The Minnesota Vikings already have emerged as one of the NFL’s biggest surprises by winning their first three games after being a consensus pick to finish last in the NFC North.

They can make their biggest statement of the young season Sunday by winning at Green Bay in a divisional showdown.

The Vikings (3-0) have trailed for less than 3½ minutes so far this season while beating the New York Giants, defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans.

Now the Vikings open their NFC North schedule against the Packers (2-1), who have won two straight games without quarterback Jordan Love as he recovers from a knee injury. Love is practicing on a limited basis for a second straight week as he attempts to return for the Vikings game.

Whether Love plays or Malik Willis fills in for a third consecutive week, the Packers understand the challenge they’ll face from a Minnesota defense that has an NFL-leading 16 sacks.

Aaron Jones spent his first seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers and became one of the team’s most popular players while rushing for 5,940 yards and 45 touchdowns.

After running for over 100 yards in each of his last five games with the Packers, Jones was asked to take a pay cut for a second straight year. Jones instead left Green Bay and signed with Minnesota.

Sunday marks his first game at Lambeau Field as a visiting player. 

The Vikings have outscored their first three opponents 85-30. That represents the second-highest point margin through their first three games in franchise history, behind the 1975 team that outscored its first three opponents by 67 points.

That 1975 team went on to win its first 10 games and finished the regular season at 12-2 before losing to Dallas in the NFC divisional playoffs.

With Green Bay’s Brayden Narveson and Minnesota’s Will Reichard, the game could be decided by a rookie kicker.

Reichard, a sixth-round draft pick who became the all-time leading scorer in college football history over his career at Alabama, is perfect so far for the Vikings: 5 for 5 on field goals and 10 for 10 on extra points. He made a 58-yarder, the second-longest in Vikings history, last week against the Texans.

Narveson has 11 field-goal attempts already to tie Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell for the NFL lead. He has made nine of them, with the misses coming from 43 and 45 yards away.

The Packers have intercepted seven passes and have nine total takeaways to lead the NFL in both categories. They now face Minnesota’s Sam Darnold, who has rejuvenated his career by throwing eight touchdown passes with only two interceptions in Minnesota’s first two games.

The Packers have an NFL-leading 204 yards rushing per game. Minnesota is allowing just 71.3 yards per game and is tied for second in the league in run defense.

Green Bay averages 5.5 yards per carry to rank second in the NFL, behind only the Baltimore Ravens. Minnesota allows just 3.6 yards per rush to rank third in the league.

Game time is noon Sunday.