Early Look: Unprecedented Week 1 Awaits Vikings & Packers

[Viktor]

Here's a look at the Vikings Week 1 matchup against the Packers, presented by Minnesota Eye Consultants, the Proud Ophthalmology Partner of the Minnesota Vikings:


Passing: Kirk Cousins is entering Year 3 in Purple fresh off his first-career playoff win, and perhaps the best season of his career.


Cousins went 10-5 as a starter in 2019, as he tallied a career-best passer rating of 107.4. He completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,603 yards with 26 touchdowns and six interceptions.


According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Cousins had an expected completion percentage of 63.6 in 2019. His plus-5.5 completion percentage above expectation ranked third in the NFL.


Cousins is 1-2-1 in his Vikings career against the Packers, throwing for 1,119 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions in 2018 and 2019.


Cousins will be protected up front by the starting five of, from left to right, Riley Reiff, Dakota Dozier, Garrett Bradbury, Pat Elflein and Brian O'Neill.


The Vikings will see a familiar face in Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who will make his 23rd career start against Minnesota. He is 13-8-1 against the Vikings as a starter, including a 6-4-1 record against Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer.


Rodgers threw for 4,002 yards in 2019 as he hit the 4,000-yard mark for the eighth time in his career. He threw for 26 touchdowns and just four interceptions, including one nabbed by Vikings safety Anthony Harris.


Rodgers' minuscule interception rate of 0.7 percent led all NFL quarterbacks in 2019.


Rushing: Dalvin Cook is coming off the best season of his career, as the Vikings running back did a bit of everything on the way to his first Pro Bowl nod in 2019.


Cook ranked seventh in the NFL with 1,654 yards from scrimmage. He tallied 1,135 rushing yards and 13 scores on 250 carries, averaging 4.5 yards per tote. Cook added 53 catches for 510 yards.


The Vikings were 6-2 when Cook had at least 100 yards from scrimmage in 2019. That included a dazzling all-around performance against Dallas in Week 10, when he racked up 183 total yards.