Packer Central

Live Updates: Packers Beat Vikings 23-6

The Green Bay Packers, led by Jordan Love but without Josh Jacobs and Quay Walker, are playing the Minnesota Vikings in a big NFC North battle on Sunday. Follow along for the scoring and injury updates.
Bill Huber|
Green Bay Packers receiver Dontayvion Wicks (13) runs after the catch against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Green Bay Packers receiver Dontayvion Wicks (13) runs after the catch against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. | Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers (6-3-1) will host the Minnesota Vikings (4-6) on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Follow along for updates throughout the game.

Final Score: Packers 23, Vikings 6

Fourth Quarter

Packers 20, Vikings 6 (12:13 remaining)

Brandon McManus booted a 30-yard field goal to give the Packers a 14-point lead. Set up at the 45, Emanuel Wilson had runs of 12, 6, 8, 11 and 3 yards to get the Packers into the red zone but was stuffed when right guard Anthony Belton was beaten by Jalen Redmond. Wilson has carried 25 times for 105 yards – the first 100-yard rusher of the season for the team.

Speaking of Belton, he has played the entire second half in place of Jordan Morgan.

Packers 20, Vikings 6 (10:17 remaining)

The pass rush has been unleashed. First, on first down, Micah Parsons set up a tackle for loss on Jordan Mason. On second-and-12, Rashan Gary rocked J.J. McCarthy, who wasn’t helped by Adam Thielen, who dropped the pass. On third down, Gary missed a sack but Devonte Wyatt dumped McCarthy for the sack. The Packers are up to five sacks.

Packers 23, Vikings 6 (7:36 remaining)

Handed great field position by the defense and Romeo Doubs’ punt return, the Packers tacked on a field goal as Brandon McManus kicked a 40-yard field goal. Jordan Love completed 11-yard passes to John FitzPatrick and Christian Watson before the kick.

Packers 23, Vikings 6 (5:46 remaining)

The Packers took over at the Vikings’ 40 when Rashan Gary hit J.J. McCarthy as he was about to throw, with Isaiah McDuffie grabbing the interception. The Packers failed to do anything with it, though, and punted. After runs on first and second down, the fans started booing.

Packers 23, Vikings 6 (3:37 remaining)

Evan Williams intercepted J.J. McCarthy. He and teammates ran to the south end and did the Skol clap.

Malik Willis will finish the game.

Third Quarter

Packers 17, Vikings 6 (10:53 remaining)

The Packers got the ball to start the second half and picked up two first downs, but the drive stalled when Jordan Love’s third-down pass short-hopped receiver Dontayvion Wicks.

Next came the biggest play of the game. The Vikings failed to catch Daniel Whelan’s punt, with Zayne Anderson pushing his man into returner Myles Price. The ball hit Price and Anderson recorded at Minnesota’s 5. Emanuel Wilson got the ball on the next two plays and has his first career two-touchdown game.  

Packers 17, Vikings 6 (8:45 remaining)

What can happen if the Packers take some control in a game? Micah Parsons sacked J.J. McCarthy on first down and the pass rush forced a flip by McCarthy to avoid a sack on third down.

Packers 17, Vikings 6 (4:21 remaining)

Jordan Love moved the chains with back-to-back completions to Christian Watson but, on third-and-1, nobody blocked former Packers linebacker Eric Wilson, who stuffed Emanuel Wilson for minus-2.

Packers 17, Vikings 6 (2:05 remaining)

The Vikings started at their 14 and went in reverse. On first down, Evan Williams stuffed Aaron Jones for minus-2. On second down, Micah Parsons blew past high-quality left tackle Christian Darrisaw for a sack. On third down, Parsons plowed over center Ryan Kelly to set up Devonte Wyatt’s sack.

Halftime: Packers Lead Vikings 10-6

The Vikings got the ball to start the game and drove to an opening field goal; the Packers retaliated with a seven-play, 70-yard touchdown drive.

Emanuel Wilson, starting for injured Josh Jacobs, rushed 13 times for 55 yards. He capped the opening drive with a 1-yard touchdown run in which he looked like Jacobs by plowing over linebacker Blake Cashman.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love is 8-of-13 for 88 yards. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is 7-of-11 for 62 yards and hasn’t been close to the type of critical mistakes that have impaired his debut season as the starter.

The Vikings are up 141-140 in yards; the Packers are 5-of-7 on third down.

With Keisean Nixon suffering a stinger, Carrington Valentine has been shadowing Justin Jefferson and Kamal Hadden has been covering Jordan Addison.

Green Bay will get the ball to start the second half.

Here’s a chronological look at how we got there.

First Quarter

Vikings 3, Packers 0 (12:53 remaining)

Will Reichard booted a 52-yard field goal as the Vikings struck first. Aaron Jones had a 13-yard run and Justin Jefferson had a 15-yard catch on back-to-back plays. However, with a first down at Green Bay’s 34, Micah Parsons blew past left tackle Christian Darrisaw to force a throwaway, J.J. McCarthy’s receiver screen hit safety Javon Bullard and McCarthy’s third-down screen to Jones didn’t have a prayer.

