Kirk Cousins begins his 2nd stint with Vikings as they face the Packers in an NFC North showdown

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Kirk Cousins’ career seemed at a crossroads when he tore his Achilles tendon during his last visit to Lambeau Field.

That he’s returning three years later, again as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, is a testament to the veteran quarterback’s tenacity. Five days after Minnesota reacquired him from the Las Vegas Raiders, Cousins will try to help the Vikings (6-2) snap a two-game skid on Sunday and complete a regular-season sweep of the Green Bay Packers (6-3).

“Knowing that that was where I was carted off and had thoughts of: ‘Is this my last game? And my last game as a Viking?’" Cousins said. “To be back there wearing the purple and gold, it has meaning. But you have to go make it mean something by the way you play.”

Cousins’ Achilles injury came during a 24-10 victory on Oct. 29, 2023, that marked his last game with the Vikings. He was in Atlanta from 2024-25 before spending the first half of this season at Las Vegas.

Now he will try to boost a Vikings offense that hasn’t scored more than 16 points in any of its last three games.

“He’s been calling plays in some different offenses over the last couple of years, so we’re working through just getting him comfortable, getting him up to speed,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “He’s really smart. A lot of things come back quick to him.”

The Vikings don’t have time to ease Cousins back into this role as they attempt to win the unforgiving NFC North, where the Packers are still in last place even after winning five of their last six games.

That puts divisional matchups at a premium, and Green Bay already lost 39-22 at Minnesota in the season’s opening week. The Packers gave up the final 29 points of that game as Minnesota’s pass rush continually got to quarterback Jordan Love.

Love believes he knows what it takes to beat this defense, but he also understands the enormity of the task.

“You’ve got to hit explosives, you’ve got to get a run game going and you’ve got to protect,” Love said. “Those are like the key things to playing this defense and taking care of the ball. I think all of those things are huge. Like I said, they live in the world of chaos and trying to make you confuse and get you in some third-and-long situations where I think that’s where they’re at their best."

Minnesota (6-2) at Green Bay (6-3)

When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox.

Latest odds: Packers by 3.

Against the spread: Vikings 4-4; Packers 6-3.

Last week: Vikings lost 23-6 at home to Buffalo on Monday night; Packers won 45-27 at New England on Sunday.

Packers beat Panthers 27-19; Patriots beat Dolphins 24-19.

Last meeting: Vikings beat Packers 39-22 on Sept. 13 in Minneapolis.

Series record: Packers lead 67-62-3.

Packers offensive line vs. Vikings pass rush. Although Love threw for 387 yards in Green Bay’s season-opening loss at Minnesota, he threw an interception and lost a fumble during the Packers’ fourth-quarter collapse as the Vikings didn’t give him any time to throw. The Vikings have 3.6 sacks per game to tie Houston for the NFL’s highest average. Love has thrown for an NFL-leading 2,618 yards.

— Vikings star WR Justin Jefferson has hit the 100-yard mark only once in his last 19 games. That came against the Packers in the final game of the 2025 season. Jefferson has only five touchdowns in his last 23 games, with two coming against the Packers in Week 1.

— Since the start of the 2025 season, the Vikings have 44 offensive touchdowns, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. They’re second-to-last in net yards over that span.

— The Vikings have at least four sacks in six of their eight games. They’re the only team in the league with that many four-sack games.

— Vikings LB Blake Cashman has at least seven tackles in 19 straight games, the longest active streak in the league. He began the week in the concussion protocol, putting his availability for Sunday in question.

— Love’s two highest passing yardage totals came against the Vikings, though both were in losses. He threw for 387 yards at Minnesota in this year’s season opener and had 389 yards passing in a 31-29 home loss to the Vikings in 2024.

— The Packers have 19 takeaways to rank second in the NFL, behind Tampa Bay’s 21. The Packers’ plus-8 turnover margin also ranks second, behind Jacksonville’s plus-9. The Packers have recorded multiple takeaways in six straight games.

— Packers WR Christian Watson ranks third in the NFL in yards receiving (879) and Matthew Golden is fourth (783). They’re the only set of teammates to be ranked in the top 10.

— Packers S Xavier McKinney has five interceptions this season to match Buffalo’s Amani Hooker for the most in the NFL.

— The Packers are last in the NFL in yards rushing per game (68.2). They average 3 yards per carry to rank ahead of only Las Vegas. Green Bay had a season-high 129 yards rushing at New England.

AP Pro Football Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here