NFL Thursday Night Football Preview, Schedule & Predictions: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
The 2014 NFL season is already a quarter of the way complete.
Thursday Night Football for Week 5 features two NFC North teams, the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers. These two franchises have a long rivalry with one another, and this will be just another battle between the two teams.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers find themselves 2-2 after four games with a suspect defense and a great passing attack. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is an elite player in this league, and it's up to him to guide this Packers team. Unfortunately, Eddie Lacy hasn't been himself to start off this season. Lacy is averaging just three yards per carry.
On the positive side, Jordy Nelson leads the entire NFL in receiving yards with 459. Randall Cobb is finally getting open and has a team leading five touchdowns so far. Rodgers is putting up some of the most dynamic passing numbers in the league with his nine touchdowns and one interception. Rodgers also has a passer rating of 109.1.
The Packers lost their Week 1 game against the Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks and again in Week 3 to the Detroit Lions. The Packers victories have come against the New York Jets and, most recently, the Chicago Bears. This will be a great chance for the Packers to get their first winning streak of the season.
Minnesota Vikings
Just like the Packers, the Vikings are 2-2 after their first four games. Wins over the St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons show inspiration, but disappointing losses to the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints have this team even at 2-2. As usual in Minnesota, the quarterback position has a lot of questions left to be answered.
First round draft pick quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is still unproven and injured, and Matt Cassel hasn't shown any signs of improvements. Cassel has just three touchdowns to four interceptions this season, leaving a lot of doubt on his future as a Viking. To make matters worse, star running back Adrian Peterson won't be playing because of his off field actions.
It will be hard to go into Green Bay and get a victory, but the Vikings do have a road win against the Rams this season. The Vikings also have a very good offensive line, which will be needed to keep the Packers offense off the field regarding time of possession.
Where, When to Watch
The Packers and Vikings face off on Thursday Night Football at 8:25 p.m. EST Thursday at Lambeau Field. The game will be shown nationally on the NFL Network and CBS. Live streaming of the game can be seen on this link provided by the NFL's official site.
Predictions
The Vikings have a great offensive line, but with quarterback injuries, no Adrian Peterson and playing on the road, the Packers should easily take care of business. Expect Aaron Rodgers to have another great game.
Packers win 31-17
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