Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is clearly a master motivator.
When the Vikings showed up at the team facility this week, each player found a shirt in his locker with the NFC North logo on the front and the words “Beat Green Bay” on the back.
Zimmer admitted today that he had the shirts made.
“We’re making way too big a deal out of it. It’s just a T-shirt,” the coach added. “You can go down to the store and print them up. It’s not a big deal.”
The game is a pretty big deal though.
The Packers will travel to Minnesota to face a 7-2 Vikings team, that has won five in a row. Their last loss came at Denver in week 3.
And you know how the Packers are playing.
Still, these head to head games with the Vikings could still decide the division. Despite the three-game losing streak, a win on Sunday would put the Packers right back in the driver’s seat for the division title.
And if you’re looking for any sort of bright spot, it’s that the Vikings are 1-9-1 against the Packers since Brett Favre’s first year quarterbacking the team, which was 2009.
Of course, that stat isn’t going to win the Packers any games right now.