Packers can take major step toward NFC North title…

GREEN BAY – The old adage says division games count double, and the math in this particular case illustrates it clearly.

When Sunday’s Packers-Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium ends, Green Bay will either be up 4½ games on Minnesota in the NFC North, or only 2½ (barring an overtime tie). In other words, the division will become either an actual race or all but a foregone conclusion.

From the perspective of the 8-2 Packers, this game is all about not giving the 4-5 Vikings any realistic hope of catching them.

“That’s a big opportunity,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “First goal is winning the North.”

With a victory and a 4½-game lead in the North with six games to play – that’s the closest the Bears would be as well, if they beat the Ravens to improve to 4-6 – the Packers would need only two more wins to effectively clinch the division.

The only reason they’d need three is if either the Bears or Vikings ran the table (both can’t, because they play one another twice down the stretch).

Green Bay has larger goals than winning the division, of course, one being the best possible playoff seeding. The Packers are currently tied for the best record in the NFC with the Cardinals, whom they beat head-to-head. They’ll be chasing the top seed in the NFC and the lone bye as long as it’s out there for them.

Can the Packers still win the North and pursue the NFC’s No. 1 seed with a loss on Sunday? Absolutely. Nothing’s off the table by any means if Green Bay falls to 8-3.

But a look at this game from the Vikings’ perspective helps to show how important it is for the Packers to keep their distance.