The Green Bay Packers will host the rival Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field in Week 12. Both NFC North teams will be attempting to snap streaks on Sunday. The Packers have lost back-to-back games at home after starting 3-0 at Lambeau Field; the Vikings have lost back-to-back games after upsetting the Detroit Lions in Week 9.
Kevin O’Connell’s team won 14 games last season but regression was unavoidable, and the Vikings have doubled their number of losses already in 2025. At 4-6, and in a deep conference and division, the Vikings are in trouble. The Packers, who are starting a stretch of three straight division games, will attempt to make sure no turnaround begins on Sunday.
Here’s a closer look at the Vikings entering Week 12:
Last week
The Vikings took an early 3-0 lead, fell behind 10-3 at the half and trailed 16-3 into the fourth quarter. Then things got wild. Rookie Myles White returned a punt 43 yards, setting up a quick touchdown run from Jordan Mason. The Bears missed a 45-yard field goal on the next possession. J.J. McCarthy capped off an 85-yard scoring drive with a touchdown pass to Jordan Addison, giving Minnesota an improbable 17-16 lead with 50 seconds left. But special teams once again made a big impact, and Devin Duvernay’s 56-yard kickoff return got the Bears into position for a field goal. Cairo Santos hit from 48 yards out to win the game as time expired. McCarthy threw two interceptions in the first half, former Packer Aaron Jones created 81 total yards, Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner both had a sack and two tackles for loss and Price produced 169 total return yards (93 on kickoffs, 76 on punts).
Newcomers
First-round pick Donovan Jackson is a starter at left guard and former Colts Ryan Kelly (center) and Will Fries (at right guard) are also starters up front along the offensive line. The Vikings added running back Jordan Mason from the 49ers, and he leads the team in rushing yards (489) and rushing touchdowns (5). Adam Thielen came back to Minnesota but has only eight catches on 17 targets this season. The defensive line added Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, two veteran disruptors. Eric Wilson returned after spending several seasons in Green Bay, and he has 3.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss. Isaiah Rodgers arrived from Philadelphia and immediately became a valuable starter at corner.
Quarterback play
J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, is struggling as a first-year starter who missed more time with injury. Across five games, McCarthy has completed 52.9 percent of his passes (last among 35 qualified quarterbacks), averaged 6.0 yards per attempt (32nd) and produced a passer rating of 61.7 (last). He’s taken 15 sacks and thrown eight interceptions, and his interception percentage of 5.7 is by far the highest among qualified quarterbacks in 2025. Inaccurate and reckless with the ball is a tough way to live as a pro passer. However, McCarthy is mobile and tough, and he’s shown some vigor in big moments in the fourth quarter. His average depth of target is 10.7 yards, so he’ll push the ball downfield. Overall, McCarthy’s turnover worthy play percentage (6.1, last) adjusted completion percentage (69.6, 33rd) and pressure to sack percentage (22.4, 27th) aren’t good enough to consistently play the position at a consistent, winning level.
Line of scrimmage
The Vikings offensive line has protected better as of late, largely due to the return of tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neil and the improved play from rookie Donovan Jackson. If center Ryan Kelly returns, the Vikings could be near full strength up front on Sunday, creating a difficult matchup for the Packers defensive front. This has the makings of a top offensive line, but injuries have played a big factor in 2025.
Defensively, the Vikings have been inconsistent rushing the passer and stopping the run. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores will use the blitz consistently to supplement to the rush, and often to great effect. At PFF, the Vikings rank 12th in run defense grade and 23rd in pass-rushing grade. But at ESPN, the Vikings rank third in pass rush win rate and 10th in run stop win rate. Like the offensive line, this has the makings of a very good and experienced defensive front with all the pieces in place. Jonathan Greenard is the best player up front, but the Vikings have five different players with at least 20 pressures, and eight with 10 or more. Overall, the Vikings rank 17th in net passing yards allowed per play and 13th in yards allowed per carry.
Turnovers
The Vikings are -9 in turnover differential, ranking as the second worst in the NFL through 11 weeks. First-year starter J.J. McCarthy has thrown eight interceptions in five games and has three games with multiple interceptions — the Vikings are 0-3 in those games. He’s also fumbled four times. Backup Carson Wentz threw five picks and fumbled three times, so the quarterback position has been a messy turnover fest for Minnesota in 2025. The team’s 18 turnovers are the second most. The Vikings defense has nine takeaways, including six recovered fumbles. Former Packer Eric Wilson has forced three fumbles. Isaiah Rodgers has a pick-six, two forced fumbles and a fumble return for a touchdown. Eight different players have forced a fumble for the Vikings in 2025 — securing the football will be important for the Packers on Sunday.
Injury situation
More will be known after the release of Wednesday’s injury report, the first of the week. Last week, the Vikings didn’t have starting center Ryan Kelly or top edge rusher Jonathan Greenard due to injuries, and quarterback J.J. McCarthy played through a right hand injury. Among the players on injured reserve for the Vikings are quarterback Carson Wentz, receiver Rondale Moore and running back Ty Chandler. Kelly has been designated for return from injured reserve. All things considered, the Vikings are relatively healthy for this point of the season.
Players to know
RB Aaron Jones: The former Packer still has plenty of juice. He’s averaging 4.9 yards per carry and has created several big plays out of the backfield. Injuries have limited him to six games, and he’s splitting time with Jordan Mason, but Jones got a season-high 19 touches last week.
WR Justin Jefferson: Ever heard of this guy? Despite shaky quarterback play, Jefferson is still averaging almost 75 receiving yards per game and over 2.0 yards per route run. Vikings quarterbacks have thrown seven interceptions when targeting him, however. Jefferson is catching only 60.8 percent of targets and has just two scores.
DL Jalen Redmond: The second-year interior defender has 25 pressures, 4.0 sacks and seven tackles for loss. Don’t sleep on the guy wearing No. 61. He can play, and he’ll be a tough matchup for an interior offensive line that also has to worry about veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.
CB Byron Murphy: A Pro Bowler after intercepting six passes last season, Murphy has no takeaways in 2025 and is struggling in coverage. He’s allowed three touchdown passes and a passer rating of 126.1 into his coverage, and he’s been penalized six times, the most on the Vikings defense.
LB Eric Wilson: The former Packer leads the Vikings in stops (26). He’s been inconsistent down to down, but Wilson has created a ton of impact plays. Expect the Packers to target him in coverage when possible. Also, Wilson remains a top special teamer — he has eight tackles covering punts and kicks in 10 games.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers vs. Vikings: 7 things to know about Green Bay’s Week 12 opponent