The Packers won the toss and deferred.

Packers 7, Vikings 3 (9:15 remaining)

Who needs Josh Jacobs? OK, the Packers do, but Emanuel Wilson did his best Jacobs impersonation. On first-and-goal at the 1, Wilson plowed over linebacker Blake Cashman for an opening-drive touchdown.

Jordan Love was 3-for-3 for 37 yards. First, he hit Christian Watson on third-and-3 for 12. Later, he went deep to Luke Musgrave, who picked up 24 when safety Josh Metellus was flagged for interference as he pulled Musgrave’s arm. One play later, Dontayvion Wicks was wide open for a gain of 18 that included 14 yards after the catch, with 6 yards by carrying defenders to the 1. Wilson scored on the next play.

Packers 7, Vikings 3 (5:04 remaining)

The Vikings gained one first down but not a second. On third-and-9, J.J. McCarthy threw short to T.J. Hockenson, who was blasted by linebacker Isaiah McDuffie.

Ryan Wright’s punt pinned the Packers at the 2. Anthony Belton is in at right guard for Jordan Morgan.

Packers 7, Vikings 3 (1:03 remaining)

Starting at their 2, the Packers at least picked up a couple first downs, including on third-and-10, with the Packers blew protection but Jordan Love threw one up to Dontayvion Wicks, who had found a hole in the defense and made a leaping grab for 14. However, Love – with an injured shoulder – turned down a chance to run on first down, threw too high to Christian Watson on second down and was sacked when Dallas Turner beat Rasheed Walker on third down.

Second Quarter

Packers 7, Vikings 3 (10:26 remaining)

The Vikings ran the ball right down the Packers’ throats, with Jordan Mason on four consecutive carries gaining 5, 22, 8 and 4. On third-and-1, Green Bay stuffed a quarterback sneak by tight end T.J. Hockenson. On fourth-and-1, Green Bay stuffed Mason. Edgerrin Cooper created pileup in the backfield and Kingsley Enagbare made the tackle.

Injury update: CB Keisean Nixon (stinger) is questionable. Kamal Hadden, who zero defensive snaps in his career, entered the game.

Packers 10, Vikings 3 (2:25 remaining)

Emanuel Wilson got the ball on five consecutive plays to start the drive, with runs of 11, 7, 2, 4 and 4 yards. With Wilson on the bench getting a breather, Chris Brooks caught a pass for 5 and kept his legs churning to convert a third-and-1 run. With Wilson back in the game, he bounced off the back of right tackle Zach Tom for a gain of 10. One play later, Jordan Love had all day and hit Romeo Doubs over the middle for 18; Jalen Redmond knocked down Love, who fell on his left shoulder.

The drive stalled and Brandon McManus made a 32-yard field goal. The Vikings, thinking they had 12 on the field, called a timeout; really, they only had 11. McManus made the kick again to cap a drive that was a season-long 8 minutes and 1 second.

Packers 10, Vikings 6 (0:10 remaining)

Will Reichard blasted a 59-yard field goal to make it a one-score game with halftime on the horizon. The key plays? J.J. McCarthy beautiful pass to Justin Jefferson for 19 yards, with the ball getting over the head of cornerback Carrington Valentine and Jefferson absorbing a big hit by Evan Williams. Moments later, McCarthy took a terrible sack that was credited to Isaiah McDuffie but Warren Brinson should have shared. McCarthy had time but stood like a statue as McDuffie fought through blockers.

Big NFC North Games

The three NFC North front-runners will play in the early time slot. Along with Packers-Vikings, the first-place Chicago Bears (7-3) will host the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions (6-4) will host the New York Giants.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Packers are 6.5-point favorites, the Lions are 13.5-point favorites against the Giants and the Bears are 2.5-point favorites against the Steelers, who will play without injured quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The Packers have an 84.8 percent chance of winning, according to numberFire.

The Packers are three-point underdogs for the Thanksgiving game at Detroit.

Packers-Vikings Revenge Game

Two former Packers have key roles for the Vikings.

One is running back Aaron Jones, who missed four games this season and has 256 yards with a 4.9-yard average and one touchdown in six games. He had 16 rushes for 70 yards last week against Chicago. The last two weeks, he has 25 carries compared to 10 for Jordan Mason.

“I just think he runs for every yard,” defensive end Micah Parsons said. “He runs with passion, purpose behind every carry. I think he has great vision. I competed with him when I was at Dallas and he was here and he’s always had some pretty good games. I think we’re a great front and it’s basically what we said: If they’re going to come run it 35 times, we’ve got to be prepared for that.”

