Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings prediction: Who will win and why

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Green Bay Packers (1-0) vs. Minnesota Vikings (1-0)

KICKOFF: Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minn. -- TV: NBC, Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya.

SERIES HISTORY: 110th regular-season meeting. Packers lead series, 58-49-2. Minnesota's 20-13 win at Green Bay on Jan. 3 to end the 2015 regular season and earn the Vikings the NFC North title snapped a three-year run of dominance by the Packers in the rivals' head-to-head matchups. The Packers were unbeaten in the previous six games (5-0-1), stretching back to their 24-10 knockout of Minnesota in the wild-card round of the playoffs at Lambeau Field during the 2012 season. Going back to the 2010 season, Green Bay is 10-2-1 against the Vikings, including a 5-1 mark in Minnesota.

GAMEDATE: 9/18/16

KEYS TO THE GAME: After the Titans held Vikings RB Adrian Peterson to a minuscule 31 yards on 19 carries, the 10th-year pro knows too well the target won't be taken off his No. 28 jersey when the Packers and Vikings renew their rivalry on Sunday night. Peterson already has been brushing up on Green Bay's revamped defense, which held the Jaguars to 48 rushing yards and less than two yards per attempt in its season-opening win.

The Packers excelled in bottling up Peterson in their two encounters with the Vikings last season in his return to football. He gained a cumulative 112 yards on 32 carries, scoring two touchdowns.

While Peterson is the top priority for the defense, the Packers can't neglect Minnesota's capable passing attack. Sam Bradford will be the starting quarterback for the Vikings. Bradford went 0-2 against the Packers with the Rams.

As for Green Bay's offense, coach Mike McCarthy would like to go up-tempo and take the Vikings' boisterous crowd for their first game at U.S. Bank Stadium out of play by striking early and often. Since defensive whiz Zimmer has had a way of confounding Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay's potent passing game with exotic coverages and pressures, the Packers may need to make liberal use of running the football with Eddie Lacy after limiting him to 14 carries in the hot conditions at Jacksonville last Sunday.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

--Vikings FS Harrison Smith, who has intercepted Aaron Rodgers twice in seven meetings, vs. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who has thrown only five picks in 17 games against the Vikings. Smith is head coach Mike Zimmer's key piece in many of his third-down blitz packages. He can rush off the edge, line up close and drop or play in deep coverage. Rodgers will have to keep an eye on him as much as any other defender.

--Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, who averaged 1.6 yards on 19 carries in the season opener, vs. Packers OLBs Clay Matthews and Nick Perry. Peterson rushed for only 31 yards in the win over the Titans. His longest carry was a 9-yarder against a 3-4 defense that used several eight- and nine-man fronts to stop Peterson. The Vikings weren't able to clear out the middle of the Titans' defense, allowing the outside linebackers to swarm and box Peterson in.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Quarterback Sam Bradford has the arm strength and the deep-ball accuracy to help the Vikings' running game get some more favorable fronts. But will he know where to go with the ball on Sunday night, when he makes his Vikings debut against the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium? Will he have had enough time to get the timing down with receivers he had never met a little over two weeks ago? And will he have enough of the plays, checks and protections down pat enough to keep the Packers off-balance? The Vikings believe Bradford has had enough time to learn enough of what he'll need to know to be effective against the team that's trying to re-take the NFC North title it lost to the Vikings a year ago.

INJURY REPORT: Green Bay -- Out: CB Josh Hawkins (hamstring). Doubtful: S Chris Banjo (hamstring), LB Jay Elliott (hamstring), CB Sam Shields (concussion). Questionable: WR Trevor Davis (shoulder). Minnesota -- Out: DT Sharrif Floyd (knee), TE MyCole Pruitt (knee), CB Xavier Rhodes (knee). Questionable: T Matt Kalil (hip).

FAST FACTS: Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers passed for two TDs last week and added a rushing TD. He has at least two TD passes in 11 of the past 13 games vs. the Vikings and is looking for his 14th straight game with a TD pass vs. Minnesota. ... Eighth-year LB Clay Matthews has 68.5 sacks, tying him with the late Reggie White for second place on the Packers' all-time list. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila has the team record, with 74.5. ... TE Kyle Rudolph had four catches for 65 yards last week. He now has 186 career catches, which is tied with Jermaine Wiggins for the fourth-most by a tight end in Vikings history. ... Minnesota KR Cordarrelle Patterson's 61-yard kickoff return was the longest in the NFL in Week 1. ... Vikings DE Danielle Hunter, who was second among NFL rookies with six sacks a year ago, had his first of the season in the opener. He also scored his first touchdown off a 24-yard fumble return.

PREDICTION: The Packers know they need to beat the Vikings if they want to reclaim the NFC North, and Aaron Rodgers certainly will be ready to do his part.

OUR PICK: Packers, 27-17.