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Vikings at Packers: Cousins returns to Minnesota for a Lambeau rematch with Love

Five days after his trade from Las Vegas, Kirk Cousins is set to start for the Vikings. Green Bay is chasing a response to September's 39-22 defeat without Josh Jacobs and several defensive starters.

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Exterior of Lambeau Field with its name and Green Bay Packers emblems.
Lambeau Field in Green Bay, photographed in 2019. File image of the Vikings–Packers venue. © Chad Davis / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Kirk Cousins' first start in his second stint with Minnesota will take him back to Lambeau Field, where he tore his Achilles in 2023. The Vikings confirmed Friday that he will start against Green Bay, only five days after reacquiring him from the Raiders. Minnesota won the teams' season opener 39-22. Sunday's meeting carries fresh stakes: the Vikings are 6-2, the Packers 6-3, and both need a win in a crowded NFC North race.

  • Competition: 2026 NFL regular season, Week 10.
  • Matchup: Minnesota Vikings (6-2) at Green Bay Packers (6-3).
  • Venue: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin; Packers home game.
  • Kickoff: Sunday, November 15, noon CST in Green Bay; 1 p.m. EST / 18:00 UTC.

A familiar quarterback, with almost no time to settle in

Minnesota opened 6-0 before losing twice in succession. The most recent defeat, 23-6 against Buffalo, laid bare the offense's problems: Carson Wentz threw for 81 yards and two interceptions. Coach Kevin O'Connell's decision to start Cousins is confirmed, but how quickly he can restore rhythm after joining the team midweek remains an open question.

Justin Jefferson offers the most obvious point of connection. He and Cousins played together for four seasons in Minnesota, and Jefferson's ability to get open will matter even more with tight end T.J. Hockenson and receiver Jauan Jennings ruled out. The Vikings' defense has carried much of the early success. Through eight games it had allowed 14.5 points per game, the NFL's lowest figure in the league's Week 10 preview, and recorded 29 sacks. Linebacker Blake Cashman's absence makes that formidable unit less settled in the middle.

Green Bay arrives after a 45-27 win at New England. Jordan Love has thrown for 2,618 yards and 19 touchdowns in nine games, while Christian Watson has 879 receiving yards and seven scores. Watson burned Minnesota for 147 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, but the Packers still lost. They committed 12 penalties and converted only three of 12 third downs. Sunday's test is whether Green Bay can turn Love's production into sustained drives against the Vikings' pressure.

The narrow window between pressure and release

The Vikings' official preview puts the average time for their pass rush to create pressure at 2.55 seconds. Love's average time to throw is 2.60 seconds. That near overlap gives the matchup its central tactical question. If Love can deliver early, Watson and Matthew Golden could exploit space beyond the first wave of coverage. If Minnesota makes him hold the ball, its rush will have more time to reach him.

Green Bay must also work without running back Josh Jacobs, ruled out with a finger injury, and center Sean Rhyan, sidelined by an ankle injury. Other backs will have to provide balance for an offense that has leaned on Love's passing. Minnesota has its own missing pieces: Hockenson and Jennings are unavailable, and Jordan Addison was added to the injury report Friday with a thumb problem. He is questionable, not ruled in. Cousins' options outside Jefferson may look different once the game-day active list is issued.

Defensively, the Packers ruled out Micah Parsons as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Lukas Van Ness, their sacks leader with 4.5, is questionable because of his back. Safeties Xavier McKinney and Javon Bullard are also questionable. Those designations matter for a secondary facing a quarterback who knows Minnesota's receivers, but none confirms that a player will be available Sunday.

Injuries and availability

The following are the teams' final designations from Friday, November 13. Sunday’s active lists may settle the remaining questions.

Minnesota Vikings

  • Kyler Murray: out — hamstring; O'Connell has confirmed Cousins as the starter.
  • T.J. Hockenson: out — wrist and chest.
  • Jauan Jennings: out — calf.
  • Blake Cashman: out — concussion.
  • Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins: out — ankle.
  • Jordan Addison: questionable — thumb; added to the report Friday.
  • Joshua Metellus: questionable — shoulder; added Friday.
  • Kyle Van Noy: questionable — calf.
  • Carson Wentz: practiced fully Friday and received no final game designation; he remains an alternative to Cousins.

Green Bay Packers

  • Josh Jacobs: out — finger.
  • Sean Rhyan: out — ankle.
  • Josh Whyle: out — concussion.
  • Micah Parsons: out — knee; he remains on the physically unable to perform list.
  • Zaire Franklin: doubtful — shin.
  • Xavier McKinney: questionable — foot.
  • Javon Bullard: questionable — ankle and knee.
  • Lukas Van Ness: questionable — back.
  • Chris Brooks, Skyy Moore, Travis Glover and Kevin Zeitler: questionable. Brooks and Moore also need to be activated from injured reserve to play.

How to watch Vikings at Packers

  • Venue: Lambeau Field, Green Bay.
  • Kickoff: Sunday, November 15, noon CST locally. Pregame programming may begin earlier.

United States

  • Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. EST / 10 a.m. PST.
  • TV: FOX in markets assigned this game. The Vikings identify FOX 9 as their Twin Cities station; local FOX schedules elsewhere may carry a different matchup.
  • Out of market: NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube carries the game for eligible viewers outside the FOX local broadcast area. NFL+ offers live local games on phones and tablets under its service rules.

Australia

  • Time: Monday, November 16, 5 a.m. AEDT in Sydney; 4 a.m. AEST in Brisbane; 2 a.m. AWST in Perth.
  • Streaming: NFL Game Pass on DAZN lists live access to NFL games outside its stated UK and Ireland blackouts. No separate Australian TV channel for this matchup was confirmed in the operator schedules checked.

United Kingdom

  • Time: Sunday, November 15, 6 p.m. GMT.
  • TV: Sky Sports NFL lists this particular game live from 6 p.m. DAZN lists Vikings–Packers as a UK Game Pass blackout, so the Game Pass live stream is unavailable there; its replay follows under DAZN's blackout rules.

Love threw for 387 yards in the September loss. He may need another big passing day, but the Packers' first meeting showed that yards can disappear amid penalties and stalled third downs. Cousins, meanwhile, must find a working rhythm against a depleted Green Bay defense before Minnesota's own absences catch up with its offense.