Green Bay's defense has enough first-round firepower for it to finally emerge from Aaron Rodgers' considerable shadow and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the two-time reigning league MVP. He heads into U.S. Bank Stadium hoping to embark on his first Super Bowl-winning season since 2010, the last time his defense ranked in the top five in fewest points allowed.
"They've got a lot of strengths," Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said Thursday, three days before facing a defense that now has seven players — six of them starters — that the Packers have drafted in the first round since 2016.