Packers Wednesday Practice Update: Walking Fine Line With Blitzing Vikings

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur scrapped Wednesday’s practice in favor of a jog-through. That means less time on the practice field to get the offensive line in order for Sunday’s showdown against the Minnesota Vikings.

There’s no doubt that Jordan Morgan will start at left tackle and Anthony Belton will start at right tackle. After that, it’s anyone’s guess.

Well, not anyone’s guess. LaFleur has a handle on who will be the starting guards for the NFC North showdown at Lambeau Field. Will it be Aaron Banks at left guard and Laken Tomlinson at right guard with the No. 1 line for a third consecutive week? Or will Kevin Zeitler start at right guard, Tomlinson shift back to left guard and Banks move to the bench?

“We have an idea where we’re going to go. I’m going to hold that ‘til Sunday,” LaFleur said.

Plus, center Sean Rhyan, who suffered an ankle injury during the opening series at Detroit, could return to the practice field after essentially missing the last three games. John Williams has filled in admirably – and, obviously, could start against the Vikings given the team will have only two real practices this week.

“I think there’s a reason that we brought Sean back here and paid him, because I think he was playing really good football, and so he’s a starter for a reason,” LaFleur said. “Not to take anything away from John, I think the job John’s done is remarkable. To be able to come in there with little to no experience and to be able to play the way he’s done and set the table for the rest of the front and the guys on offense, I think it’s been remarkable.

So, to review, the Packers could have new starters at each of the interior positions. That lack of cohesion could be a factor against the Vikings. According to Stat Rankings, they blitz 75.3 percent of the time. The Buccaneers are a distant second at 45.4 percent.

Rhyan has a couple games of experience with Tomlinson at left guard. He has none with Zeitler at right guard. The Packers haven’t played a single snap this season with Rhyan joined by any combination of Banks/Tomlinson/Zeitler.

The Packers, of course, haven’t been able to build any continuity on the offensive line all season. Continuity is a big thing, especially in their biggest defensive test since the Week 1 loss to the Vikings. But talent is a big thing, too.

In that first game, the starting guards were Donovan Jennings and Jacob Monk. They entered that game with one career start – Monk at center at Minnesota in Week 18 of last season. Whoever the Packers will turn to on Sunday will have infinitely more experience.

“I think the biggest thing is just getting all 11 on the same page with all the different looks that you get,” LaFleur said. “You’re going to get pressure, and you’re probably going to get pressure in almost every situation.

“Just getting all those guys, up front especially, on the same page – we had some meltdowns at the end of the game that really cost us, where we didn’t have our guys on the same page, and one, we got knocked off a block, one of the sack/fumbles we miscommunicated protection.”

What About Micah Parsons?

Micah Parsons returned to practice last week, where he was limited to individual drills for all three practices. The plan is for Parsons to progress to team drills this week. He won’t be on the field on Wednesday, though, due to illness.

Speaking of injured players, receiver/returner Skyy Moore spent the last four games on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain and linebacker/captain Zaire Franklin missed the last three games due to an injured shin. LaFleur said he is “hopeful” they will return this week.

New Starting Quarterback for Vikings

The Vikings beat the Packers in Week 1 with Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz as their quarterbacks. Their offense is among the worst in the league, though, ranking 27th with just 18.3 points per game. So, they sent a third-round pick to Las Vegas to bring back Kirk Cousins, who started for Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell in 2022 and the first half of 2023 before he sustained a torn Achilles in the Packers-Vikings game at Lambeau.

“Yeah, he’ll be out there,” said LaFleur, who coached Cousins while they were in Washington. “He’ll be starting, I’m fairly confident of that. Obviously, he’s got familiarity with their system. Even if he didn’t, he’s a really intelligent guy, and I think he’s been playing at a high level. I’m surprised they didn’t get more for him, quite honestly. I was shocked when I saw what they traded him for. It was mind blowing to me.”

Cousins is 5-4-1 with the Vikings against the Packers. He has seven games of a passer rating of at least 118.

In eight starts with the Raiders, Cousins ranks 11th in the league in passer rating, fifth in passing yards and second in touchdowns. For some perspective, Jordan Love is ninth in rating, first in yards and third in touchdowns.

They say dynamite comes in small packages. The Packers' draft class was small but has been dynamic.

Here's a midseason stock report and regrade of the 6⃣-player draft class. ⬇️https://t.co/Re0uAy3ZwV
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 11, 2026

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