Packers vs. Vikings: Breaking down epic NFC North matchup - ESPN

Earlier this week, Kevin O'Connell suggested that Sunday's game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers would be a matchup between two «really good teams.» O'Connell, the Vikings' coach, was being modest.

More accurately, the contest will be a clash between two of the NFL's best teams.

This is only the second NFC North/Central game since the 1970 NFL merger when two opponents have had at least 11 wins. And it serves as a reminder that either the Packers or Vikings will be one the most qualified third-place teams ever to advance to the playoffs.

The Vikings (13-2) and Packers (11-4) have combined for 24 wins, the second most in the modern history of the franchises. The Vikings remain in position to unseat the Detroit Lions (13-2) for the division title and the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC by winning their final two regular-season games, including their finale against the Lions.

The best the Packers can finish is second in the NFC North, with a No. 5 seed, but they are good enough to rank well ahead of the Vikings in ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI), which has the Packers as the third-best team in the league and the Vikings at No. 7.

The NFL noticed and flexed the game into a national broadcast window last week with a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, to which Fox Sports immediately assigned its top crew of Kevin Burkhart, Tom Brady and Erin Andrews. The teams will battle 13 weeks after their first matchup of the season, a 31-29 Vikings victory Sept. 29 at Lambeau Field.

«I always say that I love these types of games,» Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson said, «the games that you really need, the games that are exciting for everyone to watch. I love those types of games. I love those moments.»

To get prepared for Sunday's