Sam Darnold has played most of his football on either the East or West Coast.
After staying home to play his college ball at Southern California, Darnold spent his first three NFL seasons with the New York Jets before stints in Carolina and San Francisco.
Now that he’s in the Upper Midwest, the veteran quarterback has a much better appreciation of the rivalry between his Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers. The NFC North foes will battle Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
“It’s the whole entire NFC North, man,” Darnold said. “It’s an incredible kind of rivalries or bitterness, I guess you could say. It’s awesome to be able to run into Packers fans. I’m not going to lie, they’re nice and everything, but when you start to talk about football, they’re not shy about speaking their mind about who they think the better team is.
“It’s just fun, man. It makes everything more fun, makes the game more fun. That’s the reason we play.”
Along with the traditional bragging rights between the border rivals, Sunday’s matchup also holds significant playoff implications for the Vikings (13-2) and Packers (11-4), though both teams already have clinched a spot in the postseason.
Minnesota is tied with the Detroit Lions for the top spot in the division with two games to play, though the Lions hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their 31-29 win at the Vikings in Week 7. Green Bay could end up with the No. 5, 6 or 7 seed as a wild-card team, and Sunday’s outcome will go a long way toward determining its playoff positioning.
“We’re playing for something,” said Packers running back Josh Jacobs, who leads Green Bay’s ground attack with 1,216 yards and 13 scores.
Jacobs ran for 69 yards and a touchdown in the Packers’ 34-0 home win over New Orleans on Monday night. Quarterback Jordan Love threw for 182 yards and a score without committing a turnover for Green Bay in its second straight win.
Love has passed for 3,135 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions over his 13 starts this season, good for a 97.8 passer rating. Jayden Reed has a team-high 52 catches for 803 yards and six touchdowns. Christian Watson is next with 29 catches for 620 yards and two TDs.
“What’s really cool is you are getting contributions from a lot of different people,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think that is usually the mark of a good team.
“You have to stay healthy and continue to build on what you’ve done. I love the energy of our group. Our guys show up ready to work, willing to work every day, and we have to continue to push one another to be at our best because this is the time when you need to be playing your best ball.”
Minnesota is going for its ninth straight win. The Vikings’ only other loss besides Detroit came four days later, a 30-20 Thursday night setback at the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8.
Darnold has powered Minnesota with 3,776 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 15 starts. He has posted a 105.4 passer rating in his first season with the team. Former Green Bay star Aaron Jones is Minnesota’s top running back with 1,046 yards and five TDs.
Justin Jefferson is Darnold’s top target with 92 receptions for 1,387 yards and 10 touchdowns. No. 2 receiver Jordan Addison has 56 catches for 806 yards and eight scores.
Packers top cornerback Jaire Alexander is dealing with a knee injury that could keep him out of Sunday’s contest. While he may not match up against one of the league’s premier defenders in Alexander, Jefferson remains motivated for the divisional clash.
“I love any competition regardless of if it’s Green Bay or I’m playing the No. 1 corner in the league,” Jefferson said. “I’m always going to prepare to go out there and play my best regardless of who’s out there. I always say I love these types of games, the games that you really need, the games that are exciting for everyone to watch.”
Alexander was limited in Green Bay’s practice Thursday, as were safety Javon Bullard (ankle), tackle Andre Dillard (concussion), linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper (ankle) and tight ends Tucker Kraft (hip) and Luke Musgrave (ankle). Guard Elgton Jenkins (knee), linebacker Quay Walker (ankle), safety Evan Williams (quad) and Watson (knee) sat out Thursday’s session.
The Vikings were fully healthy for Thursday’s practice aside from cornerback Fabian Moreau, who has not practiced all week due to a hip injury.
This will be the final regular-season meeting between the rivals. Minnesota jumped ahead of host Green Bay 28-0 before holding on 31-29 on Sept. 29.
–Field Level Media
