The playoffs have started early for the Packers this season, as they have put themselves into a situation in which they will all but likely have to win out in order to feel confident about making it to the tournament in January.  The first opponent that they must defeat in this series of must-win gauntlets is the team who essentially ended their season last year, the Minnesota Vikings.  

Sunday Night's matchup against their most hated rival will take Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers back to the scene of where his and the Packers hopes dramatically changed last year; and let's face it, he has probably circled this game on the schedule since it came out this spring.  The Packers are well aware that their hopes for this season ride on this game and I expect them to come out and play like a desperate team from the opening whistle.  Although they have backed themselves into quite a corner, the talent that is on this team always has a chance to shine through and allow them to break out.  

These are the key matchups that I believe will be the difference makers in Sunday Nights matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.  

1. Pat Efflin (Center), Mike Remmers (Right Guard), and Tom Compton (Left Guard) vs. Kyler Fackrell, Kenny Clark, and Clay Matthews

One indicator that will tell me if the Packers have a legitimate chance of winning in Minnesota tomorrow night will be the amount of pressure that they can generate against Minnesota's less than stellar offensive line. The Vikings interior offensive lineman struggle in pass protection as none of them have a grade higher than a 56.9 in that area.  This weakness plays right into Mike Pettine's ideal blitz scheme as he will look to break down the Vikings interior with Dean Lowry, Tyler Lancaster, and Montravius Adams, and send Kyler Fackrell, Kenny Clark, and Clay Matthews up the A gap to come after Cousins.

Generating consistent pressures up the middle will allow Pettine to give Cousins different looks and blitz packages from other members of the defensive unit.  If the Packers are successful in sending pressure up the middle, I will look for Pettine to mix in some corner and safety blitzes on the outside which will leave Kirk Cousins a sitting duck for sacks from every angle.  I am looking for Pettine to dial up intense pressure on Kirk Cousins from the opening whistle as he looks to rattle him early and get him off of his game by forcing rushed and hurried passes.

2. Jaire Alexander vs. Adam Thielen

The rookie standout has certainly earned the right to face the NFL's best wide receiver in 2018 in one on one coverage in the Packers biggest game of the year.  Alexander has dazzled week after week showing an ability to make plays in one on one coverage situations against opponents number 1 wide receivers.  Sunday Night, Alexander will have to play his best game in the NFL in order for the Packers to win.  

I look for him to see a good amount of reps in one on one coverage against Adam Thielen as I suspect that the Packers will have to provide Kevin King (if active), Josh Jackson, and Tony Brown with safety help over the top against Stefon Diggs when the Packers send extra pressure at Cousins since Breeland most likely will be inactive again.

3. Aaron Rodgers vs. Himself

Despite having the highest graded performance of week 11, Rodgers acknowledged that he needs to improve in certain areas of his game in order for the Packers offense to get off of the ground...and finally start running.  While speaking with reporters he mentioned certain areas of his game that he can change which would help make for a more consistent Packers offense.

"I gotta bring it with the tempo." Good to see Rodgers acknowledge he's been at fault for some of the wasted time outs that have plagued them on offense. pic.twitter.com/dzzFwb5dhz

— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) November 23, 2018

I think that if Rodgers can just trust his progressions/young receivers and consistently speed the tempo of the game up, this Packers offense will be light years better and more efficient than they have been all season.  The statistics back up the optimism that a higher tempo offense will galvanize the Packers, as Aaron Rodgers has his highest passer rating while in the hurry-up offense which leads him to have a more trusting approach when reading his progressions.  This will translate into fewer wasted plays and timeouts and will go a long way toward eliminating third and long sacks in crucial moments in the game.

4. The Packers Run Defense vs. Latavius Murray and Dalvin Cook

Personally, I have always been a fan of Latavius Murray and Dalvin Cook's explosive ability out of the backfield, until they became members of the Minnesota Vikings.  Now, I just sit back and worry about how their play could force Mike Pettine and the Packers defense to deploy a less than optimal game plan in order to stop this two-headed monster from bludgeoning their defense like Seattle's rushing attack did some ten days ago.  

In order to create situations where Mike Pettine can send six or even seven rushers at Kirk Cousins, the Packers run defense is going to have to prove that it can contain Murray and Cook in the backfield, and stop them from picking up first downs in short yardage situations.

If the Packers offense can force a few stops, the Vikings offense will gradually have to become more reliant on the pass which will allow Pettine to start to expose the weak links on the interior part of the Vikings offensive line.  Conversely, if the Packers run defense is not able to corral Murray and Cook, look for this to be a long day on defense with a lot of methodical drives resulting in points from both the Vikings rushing and passing attacks.

5. Danielle Hunter vs. Brian Bulaga and Bryon Bell

The NFL has been put on notice that Danielle Hunter is an immense talent that can single-handedly wreck a game, and on Sunday Night, Brian Bulaga and Bryon Bell will be given the responsibility to make sure that that does not happen.  This game can not be a replay of what Bears edge rusher, Khalil Mack did to the right side of the Packers offensive line on opening night.  

Protecting Aaron Rodgers will start by preventing Sheldon Richardson and Linvall Joseph from collapsing the interior of the Packers offensive line which will give Hunter uncontested rushing lanes on the right side to pressure and sack Aaron Rodgers.  If the Packers interior of their line collapses it will cause the entire line to break apart and provide ample opportunities for Hunter, Griffin, and Barr to get hit after hit on Rodgers forcing him to relive the horrors that he experienced at US Bank Stadium just one season ago.  

This is why the hurry-up offense will play such an enormous factor in whether or not the Packers will be able to move the ball against the Vikings defense.  The history of success through the running of an uptempo offense against the Vikings is two-fold; both through the successes that Rodgers has experienced in the hurry-up offense throughout his career as well as through the success that high tempo offenses like the Saints, Rams, and Bears have had against the Vikings during the 2018 season.  

The Packers offense will be successful in moving the ball if they consistently run an uptempo style offense for sixty minutes and they can provide the right side of the offensive line with pass protection from their running backs and tight ends.

6. The Packers Special Teams (The Triumphant Return of Trevor Davis)

Well, the week still has not come where the Packers special teams have not done something to shoot themselves in the foot, so here I sit at my laptop dreaming of the day that they can play mistake-free football.  However, the fortunes of the special teams unit does appear to be changing as they could be getting a much needed shot in the arm with the return of Trevor Davis to the active roster.  Davis will certainly provide an explosive dynamic to special teams in both the return and coverage aspects which will help Green Bay win the battle of field position which is so crucial on the road.  

The question now boils down to whether or not Trevor Davis's blockers can realize that they no longer need to hold or block defenders in the back.  Davis's speed is so dynamic that his blockers in some cases will only need to shield or chip a defender in order to provide enough of a lane for him to make a positive play.  The impact that Davis can make for this Packers team will be contingent on his blockers providing him with legal blocks.  

Predictions:

• The Packers offense will wake up.
• Aaron Rodgers will play his best game of the season.
• The Packers defense will force sacks and turnovers.
• Aaron Jones will get 20 carries.
• Jaire Alexander will contain Adam Thielen.
• The Packers will win by a score of 35-28.