Vikings Versus Packers | Who Will Come Away With the Win Tonight? | Ticket King Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings both have something to play for tonight at U.S. Bank Stadium. Thanks to the Rams loss Saturday night, the Vikings are in the playoffs. All the Packers have to do is beat the Lions next week and they win the division. The elements of this game have certainly changed since late last week. Dalvin Cook will not play in this game, and that may just help to apply pressure to Cousins. Who needs to play their best tonight? We cover both teams here.

If the Packers are going to pull this off, they need vintage Aaron Jones. In a perfect world, Jones will finish the night with 150+ combined yards, and three trips to the end zone.

At times, it seems like the Packers have one receiver and a bunch of  “fourth” receivers who are trying hard just to get separation, much less catch a pass from Rodgers. Davante Adams is that one reliable receiver, and he is about as good as it gets in the league. He has had some great matchups with Xavier Rhodes over the years, but Rhodes is on the decline. Adams will need a big game if the Packers are going to win.

The Packers two talented edge rushers, Preston and Za’Darius Smith, will need to have to have a big game. If the front seven can stop Alexander Mattison in the running game early, they can make the Vikings one-dimensional. If they do that, the Smith’s can pin their ears back and go after Cousins all night.

If the Vikings are going to win this game, they need the All-Pro Xavier Rhodes to play as if he’s years younger. If they get the declining version of Rhodes, Davante Adams is going to have a huge game. If Rodgers and Adams get on the same page early, the Vikings could be in for a long night.

Aaron Rodgers vs. Harrison Smith is a “thing.” Try and find a better quarterback/safety matchup in the league. During Harrison Smith’s first couple of years in the league, Rodgers took his lunch money twice a season. But now, these two have settled into an amazing game of cat and mouse each time these two teams play. Expect to see another one tonight.

The Vikings offensive tackles are going to have their hands full with the Smith brothers tonight. The Vikings offensive line issues have been well documented over the years, and at times, their offensive line has been been “offensive” to Vikings fans.

How the Vikings Could Win - The Vikings could pull this off  if Alexander Mattison gets going enough in the running game, and does just enough to keep the Packers front seven honest. That’s  all the Vikings are trying to accomplish tonight in that aspect of the game. If that’s the case, then Harrison Smith wins his cat and mouse matchup with Aaron Rodgers, holding Rodgers to a minimal day. If Aaron Jones never find his footing and finishes the day with 16 touches for 51 yards, then the Vikings might pull it off.

How the Packers could win- The Packers could win when Aaron Jones does something no running back ever does against the Vikings, play a punishing ground and air game. What’s the last pieces of this winning puzzle? DavanteAdams does his thing, goes for 100 yards receiving and a touchdown catch. Jake Kumerow emerges as an unlikely hero, catching seven passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns. That’s how our Packers win the game 38-24.

Big Ten Bowl Games 2019 - Ticket King Inc.

It may be hard to believe, but there is just one game left in the 2019 College Football regular season- The Navy/Army game, which Navy should win easily. This is one of Navy’s best teams in recent memory, and they are headed to the Autozone Liberty Bowl as a result. After that game concludes, bowl season will officially be upon us. Let’s take a look at the bowl games involving Big Ten teams.

Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Wisconsin - These two teams just seem to find each other in the postseason, don’t they? Both programs are built on strong offensive lines and elite defense which doesn’t give up big plays. Oregon’s line is built to protect quarterback Justin Herbert, and Wisconsin’s is built to block for their All-American running back Jonathan Taylor. This will be one of the best games of the bowl season, as it always is. Final Score: 34-31 Oregon.

Pinstripe Bowl: Michigan State vs. Wake Forest - This game is played at Yankee Stadium, and it provides an environment that is suitable to teams that play more traditional style football. That means Michigan State should gain a slight advantage. Expect the Spartans to win this one 20-13.

Holiday Bowl: USC vs. Iowa - Usually the Holiday Bowl features fast-paced teams that play at breakneck speed. Not this season. USC, which has had to play three different quarterbacks this season, faces off against the ever-steady Iowa Hawkeyes. USC has the deeper roster, but Iowa has more experience. Final Score: 27-20 Iowa.

Cotton Bowl: Memphis vs. Penn State - Memphis head coach Mike Norvell has led his Tigers to their best season in program history. He has taken the head coaching job at Florida State so there is no word yet on whether he will coach this game. Penn State will be returning all of their key players next season. They will be looking for a win in this game to springboard the team towards a special 2020 season. Final Score: 34-20 Penn State.

