The showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings in Week 17 will be viewed by a larger television audience. On Monday, the NFL flexed the important NFC North battle from noon to 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday, Dec. 29.

The NFL is giving maximum exposure to a Week 17 matchup between NFC North rivals. The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers' Sunday game has been moved

Detroit Lions defensive end Za’Darius Smith (99) pressures Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024.

One of the downsides of doing these weekly “What We Learned” columns is it can be easy to make the mistake of labeling teams as bad, good or very good too quickly, a dangerous game in a league with an ever-shifting power structure.

At 13-2, the Vikings have a clear path to the top playoff seed in the NFC and, as receiver Justin Jefferson put it, "We're coming together."

Sam Darnold connected with a well-covered Justin Jefferson with 3:51 left for his third TD pass of the game, and the Minnesota Vikings outlasted Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks 27-24 to keep pace

Darnold hit a well-covered Jefferson with 3:51 left for his third TD pass of the game, and Minnesota kept pace with Detroit for the top spot in the NFC.