{"id":40883,"date":"2025-12-30T12:26:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T12:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=40883"},"modified":"2025-12-30T12:26:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T12:26:40","slug":"packers-approach-week-18-vs-the-vikings-focus-on-more-than-the-scoreboard-as-team-stakes-and-individual-goals-remain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=40883","title":{"rendered":"Packers approach Week 18 vs. the Vikings focus on more than the scoreboard as team stakes and individual goals remain"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

After three consecutive losses, the\u00a0Green Bay Packers\u00a0can\u2019t win the NFC North anymore \u2014 and now the\u00a0Chicago Bears,\u00a0Detroit Lions, and\u00a0Minnesota Vikings\u00a0all have won the Division since the Packers did it for the last time in 2021. However, the team has already\u00a0clinched a playoff spot, so the Week 18 game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday is fairly meaningless.<\/p>\n

Despite the lack of playoff or seeding implications, the Packers still have some things to play for \u2014 both as a team and because of individual achievements.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think anybody was relieved that we made the playoffs,\u201d\u00a0head coach Matt LaFleur said\u00a0after the 41-24\u00a0loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. \u201cWe still had a ton to play for. It was the same routine in regards to how we went about our process and how we prepared for the game. Unfortunately, it just wasn\u2019t good enough. That\u2019s the bottom line.\u201d<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s discuss what\u2019s at stake against the Vikings next weekend.<\/p>\n

Health<\/h2>\n

Injury reports have been a nightmare for the Packers. On Saturday, five players were ruled out during the game, some of them with serious injuries \u2014 safety Zayne Anderson (ankle), defensive tackle Jordon Riley (Achilles), cornerback Nate Hobbs (knee), wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (concussion), and cornerback Kamal Hadden (ankle). LaFleur didn\u2019t make any final call on if starters will play.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to speak too soon on that,\u201d LaFleur said\u00a0in regards to quarterback Jordan Love. \u201cWe just want to get him through the protocol, and then we\u2019ll have a decision to make.\u201d<\/p>\n

Especially after what happened in Week 18 last year, with Love hurting his elbow and Christian Watson tearing his ACL, resting key players is probably the smartest approach \u2014 whether that means starting Malik Willis or Clayton Tune at quarterback, that remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

Confidence<\/h2>\n

Whether the Packers sit some starters or not, the big collective goal beyond avoiding more injuries is to get some good vibes entering the postseason. Last year, the Packers lost their final two regular season games, to the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.<\/p>\n

So while they made the postseason anyway, the negative momentum potentially affected how the team performed against the\u00a0Philadelphia Eagles\u00a0in the playoffs. If the Packers lose to the Vikings next weekend, that would mean getting to the playoffs coming off a wild four-game losing streak.<\/p>\n

Reachable incentives<\/h2>\n

Individually, some players can still earn extra money. Beyond per-game bonuses, cornerback Keisean Nixon has one interception and gets a $50k bonus with one more \u2014 he has incentives up to $150k tied to a four-interception season, but that\u2019s not realistic at this point.<\/p>\n

Possible chance for upcoming free agents<\/h2>\n

The Packers have some players\u00a0getting closer to free agency, and that includes backup quarterback Malik Willis. Left tackle Rasheed Walker, interior offensive lineman Sean Rhyan, wide receiver Romeo Doubs, and linebacker Quay Walker, among others, can make a good impression before their final playoff run before hitting the market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After three consecutive losses, the\u00a0Green Bay Packers\u00a0can\u2019t win the NFC North anymore \u2014 and now the\u00a0Chicago Bears,\u00a0Detroit Lions, and\u00a0Minnesota Vikings\u00a0all have won the Division since the Packers… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-green-bay-packers"],"yoast_head":"\nPackers approach Week 18 vs. the Vikings focus on more than the scoreboard as team stakes and individual goals remain - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=40883\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Packers approach Week 18 vs. the Vikings focus on more than the scoreboard as team stakes and individual goals remain - Breaking News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After three consecutive losses, the\u00a0Green Bay Packers\u00a0can\u2019t win the NFC North anymore \u2014 and now the\u00a0Chicago Bears,\u00a0Detroit Lions, and\u00a0Minnesota Vikings\u00a0all have won the Division since the Packers...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=40883\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Breaking News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-30T12:26:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/green-bay-bau-64.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrKen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrKen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=40883\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=40883\",\"name\":\"Packers approach Week 18 vs. the Vikings focus on more than the scoreboard as team stakes and individual goals remain - 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