Aaron Jones' return to Lambeau Field highlight biggest storylines in Vikings vs. Packers Week 4 matchup

The battle for the NFC North truly begins on Sunday afternoon when the Minnesota Vikings travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. The winner of the game will be in first place and have the upper hand to claim the north. The matchup has a lot of intriguing elements, including who […]

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Sep 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) runs the ball against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The battle for the NFC North truly begins on Sunday afternoon when the Minnesota Vikings travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. The winner of the game will be in first place and have the upper hand to claim the north.

The matchup has a lot of intriguing elements, including who will start at quarterback for the Packers. Jordan Love is still healing from his sprained MCL but has been practicing. His status is still up in the air. 

With that said, the biggest storylines in this game are likely the ones that will decide the winner.

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Aaron Jones returns to Lambeau Field

The biggest storyline is an easy one. Jones is coming back to Lambeau Field for the first time as a visitor. He was a fifth-round pick of the Packers in 2017 and had a fantastic career with them. It's been a big topic this week and Jones even wrote a Players Tribune piece to the fanbase.

He also talked about doing the Lambeau Leap in Green Bay, something that will happen if he scores.

It's an emotional time to go back to the place you once called home and Jones will likely have some of those moments. His play will tell the story, as he's been fantastic for the Vikings.

Brian Flores vs. Matt LaFleur

You can make a real argument that these are the best playcallers on their side of the football. Flores has been a nightmare for opposing offenses this season in holding them to 10.0 points per game. 

On the other side, LaFleur has dealt with injuries in a big way this season with Jordan Love not playing in the last two weeks. LaFleur has made Malik Willis look like a good starting quarterback. Flores spent time on Tuesday praising LaFleur.

"I think for Matt to go in his bag and be a West Coast guy and then turn around and he's got this whole zone read, RBO counter read, I mean, that's pretty impressive. And I think I don't think it's being talked about enough for me, this is just,it's impressive to watch.

"He's (Matt LaFleur) just got great acumen. Obviously, he's gotten a menu of different styles of play. He tries to stay ahead of the defense. Clearly, they run it, they screen it, they drop back, they turn the RPO. They've got everything which can try to keep you off balance. I think some guys just have a nightmare for calling the game a certain way. And he's, he's done a great job with that for a long time, but the adaptability to me is, you know, I learned a long time ago, you know, great coaches are able to adapt. There's so many injuries in the National Football League. This is going back to us. This is a Bill Belichick, you know, there's so many injuries that you have to be able to coach and play at a high level, regardless of what the situation is. And obviously, Matt's had Rogers and Nate had a lot of success there. And Jordan Love comes in, and we fall see what he's done there. And then Malik Willis comes in, and we've seen what he's doing there. So obviously, you know, Matt's done a great job. And you know, again, this should be talked about a little bit more than it is, in my opinion."

Who will win this chess match is going to be an interesting one, especially with the Vikings having to prepare for two different offenses.

Justin Jefferson vs. Jaire Alexander

This is the big matchup everyone will want to see. Jefferson is the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL and Alexander was the highest-paid cornerback until a few weeks ago and has since dropped to third place behind Pat Surtain II and Jalen Ramsey.

in his career, Jefferson has played seven games against the Packers. On 54 targets, Jefferson has 34 catches for 537 yards and four touchdowns per Pro Football Focus. In those games, PFF has charted the matchup between Alexander and Jefferson with the following numbers.

  • 5 targets
  • 2 catches
  • 19 yards

Those numbers happen for two reasons: Alexander was either given help over the top or Jefferson destroyed zone coverage. The Packers haven't truly trusted Alexander to go 1v1 with Jefferson and if they do on Sunday, that will be a matchup to watch.

Kenny Clark vs. Vikings interior offensive line

The Vikings have historically had trouble containing Clark with their offensive line. Garrett Bradbury especially has had issues with him in the past and Clark is at the peak of his abilities. 

Could things be different this year? The Packers are now running out of a 4-3 base under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley which could impact how the Packers are attacking the opposing offensive line. It doesn't help that Bradbury was listed as a did not participate on the initial injury report. That could end up being a problem for the Vikings.

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