Five Packers players to watch vs Vikings

The Green Bay Packers have their most important game of the year on Sunday night. Against the Minnesota Vikings, the team faces a shockingly big swing in terms of playoff scenarios. A win and they have a 60% chance of going to the postseason, a loss and everything is pretty much over.

For such an important moment of the season, it's imperative that the main players of the team perform at a high level. So, let's analyze who the five Packers players to watch are on Sunday Night Football.

Jayden Reed

It's still unclear if Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks will play, as they haven't practiced this week yet. So Reed is the big play factor of the Packers offense for this game. So far this season, the rookie slot receiver has had nine receptions of 20+ yards, and he also leads the team in yards after the catch.

The best way to attack an aggressive defense at the line of scrimmage is to achieve big plays, and that's something Reed can offer. Coming back from a toe injury after missing the Carolina Panthers game, the young receiver has a big opportunity to make an impact.

Elgton Jenkins

Jenkins has had an up and down season, which by PFF is his worst in the NFL (65.9). But the left guard is still the most experienced player along the offensive line, and his knowledge of the game will be particularly important this week against a unique defensive scheme that utilizes several players close to the line of scrimmage to simulate pressure.

When Jenkins plays well, the entire offensive line has a leap in productivity, and he's important to solidify the left side alongside Rasheed Walker. Jordan Love needs them to have a better performance than he did in the first Vikings game in week 8. The good news is that Jenkins had his best pass-blocking game of the season against Minnesota (90.5 grade), according to PFF.

Rashan Gary

Gary has not played well at all lately. The highest paid defensive player in Packers history has had four consecutive games below a 63 PFF grade, including three above 60. Last week against the Panthers, it was his second worst game of the season (55.9). Do you know the only one worse than that? Yes, against the Vikings in week 8.

Brian O'Neill is one the best right tackles in football, so it's truly a challenging matchup for Gary. But that's the type of high-profile game you expect him to impact when you decide to give the player such a big contract.

So far this season, Gary hasn't played 70% of the defensive snaps in any game. It's time for defensive coordinator Joe Barry and pass rush specialist Jason Rebrovich to keep him on the field, and for him to justify the confidence.

Carrington Valentine

With Jaire Alexander suspended by the team, the rookie seventh-rounder goes back into the starting lineup. And that happens exactly when the Packers are set to face one of the premier wide receivers in football, Justin Jefferson.

Last year, the Packers achieved success limiting Jefferson by playing an aggressive style: Jaire Alexander in man coverage regularly and safety support. Without their All-Pro cornerback, the Packers will certainly apply varied strategies, and Valentine will be a part of the plan.

"He's arguably the best receiver in the game. He demands a lot of attention," Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry said. "I think you've got to mix up things with him. You can't just give him one consistent thing. He's an elite player. You have to know where he is and what he's doing on every snap. When you do that, obviously based on what you call, there's some things where you're going to be a little bit limited in other areas. He's the type of player that can absolutely ruin a game so you have to have attention on him all the time."

It's a big game for Valentine, and his performance might help determine the result of the game and how the Packers see his future with the team.

Anders Carlson

After being perfect in his first five games in the NFL, the rookie has missed kicks in seven of the last 10 games. Last week, for example, he missed an extra point against the Carolina Panthers, and that point allowed the Panthers to be a field goal away from tying the game in the last drive.

It's hard to be consistent as a rookie kicker, especially because Carlson was never that in college.

"If we go back to when we first got him, one of the things we liked the most about him is his mental makeup," Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said during the season. "His ability to move on after a good kick, his ability to move on after a bad kick, and that's where we're all looking for is growth, how these guys handle mental toughness. In our opinion, mental toughness is being the best regardless of the circumstance, so I think whatever you did before, you have to learn from it, adjust and then move forward and we think he's been pretty good at that."

It's a big chance for Carlson to have a solid performance, and the Packers might need it against a tough opponent that is used to playing a lot of one-score games.