Packers host Vikings in home opener

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RODGERS AND THE VIKINGS


Including the postseason, Green Bay is 12-8-1 against Minnesota with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback.


In 21 games as the starter against the Vikings (including playoffs), Rodgers has completed 449 of 660 passes (68.0 percent) for 5,307 yards, 42 TDs and six INTs with a passer rating of 109.7. His passer rating is the second highest of any opposing quarterback (min. 100 att.) vs. Minnesota (Kurt Warner, 112.4), according to pro-football-reference.com.


Rodgers has recorded a 100-plus passer rating in 12 of his 21 starts against the Vikings (including the postseason) and a rating of 94-plus in 15 contests.


Rodgers has recorded seven games with a passer rating of 130-plus against Minnesota, the most by a quarterback in NFL history against one opponent (according to the Elias Sports Bureau).


In the last 15 games versus Minnesota (including playoffs), Rodgers has thrown 20 touchdowns and three interceptions.


Rodgers is the only player to have four games with four-plus touchdown passes with zero interceptions against the Vikings. No other quarterback has more than two.


WITH THE CALL

• FOX Sports, now in its 26th season as an NFL network television partner, will broadcast the game.
• Play-by-play man Chris Myers joins analyst Daryl Johnston and sideline reporter Laura Okmin.
• Milwaukee’s WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since November 1929, heads up the Packers Radio Network that is made up of 50 stations in four states. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play), two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst) and three-time Packers Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro John Kuhn (sideline) will call the action. McCarren first joined the team’s broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 25th season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 21st season of broadcasts together. They surpassed Jim Irwin and Max McGee for the most regular-season and postseason games broadcast for the Packers with 313 at the 2018 season opener against Chicago.
• The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio (WTMJ feed).
• ESPN Radio will air the game on radio across the country with Marc
• Kestecher (play-by-play) and Jack Del Rio (analyst) calling the action.
• The telecast is also available on DirecTV channel 712.

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT


Packers vs. Vikings:

• Regular season, all-time: 59-53-3
• All-time, Postseason: 1-1
• All-time, at Lambeau Field 23-19-3
• Streaks: The Packers are 6-2-2 in their previous 10 matchups vs. Minnesota in Green Bay (incl. playoffs).
• Last meeting, regular season: Nov. 25, 2018, U.S. Bank Stadium, Vikings won, 24-17

COACHES CAPSULES


Matt LaFleur: 1-0-0, 1.000; 1st NFL season


Mike Zimmer: 49-34-1, .584 (incl. 1-2 postseason); 6th NFL season


Head to Head: 0-0


vs. Opponent: Zimmer 5-4-1 vs. Packers


MATT LaFLEUR…In his first season as the Packers’ 15th head coach.


Entering his 11th season in the NFL, having served as an offensive coordinator for two seasons (Los Angeles Rams, 2017; Tennessee Titans, 2018), a quarterbacks coach for six seasons (Washington Redskins, 2010-13; Atlanta Falcons, 2015-16), and an offensive assistat for two seasons (Houston Texans, 2008-09).


Guided the Titans’ offense in 2018 to a No. 7 league ranking in rushing (126.4 ypg) as Tennessee registered 11 games with 100-plus rushing yards, tied for No. 2 in the NFL.


Helped the Rams lead the league in scoring with an average of 29.9 points per game in 2017, more than doubling their average from 2016 (14.0 ppg).


Tutored QB Matt Ryan, who led the league in passer rating (117.1) in 2016 on his way to being named NFL Most Valuable Player by The Associated Press.


Coached rookie QB Robert Griffin III with the Redskins in 2012, who became the first QB in team history to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.


MIKE ZIMMER…In his sixth year as the Vikings’ 9th head coach.


Led Minnesota to a record-setting 2017 campaign that saw the Vikings go 13-3, win the NFC North title and advance to the NFC Championship Game.


After inheriting the No. 31 defense in the league in 2014, guided the Minnesota defense to the top ranking in both yards allowed and points allowed in 2017.


The 2017 division title marked Zimmer’s second in four years after piloting the Vikings to an 11-5 record and an NFC North crown in 2015.