Redbox Bowl: California vs. Illinois - Lovie Smith’s accomplishment of getting Illinois back to a bowl game has been a great story. The season included a stunning upset over Wisconsin. However, the story ends here. California has the better team. Final score: 31-17 California.

Citrus Bowl: Michigan vs. Alabama - For the first time ever, Alabama will not be participating in the college football playoffs. This game could potentially come down to whether or not Nick Saban can get his players up for this game. Michigan should win this game by the final score of 31-24.

Outback Bowl: Minnesota vs. Auburn - The Gophers were the story of the 2019 college football season, but two late losses against Iowa and Wisconsin derailed what could have been a special season in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Still, head coach P.J. Fleck is in this for the long haul after a recent contract extension so they will be back and even better next season. But as far as the Outback Bowl is concerned this won’t be close. Final score- 34-17 Auburn.

Gator Bowl: Indiana vs. Tennessee - This is the game where both teams have had plenty of ups and downs all season, including Tennessee’s embarrassing home loss to Georgia State. Final Score: 31-27 Indiana.

Packers Rebound at Giants | Ticket King Inc.

Coming off of perhaps the most embarrassing performance by a good Packers team in recent memory, nobody was sure exactly what to expect of the Packers this week as they took on the Giants. The lackluster performance of the team had the makings of the beginning of a meltdown for this team. By this past Sunday afternoon, fans breathed a sigh of relief as the Packers took care of business, defeating the Giants 31-13. 

It is hard to throw the ball effectively in the snow, especially as good as Rodgers threw it. He finished the day 21 of 33 for 243 yards and four touchdowns and saw the field all day long. A good day for Number 12.

Allen Lazard, Rodgers new second-favorite target finished the day with three big catches for 103 yards, including a 43-yard bomb to set the pace early in drive number one.

When it came to Davante Adams, the stats may not show it, but like Rodgers, this was a great performance. Adams caught two touchdown passes and drew several flags throughout the game at important junctures. Jamal Williams finished the day with 41 yards rushing and 26 yards receiving. He picked up tough yards in the snow, and several key first downs to keep the drive moving.

The Packers defense was solid on Sunday. Not outstanding, not bad, but solid. It was a collective performance across the board.

The Packers should feel much better about themselves after this game. After last week’s dud, they can breathe a sigh of relief. 

The Packers are still among the best teams in the league. Thanks to the Ravens beating the 49ers, the Packers till have an outside chance of getting a bye week. Their focus should be on winning the division and securing the three seed in the NFC playoffs.

NFL Teams Review 2019 | Ticket King Green Bay

Where do the NFL teams stand, now that we're eleven games into the season? Who surprised us all? Which team fell flat? Here's our "NFL Whip around." In the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys, despite all their problems, sit at 6-5 leading the division. Ezekiel Elliot has had a disappointing season and Dak Prescott is making a lot of mental errors, such as his clock management against the Vikings. The Eagles are one game back at 5-6 and the Redskins and Giants each sit at 2-9.

In the NFC North, thanks to one of the most embarrassing performances in franchise history over the last 25 years, the Packers have fallen back into a tie with the Vikings for first place at 8-3. Speaking of those Vikings, they have overcome a 2-2 start to win six of their last seven, and Kirk Cousins is among the NFL leaders in touchdown passes and passing yards. The Bears have been a disappointment at 5-6 and the Lions, after a 2-1-1 start, have won just one game since then and Matthew Stafford will miss the remainder of the season with a back injury.

In the NFC South, the Saints are in total command of that division at 9-2, and it’s not even close. They will probably be the first team to win their division this season, as they have a four-game lead with five to play. It’s not even worth talking about the rest of the teams, as they have all had their own issues leading to disappointing 2019 campaigns.

In the NFC West, the 49ers are coming off a big win against the Packers and now sit in the driver’s seat for the top spot in the NFC playoffs. The Seahawks are right behind them at 9-2 and have already won a game against the 49ers this season. The Rams are hanging tough at 6-4, and the Cardinals are holding up the caboose at 3-7-1.

In the AFC East, the Patriots are 10-1 and leading that division yet again. Right behind them are the Buffalo Bills, who are sitting in the driver's seat for the top wild-card spot in the AFC at 8-3. The Jets have recovered from a horrendous start and are now 4-7. The Miami Dolphins are in their punching at 2-9.

