Vikings vs Packers Preview: Kirk Cousins Returns for Lambeau Rematch
Kirk Cousins is on track to start for Minnesota at Green Bay, where Josh Jacobs is out and Micah Parsons is still working back from the PUP list.
Vikings vs Packers was already one of the best games on the Week 10 slate. Then Minnesota traded for Kirk Cousins, and the NFC North rematch at Lambeau Field became must-watch TV.
Cousins took the first-team reps at Vikings practice on Thursday and is on track to start Sunday, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported. Coach Kevin O’Connell had said a day earlier that it was too early to fully commit.
| Vikings at Packers | Details |
|---|---|
| Kickoff | Sunday, Nov. 15, 1 p.m. ET |
| TV | FOX |
| Stadium | Lambeau Field, Green Bay |
| Records | Vikings 6-2 (2nd, NFC North); Packers 6-3 (4th, NFC North) |
| Line | Packers -3 (per CBS Sports) |
| Week 1 meeting | Vikings 39, Packers 22 |
Why Kirk Cousins is starting for Minnesota
The Vikings’ quarterback room fell apart in a hurry. Kyler Murray is week to week with a hamstring injury. Carson Wentz went 6 of 23 with two interceptions in Monday’s 23-6 loss to Buffalo and is limited with an ankle injury, Bleacher Report reported.
So Minnesota sent a 2027 third-round pick to Las Vegas to bring Cousins home. He played for O’Connell in 2022 and 2023, and he knows the system. We covered both sides of that deal in our Kirk Cousins trade breakdown, and his old job in Las Vegas now belongs to rookie Fernando Mendoza.
Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur isn’t guessing. “He’ll be starting,” LaFleur said, per Yahoo Sports.
Vikings vs Packers injury report: who’s in, who’s out
Green Bay put 16 players on its first injury report of the week. The biggest names:
- Josh Jacobs (finger): Expected to miss Sunday. He’s scheduled for finger surgery and could miss two to three weeks. Read more in our Josh Jacobs injury update.
- Micah Parsons (knee/illness): Still on the PUP list and limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday, the Packers’ injury report shows.
- Did not practice early in the week: S Javon Bullard, LB Zaire Franklin, C Sean Rhyan, EDGE Lukas Van Ness and TE Josh Whyle, according to CBS Sports.
Minnesota has its own list. LB Blake Cashman, TE T.J. Hockenson, WR Jauan Jennings, QB Kyler Murray and EDGE Kyle Van Noy were all estimated as non-participants Wednesday, CBS Sports reported.
Final game designations come out Friday afternoon.
The Damon Bankston signing
Here’s the twist that’s been all over Google this week. Minnesota signed running back Damon Bankston to its practice squad on Wednesday. Bankston spent Weeks 1 through 7 on Green Bay’s practice squad over two stints, SB Nation reported.
The theory is simple. Minnesota blitzes a lot, and a back who sat in Green Bay’s protection meetings may know how the Packers plan to pick up that pressure. Green Bay pulled a similar move before Week 1 by signing a former Vikings safety to its practice squad.
Will it matter? Probably not much. Teams change calls every week. But it shows how seriously both sides are taking this rematch.
What each team needs on Sunday
Vikings: Stop the slide. Minnesota has lost two straight, 19-15 at Detroit and 23-6 against Buffalo. Cousins doesn’t need to be great. He needs to get the ball to Justin Jefferson, who caught two touchdowns in the Week 1 win, and avoid turnovers.
Packers: Run the ball without Jacobs and protect Jordan Love from that blitz. Green Bay is coming off a 45-27 win at New England and sits fourth in a tight division. A home loss to a team that already beat them would hurt.
Vikings at Packers kicks off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. For the full slate, see our NFL Week 10 schedule.
