The New Year’s Eve matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football essentially is a playoff game.
The losing team will be all but mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.
Both the Vikings and Packers enter the matchup at 7-8, the same record as the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints in the chase for an NFC wild card spot. All four teams trail the 8-7 Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks entering the second-to-last week of the regular season.
For either the Vikings or Packers to make the playoffs, one of the teams must win both of their final two games and have either the Seahawks or the Rams lose at least one of their next two matchups.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, a win for the Packers improves their playoff chances to 55 percent, with the team hosting the Chicago Bears in their regular-season finale. A win for the Vikings improves their playoff chances to 49 percent, with their final regular-season game against the NFC North division champion Detroit Lions.
The Vikings, however, will have their fourth different starting quarterback over the last nine weeks. Rookie Jaren Hall is set to get the nod in the must-win game, with Nick Mullens having been benched after a four-interception performance last week in a 30-24 loss to the Lions. Hall, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft, has completed 8 of 10 passes for 101 yards over two games played this season. He will be without a key weapon in tight end T.J. Hockenson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Hall will face a Green Bay defense that has struggled in recent weeks. The Packers had allowed more than 25 points in a game just once through their first 13 matchups but have since allowed 30-plus in each of their last two games. That included allowing a 2-13 Carolina Panthers team that hadn't scored more than 18 points in a game since mid-October to produce a season-high 30 points in a three-point Green Bay win last week. The Packers' secondary will be without Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander, who was suspended for one game after his coin-toss blunder.
NFL
The Vikings beat the Packers 24-10 in Week 8, a game in which Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles injury that started the Minnesota quarterback carousel.
Here's everything you need to know about how to watch the game.
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When do the Vikings play the Packers?
The Vikings and Packers will kick off on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET.
What TV channel is the Vikings vs Packers game on?
The matchup between the Vikings and Packers will be broadcast nationally on NBC. Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (color analysis) and Melissa Stark (sideline reporting) are on the call.
How to stream Vikings vs Packers live online
Live stream: Peacock
