GREEN BAY, Wis. — It’s a big week for the Green Bay Packers. The team secured a spot in the playoffs with a shut out of the New Orleans Saints in a Monday Night Football match-up.
Now, within seven days, the Packers are preparing to take on their big division rival, the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday.
Cornerback Eric Stokes reflected the sentiments of his teammates as they geared up to play in Minneapolis.
“We only won one divisional game. That’s a lot on the back of your mind,” Stokes said. “We got to get us another dub in the division. That’s a big thing for us. We’re coming out here aggressive looking for a great weekend.”
The Packers dropped a game to the Vikings earlier this season at Lambeau Field.
“There’s a lot of things we took away from it, and we learned from them,” Stokes said. “We’re going to try to continue the flow from how we did the second half.”
Center Josh Myers said the focus is on the future, not the past.
“You can definitely learn from the film, but naw, it’s a new game, a new scenario, a new place,” Myers said after practice Thursday. “There are some things different about it too.”
Head Coach Matt LaFluer said his team team took away some valuable lessons from their game against the Vikings in Week 4.
“This is a very opportunistic team. They do a great job of creating takeaways,” LaFleur said. “What did we have? Four turnovers or whatever, you cannot do that and let them get out in front of you. They are a highly potent offense. They’re a very explosive.”
The Packers also know that U.S. Bank Stadium will be loud, as the Vikings play for a division title.
“It’s going to be imperative we come out of the gates, and we start fast, especially going into a hostile environment. This is one of the toughest places to play, and one of the most fun places to play. There’s going to a lot of energy in that stadium no doubt about it and I think both teams will be energized to play this game,” LaFleur said.
Facing Vikings players such as Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones, Stokes said the Packers will have to stay on top of the game from the start.
“You’ve got to go out there and be aggressive. You can’t be timid, you can’t be scared, or none of that. They’re human like we are, and we’ve got to go out there and do our thing,” he said.