It was a new year but, unfortunately, the same old Minnesota Vikings showed up. The team that has set an NFL-record with 11 victories in one-score games has also been on the wrong side of four blowout losses. The Vikings have fought the narrative that they are frauds all year long. While it may be hard to prove that they are indeed fraudulent, they have come up way too short too many times.
Sometimes, though, it just isn’t your day. After Josh Metellus blocked a punt for a second-straight week, the Vikings’ offense fizzled out at the Packers’ one-yard line. This was due in part to backup center Austin Schlottman going down with an ankle injury. Two runs and one incomplete pass later, the Vikings were kicking a field goal. They took the lead, but Minnesota missed a golden opportunity to seize control of the game.
The Vikings now enter what is essentially a bye week when they face the Chicago Bears next week. At 12-4, Minnesota is almost a lock to be the No. 3 seed in the NFC. Worse teams have advanced through the playoffs and into the Super Bowl. But the Vikings have to shore things up soon, otherwise they’ll be making vacation plans in mid-January.
With that, here are five numbers that tell the story of the Vikings-Packers game.
1
Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander called Justin Jefferson’s fantastic week 1 game a “fluke” last week. Vikings fans scoffed, but Alexander had the last laugh Sunday. Jefferson was held to one reception for 15 yards. It was Jefferson’s second-lowest total of the season.
In all, Jefferson was targeted only four times on 34 routes run. He struggled to keep his footing on the Lambeau Field turf, changing his cleats during the game. Now that the Vikings hold the NFC’s No. 3 seed, they will most likely be playing on the road after the wild card round. This means they could be facing less-than-ideal field conditions in places like Philadelphia. Hopefully Jefferson is better prepared in those games.
148
Before Jalen Nailor entered in garbage time, the five Vikings receivers not named Justin Jefferson combined for 148 receiving yards. K.J. Osborn and T.J. Hockenson each had seven receptions. However, they (weirdly) each had only 59 receiving yards.
With the amount of attention the Packers paid to Jefferson (press coverage with safety help over the top), someone else should have been able to get open. Osborn did have the highest average separation of all receivers (4.5 yards). Unfortunately, everyone not named Jalen Nailor fell below the league average of 2.93 yards.
4
As one can imagine, the receivers can only be as good as the quarterback throwing to them. Kirk Cousins had four turnovers on the day. This included one fumble and three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Things were off from the get-go for Cousins. He began the game with six incompletions and finished 18/31 for 205 yards. His garbage-time touchdown to Nailor lifted his passer rating to a still-paltry 49.2. Not every incompletion and interception was Cousins’ fault, but it was the type of game that can force the front office to contemplate finding a successor.
163
On a day where even Aaron Rodgers wasn’t perfect, the Vikings’ run defense came up small when it mattered most. The Packers ran for 163 yards on 33 carries, a healthy 4.9 yards per carry. Aaron Jones led the way with 14 carries for 111 yards, the first time a running back has eclipsed 100 yards on the Vikings this year.
A.J. Dillon got in on the action as well, running 12 times for 41 yards and a touchdown. And because he wasn’t doing a ton through the air, Rodgers decided to get involved in the run game. He spun Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah around on a pump fake and strolled in for a two-yard touchdown to give the Packers a 41-3 lead.
2
Ultimately, this game came down to two first-quarter touchdown returns by the Packers. After the Vikings settled for a field goal on the goal line stand, Packers returner Keisean Nixon took the ensuing kickoff 105 yards to steal any momentum the Vikings had.
Two drives later, the Vikings faced fourth-and-two at the Packers’ 37-yard line. Cousins fired a pass over the middle to Hockenson, but the ball was tipped into the air and intercepted by Packers safety Darnell Savage. He weaved his way through the Vikings’ offense for 75 yards, giving the Packers a 14-3 lead. To pour salt on the wound, Brian O’Neill was injured trying to make a tackle on the play.
