Live Updates: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
Jan 1, 2023 7:26 PM EST
Original:
Jan 1, 2023

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers are hosting the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Follow along all day for updates as the Packers control their destiny in the NFC playoffs.

Final Score

The Packers routed the Vikings 41-17. Here's our quick game story.

And the latest from the playoff race.

Fourth Quarter

Packers 41, Vikings 3 (9:25 remaining)

Aaron Rodgers had Robert Tonyan open for a touchdown but ran it in, instead. It’s 41-3. The Vikings are going to fall to 12-4; they’ve been outscored by 33 points. The Packers are going to improve to 8-8; they’ve outscored their opponents by 17 points.

Packers 34, Vikings 3 (14:40 remaining)

Kirk Cousins’ bomb to Adam Thielen was picked off by Rudy Ford, the cherry on the top of a victorious Sunday sundae.

Packers 34, Vikings 3 (14:54 remaining)

AJ Dillon plowed into the end zone from 2 yards for the clinching score. On third-and-11 at the start of the drive, the Vikings had only 10 defenders on the field but didn’t call a timeout. Aaron Rodgers gave them ample opportunity before getting the snap and hitting Randall Cobb for 12.

Third Quarter

Packers 27, Vikings 3 (7:06 remaining)

With the high-powered Vikings finally getting some offensive rhythm, Kenny Clark blew threw the middle of Minnesota’s soft offensive linemen, hit Kirk Cousins, forced a fumble and recovered it. The Packers will take over at their 24.

Second Quarter

Packers 27, Vikings 3 (0:00 remaining)

Some days, it’s just your day. Mason Crosby made a 56-yard field goal on the final play of the first half, his kick hitting the crossbar and bouncing over.

The Packers started at the 40 with no timeouts and 36 seconds remaining after Minnesota’s Greg Joseph was wide left from 50 yards. Rodgers hit Allen Lazard for 16 and Robert Tonyan for 7 before clocking the ball with 4 seconds remaining.

Packers 24, Vikings 3 (2:41 remaining)

Robert Tonyan was open. Wide open. At the 10-yard line, his left hand was extended. It still was at about the goal line before Aaron Rodgers finally spotted him. The result was a 21-yard touchdown. The Packers are in complete control – mind you, against a team that rallied from 33 down vs. the Colts. The key play was on third-and-1. It looked like the Packers were going to run an Eagles-style quarterback sneak, with tight end Josiah Deguara right behind Rodgers. Instead, Deguara was the lead blocker on a 31-yard run by Jones to the 20.

Packers 17, Vikings 3 (5:52 remaining)

On first down from Green Bay’s 31, the Vikings got Justin Jefferson matched against Quay Walker. Walker got a shove on Jefferson to re-route and Jefferson wound up slipping to the turf. Meanwhile, defensive tackle T.J. Slaton – who is having a fantastic game – deflected Kirk Cousins’ pass and Adrian Amos grabbed the Packers’ second interception of the day.

Cousins is 0-for-4 on passes to Jefferson, who has seen a lot of Jaire Alexander.

Packers 17, Vikings 3 (9:48 remaining)

With Zach Tom in at right tackle, the Packers marched to Mason Crosby’s chip-shot 26 field goal. Aaron Jones had consecutive runs of 9, 7 and 11 yards – the first and last of those coming on jet-sweep fakes to Samori Toure. But the drive stalled and Aaron Rodgers threw incomplete to Allen Lazard on third-and-goal at the 3. The Packers had a third-and-10 conversion to Lazard but two deep shots to Christian Watson were incomplete – Rodgers and Watson wanted flags on the first and Duke Shelley got the breakup on a slightly underthrown ball on the second.

First Quarter

Packers 14, Vikings 3 (1:37 remaining)

Greg Joseph was wide right from 46 yards. On third-and-6, the Vikings were flagged for delay of game. On third-and-11, Justin Jefferson got open against the initial coverage from Jaire Alexander but Kirk Cousins checked it down to running back Dalvin Cook, who was surrounded by four defenders.

Injury update: Vikings RT Brian O’Neill is out. That’s two members of the Vikings’ starting line.

Packers 14, Vikings 3 (5:17 remaining)

On fourth-and-2, Kirk Cousins fired a bullet that was slightly behind tight end T.J. Hockenson. Rasul Douglas broke it up and the ball bounced into the waiting hands of Darnell Savage, who returned it 75 yards for a touchdown. Savage dodged tackle attempts by guard Ed Ingram and running back Alexander Mattison before taking off up the right sideline and winning the race against K.J. Osborn for the score.

It's the first time that the Packers have had a kickoff-return touchdown and a pick-six in the same game since Oct. 30, 1967, against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Injury update: Vikings RT Brian O'Neill (calf) is questionable.

