GREEN BAY (1-0) AT MINNESOTA (1-0)
Sunday, Sept. 18 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 7:30 p.m. CDT
The Green Bay Packers will take on the Minnesota Vikings in the first regular-season game played at U.S. Bank Stadium. Back in 2003, Green Bay hosted Minnesota in the first regular season game played in a renovated Lambeau Field.
- It is the first time since 1924 that the Packers have played the first two games of the regular season on the road.
- This is the earliest week of the regular season that the two teams have played each other since 2008, when they met in Week 1 in Green Bay.
- Of the past 28 regular-season meetings between the Packers and Vikings, 19 of those games have been decided by seven points or less.
- Through 111 meetings, which includes two postseason contests (1-1), the Packers hold a 59-50-2 edge over the Vikings in the all-time series.
- The Packers are 10-2-1 in the last 13 games between the teams during the regular and postseason.
- The Packers have scored 30-plus points in seven of their last 11 regular-season games against Minnesota. That included a 30-point effort in the meeting at Minnesota last season, a 42-point game in 2014, a 44-point outing at Minnesota in 2013, the most points ever scored by Green Bay at the Metrodome, and a 45-point effort at Lambeau Field in 2011.
- Since Head Coach Mike McCarthy took over in 2006, the Packers have a 14-5-1 record (.725) against the Vikings in the regular season.
- Since 2006, the Packers have scored 20-plus points against the Vikings in 18 of 20 regular-season games. The Packers' 562 points scored in the regular season since 2006 are the most against the Vikings in the NFL, and Green Bay's 28.1 points per game leads the league among teams that have played Minnesota at least four times over that span.
- Including the postseason, Green Bay is 11-5 against Minnesota with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback, and has won 10 of the last 12 contests.
- In 17 games against the Vikings (including playoffs), Rodgers has completed 354 of 514 passes (68.9 percent) for 4,267 yards, 35 TDs and five INTs with a passer rating of 112.7. His passer rating is the highest of any opposing quarterback vs. Minnesota (min. 100 att.).
- Rodgers has recorded a 100-plus passer rating in 10 of the last 14 games against the Vikings, including the postseason.
- In the last seven games versus Minnesota (including playoffs), Rodgers has thrown 15 touchdowns and one interception.
- In 2010-11, Rodgers posted a passer rating of 140.0 or better in three contests against Minnesota (146.5 at MIN in 2011 / 141.3 at MIN in 2010 / 140.3 vs. MIN in 2011), becoming the first NFL quarterback since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to register a 140-plus passer rating in three consecutive games against the same opponent (according to the Elias Sports Bureau).
- According to STATS, Green Bay is 19-11 when playing indoors during the regular season since 2006. The Packers' .633 winning percentage ranks No. 1 in the NFC and No. 4 in the NFL over that time (New England, 9-3, .750 / New York Jets, 8-3, .727 / Indianapolis, 52-23, .693).
- Sunday marks the last of four consecutive road games (two preseason, two regular season) before hosting the Detroit Lions on Sept. 25. This is the first time Green Bay has closed the preseason as the away team in the final two games and opened the regular season on the road in the first two games.
WITH THE CALL
NBC will broadcast the game to a national audience. Play-by-play man Al Michaels joins analyst Cris Collinsworth in the booth with Michele Tafoya reporting from the sidelines.
- Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since November 1929, heads up the Packers Radio Network that is made up of 50 stations in five states. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst) call the action. McCarren first joined the team's broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 22nd season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 18th season of broadcasts together.
- Westwood One Sports will air the game on radio across the country. Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and James Lofton (analyst) will call the action, with Scott Graham hosting the pregame and halftime shows.
- The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio (WTMJ feed) as part of the network's NFL Sunday Drive.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Vikings:
- All-time, Regular season: 58-49-2
- All-time, Postseason: 1-1
- All-time, in Minnesota: 28-26-0
- Streaks: The Packers have won nine and tied once out of the last 12 regular-season matchups.
- Last meeting, regular season: Jan. 3, 2016; Vikings won, 20-13, Lambeau Field
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 113-62-1, .645 (incl. 8-7 postseason); 11th NFL seasonMike Zimmer: 19-15-0, .559 (incl. 0-1 postseason); 3rd NFL seasonHead to Head: McCarthy 3-1vs. Opponent: McCarthy 15-5-1 vs. Vikings; Zimmer 1-3 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY…Is in his 11th year as the Packers' 14th head coach.
- Joined Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the only coaches to guide the Packers to a Super Bowl title with a win over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
- Led the Packers to their seventh consecutive playoff appearance last season, joining New England as the only two NFL teams to do so over that span. Has also led the team to eight playoff appearances in the last nine years (2007, 2009-15).
- Guided the Packers to top-10 finishes in scoring in eight straight seasons (2007-14), joining the Patriots as the only other team to accomplish the feat over that time; Packers finished first overall in scoring in 2014.
- His .655 winning percentage during the regular season (105-55-1) ranks No. 2 among active NFL head coaches (min. 50 games).
- Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head-coaching job after 13 years as an NFL assistant.
MIKE ZIMMER…Is in his third year as the Vikings' 10th head coach.
