Sunday afternoon isn’t just the first weekend of NFL football, it also brings to us one of the league’s best rivalries when the Minnesota Vikings take on the Green Bay Packers.

There are a lot of intriguing elements within the course of the game. On the Packers’ side, they are dealing with not having two of their best players in Josh Jacobs and Micah Parsons. For the Vikings, it’s all about whether or not the Kyler Murray experiment is going to work. This will be the first of many data points for us to determine if this is a marriage made in heaven or forced due to circumstance.

Who will end up winning this game? Our NFC North beat writers made their predictions.

Vikings 27, Packers 17

This is a really interesting matchup for the Vikings, and it’s one that they should win. Head coach Kevin O’Connell is 3-1 in season opening games, and this is the second one of his tenure against the Packers in U.S. Bank Stadium. Having a first-time starting quarterback in Kyler Murray may feel like a rough one, but it’s something that O’Connell has navigated before.

The biggest key for the Vikings is simple: they won’t be facing off against Micah Parsons and likely won’t see Josh Jacobs either. Having that is a massive win for the Vikings in order to get the win, and it will culminate in a great start to the Vikings’ season.

– Tyler Forness, A to Z Minnesota

Vikings 24, Packers 21

As it usually is for Week 1 games, this one is extremely hard to predict because there are so many new elements for both sides. The Packers and Vikings both should progress throughout the season with Micah Parsons’ comeback and Kyler Murray’s full integration into the offense. For now, though, I’m a little skeptic about the Packers for the same reason that derailed their 2025 season: injuries. Micah Parsons is out, and they will have to prove they can perform at a reasonable level without him.

Moreover, right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele (formerly known as Zach Tom) and left guard Aaron Banks are handling knee issues. They might play or not, but it’s hard to imagine they’d be 100%. The Packers will still have a good offense, especially with Tucker Kraft back, but it’s a tough ladder to climb against Brian Flores’ defense if their own defense doesn’t make things manageable on the other side.

– Wendell Ferreira, A to Z Green Bay

Packers 28, Vikings 17

The Minnesota Vikings kicked off the season in an exciting way last year in J.J. McCarthy’s debut as the starting quarterback after leading a second-half comeback against the Chicago Bears. I just don’t see similar magic happening this time around with Kyler Murray making his starting debut in Minnesota against the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers enter the season with their own question marks without Micah Parsons and Josh Jacobs, but I still see Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love kicking off the season with a hotter start than Murray will in his first game with Kevin O’Connell, who could have some early issues to work out. Sometimes, you just simply have to go with the team that has the better QB/HC chemistry to open a season.

– Kole Noble, A to Z Chicago

Packers 24, Vikings 14

When it comes to the Packers vs Vikings Week 1, I have to go with the devil I know, and the devil I know is the Packers. Even without Jacobs and Parsons, it’s easier to predict them than it is with the Vikings and Kyler Murray. I also think Minnesota’s defense got worse, and I’m not convinced Kyle Van Noy and the returning Harrison Smith make me change my thought process on that.

– Mike Payton, A to Z Detroit

Final Prediction for Packers vs. Vikings

There are some very interesting elements with these predictions. Both beat writers of the teams playing picked the Vikings, while the other two picked the Packers. Is it because Forness and Ferreira are more knowledgeable, or is it that Payton and Noble are able to see things clearer due to not being as invested? It creates a lot of intrigue going into Sunday afternoon.