Trading places: Vikings head to Lambeau as the champs with a chance to eliminate Packers

For what it's worth, CBS Sports has fired up its SportsLine computer, simulated the last two weeks of the NFL's regular season, projected the entire playoff field and …

Uh-oh.

Packers at Vikings!?

Now that's a projected wild-card matchup that probably scares the stuffing out of many a longtime Vikings fan whose ingrained Purple Paranoia allows only one eye to follow Minnesota's magical season while the other searches nervously for the unexpected sucker punch that might be coming to make it all disappear in yet another painful postseason letdown.

"Aaron Rodgers does kind of have that look about him coming back of late," Vikings cornerback Duke Shelley said. "So we need to take care of business and nip that thing in the bud right now while they're feeling good about themselves. Aaron Rodgers is not a guy you want to see three times in one season."

Can the Duke get an "Amen!" from Purple Nation?

Fortunately for the 12-3 Vikings, they can essentially blow the playoff hopes of the 7-8 Packers and their Hall of Fame-bound QB to smithereens with a victory Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Kickoff is 3:25 p.m. By then, both teams will know whether this will be an elimination game for the Packers. If the Lions beat the Bears or the Commanders beat the Browns in early games, the Packers would be eliminated with a loss to the Vikings. A win and Green Bay can't be eliminated until Week 18.

"It's going to be a playoff-type atmosphere," Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said. "They're in a must-win situation, no different than we're in as we hope to kill the hopes and dreams of them making the playoffs. Our team is ready for it."

The Vikings won the first meeting, a 23-7 season-opening romp that remains the only victory of the Kevin O'Connell era that wasn't by one score. With Rodgers under heavy pressure, running back Aaron Jones getting only eight touches and the offense posting a season-low point total, the Green Bay defense was comically soft in its coverage of Justin Jefferson, who strolled to nine catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns.

"I was surprised on some routes how open I was," said Jefferson, who leads the league in receptions (123) and receiving yards (1,756), both franchise records. "You can see on some of the plays I was acting like someone was going to be there. And nobody was.

"I'm definitely expecting them to play me differently. … It's tough not knowing exactly how they're going to play me. But I feel I've reached a level to where I'm good enough to get open."

Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander expressed his frustrations after that game about not being allowed to shadow Jefferson. He said this week he hasn't even watched the tape of that game.

"It gives me a bad taste in my mouth," Alexander said. "I'd rather look at how we're doing now and keep the energy elevated."

Role reversal

The Packers have won three in a row, beating the Bears 28-19 in Chicago, taking a much-needed bye and then beating the Rams 24-12 at home and the Dolphins 26-20 in Miami on Christmas.

"The first two games were important because they were teams we should have beat," Rodgers said. "Then, last week, we beat a team that in most people's eyes is a better football team, so that gives us confidence.

"I said it a while ago. I think we can beat anybody. And there's times when we look like we could lose to anybody."

Several Vikings pointed to Rodgers' regular-season record at home in December (25-3) and January (3-1) as some of the reasons the Packers have their full attention. The Vikings clinched the NFC North two weeks ago but are trying to maintain the No. 2 seed over San Francisco (11-4) while chasing the top seed that belongs to Philadelphia (13-2).

"Our focus is playing as many playoff games as we can in front of our home crowd," Vikings nose tackle Harrison Phillips said. "There are a lot of great players you'd rather not face in the first round. History, of course, says Aaron comes alive this part of the year and into the playoffs. We want to beat anybody, but if Aaron is sitting at home come playoff time, that's not a bad thing for us."

Packers coach Matt LaFleur opened his Green Bay stint by winning three consecutive NFC North titles. It was presumed back in Week 1 that he would have little resistance in acquiring a fourth one in four seasons since the Bears were rebuilding, the Lions were raw and the Vikings were taking their first lap with a new offense, a new defense, a new coaching staff and a new general manager.

"This game is going to be two totally different teams [from Week 1]," Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson said. "One had high expectations, the other one didn't. So it's kind of reverse roles right now."

Yes, but the Packers are gaining momentum at the right time. Rodgers doesn't have a 300-yard game and already has thrown 11 interceptions — tying the second-highest total of his career — but he's been making game-changing plays while his defense has posted eight takeaways in the past three games.

"You can just tell that Aaron has a much better feel with his receivers now," Peterson said. "You can tell the trust factor is there because now he's implementing the RPO, run-pass option, into their game. Taking more shots and guys coming up with more contested catches for him."

Ready for Rodgers

Rookie receiver Christian Watson, drafted in the second round with a pick acquired in a trade with the Vikings, dropped what should have been a 75-yard touchdown on the first offensive snap of the season opener at U.S. Bank Stadium. Now he has eight touchdowns in the past six games and is the only NFL player with at least seven receiving touchdowns (seven) and more than one rushing touchdown (two).

Watson suffered a hip injury against the Dolphins. He didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday and was limited on Friday. LaFleur listed him as questionable. He also said he expects left tackle David Bakhtiari to play. Bakhtiari hasn't played since November after undergoing an appendectomy on Dec. 2.

"As some of their guys up front get healthy, we're also expecting more runs this time from Jones and [A.J.] Dillon," said Phillips, referring to Week 1 when the Packers ran the ball only 18 times despite gaining 111 yards (6.2).

Phillips, a Stanford alum, then bit his lip and praised the brains of a Cal guy.

"Aaron's a Cal guy, and I don't know that he could get into Stanford; I'll have to ask him that at the game," Phillips joked. "But he's very intellectual, a very smart player. Week 1, that was the first time we rolled out our new defense. No one had seen it. Now, he's had 15 games to see it. We have to be ready for that."

LaFleur is 9-0 at Lambeau Field in December/January, including last year's 37-10 Week 17 beatdown of the Vikings. That Purple debacle, which came with Kirk Cousins watching from home after testing positive for COVID-19, eliminated the Vikings from the playoff race and ended any hopes Mike Zimmer had of making it to a ninth season as Vikings coach.

"It's not going to be as cold as last year [11 degrees at kickoff], but you might get a couple of flurries, and the 3:30 start is going to fall into the night," Peterson said. "And [Lambeau] is like the Holy Grail of football stadiums. So this is one of those iconic games late in the year that as a football player you always look forward to."

Running back Dalvin Cook laughed when asked if eliminating the Packers almost a year to the date from when they eliminated the Vikings would be extra sweet.

"Why not? Why not?" he said.

He also wouldn't mind basking in the sea of sad, silent faces should the Vikings win on Sunday.

"It's Lambeau, so [fans] are going to talk they trash, they going to say what they say," Cook said. "But that's the enjoyment of going into another place and taking care of business. Going in there and getting a win. That's the thing where you like to look back and see some of their faces in the crowd at the end of the game."

Not to mention the other sideline, should a loss end any hopes of a certain four-time league MVP quarterback sneaking into the playoffs for a pressure-free third crack at the Vikings.