The Green Bay Packers have to beat the Minnesota Vikings on the road on Sunday night in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.

INJURY REPORT: Matt LaFleur serious injury and other offences….

Sunday’s game is pivotal for both teams’ playoff aspirations. According to Next Gen Stats, a win for either side would improve their chances of making the postseason significantly (31 percent to 49 percent for Minnesota, 25 percent to 55 percent for Green Bay). A loss drops both teams’ playoff chances to less than 4 percent.

The Vikings and Packers have met 126 times in their history, with Green Bay holding a 65-58-3 advantage. Minnesota has won three of the past five matchups, including a 24-10 victory at Lambeau Field in Week 8.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) is chased by Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44) during their football game Sunday, October 29, 2023, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Minnesota defeated Green Bay 24-10. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Minnesota has nearly split its home matchups with Green Bay during the rivalry, however; the Vikings took a 31-30 series lead when hosting the Packers with their 23-7 victory in Week 1 of the 2022 season.

The Vikings have won all but two of their home games against Green Bay since moving into U.S. Bank Stadium in 2016. The Packers claimed consecutive wins in 2019 (23-10) and 2020 (43-34).

But the Green Bay Packers offense has made massive strides since the last meeting with the Vikings in Week 8.

Jordan Love is playing as well as many of the top quarterbacks in the NFL right now and the Pack will need him and the offense to thrive in a hostile road divisional game with so much on the line.

With two games remaining in the regular season, the Packers first-year starter Has 3,587 passing yards. 27 passing touchdowns, a passer rating of 91.8, three rushing touchdowns and just 11 interceptions.

In terms of stats, Love has already surpassed Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre for performance in his first season starting.

One of the keys to the Packers offensive success has been the strong play of their young offensive weapons.

From rookies like Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft, to second-year WR Christian Watson, the youngest offense in the NFL has struck gold at their skill positions. And Matt LaFleur has leaned on veterans AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones in the backfield to keep the game plan balanced.

The only issue? It’s been rare to have all of their offensive skilled players healthy all at once for a single game in 2023 so far. It looks like there are some question marks about a few key players heading into the Vikings matchup too.

Even against a young inexperienced quarterback, there’s no faith from Packers fans in Joe Barry and the defense, so the offense is going to have to thrive to pull off the win.

Matt LaFleur Provides Injury Updates On 3 Offensive Weapons Ahead Of Vikings Game

Green Bay Packers Aaron Jones Jordan Love Christian Watson
Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones (33) with teammates Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9) and Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) during the second quarter of their game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
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While Love and the Packers young offense has found a way to thrive on a weekly basis — even with key injuries to top offensive weapons from week to week — it’s encouraging to think about how dynamic the unit could be if all of their weapons were healthy.

Earlier this week, LaFleur provided updates surrounding two of the team’s primary wide receivers, and they were murky at best.

Green Bay Packers receivers Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks missed practice for the second consecutive day on Thursday and will likely be challenged to play Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings.

LaFleur said both wideouts would have to practice on Friday in some capacity to have a chance to play in Sunday night’s NFC North showdown.

Watson has missed three straight games since injuring his hamstring late in the Packers’ win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 3. Wicks has battled through an ankle injury but was knocked out of last Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers after sustaining a chest injury.

The Packers will provide a final injury report with playing status designations for Week 17 on Friday.

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Watson is the team’s best deep threat and red-zone weapon. Wicks has become a go-to target and big-play creator down the stretch in 2023.

In the nine games Watson has played for the Green Bay Packers this season, he’s hauled in 28 receptions for 422 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 15.1 yards per catch.

WIcks is technically listed as the fourth WR on the Packers depth chart, but he’s made the most of his opportunities when called upon.

Last week was a perfect example. The rookie WR noticed Love was scrambling away from pressure and altered his route on the fly, showing incredible football IQ for a first-year NFL player that resulted in a key touchdown for Green Bay.

Dontayvion Wicks doing what he can to help his QB.

Absolutely love seeing this awareness from a rookie WR. pic.twitter.com/0ZlqnDR0R5

— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) December 26, 2023

Finally, LaFleur addressed the health of tight end Luke Musgrave, the Green Bay Packers second-round pick from the 2023 draft, who has been sidelined since suffering a lacerated kidney against the Chargers on Nov. 19.

At the time of the injury, Musgrave was on the threshold of becoming the most productive rookie tight end in Packers history. In 2000, first-round pick Bubba Franks caught 34 passes for 363 yards. In 10 games in 2023, Musgrave caught 33 passes for 341 yards.

#Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Luke Musgrave wants to play Sunday but they not only want him medically cleared they want him to be able to be himself after not playing football for a month. He said they won’t play him if he needs more time to be ready even if medically cleared.

— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) December 28, 2023

As it stands, there’s a chance all three could play in Sunday’s must-win game vs. the Vikings, but there’s also a real possibility all three aren’t able to suit up.

Luckily, the Packers have been able to overcome injuries with players like Tucker Kraft filling in for Musgrave, and wide receivers like Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Malik Heath picking up the slack for Watson, and now maybe Wicks.

It would be amazing to see this offense if all the weapons were healthy, but even with the playoffs on the line, the coaching staff isn’t going to risk the long-term health of his young stars. And if the Packers win the next two, there’s always a chance they could be ready to go for the postseason.