Packers Winners and Losers in Loss to Vikings Starts With Pass Protection

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers entered Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings needing a win to have any realistic shot of winning the NFC North. A loss would drop them to 6-4, with two of those losses coming against Minnesota. A win would tie them in the standings with the Vikings and allow them to keep pace with the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears.

Green Bay’s offense was rolling coming into the game as they piled up 42 points against New England’s defense last week and essentially named their score.

The problem this week was they were facing Brian Flores’ defense.

A bigger problem was facing Flores and falling behind 17-0 in the first half. That’s a death sentence for any offense, let alone one who cannot protect its quarterback.

The Packers added 10 points to pull within 20-10, but gave up a touchdown to Gavin Bartholomew with 8:29 left in the fourth quarter. The game was decided there if it was not already.

As a result, the list of losers is long and distinguished as the Packers were beaten up on their home field.

Loser: The Offensive Line

The biggest culprit of Green Bay’s Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was the inability to protect Jordan Love.

The biggest culprit of Green Bay’s Week 10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was the inability to protect Jordan Love. Love was under siege in the first half, and appeared to be rattled at different points even when he was not under pressure. He was pressured on 71 percent of his drop backs in the first half.

Green Bay’s offense threatened giving up more sacks than they had pass completions in the first half. That number ultimately ended at five sacks to seven completions. Yes, Minnesota’s defense is good, but good defenses are the type that the Packers are going to have to knock off in order to achieve their goals. There was reason for hope after last week’s drubbing of the New England Patriots that the Packers could be set up better to withstand the pressure that Flores and his defense brings continuously.

It didn’t matter. Love was under siege whether Flores rushed four, or if he brought pressure. The run game was not any better. There were so many unblocked defenders in both phases of the offense.

The Packers tried to play with multiple tight ends, six offensive linemen, or leave the running back in for protection purposes. None of it really mattered. Minnesota’s defense has won every matchup they’ve had this year, and this matchup was a win by total knockout.

Loser: QB Jordan Love

Jordan Love’s 18 dropbacks in the first half went accordingly. He completed seven passes. Matthew Golden had two drops. Love threw an interception and was sacked five times.

Following last week’s destruction of the New England Patriots, Love had catapulted himself into the MVP conversation, if one can exist before the month of December.

Sunday’s performance by Love and the rest of the offense should quiet those discussions for the foreseeable future. Maybe it’s not fair, but great quarterbacks are asked to elevate those around them.

Yes, Love was under pressure a bunch on Sunday. That was the expectation coming into the game even if the Packers had a good plan for what the Vikings wanted to do on defense. What Love could not afford to do is leave points on the field. He did just that in the first half when he threw an interception to Harrison Smith after the Packers had crossed into the red zone.

Love’s pass sailed or Kraft was unable to get to the ball. Regardless, Love looked like he was anticipating pressure that never came.

It’s a fine line to follow, but Love could have been better on Sunday too.

Loser: TE Tucker Kraft

Is Tucker Kraft healthy? Are there worse questions that need to be asked? Kraft has not looked like himself for most of the season, and struggled again on Sunday. With the Packers deep in Minnesota territory, Jordan Love loaded up trying to find Tucker Kraft near the goal line. A catch would have given the Packers a first-and-goal. Love’s throw sailed, but Kraft also looked slow and not explosive on the route.

He finished the game with one catch for 19 yards.

Kraft has rarely looked like the tight end who was going to threaten for an All Pro honor last season before injuring his knee.

Will he ever look like that player this season? That remains to be seen, but he certainly did not look like he was anywhere close to that guy on Sunday.

Loser: Packers vs. Vikings

Remember when the Packers briefly held a 25-10 lead against Minnesota in the first game of the season? That lead was short lived because Matt LaFleur took a field goal off the board to try and step on the Vikings’ throat.

The Packers would fail on fourth down and turn the ball over back to Minnesota’s offense. From that point forward, Green Bay was outscored 29-0 by the Vikings. That drubbing continued on Sunday. The Packers were unable to stop the bleeding. Minnesota’s run extended to 49-0 with a 20-0 lead they built in the third quarter.

The Packers have gotten drilled by this team ever since that fateful decision in Minnesota. Why would there be any confidence a potential third meeting in the postseason, on the road, be any different?

Loser: TE Mark Redman

Mark Redman was brought to Green Bay to be a blocker. On Green Bay’s first possession, however, he was asked to be a receiver. Redman does not have many opportunities as a pass catcher. He had just two catches on the year coming into Sunday’s game.

His first catch since Week 4 ended in disaster. Redman caught the ball, but was immediately met by Andrew Van Ginkel, who knocked the ball out of Redman’s hands. The forced fumble was recovered by the Vikings, setting them up deep in Green Bay territory. Redman’s mistake cost the Packers three points in the first quarter after the defense stood tall.

Those are the types of mistakes that lose games as the calendar turns to November and December. Redman was fortunate his mistake only cost the Packers three instead of seven.

Loser: K Trey Smack

Trey Smack had his bounce back last week against the New England Patriots where he made all seven of his kicks with relative ease.

The hope from Green Bay was that would carry over into a big division game against Minnesota, but it was not to be.

Smack lined up to kick a 53-yard field goal after Jordan Morgan was smoked by Dallas Turner for a sack on third-and-9 on Green Bay’s second series of the game.

The operation was good, but Smack’s kick was wide to the right. That was his sixth missed field goal of the season and ninth overall. In the first quarter the Packers had gifted the Vikings a field goal and missed one of their own.

The bigger the game is, the slimmer the margin for error becomes. That margin becomes even thinner against a Minnesota defense that has been elite all season. The Packers simply cannot afford to leave points on the field. Smack has left too many of them with 21 points already left on the field this season.

Winner: S Xavier McKinney

The Packers did not have much to cheer for on Sunday, but Xavier McKinney continued his playmaking ways against Kirk Cousins. The Vikings were threatening to extend their 17-0 lead in the first half when Cousins loaded up a deep ball for Tai Felton down the left sideline.

McKinney tracked the ball from the center of the field and raced to the sideline making an impressive catch with his fingertips. It was probably the best catch of the day by a Packer regardless of the side of the ball they play on.

6th INTERCEPTION FOR XAVIER McKINNEY!

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/WJ31qNmgQE
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 15, 2026

McKinney’s pick was his sixth of the year. He had eight in his first season in Green Bay, and may challenge for the top of the league.

Winner: WR J. Michael Sturdivant

The Packers offense had so little going against Minnesota’s stingy defense on Sunday. They trailed 20-0 in the third quarter with Jordan Love getting snowed under by Minnesota’s rush.

On October 10, J. Michael Sturdivant had what he thought was his first touchdown reception of his career, but it was taken away due to a pass interference penalty.

No penalty was stopping Sturdivant this time. He found an ocean’s worth of room in the middle of Minnesota’s defense. Love had enough time to rip the ball to Sturdivant, who did the rest from there, scoring a 32-yard touchdown to get the Packers on the board.

The Packers did not have a lot to celebrate. Sturdivant did end up fumbling away a kick return, but the game was decided by then. Anyone who scores their first career touchdown makes the list of winners. fumble

The Packers were, in a word, sacked by the Vikings.

Here is the early story from Lambeau Field. ⬇️https://t.co/sd7XYATBhT
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 15, 2026

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