Why Gennaro picked the Packers: After starting the year at 6-0, Minnesota has dropped its last two games. Don’t blame the defense, though. Brian Flores’ fierce unit admirably contained two of the league’s most prolific attacks — Detroit and Buffalo — but Kevin O’Connell’s offense couldn’t hold up its end of the bargain. In fact, Carson Wentz’s play was so putrid in Monday night’s home loss to the Bills that the Vikings hit the trade market before Tuesday’s deadline, flipping a third-round pick to bring Kirk Cousins back to Minnesota. The last time Kirko Chainz started a game for the Vikes, they beat the Packers at Lambeau Field. Unfortunately, Cousins tore his Achilles in the fourth quarter of that triumph, upending his career and the Vikes’ quarterback situation. Three seasons later, the 38-year-old is back in purple. Can he pick up right where he left off, guiding Minnesota to a rivalry win in Titletown? Well, O’Connell refused to name Cousins as his QB1 on Wednesday, but Matt LaFleur is clear-eyed about the situation.

“He’ll be starting,” the Packers coach told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m fairly confident of that.”

Aren’t we all? Minnesota doesn’t have any time to waste in a wildly competitive NFC North. So, presuming Cousins gets the nod, can he keep up with one of the hottest quarterbacks on the planet? Jordan Love is throwing haymakers at a dizzying rate, as evidenced by the fact that Christian Watson (879) and Matthew Golden (783) currently rank third and fourth in the NFL in receiving yards. But Green Bay’s audacious MVP candidate did have two critical fourth-quarter turnovers in the Week 1 loss at Minnesota. Could Flores get the best of Love again? Perhaps. But Cousins faces a stiff challenge of his own, as Green Bay’s defense is really coming together under first-year coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Since the beginning of October, the Packers have given up the third-fewest points per game at 16.7. Cousins ultimately could save this season of Skol — pre-existing chemistry with KOC/Justin Jefferson is something to believe in — but it’s a tall task asking him to completely flip the offensive script a few days after he got it. Green Bay evens the season score.