The Packers will host the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday at Lambeau Field, in what is shaping up to be a defensive slugfest. While Jordan Love lit up the Patriots secondary last week, this upcoming game should be a gritty battle in the trenches.
These are two teams with an aggressive Defensive Coordinator leaning on their blitz happy and opportunistic schemes to keep them in contention. Here’s what to expect when these two dynamic defensive fronts step on the field.
Brian Flores Viking Seige
Brian Flores’ defense currently ranks 2nd in yards allowed per game (271.6), 1st in passing yards allowed per game (154.9), and have only allowed an average of 13.3 points per game from opposing offenses.
The Vikings’ defensive unit has single handedly carried their team to a 6-2 record, despite absolutely dismal quarterback play, and an offense that overall hasn’t had much to hang their hat on in 2026.
Flores thrives on confusion, disguising pressure and sending blitzes from unexpected angles to keep quarterbacks off balance. He tends to send this attack early and often, having blitzed on 72.5% of passing downs this season. That’s the highest rate tracked in the Next Gen Stats era.
I believe the ultimate key to success here in winning against this lights out defensive, will be Green Bay’s ability to establish the run game early. If you watch the film from Monday’s game against the NFL’s top scoring Buffalo Bills, you’ll see how Buffalo leaned heavily on James Cook’s running to seal the game.
For the Packers, it all starts with committing to veteran guards Kevin Zeitler and Laken Tomlinson in the starting lineup.
Get The Best 5 Out There
For reasons beyond comprehension last week, I still had to watch Aaron Banks trot out onto the field. He once again put up a mediocre performance, before retiring back to the bench with yet another lagging injury.
Then it happened, the clouds parted, and Kevin Zeitler finally made his way to the field. Zeitler immediately made an impact, and allowed Kaleb Johnson an opportunity to find some rhythm and chunk plays.
One hopes that the sunken cost fallacy with Banks will not rear it’s ugly head again this week, and the Packers will finally start their best 5 on the line.
Don’t Throw The Baby Out With The Bath Water
The Packers certainly don’t have to abandon the high octane identity they’ve cultivated leading up to Week 10. In fact, due to the poor offensive line play earlier in the season, Jordan Love has seemingly developed a knack for picking up pressures, and has been great against the blitz so far in 2026.
Here’s a quick breakdown on how he’s done to date.
2026 Blitz Statistics & Rankings
- Passing Yards: 967 yards (1st in the NFL)
- Passing Touchdowns: 10 TDs (Tied for 1nd in the NFL)
- Recent Performance vs. Blitz: In Week 9 against the New England Patriots, Love went 10-of-10 for 146 yards and a touchdown when facing the blitz.
That being said, giving RB Kaleb Johnson more opportunities to attack the interior and generate positive yardage would force Flores to respect the run, potentially slowing down his aggressive pass rush, and allowing Jordan to open up the play action game where he can light up their secondary.
Packers Bring Their Own Brand Of Pressure
The Vikings defense may be incredible, but Packers Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s has given the Packers plenty of reasons to be confident heading into Sunday’s matchup.
The Packers defense has been flying around creating turnovers left and right, and have kept this team in the fight on more than one occassion this year. They’ve tallied a total of 19 takeaways including 13 interceptions and 6 forced fumbles with 6 fumble recoveries. The Packers are also ranked 4th in the league for sacks, having put up 26 so far this season, and have kept teams to an average of 21.2 points per game.
Gannon’s pressure packages look similar to Flores with disguised looks and heavy blitzes. He has certainly been able to find a way to put this Packers defense in position to play fast, free, and swarm to the ball.
Kirk Cousins Returns
The Vikings brought Kirk Cousins back into the fold this week, in exchange for a 3rd round pick. Unfortunately this means they are likely going to have a much more competent passing attack. Cousins was no slouch by any stretch for the Raiders, in fact a lot of his numbers aren’t too far off from Jordan’s at the moment.
2026 Passing Statistics Comparison
| Statistic | Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers) | Kirk Cousins (Las Vegas Raiders) |
|---|---|---|
| Games Played | 9 | 9 |
| Passing Attempts | 341 | 315 |
| Completions | 215 | 202 |
| Completion Percentage | 63.05% | 64.13% |
| Passing Yards | 2,618 | 2,340 |
| Yards Per Attempt | 7.68 | 7.43 |
| Passing Touchdowns | 19 | 20 |
| Interceptions | 6 | 8 |
| Passer Rating | 97.9 | 97.1 |
| Sacks Taken | 17 | 11 |
| Rushing Yards | 23 | 7 |
| Rushing Touchdowns | 2 | 2 |
I would expect Gannon to try and get after Kirko Chains early and often to keep him off balance in his return to Lambeau. With a short week to prep after being out of this offense for 3 years, it’s hard to imagine the playbook will run too deep.
Cousins will probably target WR Justin Jefferson pretty heavily. However, I have full confidence in CB Brandon Cisse’s ability to lock him down with help from above, circa Safeties Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney, who are arguably the best safety tandem in the league right now.
FUN FACT: The last time Kirk Cousin suited up for the Vikings was at Lambeau back in 2023.
Final Thoughts
As a football nerd, I cannot wait to watch this defensive heavyweight fight. Both teams have relied on their ability to win the turnover battle to close out their games this season. The Packers had some success against Flores in Week 1, with Jordan Love throwing for 387 yards, allowing the Packers to dictate the first 3 quarters of play.
However, turnovers and protection breakdowns ultimately helped Minnesota take control of the game in the 4th, rallying to heartbreaking Packers defeat.
Every possession is going to matter in a big way this Sunday, and Matt LaFleur needs to make the most of any chance he gets to put points on the board. Being at home should also help out a great deal with communication on the offense allowing Jordan to control the cadence and hard count at the line, and stopping the Vikings from getting an edge on the snap due to crowd noise forcing a silent count.
If the Packers can find a way to grind down this defense, keep Cousins in check, and continue to play clean complementary football (aside from the weekly roughing the passer penalty per protocol) I think they walk into the Bye with a 20-13 victory.
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