- In 2015, led Minnesota to its third NFC North title and first since 2009.
- Improved the Vikings' defense from No. 31 (2013) to No. 14 (2014) in his first season as head coach.
- Coordinated the fifth-best defense in the NFL in Cincinnati from 2008-13, allowing 316.7 yards per game.
- Coached DE Everson Griffen to 22.5 sacks over the past two seasons, the sixth best mark in the NFL over that span.
- Guided the Vikings to be one of four defenses to allow less than five 300-yard passers since taking command.
- Was the defensive coordinator in Dallas (2000-06), Atlanta (2007) and Cincinnati (2008-13) before being hired as Minnesota's head coach.
THE PACKERS-VIKINGS SERIES
- The Packers began the series with six straight wins before Minnesota rattled off 22 victories in 32 contests from 1964-79.
- Green Bay began a run of its own in 1979 that saw 16 wins over 21 games and lasted until 1990.
- Since winning Super Bowl XXXI, Green Bay has a 25-14-1 record against the Vikings.
- Over two Wild Card playoff contests, Green Bay and Minnesota have each scored 41 points and won a game by 14 points.
- The last time Green Bay and Minnesota met this early in a season was a Packers 24-19 victory at Lambeau Field in Week 1 of the 2008 season.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Packers DT Letroy Guion played for Minnesota from 2008-13 after being drafted by the Vikings in the fifth round (No. 152 overall) of the 2008 NFL draft...Green Bay RB Jhurell Pressley was signed by Minnesota as an undrafted free agent and spent the 2016 preseason with the Vikings...Packers assistant offensive line coach David Raih grew up in Edina, Minn. ...Packers LB Julius Peppers spent the 2009 season in Carolina with Vikings CB Captain Munnerlyn...Green Bay defensive coordinator Dom Capers coached with Minnesota defensive coordinator George Edwards in Miami for two seasons (2006-07)...Packers associate head coach/offense Tom Clements (2004-05) and quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt (2005) were colleagues of Vikings defensive backs coach Jerry Gray in Buffalo...Packers TE Jared Cook caught passes from Minnesota QBs Sam Bradford (2013) and Shaun Hill (2014) while in St. Louis...Green Bay defensive line coach Mike Trgovac coached with Minnesota offensive line coach Tony Sparano in Washington during the 2001 season...Sparano also coached with Green Bay defensive quality control coach Ejiro Evero in San Francisco in 2015...Evero was on the staff in San Francisco when Vikings G Alex Boone played for the 49ers...Packers senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith was coached in 1991 by Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner in Dallas and wide receivers coach Goerge Stewart in Tampa Bay when Highsmith spent the season as a running back for the Cowboys and Buccaneers...Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was Atlanta's defensive coordinator in 2007 when Packers secondary-cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr. was the Falcons' assistant defensive backs coach...Whitt Jr. coached with Minnesota assistant defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon in Atlanta in 2007 and at Louisville from 2003-06...Cook played at South Carolina from 2006-08 with Munnerlyn...Green Bay tight ends coach Brian Angelichio coached with Vikings quality control-offense coach Andrew Janocko for one season at Rutgers (2011) and two in Tampa Bay (2012-13)...Angelichio (2008-10) and Packers wide receivers coach Luke Getsy (2010) coached at Pittsburgh with Minnesota quarterbacks coach Scott Turner...Green Bay special teams coordinator Ron Zook coached at Florida in 1991 with Edwards...Packers DT Kenny Clark (2013), QB Brett Hundley (2012-13) and DE/LB Datone Jones (2011-12) played at UCLA with Vikings LB Anthony Barr...Minnesota LB Eric Kendricks was also UCLA teammates with Clark (2013-14), Hundley (2012-14) and Jones (2011-12)...Hundley (2012) and Jones (2009-12) played with Vikings P Jeff Locke at UCLA...Minnesota LS Kevin McDermott was Bruins teammates with Hundley (2012) and Jones (2011-12)...Packers LB Clay Matthews played at Southern California with Minnesota TE Rhett Ellison and T Matt Kalil for one season (2008) and DE Everson Griffen for two years (2007-08)...Ellison (2009-11), Griffen (2009) and Kalil (2009-11) were Southern California teammates with Packers LB Nick Perry...Green Bay S Chris Banjo and Minnesota FB Zach Line played together at Southern Methodist from 2009-11...Packers LB Jayrone Elliott was a teammate of Vikings C Zac Kerin from 2010-13 at Toledo...Green Bay running backs coach Ben Sirmans and Minnesota assistant wide receivers coach Drew Petzing coached together at Boston College from 2010-11.
LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON
Jan. 3, 2016, Lambeau Field, Vikings won, 20-13
- Vikings RB Adrian Peterson mustered 67 yards on 19 carries (3.5 avg.) and the game's first TD.
- Green Bay held Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater to 99 yards on 10-of-19 passing (52.6 percent) and one INT (45.7 passer rating).
- Minnesota had five sacks, including a strip-sack by DE Everson Griffen that was returned for a 55-yard TD by CB Captain Munnerlyn.
- WRs Randall Cobb and James Jones had as many receptions (10) and more yards (139) than Minnesota (99 yards on 10 rec.).