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) runs past Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie last year.
Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) runs past Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie last year. | Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Former Packers linebacker Eric Wilson leads the Vikings in tackles (63) and is second in sacks (3.5), tackles for losses (nine) and forced fumbles (two) and is second with seven tackles on special teams.

“He’s done a hell of a job,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “He shows up all over the film. Shows up as a special teams player, obviously, and then on defense he’s really carved a role for himself and he’s played a ton of snaps for him. Meaningful snaps.

“He does a great job in coverage and he’s one of the best that I’ve seen in terms of being able to get the ball out, as well. Every time he goes into tackle, you better be aware because he’s probably going to bring a punch with It. So, I’ve been really impressed by him. It’s not surprising. I mean, we saw.” 

Keisean Nixon vs. Justin Jefferson

Last year at Lambeau Field, Justin Jefferson beat Keisean Nixon for a touchdown. It was Nixon’s first game as a full-time perimeter cornerback.

They’ll square off again on Sunday, with Jefferson one of the unquestioned greats in the NFL and Nixon a leader in the secondary.

“I was just learning how to adjust to it,” Nixon said this week. “I think the second time we played them in Minnesota, I played a lot better. I’m definitely comfortable at what I do now. Great player, but you know what time it is.”

While he’s waiting for his first interception – he might have had it last week but Xavier McKinney got a finger on the pass – Nixon is tied with Cincinnati’s D.J. Turner for the NFL lead with 14 passes defensed.

“It means a lot, for sure, but I’m focused on getting wins and stuff like that,” he said. “Self-goals, it’s definitely one of my goals coming into the year, showing who I am and I can play at a high level. Just putting the work in and it’s showing.”

The Vikings have two premier receivers with Jefferson and Jordan Addison. They’ll challenge Green Bay’s unsung cornerback tandem of Nixon and Carrington Valentine.

“Any time you play a team that got two good receivers, it’s money on the line,” Nixon said. “Plenty of games we played this year that had two receivers, it’s just another opp for me and C.V. Going to keep playing ball. Definitely excited for the matchups, for sure.”

Packers-Vikings Inactives

The Packers will play without Josh Jacobs and Quay Walker.

Hunting Turnovers

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is enduring a difficult debut season as the starter. He’s last in the NFL in completion percentage and, with six touchdowns and eight interceptions, he’s the only starter with more interceptions than touchdowns.

The Packers are 27th in the league with four interceptions; they had chances for four last week but didn’t get any.

That’s got to change.

“When you get an opportunity and you can’t squeeze that op, obviously, it’s tough,” safety Xavier McKinney said. “We’ve talked about it just amongst the back end, the defense about, you know, ‘Once the opportunity presents itself, we can’t leave any meat on the bone’. That’s what we preach pretty much all the time when we talk about the ball. So, we know that it’s very critical, once we see that ball, we’ve got to know, that ball is supposed to be ours every time. There’s no excuses, no ifs, ands or buts about it.”

Plenty to Love

The big matchup will be Packers quarterback Jordan Love vs. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

No defense blitzes more than Flores’ Vikings. Love destroyed the Steelers’ blitz in Week 8 but has struggled when pressured.

“I think he's just gotten better every year he's been in the league,” Flores told reporters this week. “I think just watching him and his cadence and how he goes through the cadence and tries to use that to uncover what the defense is doing, really, the entire game; there isn't really a down where he's not doing that.

“They've got some funky ball handling that's clearly practiced, and he does a great job with that, as well. Even the little things, the minutiae at the quarterback position. He was behind one of the greats, [Aaron Rodgers], so he learned a lot from him.”

Emanuel Wilson Next Man Up

With Josh Jacobs inactive, Emanuel Wilson will make his first NFL start. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, he’s rushed for 807 yards (4.7 average) and five touchdowns and caught 26-of-32 passes in 34 career games.

As a rookie in 2023, he watched and learned behind Aaron Jones. Now, he’s learning from Josh Jacobs.

“Obviously, part of it is his skill-set and then just him being around guys like Josh and being around guys like Aaron Jones and seeing how they went about their business and how they prepared,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said of Wilson’s success. “I think he leans on those guys a lot. Sometimes I’ll just tell him stories of some of the guys that I’ve coached in the past. ‘Here’s how they went about their business and if you want to have any chance or opportunity to be effective in this way, here’s some of the things that you have to do.’

“The one thing about him is, even when he came here as a rookie when he really didn’t know that much in terms of all the aspects of being a pro running back, is he really prepared himself very well. Asked a lot of questions, stayed in the playbook and I think you really saw the jump that he made from his rookie year through his second year just because of how important football was to him and how he worked.”

Packers-Vikings TV Map

Most of the nation will watch Packers-Vikings.

The game will air on Fox, with Joe Davis (play-by-play), Greg Olsen (analyst) and Pam Oliver (sideline) on the call.

Carl Cheffers is the referee. His crew throws more flags for more yards than most crews. The home team is 7-2 this year.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.