The Minnesota Vikings‘ playoff hopes are hanging by a thread with seven games left in the 2025 season. But a win over their biggest rival, the Green Bay Packers, in Lambeau Field on Sunday could be the spark they need.
Of course, the Vikings thought they got that same spark when they went into Detroit and beat the Lions 27-24 three weeks ago. Inconsistency has killed the Vikings, who have dropped their last two games since the upset division win.
The Packers aren’t a perfect team by any means, sitting at 6-3-1. But they don’t turn the ball over and have limited big plays all year. That means the Vikings will likely have to sustain long drives and not turn the ball over, two of the biggest weaknesses of their season.
Here are three things to know for Sunday’s matchup.
3 Things to know for Vikings vs Packers in Week 12
The Vikings have won the last two matchups at Lambeau Field
The Vikings haven’t won three straight road games against Green Bay since 1991-93, when the Packers played home games at Lambeau Field (1991 and 1992) and Milwaukee (1993). In 2023, the Vikings beat the Packers 24-10 in what ended up being Kirk Cousins’ final game with Minnesota. Last year, the Vikings built a 28-0 lead and won 31-29 to improve to a 4-0 record to start the season.
Currently, the Packers are 6.5-point favorites for Sunday’s matchup, so it will be a tall task for the Vikings to pull off the upset. But it wouldn’t be unprecedented, as Minnesota beat Green Bay as 5.5-point underdogs in the 2020 season, improving to 2-5 and beginning a stretch where the Vikings won five of their next six games. And, oddly, two of the Vikings’ wins this year have come on the road against division opponents.
Harrison Smith will set the Vikings’ record for most games played at Lambeau Field
Sunday will be Harrison Smith’s 13th time playing at Lambeau Field, breaking a tie with former tight end Jim Kleinsasser for the most games played in the storied stadium as a Viking.
When we get to Sunday, this will be the new leaderboard.
Most Games Played by a Viking,
at Lambeau Field:1. Harrison Smith (13)
2. Jim Kleinsasser (12)
t3. Cullen Loeffler (11)
t3. Brian Robison (11)
t3. Kevin Williams (11) pic.twitter.com/S9vw1StcbX— Dustin Baker (@DustBaker) November 21, 2025
Smith has intercepted four passes at Lambeau Field in his career, including one as a rookie. He picked off two passes in a 16-0 win at Lambeau in 2017, the only multi-interception game of his career.
Justin Jefferson only has two 100-yard games this season
It’s been a quiet season for Justin Jefferson, who hasn’t had the impact he’s used to having. He still ranks 7th in receiving yards this year, but his 56 receptions are tied for 13th in the league, and he has only reached the endzone twice.
Jefferson hasn’t recorded a 100-yard game since Week 5 at London, when he caught seven passes for 123 yards against the Browns. That was one week after his only other 100-yard performance, which came against the Steelers in Dublin. It should be noted that Carson Wentz started at quarterback for both of those games.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: 3 Things to know for Vikings matchup with the Packers in Week 12