Packers 7, Vikings 3 (6:32 remaining)

With the Packers nearing scoring position, their drive hit a purple wall. On second-and-1, Aaron Jones was stuffed. On third-and-1, AJ Dillon turned a loss of 6 into a 0-yard run. On fourth-and-1, it appeared Christian Watson had a half-step on his man but Aaron Rodgers couldn’t get the ball off and was sacked by Dalvin Tomlinson for a loss of 16 all the way back to Green Bay’s 45.

Packers 7, Vikings 3 (9:25 remaining)

The Vikings have run nine plays and still not gotten a first down. They should have, though. On third-and-3, Kirk Cousins threw a strike to tight end T.J. Hockenson vs. Darnell Savage that Hockenson dropped at Green Bay’s 40.

Injury update: The Vikings are down to their third center. Backup Austin Schlottman is out with an ankle injury. Chris Reed, a seventh-year pro, is No. 3 on the depth chart behind Garrett Bradbury (back) and Schlottman.

Packers 7, Vikings 3 (10:25 remaining)

The legend of Keisean Nixon continues. Active after a pregame workout following last week’s groin injury, Nixon returned the kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown. It’s the third-longest kickoff-return touchdown in Packers history. It was so well blocked that Dallin Leavitt looked for someone to block but couldn’t find anyone. Patrick Taylor had a block around the 30 and Nixon stiff-armed kicker Greg Joseph at the 35. Moments later, Nixon was in the stands with a Lambeau Leap.

Vikings 3, Packers 0 (10:38 remaining)

The Vikings strike first but the Packers get a big early victory. On first-and-goal at the 1 following a blocked punt, the Packers forced a first-down incompletion and stuffed Dalvin Cook on back-to-back runs. On third down, TJ Slaton stormed into the backfield and got a handful of Cook’s jersey. That was enough for Jaire Alexander and Adrian Amos to chop him to the turf.

Packers 0, Vikings 0 (11:50 remaining)

Disaster times two. On third-and-3, Aaron Rodgers extended the play and threw a perfect deep ball to Aaron Jones, who dropped the ball at the 50. On the punt, Josh Matellus and D.J. Wonnum charged through the middle of the punt protection, with Matellus blocking the punt and the Vikings taking over inside Green Bay’s 2.

Packers 0, Vikings 0 (13:26 remaining)

The Packers forced a three-and-out punt. On third-and-4, with Darnell Savage at safety and Rudy Ford and Innis Gaines as extra defensive backs, Rasul Douglas broke up Kirk Cousins’ pass to Adam Thielen.

The Packers won the toss and deferred. One of the Vikings’ pregame captains, former Packers pass rusher Za’Darius Smith, refused to shake hands.

Meanwhile, Green Bay elevated Ramiz Ahmed to handle kickoffs but Mason Crosby took the opening kick.

Kickoff temperature is 40 with west winds at 9 mph.

Close Games

The Vikings are an incredible 11-0 in one-score games. They routed the Packers in Week 1; all their others have been of the nail-biting variety.

“For us, they’ve all really been four-quarter games and a couple five quarters, so that’s our focus, is being consistent throughout the game,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “I feel like we’ve been playing better on offense, which has been nice and tied in with some complementary football with our defense coming up with three big turnovers in the fourth quarter and obviously the way our special teams has played with Keisean -- we look a lot different than we did in Week 1.”

Packers-Vikings Inactives

Rookie receiver Christian Watson and cornerback/kick returner Keisean Nixon, two of the Green Bay Packers’ high-impact players, will play against the Minnesota Vikings.

Green Bay’s inactives are cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles, running back Tyler Goodson, linebacker Krys Barnes, offensive tackles Rasheed Walker and Caleb Jones, receiver Bo Melton and defensive tackle Jonathan Ford. With Ford inactive, the Packers will have only four defensive linemen.

How to Watch: Packers vs. Vikings

TV: CBS, with Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Tony Romo (commentary) and Tracy Wolfson (sideline) on the call.

The game will be aired to most of the nation. Check out the viewing map at 506 Sports for the full Sunday schedule.

Live stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial).

Radio: Packers Radio Network (Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren; click here for affiliates), Sports USA (Josh Appel and Mark Carrier) and Sirius (Channel 85 or 225 and on the SXM app).

Pregame Vitals

Time and date: 3:25, Sunday.

Location: Lambeau Field

Records: Packers, 7-8. Vikings, 12-3.

History: In a series that dates to 1961, the Packers lead 64-57-3. Green Bay won nine of the first 10 matchups. While Packers coach Matt LaFleur has had a lot of success against the NFC North, he’s just 4-3 against Minnesota. The Vikings won 23-7 in Week 1 at U.S. Bank Stadium. With Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, the Packers are 16-11-1 vs. the Vikings. Rodgers has thrown 57 touchdowns vs. eight interceptions in those games. His 56 touchdowns in regular-season games are the most by any quarterback against Minnesota.