The Green Bay Packers defeated the Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC North in Week 16.
The Packers — who hadn’t won the division since 2016 — defeated their hated rivals on national television on Monday Night Football and dropped Kirk Cousins to a record of 0-9 — the worst record in NFL history of any player on MNF.
As if winning the NFC North and remaining in play for the No. 1 seed in the conference wasn’t enough, the Packers clearly enjoyed this victory after the game. Preston Smith, Green Bay’s starting outside linebacker who has 12 sacks on the season — eighth in the NFL — mocked Cousins by stealing his catchphrase, “You like that!”
Smith was caught on camera saying Cousins’ infamous line as he was walking back to the Packer’ locker room at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Preston Smith: “You like that!” #Packers
Smith, a former teammate of Cousins with the Washington Redskins from 2015 until 2017, helped the Packers’ defensive unit stifle his former quarterback. Cousins was limited to just 122 yards passing and the Vikings mustered just seven first downs on the night. The veteran quarterback went just 16-for-31 in a game that likely won’t quiet down his detractors who have doubts about whether or not he can win big games.
History of Kirk Cousins’ ‘You Like That!’ Catchphrase
Cousins’ “You like that!” catchphrase originated following the Redskins’ victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2015 season — the first time he led a team to the playoffs.
Cousins will enter his first postseason as a member of the Vikings this year, but it won’t be as division champions as he did back in 2015. The Vikings are now locked in as the No. 6 seed.
Packers Playoff Scenarios in Week 17
Meanwhile, the Packers can clinch the NFC’s top seed with a win over the Detroit Lions in Week 17, while the Seattle Seahawks would have to defeat the San Francisco 49ers in their NFC West showdown. That would enable both the Seahawks and Niners to finish with one win less than the Packers at a record of 12-4 — giving Green Bay home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
The New Orleans Saints loses the head-to-head tiebreaker versus the Packers, so it wouldn’t matter if they end up finishing with the same record of 13-3 as the Packers with a win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 17.
The Packers could end up as the No. 2 or No. 3 seed also, with the No. 2 seed the most likely route. A Packers win over the Lions and a 49ers win over the Seahawks would then clinch Green Bay into the No. 2 seed — which would mean a divisional round matchup versus the Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles or Dallas Cowboys.
Aaron Rodgers Fires Off on Vikings Fans Following Win
You gotta love division rivalries for this reason — they have that added juice and past history that other matchups don’t have.
After leading the Packers to their sixth division title since taking over as the franchise quarterback in 2008, Rodgers sounded off on Vikings fans for jeering him when he suffered his broken collarbone two years prior.
“It’s great to win in this stadium after I was jeered a couple years ago leaving the field with a broken collarbone,” Rodgers said in Monday’s postgame about winning the division in Minnesota, via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.
Rodgers broke his collarbone in Minnesota during a mid-October game back in 2017 as the Vikings would win the division and advance to the NFC Championship Game that year.
Rodgers clearly did not forget that moment as he enjoyed some sweet vindication this time around.
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Packers Linebacker Mocks Kirk Cousins Following NFC North Win