The Green Bay Packers will begin their most important stretch of games of the season on Sunday when they host the Minnesota Vikings. With the Packers trying to start their playoff push, here are the key players for both teams.
1. WR Justin Jefferson
Justin Jefferson has been arguably the best receiver in the NFL since he was drafted in 2020, posting 1,000-plus-yard seasons every year, even when he only played 10 games in 2023. He is coming off a great season in which he caught 103 passes for 1,533 yards and tied his career high with 10 touchdowns.
Last year’s production was with Sam Darnold playing at an MVP level. With Darnold allowed to leave in free agency, J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz have not been nearly as effective. Still, Jefferson is having a solid season. He is on track to finish the season with 1,270 yards, which would be the second-lowest total of his career. Despite that total being low for him, that total would still put him fifth in the NFL in receiving yards last season.
Where Jefferson has struggled is finding the end zone. Through 10 games with 56 receptions out of 93 targets, he has only two touchdowns. In the four seasons in which injuries were not a factor, he’s never scored less than seven.
He’s caught barely half of the passes thrown to him by McCarthy, but he’s got his young quarterback’s back.
“I feel like that's been my whole entire career," Jefferson said this week. "I kind of had to learn how to have patience with the process, patience with going about my business, how defenses cover me, how we perform as a whole. I'm more focused on what I can control and how can I better this team. Given the C on my chest and given the opportunity to be one of the leaders of the team, I take that very seriously."
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson celebrates after last year's win at Lambeau Field.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson celebrates after last year's win at Lambeau Field. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Nonetheless, Jefferson remains one of the most dangerous skill players in the NFL, and he can explode for a big game at any time, whether it’s deep passes (4-of-18 this year but 14-of-23 last year) or after the catch (seven missed tackles).
“He is as good as they get in this business,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I love how the guy competes with the football, without the football. Matter of fact, there was a clip that we showed just, you can see the urgency of which he plays. He catches the ball, he goes to the ground, nobody touches him, he gets up and he gets 15 yards after going to the ground.
“So, he can run every route. There’s not a route he can’t run. He can run short routes, the choice routes, he can go deep on you. He’s got tremendous ball skills. I just think there’s a lot to like about his game.”
2. QB J.J. McCarthy
Despite a poor start to his debut season as the starter, J.J. McCarthy remains one of the most important players, if not the most important player, on the roster. Not only is he their quarterback, the traditional leader of the team, but the Vikings have made it clear that they will go as far as he can take them, win or lose.
A first-round pick last year, McCarthy has had a rough start to his career, sitting out his rookie season due to a meniscus tear and half of this season with an ankle injury. When he has played, he struggled to find his rhythm, completing only 52.9 percent of his passes for 842 yards and six touchdowns with eight interceptions. He is last in the NFL in completion percentage by a significant margin.
Despite his struggles, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has proven that he trusts McCarthy to go out and lead the offense every week, allowing the first-year starter to throw the ball 28 times per game on average, including 74 times over the past two games.
“Second year but a rookie, you know?” cornerback Keisean Nixon said. “Just young. Hard for guys to come in and just excel right away, especially in a league like this where you got a good D-line in our division. But he’s definitely a good player. He’s got the arm talent. Just consistency. He has a hell of a coach. That always helps. Scheme up a lot of guys.
With weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson in the passing game, McCarthy is the final piece of the puzzle for the Vikings to start winning games. If he continues this stretch of poor play, they won’t be going very far.
3. LB Jonathan Greenard
Last year, Jonathan Greenard was selected to his first Pro Bowl. Signed away from the Texans in free agency, he had 12 sacks and finished third in the NFL with 80 pressures. This year, he has only two sacks.
Still, he remains an impact player capable of living in the backfield. He has a team-high 10 tackles for losses, which ranks eighth in the NFL, to go with 36 pressures and three pass breakups. He is tied for second in the NFL with nine solo stuffs – a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage vs. the run.
Greenard was inactive last week with a shoulder injury and is questionable for Sunday, though he said he expects to play. He could be a problem in the run game, especially if Josh Jacobs is playing injured or not playing at all.
1. QB Jordan Love
With Josh Jacobs entering Sunday’s game questionable with a knee injury sustained in last week’s win over the Giants, Jordan Love will need to step up in an even bigger role than usual with Jacobs possibly not reaching his 17 carries per game average.
Love is coming off a game that is not exactly eye-catching statistically, completing just 13 passes for 174 yards on a season-low 54.2 percent completion rate. However, Love’s game was littered with dropped passes, highlight throws and explosive plays, specifically a back-foot jump ball to Savion Williams that set up a perfectly placed pass to Christian Watson for what ended up being the game-winning touchdown.
Being back at home and having time to recover from the shoulder injury that sent him to the locker room early in the second quarter last week, Love should have a better game in store, especially if he sees a higher volume of passing attempts with Jacobs banged up.
2. CBs Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine
After the discourse in the offseason surrounding the Packers cornerback room, losing Jaire Alexander and signing and subsequently benching Nate Hobbs, cornerbacks Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine have had successful seasons in two different ways.
Green Bay Packers safety Javon Bullard (20) celebrates with cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) against the Giants.
Green Bay Packers safety Javon Bullard (20) celebrates with cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) against the Giants. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
For Nixon, he has been getting his hands on passes all season, recording a league-leading 14 pass breakups, highlighted by a five-PBU performance in Week 2 against the Commanders.
While Valentine does not have the stats to back up his great season, he has been the Packers’ best coverage cornerback since moving into the lineup. Out of 86 cornerbacks to play at least 250 coverage snaps, he ranks eighth with a 51.4 percent completion rate allowed, according to PFF.
Both cornerbacks will have a tough challenge against Vikings receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Jefferson is on a Hall of Fame trajectory and Addison is widely regarded as one of the best second options at receiver in the NFL.
“We’ve definitely been holding this sh** down,” Nixon said.
3. DE Micah Parsons
With a first-year starter at quarterback for the Vikings and their offensive line having given up a 27th-ranked 34 sacks, Micah Parsons is in a perfect spot to have a great game and cause havoc for J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings offense.
Parsons is coming off another great game, logging 1.5 sacks, including the game-sealing strip sack of Jameis Winston. He added six tackles, two QB hits and six pressures, according to PFF.
According to PFF, he’s fourth with 56 pressures. According to Next Gen Stats, he’s first with 57.
“He’s lining up everywhere,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters this week. “On first and second down, he’ll be on both sides. He’ll move around sometimes within a drive, so you really can’t have an exact beat on where he’s going to be. And really the important part of that is whatever side he lines up on, Rashan Gary lines up on the other side.”
McCarthy has been struggling to complete passes in his debut season, and Parsons could be in a position to make his year even worse if he can get in the backfield early and often.
“Anytime you get to a quarterback first quarter, first play, maybe not sack him but constant pressure, it definitely makes him look over his head a little bit, kind of know where you’re at,” Parsons said. “If he’s looking at you, he’s not looking downfield, so we’re doing something right.”
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