U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, MN
Kickoff: Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET
Line: Green Bay -2.5, Total: 43.5

Sunday’s Packers-Vikings matchup will feature future hall-of-famer Aaron Rodgers dueling with whomever the Vikings choose to start.

Minnesota’s new, state-of-the-art U.S. Bank Stadium will receive the best christening possible on Sunday night, as the Packers come to town for the 112th edition of their storied rivalry with the Vikings. A win would be a much-needed cause for celebration for the Vikings, who have had a depressing past few months that have seen kicker Blair Walsh miss a 27-yard field goal to lose a playoff game, franchise QB Teddy Bridgewater go down with a knee injury that will at least be season-ending, and the team trading multiple valuable draft picks for disappointing QB Sam Bradford. Minnesota opened the season with a 25-16 win at Tennessee (MIN -2.5) behind a respectable performance from QB Shaun Hill (18-for-33, 236 yards), but many suspect Bradford will get the start for the home opener. The Packers also got off to an encouraging start, traveling to Jacksonville to hold off an up-and-coming Jaguars team by a final score of 27-23 (GB -3.5). QB Aaron Rodgers (20-of-34, 199 yards, 2 TDs, rushing TD) made big plays when they counted, and the defense held firm in the red zone with less than a minute remaining to secure the victory. Despite being outgained 348 yards to 294 and trailing in time of possessions and first downs, the Packers showed the close-game experience befitting of a team that’s made the playoffs in seven straight seasons. This is the earliest week in which the Packers and Vikings have faced each other since 2008, when Green Bay won 24-19 at home (GB -2.5) in Week 1. In last season’s two games between the division rivals, the away team won in each game. Minnesota was a covering machine last season, finishing 14-3 ATS—although one of those failures to cover was a 30-13 Week 10 loss at home to the Packers (MIN +1). It’s worth noting that Rodgers is 41-24 ATS as a favorite in his career and Mike McCarthy is 101-69 ATS in all games as head coach of the Packers.

After finishing 11-5 (to the Packers’ 10-6) to win the division last season, the Vikings know the importance of this game is by no means diminished by its early placement on the schedule. The Vikings’ biggest decision heading into the primetime showdown will be who to start at quarterback. Hill’s performance in Nashville would be best described as “passable.” He didn’t throw any touchdowns, but also didn’t throw any turnovers. He didn’t do any damage with his legs (obviously), but didn’t take any sacks, either. Hill was 6-for-10 on third down for five first downs. What was most impressive about his performance, though, was the fact that he did it despite RB Adrian Peterson (19 carries, 31 yards) being entirely ineffective. Peterson also had exactly 31 yards in the opener last year and went on to finish with 1,485 yards, so it’s not a major cause for concern. That said, the Packers kept him tightly in check last season (32 carries, 112 yards, 2 TDs in two games). He has a carry average of 5.27 yards per carry against the Pack, though, and he rushed for 134 in Week 2 last year, so there’s a good chance he’ll get back on track this weekend. WR Stefon Diggs (7 catches, 109 yards) was Hill’s favored target against the Titans, and he’ll be the go-to option again for whoever starts this week. The Vikings’ run defense was nearly as good as Tennessee’s, as it held DeMarco Murray to 42 yards on 13 carries and esteemed rookie Derrick Henry to three yards on five carries. The pass defense was solid, too, limiting Marcus Mariota to 6.6 yards per attempt. Starting CB Xavier Rhodes missed the game with a knee injury—and is questionable for Sunday—but second-year corner Trae Waynes stepped up in his absence and led the team with 10 solo tackles. DE Danielle Hunter, another second-year player, also impressed, sacking Mariota and returning a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown.

The most encouraging thing for the Packers against the Jaguars was the return of WR Jordy Nelson (6 catches, 32 yards, TD), who was back on the field for the first time since tearing his ACL in the preseason last year. Rodgers’ all-time favorite receiver was relatively quiet aside from his six-yard second quarter touchdown catch, but the fact that he was on the field for 54 of the Packers’ 64 offensive snaps suggests that he’s at full health. It was a quiet game for Rodgers, as the 199-yard performance would have been his fourth lowest last season and he ranked 27th of the 32 quarterbacks this past weekend in yards per attempt. But, as always, he had spectacular moments, namely an incredible 29-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams (3 catches, 50 yards) that he threw while being dragged down from behind. The throw capped off a 75-yard, 56-second drive to end the first half and give Green Bay the lead. The rushing game was even more subdued than the passing game, with RB Eddie Lacy running 14 times for 61 yards. Clay Matthews notched a sack in his much-anticipated return to outside linebacker, but otherwise looked rusty at his old position and failed to put much pressure on Blake Bortles. Bortles (24-for-39, 329 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) had a great day against the Packers secondary, who will be happy to take on a lesser quarterback and receiving corps this coming week. CB Damarious Randall was the best of the bunch with two passes defended, and it was encouraging to see S Morgan Burnett lead the team with 9 tackles and get a sack after missing time to injury in the preseason.