Packers Rout Vikings, Playoffs Within Grasp
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Nov. 27, the Green Bay Packers lost 40-33 at the Philadelphia Eagles. Their record was 4-8, their quarterback dealing with injured ribs and a broken thumb. According to ESPN, Green Bay had a 2 percent chance to make the playoffs.
Thirty-five days have changed everything. The Packers trounced the Minnesota Vikings 41-17 for a fourth consecutive victory on Sunday evening at Lambeau Field. With the bottom of the NFC playoff field losing games like it’s a New Year’s resolution – including the Washington Commanders on Sunday – the Packers have the final playoff berth in their grasp.
Green Bay (8-8) will host the Detroit Lions (8-8) next weekend, one more victory from grabbing one of the more unlikely postseason spots in franchise history.
The game couldn’t have started worse, with Pat O’Donnell’s opening punt blocked and the Vikings starting at the 1. But Green Bay’s defense came up with a goal-line stand, with T.J. Slaton stopping Dalvin Cook on third down. Greg Joseph’s chip-shot field goal gave the Vikings a 3-0 lead.
But only for a moment.
The crowd cheered when Keisean Nixon was introduced as the kickoff returner. They screamed 105 yards later with Nixon – a game-time decision due to a groin injury – Lambeau Leaping into the stands following the teams’ first kickoff-return touchdown since 2011.
The rout was on.
After an exchange of punts, Darnell Savage grabbed Rasul Douglas’ deflection and raced 75 yards for a touchdown. Mason Crosby made a short field goal, Robert Tonyan was wider than wide open for a 21-yard touchdown and then, the ultimate sign that this was Green Bay’s day, Crosby’s 56-yard field goal at the end of the first half hit the upright and bounced over.
Just like that, it was 27-3. That’s the way it stayed through three quarters. As the teams changed ends for a first-and-goal at the 2, the crowd roared and a “Go Pack Go” chant rang through the venerable stadium. The crowd roared again when AJ Dillon thundered home for the clinching score.
The key to the game was Green Bay’s defensive performance against Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson. Jefferson destroyed the Packers in Week 1 in Minneapolis but Green Bay turned the tables. When the defensive backs said they didn’t watch that game this week, it was because that game film was irrelevant based on this week’s game plan.
“You’ve just got to be real. He don’t jump in no super suit and get dressed and jump outside, you hear me?” Alexander said this week. “I don’t either, sometimes. But he’s human is what I’m saying. We ain’t putting too much on nobody. He’s a really good receiver. But, at the end of the day, I’m a really good corner, we’ve got really good corners, we’ve got really good linebackers. D-line. Whatever it is. You don’t want to put too much focus on that one person because it’s like, the first game, that was a fluke.”
Alexander saw a lot of Jefferson and played a key role in the NFL’s leading receiver in terms of catches and yards being limited to one catch for 15 yards.
When Green Bay extended its lead to 41-3 on Rodgers’ 2-yard touchdown run and a bunch of backup defenders entered the game, the Packers led 300-208 in yards and were 4-0 in turnovers. Aaron Jones had 14 carries for 111 yards.
At that point, the 8-8 Packers had outscored their opponents by 17 points; the 12-4 Vikings had been outscored by 33 points.
Game Ball
It takes a village to stop an elite player like Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson. But the village president was Jaire Alexander. By midway through the fourth quarter, with Green Bay up 41-3 and having cleared the defensive bench, Jefferson had caught 1-of-5 passes for 15 yards.
Questionable Call
When Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson went wild in Week 1, the question was why Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry didn’t adjust to get Jaire Alexander more snaps against the premier playmaker. So, the same question can be asked of why the Vikings didn’t move Jefferson around the formation more to get away from Alexander. The Packers played a lot of zone, like usual. Where Jefferson lined up, Alexander followed. The Vikings could have motioned Jefferson away from Alexander but rarely did so.
Key Moment
The Viking struck first, a blocked punt giving them the ball at the 1. Green Bay’s defense made a big-time goal-line stand, with T.J. Slaton stopping Dalvin Cook on third down. Greg Joseph booted the chip-shot field goal, then kicked it to Keisean Nixon. Groin injury? What groin injury? Nixon didn’t practice all week but took the kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown. The blocking was exquisite and Nixon needed only to get past Joseph around the 35.
Key Stat
When the teams met in Week 1, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson had six receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. During the first half on Sunday, Jefferson had zero catches. Of the four passes thrown his way, one was intercepted.
Next Week
The Packers will face the Detroit Lions next week with a trip to the NFC playoffs on the line. The date and time will be announced on Sunday night.
Officially, Seattle is in seventh place, Detroit in eighth and Green Bay in ninth with their 8-8 records. However, a victory next week would vault the Packers past the Lions in the standings, and Green Bay would beat Seattle on a tiebreaker with the better conference record.
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