A quick glance at the calendar will tell you: The holidays and the NFL postseason are rapidly approaching, so prepare accordingly.

While none of the 32 teams have been officially eliminated from playoff contention going into Week 12, the Minnesota Vikings path toward the postseason is getting pretty narrow. According to NFL.com's playoff picture, the Vikings (4-6) currently have just a 5 percent chance of making the postseason. A win this weekend increases those odds to 12 percent, but a loss drops Minnesota's chances to only 2 percent.

After losing four of their past five games, including three by one-score margins at home, the Vikings hit the road for four of the next five weeks. Minnesota's first stop isn't very far, though, as it visits Lambeau Field at noon (CT) Sunday to face the Green Bay Packers (6-3-1).

Before we watch the 130^th edition of the Border Battle – which could feature some NFL and Vikings history in the process (see below for more) – let's see who the experts are picking to win the game:

Packers 27, Vikings 20 – Pete Prisco, CBS Sports

The Vikings are getting little from quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and as a result, this is a must-win game for them. The Packers still haven't quite clicked on offense yet, either. … Jordan Love will play well and win it with that more-open style.

Packers 23, Vikings 19 – Bill Bender, Sporting News

The Vikings are in desperation mode here after a heartbreaking loss to the Bears. J.J. McCarthy did not take a sack in the loss to Chicago, but he has struggled with accuracy (50.5%) the past three weeks. Four of Minnesota's five road games have been decided by one score. Will the Packers lose a third straight game at Lambeau Field?

Packers 24, Vikings 17 – Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

The Vikings are seeing a rough delayed rookie season for J.J. McCarthy in his second year. He's taking lumps with his struggles under pressure and inaccurate passes. Micah Parsons and the Packers pass defense won't give him a break in Lambeau Field. Jordan Love got well in New York and will build on that at home.

0 of 5 experts pick the Vikings, NFL.com

Analysis from NFL.com's Dan Parr:

There have been some frustrating ups and downs for Packers fans this season, but it doesn't compare to the pain the Vikings are experiencing with their quarterback right now. J.J. McCarthy ranks last in the NFL in completion percentage (52.9%) and TD-to-INT ratio (6:8), and he's second-to-last in passing yards per game (168.4). His 35 percent completion rate on third downs is the second-lowest since 2000, per NFL Research. … Now, Green Bay has played down to its competition this season, and Josh Jacobs is day-to-day with a knee injury. If Brian Flores can shake things up for Jordan Love – the Vikings DC was successful in that effort a year ago – then the game could be closer than a lot of people expect, but the Packers appear to be the better team.

3 of 7 experts pick the Vikings, Bleacher Report

Bleacher Report analysis by Gary Davenport:

It's not easy for anyone with eyes to get excited about Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy – of 35 qualifying players at Pro Football Reference, he is dead-last in on-target percentage.

However, the Vikings have a tendency to hang around in games, and while the Packers are 6-3-1, they have lost two straight at home and are all kinds of banged up offensively.

The Packers may well gut-out an ugly win here.

1 of 6 experts pick the Vikings, The MMQB

0 of 10 experts (1 of 11 total had not submitted) pick the Vikings, ESPN

0 of 4 experts pick the Vikings, The Athletic

Thought from The Athletic's J.J. Bailey:

At 4-6, the Vikings playoff hopes are effectively toast, but they'll be a main character the rest of the way thanks to the parity within their division and throughout the NFC.

Sunday's game against the Packers, for instance, carries tremendous consequences for Green Bay, whose playoff odds would take a 20 percent haircut with a loss. Currently, the Packers have a 76 percent chance at the postseason, with a 35 percent chance at hosting a Wild Card game. A defeat at home to Minnesota trims the former down to 58 percent and makes the latter a fantasy. Worse, it would mean any loss that followed would take their playoff chances below 50 percent.

The Vikings defense can still dismantle just about anyone on a given week, and given the Packers propensity to lose the plot on offense, Green Bay feels particularly vulnerable in Week 12. Minnesota remains a run-funnel defense, boasting the second-best pressure rate in football and the seventh-best EPA per pass allowed. Normally, this would be a job for Josh Jacobs, but his knee injury means that even if he plays, he'll be diminished and at risk of an early exit. Jordan Love has played well for the most part, and given his rail gun of an arm and the Vikings weakness against the deep ball, he could very well buy the running game some breathing room. But he too often lets the devil take the wheel, attempting unnecessary feats and either killing drives or turning over the ball as a result.

If Brian Flores' Vikings defense can lead the impetuous Packers quarterback into temptation, Minnesota can easily control the ball most of the game.

0 of 6 experts pick the Vikings, USA Today

A Historic Trip

Although the Packers are 35-28-3 all-time when hosting Minnesota, the Vikings have won two games in as many years at Lambeau Field (a 24-10 victory in Week 8 of the 2023 season and a 31-29 win in Week 4 of the 2024 season) and three of their past five trips there. A victory on Sunday would give Minnesota its third win at Green Bay in consecutive seasons for just the fourth time in team history and the first in three decades.

The Vikings won four straight times as visitors from 1966 to 1969, on seven consecutive trips from 1971 to 1977 and three in a row from 1991 to 1993. McCarthy could also become the first NFL quarterback since at least the 1970 merger to win three road games against division opponents within his first six career starts.

Series Notes

Similar to their series history against the Bears prior to last week's meeting, the Vikings have played against the Packers 129 times in their history, with Green Bay holding a slight 66-60-3 edge in the series. The Vikings and Packers have also met twice in the postseason, with each side winning once (Minnesota won 31-17 in Green Bay in the 2004 NFC Wild Card round while the Packers defeated the Vikings 24-10 in the 2012 Wild Card round).

The two teams have also split their past 24 matchups (11-11-2) dating back to the 2013 season, with 11 of those meetings being decided by a one-score margin. Of those 11 close contests, Minnesota has won seven times (7-2-2).

Not only is the matchup a critical one within the NFC North landscape (Minnesota is 2-1 in the division while the Packers are 1-0 and the only NFL team this season with only one divisional game under their belts), it's also a unique meeting between the two teams in the history of the Border Battle.

This year marks just the third in the 65-year rivalry where Minnesota and Green Bay have faced each other for the first time within a season in Week 12 or later (the Vikings defeated the Packers 35-21 in Week 12 of the 1991 season while Green Bay won 23-14 in Week 13 of the 2012 season). Additionally, Sunday's game will be the fifth time Minnesota has played at Lambeau Field in Week 12 (the Vikings lost 24-19 in 1965 and 20-19 in 1989 before earning the 35-21 victory in 1991 and a 26-26 tie in 2013).

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