A longtime defensive coordinator prior to taking the Minnesota job, coached four top-10 defensive units in Cincinnati (2009, 2011-13), three in Dallas (2001, 2003, 2005) and three as head coach of the Vikings (2016-18).


THE PACKERS-VIKINGS SERIES


The Packers began the series with six straight wins before Minnesota rattled off 22 victories in 32 contests from 1964-79.


Green Bay started a run of its own in 1979 that generated 16 wins over 21 games and lasted until 1990.


Since 2000, the Packers are 13-6-2 (.667) versus the Vikings at Lambeau Field (incl. postseason).


In the two Wild Card playoff contests between the franchises, Green Bay and Minnesota have each scored 41 total points and won a game by 14 points.


The 29-29 tie in the 2018 Week 2 matchup between these clubs was the eighth OT contest in the series. The Vikings hold a 4-1-3 advantage in OT games.


NOTABLE CONNECTIONS


Packers T/G Billy Turner is from Shoreview, Minn. and attended Mounds View High School outside of Minneapolis…Turner’s father, Maurice, was a 12thround draft choice by the Vikings in 1983…Packers executive vice president/ director of football operations Russ Ball served as the senior football administrator for the Vikings from 1999-2000...Vikings CB Trae Waynes is from Kenosha, Wis...Vikings assistant head coach/offensive advisor Gary Kubiak coached Packers defensive backs coach Jason Simmons for two seasons when he played for the Houston Texans…Kubiak was also head coach of the Texans when Packers CB Tramon Williams signed as an undrafted free agent in 2006…Gary Kubiak, Klint Kubiak and Brian Pariani were all on the Denver coaching staff in 2016 while Turner played for the Broncos…Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was Vikings QB Kirk Cousins’ position coach in Washington for two seasons (2012-13)…Vikings QB Sean Mannion was on the Los Angeles Rams’ roster when LaFleur was offensive coordinator… LaFleur was on Kubiak’s staff in Houston in 2008-09...Cousins and Packers DL Preston Smith played on the Redskins together for three seasons (2015- 17)…Vikings assistant strength and conditioning coach Derik Keyes served in the same role with Cleveland while Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was head coach…Vikings assistant strength and conditioning coach Chaz Mahle was the sports performance assistant at Stanford in 2012 when Packers LB Blake Martinez was a freshman…Packers RB Aaron Jones was coached by Vikings offensive quality control coach AC Patterson during his freshman season at Texas-El Paso…Vikings assistant defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez was also on the Texas El-Paso staff during Jones’ career at UTEP…Packers S Adrian Amos and Vikings G Dakota Dozier spent two season together on the Chicago Bears’ roster (2015-16)…Green Bay TE Jimmy Graham played one season (2017) with Minnesota DT Sheldon Richardson in Seattle...Vikings offensive quality control coach Christian Jones played with Packers DL Tyler Lancaster, DL Dean Lowry and FB Danny Vitale at Northwestern…Jones was a 4-star recruit out of Westfield HS (Houston, Texas), where Packers tight ends coach Justin Outten was the assistant head coach/offensive coordinator...Minnesota running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu coached in Jacksonville for four years (2006-09) during Green Bay TE Marcedes Lewis’ time with the Jaguars...Lewis and Vikings T Rashod Hill played together with Jacksonville in 2016…Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett held the same position when Lewis and Hill were on the roster…Lewis spent two seasons (2004-05) with Vikings assistant special teams coach Ryan Ficken at UCLA...Polamalu coached at UCLA while Green Bay DL Kenny Clark played for the Bruins...Packers wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted coached Vikings WR Olabisi Johnson at Colorado State…Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans and Vikings wide receivers coach Drew Petzing coached together at Boston College from 2010-11...Turner and Vikings CB Bené Benwikere played together with the Miami Dolphins in 2016…Vikings special teams coordinator Marwin Maalouf was the assistant special teams coordinator for Miami when Turner and Benewikere were with the Dolphins... Benwikere also spent time on the Packers’ practice squad during the 2016 season...Maalouf and Pettine were on the Baltimore Ravens’ coaching staff together in 2008...Turner, Vikings RB De’Angelo Henderson (2017) and WR Jordan Taylor (2016-18) were on the Broncos’ roster together...Additionally, Vikings offensive line coach Rick Dennison was the offensive coordinator for the Broncos during this time.