The Green Bay Packers were able to shut out the Seattle Seahawks by a final score of 17-0 last week to improve to 8-2 on the season. With that win, they showed that their defense is capable of being elite. Even though the offensive performance was ugly up until the fourth quarter, the win made another statement to the rest of the NFL that the Packers are a top-notch favorite to win the Super Bowl this season.

Now, the Packers have shifted their focus to Week 11 where they will face off against the arch-rival Minnesota Vikings on the road.

It is never easy going up against a rival, much less playing that rival on the road. The Packers have their work cut out for them, but they have another chance to send a message to the rest of the league. Minnesota hasn't been great this season, but they are not a bad football team either.

Not only can Green Bay make another strong statement about just how good they are, they also can practically shut down their competition in the NFC North division race. As of right now, the Vikings are second place in the division with a 4-5 record. If Green Bay picks up this win, they will move to 9-2 and shut the door on the hopes of Minnesota.

Unfortunately for the Packers, they are dealing with quite a few different injury issues. Aaron Jones will miss this game after suffering a sprained MCL against the Seahawks, while Whitney Mercilus is likely out for the season due to a biceps injury. Green Bay is also waiting to see when or if Jaire Alexander, Za'Darius Smith, David Bakhtiari, and Rashan Gary are able to play.

All of that being said, let's dive in and take a look at the Packers' main X-Factor for this week's matchup against the Vikings.

Packers Week 11 X-Factor vs. Vikings

Due to the injury suffered by Aaron Jones, the Packers are going to be relying very heavily on second-year running back A.J. Dillon. With a tough rivalry matchup on the schedule this week, Green Bay will need to Dillon to come in and play a big role.

Obviously, the offense still runs through the arm of Aaron Rodgers. They will go as far as he is able to take them. However, he needs help to take some pressure off of the passing game and Jones has always provided that relief for the offense.

So far this season, Dillon has carried the football 97 times for 421 yards and two touchdowns. Both of those touchdowns came last week in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks. Dillon has also caught 16 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown this season, with a 50-yard reception coming in the fourth quarter last week as well.

Dillon has shown flashes of being a workhorse caliber running back. He has been able to pick up hard yardage and has broken quite a few big plays as well. Green Bay will need all of the above from Dillon this week.

Looking at the Vikings' defense, they currently rank No. 12 in passing yards allowed per game coming into this matchup. Against the run, Minnesota is ranked just No. 28 in the NFL. That gives a huge opportunity to Dillon this week.

Since Matt LaFleur took over as the team's head coach and play caller, the Packers have remained steadfast in their commitment to get the running game going. They have had the luxury of having a huge playmaker in Jones leading the way. With that not being the case this week, it will be interesting to see how the Green Bay ground game looks.

More than likely, the Packers will look to get Dillon involved and rolling early in the game. They know just how important it is to run the football against the Vikings and wear them down. If the running game succeeds, the Minnesota secondary will be in danger of Rodgers taking shot and making big plays.

Granted, the Packers will need players like Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard to step up in the passing game. But, the main X-Factor for Green Bay will be Dillon putting up a good performance on the ground. If he is able to do so, the Packers will be in a great position to pick up a win.

Expect to see Dillon come through and give the Packers exactly what they need. Green Bay drafted him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft for this exact reason. It's time for Green Bay to unleash Dillon and see what he is capable of providing them.