The AFC North is the residence of the hottest team in the league at the moment, the Baltimore Ravens, winners of six straight, and their MVP candidate quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Pittsburgh Steelers just keep finding ways to win without Ben Roethlisberger and currently sit at 6-5. The Cleveland Browns are starting to win some games and sit at 5-6. They’re not dead yet folks. The poor Bengals have yet to win a game this season. Andy Dalton has been benched, and their best chance to avoid 0-16 looks to be the Dolphins in Week 16.

The AFC South leaders are the Houston Texans, who are 7-4 and sitting in prime position to make a late-season run, and perhaps be one of the top two seeds, based on the schedules of the other division leaders. The Colts are the surprise team of the year, currently sitting at 6-5 after the shocking news of Andrew Luck’s retirement. The Tennessee Titans are currently 6-5 and winning with Ryan Tannehill, after benching former second overall selection Marcus Mariota. The Jacksonville Jaguars are 4-7 and have benched the man who would have won the rookie of the year award, Gardner Minshew, for their big free-agent signing, Nick Foles.

In the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs have overcome some early season turbulence and currently sit ay 7-4. They are also a team primed for a late-season run. The Oakland Raiders are 6-5 and right on their tails. The Los Angeles Chargers have been one of the disappointments of 2019, currently sitting at 4-7, and fading from the Wild Card picture. The Denver Broncos put up the white flag several weeks ago placing Joe Flacco in injured reserve and currently sit at 3-8.

Packers Push Past Lions With A Little Help From the Officials | Ticket King Inc.

The Packers entered Monday Night Football at home against the Lions expecting to and six point favorites. Put the non penalties aside, and this game was anything but boring. The Lions came out firing with a “flea flicker” on play number one, and another long yardage pass in series two. The Green Bay crowd was subdued in the middle of the first quarter as the Lions took a 10-0 lead. Meanwhile, the Packers couldn’t get out of their own way. The Packers had been moving the ball throughout the night. Two fumbles and an interception can sink a team most days, but the Lions were giving Rodgers time, packing the secondary and covering the wide-outs. Finally, key players stepped up late in the game, and Mason Crosby made the game-winner as time expired.

Aaron Rodgers seemed to be cool the entire game. The touchdown pass to Allen Lazard will be a career highlight pass, to be sure. Rodgers stayed steady all night long, and found Lazard for four catches and a crucial touchdown. In the huddle and on the sideline, Rodgers lobbied for Lazard to take the game over, and the pair worked in tandem beautifully. Jamal Williams returned to the lineup in great form, becoming a key offensive player on the field tonight. Williams finished the night with a combined 18 touches for 136 yards and a touchdown.  After playing the breakout game of his career, the Packers needed another performance like that in this one. Instead, Jones went the other way, with a costly fumble and a dropped touchdown reception.

Who in the world thought Allen Lazard would be the Packers clutch receiver tonight? Brought back to the roster, and sitting in spot number eight on the depth chart, Lazard stepped in tonight to make some big catches and a key touchdown in the fourth quarter. Rodgers mentioned in the post game press conference that Lazard was calling for a chance to run specific routes in the huddle. This came after Aaron was pulling to have Lazard enter the game. The plan worked beautifully. The Packers needed someone, anyone to hang onto the ball tonight, and Mercedes Lewis stepped up to do just that in two key situations. Darrius Shepherd was responsible for the Aaron Rodgers interception and should have called fair catch on a fumbled punt. He’s a small sized player that just needs to settle into the postion of punt returns. The Packers stand atop the NFC North, with a record of 5-1. As Aaron Rodgers said “Bad calls have a way of evening out by the end of the season.” On this night, they went the Packers’ way.

Packers Win On The Road at Dallas | Ticket King Inc.

The Green Bay Packers went into Dallas, coming off their first loss of the season. They faced the 3-1 Dallas Cowboys in a game that gave the Packers their first true test of 2019. The first 40 minutes of the game could not have gone any better for the Packers, as they held a 31-3 lead towards the end of the third quarter. Packers fans hearts pounded the rest of the way, as the Cowboys staged a furious comeback and got within 10 points. A missed field goal secured the Packers victory 34-24. Let’s review the game.

Aaron Jones/RB- Aaron Jones could not have picked a better day to have the game of his life. The Packers offense was without Davante Adams and Jamal Williams for this one, and they lost center Corey Linsley in the first half due to a concussion. Jones ended up with 26 touches for 182 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns.

Za’Darius Smith/OLB- One of the three big defensive free agent signings and now the Packers defensive captain, Za’Darius Smith dropped Prescott twice and was in his face all afternoon.

