“We hate them, they hate us,” and this section of the Vikings-Packers carries even more weight

Tensions are rising between Vikings and Packers fans ahead of the 129th chapter of this storied rivalry that features some of the highest stakes in a regular season game.

The Vikings’ victory keeps their grip on the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC, which comes with a first-round bye, home field advantage and a division title. A Packers win locks Green Bay into at least the No. 6 seed, avoiding current No. 2 seed Philadelphia in their first round.

So Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold isn’t expecting to hear from a childhood friend who grew up a Packers fan. The friend, who Darnold prefers not to name, contacted him before Darnold’s first game against the Packers, a 31-29 win at Green Bay on Sept. 29.

“He’s probably not going to reach out to me this week,” Darnold said Thursday. “He thinks that maybe it will make a difference. No, but he’s a great friend. I hope he pulls through, but if not, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Darnold, the face of the Vikings’ surprise success with a career-high 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, has learned that Packers fans now treat him a little differently.

“It’s the entire NFC North, man,” Darnold said. “It’s an incredible rivalry or bitterness, you could say. It’s great to be able to face Packers fans. And I’m not going to lie, they’re good and all, but when you start talking about football, they’re not shy about giving their opinion on who they think is the better team. It’s just fun, man. It makes everything more fun, makes the game more fun. That’s why we play.”

This will be Justin Jefferson’s 10th game against the Packers in his NFL career, and while his teams are 5-4 since his arrival, they are 0-3 in December and January.

What’s Sunday’s matchup on Jefferson’s list of top Vikings-Packers games?