Two storied rivals will face off to wrap up the regular season this Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings host the Green Bay Packers in a Week 18 matchup.
There’s not much at stake in this game for Green Bay, and I’ll explain why that means Minnesota may be a good bet on the spread in my early Packers vs. Vikings predictions.
Let’s take a look at how bettors can approach this game early in the week in my free NFL picks for Sunday, January 4.
Packers vs Vikings predictions
Here are our early thoughts on the spread and total for this week’s game. We will have a full game preview (with a best bet and SGP) later in the week.
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Early Packers vs Vikings spread pick: Vikings -5.5
The Green Bay Packers are now locked into the No. 7 seed in the NFL, which means there’s nothing to play for ahead of the playoffs. This will be a week in which Green Bay focuses on getting healthy, as they have many starters and rotational players on the injury list who they’ll want available for the postseason.
While Matt LaFleur hasn’t detailed exactly how the Packers will approach this game just yet, it feels certain that they’ll be careful with Jordan Love as he potentially comes out of the concussion protocol. Perhaps he’ll play a series to stay sharp, but it’s hard to imagine we’ll see him more than that. Backup Malik Willis will also be protected, as Green Bay will want him fully healthy after reaggravating his shoulder injury last week.
That means we might see a lot of former Houston Cougars star Clayton Tune behind center on Sunday. Tune has extremely limited NFL experience and has already thrown three picks in his 27 career attempts. That doesn’t inspire confidence against a Minnesota Vikings defense that has allowed just 12.3 ppg during Minnesota’s current four-game winning streak.
The Vikings' defense will probably be the difference here against a Packers offense that isn’t playing its best weapons. I’m taking Minnesota to cover as long as the spread remains less than a touchdown.
Early Packers vs Vikings total pick: Under 36.5
I’ve already talked a bit about why the absence of Love — and potentially Willis as well — will handicap the Packers offense against Minnesota’s outstanding defense. But I’m not expecting many points out of the Vikings, either.
Rookie Max Brosmer has a little more experience than Tune, but he hasn’t shown an ability to move the ball all that effectively for the Vikings, either. He’s shown up in seven games this year without throwing a single touchdown pass, meaning we might be looking at a Week 18 matchup where both quarterbacks are looking for their first career scoring toss.
Regardless, the Vikings have been able to put together a fair amount of offense over the past couple of weeks, thanks to an outstanding running game that has gone for 286 yards over its last two games. Even as Green Bay is likely to play a bit more talent on defense to try to right the ship heading into the postseason, the Minnesota running game should do well against a Packers defense that allowed 307 yards on the ground last week.
I’d watch the quarterback matchup here, but if this looks like it’ll be primarily Tune vs. Brosmer, the Under is the play.
Packers vs Vikings odds
- Packers vs. Vikings spread: Vikings -5.5
- Packers vs. Vikings moneyline: Packers +235, Vikings -290
- Packers vs. Vikings Over/Under: 36.5
How to watch Packers vs Vikings
- Packers vs. Vikings matchup
- Date: Sunday, January 4, 2026, 1:00 p.m. ET
- City: Minneapolis, MN
- Venue: U.S. Bank Stadium
- TV: FOX
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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