Preston Smith/OLB- The other Smith was in Pres

cott’s face all game as well. The Packers are getting more than what they paid for with these two.

Aaron Rodgers/QB-  Aaron is getting more comfortable each week. Without Davante Adams, possibly the best receiver in the NFL at the moment, Rodgers was comfortable all game, finding nine different receivers to throw to.

Tra Carson/RB- In a surprising move, Tra Carson got called up off the practice squad to be the backup running back for this one, not the rookie Dexter Williams. Carson had 10 touches for 32 yards, picked up key blocks, and gave Aaron Jones much needed spells throughout this game.

The Referees- We tend not to complain about the referees as both teams get both helped and hampered by officiating over the course of an NFL game. This game had plays that will certainly be reviewed by the NFL offices. It was that bad. 

Run Game- Aaron Jones is a workhorse back. In this game, Jones showed us why he is so highly thought of, carrying the Packers to a crucial road win. He is a dynamic player, but they cannot rely on him to stay at top form, given his size. They need Jamal Williams back.

Brewers Get One Game Shot in MLB Post Season 2019 | Ticket King Inc.

Our hometown favorites have nabbed a Wild Card spot for the 2019 MLB Post Season. After 162 hard fought games, it all comes down to nine innings to decide if they can slide into the playoffs. If they do make it, there are very high hurdles ahead. For those in the hunt, there are four "100 win" teams to contend with, a powerhouse Dodgers team, a currently hobbled Cardinals team that won't stay down for long, and upstart Braves organization that just might surprise everyone this year. Here we lay out our best guesses for the upcoming MLB Post Season. 

The 2019 MLB regular season has come to a close. The Houston Astros finish the season with 107 wins, tops in either league. Three other teams won 100 or more games: The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and the stunning surprise of the season, the Minnesota Twins. Speaking of those Twins, they were indeed the surprise of 2019. They won 56 games on the road and set the Major League record for home runs in the season by one team. So how about the postseason?

National League Wild Card Game: Nationals vs. Brewers- The Brewers picked the wrong time to lay an egg. The Cubs handed them a gift the final weekend of the season, and the Brewers just couldn’t keep the wins going. Milwaukee heads to D.C. to face Max Scherzer for a one game Wild Card battle.

American League Wild Card Game: Athletics vs. Rays- Two small market teams with unique approaches to the game will face off in this one. Expect both teams to use a lot of pitchers.

National League Postseason

Divisional Round

Dodgers vs. Nationals- The Dodgers cruised through the entire season without much of a test. They will get one here by facing Strasburg twice, and Scherzer once. At the end of the day, this should be a well-pitched series across the board, and the Dodgers should pull it out at the end.

Braves vs. Cardinals- Two weeks ago fans were ready to pick the hard-charging Cardinals to win the World Series. This last week has shown cracks in that consesus. The Cardinals are going in reverse at the wrong time. The Braves have a lot of talented young arms. Braves could pull this off in four games.

Championship Series

Dodgers vs. Braves- This one comes down to those young arms for Atlanta. Can they handle the bright lights of the National League Championship Series? If they can, it’s going to be an amazing series. That is a big “if” though. If not, then the Dodgers cruise back into the World Series. The final result will fall somewhere in the middle. The Dodgers could take this in six games.

American League Postseason

Divisional Round

Astros vs. Rays - This one isn’t going to be much of a contest. The Astros are an awful match up for the Rays. Houston most likely advances in a sweep.

Yankees vs. Twins- The Twins could make this postseason very interesting if they keep up the pace and “ding dongs”. With their ability to win road games and that strong offense, they can take anyone down anywhere, on any day. One missing piece of their “armor” is that they got the voodoo in their head when they go to New York these days. Yankees will probably take the series in five games.

Championship Series

Astros vs. Yankees- The series we’ve been waiting for all season. Two powerhouse teams going head to head in a titanic grudge match. The difference in this series is going to be those two battle-tested hurlers at the top of the Astros rotation, Zach Grienke and Justin Verlander. We pick the Astros to advance in seven games.

World Series

Astros vs. Dodgers- Here Will this be the rematch of perhaps the best World Series of the last 25 years? Fans have to take into account that the Astros went from being baseball’s great experiment, to being baseball’s great prophecy. Can they do it again? These two teams match well. This one is a push that could go either way. Our resident sports “Guru” T.J. Bryce picks the Astros, in seven amazing games.