.

The Vikings don’t have much margin for error. They’ll be eliminated from playoff contention Sunday if they lose at Green Bay and the Philadelph­ia Eagles win at Washington.

Green Bay (12-3) already has wrapped up its third straight NFC North title. The Packers will clinch the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed and lone first-round bye if they win Sunday and the Dallas Cowboys lose or tie at home against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Packers have won four straight since falling at

Minnesota on a game decided by Greg Joseph’s 29yard field goal as time expired. The Vikings also won 28-22 at Green Bay last season, handing the Packers their only regular-season home loss of the last two years.

Green Bay has struggled to contain Minnesota’s top skill-position players.

Cook rushed for 163 yards, caught two passes for 63 yards and scored four touchdowns in the Vikings’ victory at Lambeau Field last season. Justin Jefferson caught eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers earlier this year. The Vikings will need a huge performanc­e from one of those guys Sunday night, particular­ly now that receiver Adam Thielen has been placed on injured reserve.

“It’s almost like you’ve got to pick your poison,” LaFleur said. “Are you going to put more in the box to stop the run? Or are you going to try to cover Jefferson because he is, he’s proven he’s one of the best receivers in this league.”

FREEZING TEMPERATUR­ES

Although it isn’t expected to snow, the forecast in Green Bay for Sunday calls for a high temperatur­e of 12 and a low of zero.

“It’s about keeping your head and your hand warm when the weather dips below 10,” Packers quarterbac­k Aaron Rodgers said. “I think the sweet spot where it’s not as big of a deal is probably between 32 and 10. When it gets below 10, then the ball definitely becomes a little bit slicker, but we’ve had a lot of success over the years throwing it in this type of environmen­t.”

Rodgers says it’s important not to be “sitting on that heated bench for too long because the difference between being super-warm on the bench and being cold on the field is a little drastic.”

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