Caleb Wilfinger
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Week 17 of the NFL campaign features a fascinating matchup between a pair of NFC North rivals in the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. Will Jordan Love and the Packers pick up a massive road win, or will the Vikings put themselves into a solid position in the NFC playoff picture with a huge home victory?
Here is my Same Game Parlay for the festivities, which kick off at 8:15 pm ET on NBC. Also be sure to check out our full Packers vs Vikings predictions.
Packers ML (-108)
Under 44.5 (-115)
Justin Jefferson to record a touchdown (+135)
Parlay odds: +1089
Packers ML (-108)
The Vikings took the first meeting, 24-10, back in October, but it’s fair to say these two teams are very different since then. Minnesota is without star tight end T.J. Hockenson for this game, plus their quarterback situation is one of the worst in the league, as the Vikings are now down to either their 4th or 5th string quarterback (depending on who you ask) in Jaren Hall. That last meeting was also a game that is still stuck in Green Bay’s craw, with offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich saying on Thursday: “That was a pretty ugly game for us. It was probably our lowest point, to be honest with you. And in the long run, it was probably a gut check, these young guys seeing we have to step up. We have to be better.” It’s hard not to think the Packers will be ready for this one, and I can’t get there with the Vikings given their injuries on offense. We’ll take the Packers as a pick’em, with Jordan Love and company doing just enough to get the job done.
Under 44.5 (-115)
When you’re dealing with a rookie quarterback in what would equate to the first full start of his career, it’s hard to know what to expect. But from what I’ve seen of Hall, he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes and should keep things very conservative and rudimentary when he has the ball. We can expect that it will likely be a lot of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison underneath, as the absence of T.J. Hockenson will be felt. With Minnesota really not able to move the ball much, Green Bay won’t have to draw anything too aggressive up when the Packers are on offense. Jordan Love and company should take what they can get from a blitz-happy Vikings team and lean on Aaron Jones to move the chains. This should be a relatively low-scoring game, especially in a divisional matchup with potential playoff implications. Let’s roll with the under.
Justin Jefferson to record a touchdown (+135)
Justin Jefferson established himself as the best receiver in football a season ago, and while Tyreek Hill is in the midst of an all-time season, Jefferson is still arguably the top wideout in the game. Just look at his effort last week as Nick Mullens continued to put the ball in harms way, and Jefferson continued to make terrific contested catches in traffic. Even after missing time due to injuries and catching passes from below average quarterbacks, Jefferson still has 4 touchdowns in 8 games played this season. This Packers defense is a bottom 5 unit in most important statistical categories, and I don’t see that changing in Minnesota. Let’s get to the window with Jefferson.
