Mike Zimmer became Minnesota’s coach in 2014, and I remember the first time they played against Green Bay. It was a Thursday night game at Lambeau, and the Packers drove the ball up and down the field, taking a 42-0 lead in the third quarter before the Vikings scored their 10 points. But since that time, Zimmer has been about the best at defending against Aaron Rodgers.
In their last nine games, these two NFC North rivals have split 4-4-1. Rodgers has put up big numbers in only one of those games. Rodgers threw 0-1 touchdowns in five of those games. He threw 2 TDs in the three others, but with fewer than 215 passing yards in all of them.
The Vikings have been particularly stingy at their home stadium. Rodgers has passed for fewer than 215 yards in his last five games at this venue, and with just 6 TDs. That includes a 2017 game in which he left very early after breaking his collarbone.
Since that initial Thursday night meeting, Rodgers has had only one really big game against the Vikings. He passed for 347 yards and 4 TDs against them in a 38-25 win, but that was at Lambeau – and it was three years ago.
This current Vikings defense isn’t as good against the pass. It’s allowed 23 touchdown passes (it allowed only 13 and 15 in the previous two seasons). But I would be nervous about starting Rodgers in this week’s game.
| RODGERS VS. ZIMMER | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Site | Result | Yds | TD | Int |
| 2014 | G.B. | W 42-10 | 156 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | Min. | W 24-21 | 209 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | Min. | W 30-13 | 212 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | G.B. | L 13-20 | 291 | 1 | 1 |
| 2016 | Min. | L 14-17 | 213 | 1 | 1 |
| 2016 | G.B. | W 38-25 | 347 | 4 | 0 |
| 2017 | Min. | L 10-23 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | G.B. | T 29-29 | 281 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | Min. | L 17-24 | 198 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | G.B. | W 21-16 | 209 | 2 | 0 |
—Ian Allan