The meeting between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday is expected to draw heavy viewership after the NFL moved it to a national broadcast window.
The game, which will air on Fox Sports, has major implications for the Vikings, who are looking to beat the Detroit Lions for the top seed in the NFC. The Vikings and the Lions both sport a 13-2 record.
With an 11-4 record, the Packers, meanwhile, can only go as high as the No. 5 seed. But while they have less at stake compared to the Vikings, that doesn't mean that they'll take the match-up lightly.
In fact, Green Bay star quarterback Jordan Love stressed that they badly need to nail a signature win ahead of the playoffs.
"Obviously, we only have one more chance here this week," said Love in a report from ESPN's Rob Demovsky and Kevin Seifert. "Like I've talked about before, we've got to be able to go win these games against the really good teams in the league and set ourselves up for the situation we'll be in for the playoffs—on the road playing good teams.
"So definitely, (it's) a good test this week."
The 26-year-old Love will indeed face a tough test against Vikings star quarterback Sam Darnold, who's been playing at an elite level this season.
According to the report, the upcoming Packers-Vikings clash is only the second NFC North/Central game since the 1970 NFL merger when two opponents have at least 11 wins.
The Vikings are the hottest team in the league right now with eight straight victories, making Kevin O'Connell the first coach in team history to have multiple 13-win seasons.
The Packers, meanwhile, are coming off back-to-back wins, including a 34-0 shutout of the New Orleans Saints on Christmas Eve.
