No Comeback This Time: Vikings Mauled By Packers in 41-17 Loss at Lambeau Field
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GREEN BAY — For the second time in three weeks, the Vikings played a first half of football in which virtually everything went poorly. And on this day, they were playing the surging Green Bay Packers, not the lifeless Indianapolis Colts, and there was no dramatic comeback to be found.
The 12-3 Vikings came into this marquee Sunday afternoon game with a lot to play for. They were hoping to hold onto the second seed in the NFC playoff picture, keep their chances at the top seed alive, and deal a massive blow to the postseason hopes of their hated rivals with a rare series sweep.
Instead, they played another first half where everything that could go wrong went wrong. Minnesota went into the locker room trailing 27-3 after two disastrous quarters and didn't mount anything resembling a comeback after the break in an embarrassing 41-17 loss.
Anyone who believes this Vikings team is a fraudulent pretender was gifted another huge helping of evidence to support their case on the first day of 2023. Kirk Cousins turned the ball over four times, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble before being pulled in the fourth quarter with the game out of hand. Coincidentally, this was about as close to a nationally televised game as a late afternoon start can get.
Cousins wasn't the Vikings' lone issue, considering two of his INTs were deflected and he didn't have much time to survey the field on Kenny Clark's strip sack. Still, it was another clunker of a performance from a quarterback who has had a clutch and resilient 2022 season but seems to implode at least once a year.
It didn't help that the Vikings' offensive line got decimated in the first quarter of this game. Center Austin Schlottmann, playing because starter Garrett Bradbury is still injured, hurt his ankle and missed the rest of the game. Stud right tackle Brian O'Neill suffered a concerning-looking calf injury and was quickly ruled out as well. That meant the Vikings played most of the game with guard Chris Reed as their third-string center and former guard Oli Udoh as their third-string right tackle. Unsurprisingly, Reed — who had previously only played center in the NFL during the preseason — struggled with snapping the football, leading to several false start and delay of game penalties.
The Vikings could barely get anything going in the running game, and Justin Jefferson had one of the most frustrating days of his career — one catch for 15 yards midway through the third quarter. The offense failed to score a touchdown after a Josh Metellus blocked punt gave them first and goal at the Green Bay 1 yard-line, which set the tone for the day. That unit didn't score a touchdown until Cousins hit rookie Jalen Nailor for a garbage time score in the fourth quarter.
Somehow, the Vikings may have been even worse in the other two phases of the game. On special teams, they got off to a strong start with the blocked punt, but then immediately gave up a 105-yard kick return touchdown, which opened the scoring for the Packers. Greg Joseph also missed two field goals in the first half.
Defensively, this was another concerning performance after a couple decent bounce-back games against the Colts and Giants. The Packers were highly efficient in the running game, piling up 163 yards and two scores, and Aaron Rodgers' only passing touchdown came on another busted coverage by the Vikings' secondary. Ed Donatell's group had ten players on the field and 12 players on the field on different plays during the same drive, which is hard to fathom at this point in the season. Green Bay didn't rack up yards, but when you get a kick return touchdown, a pick-six, and four total takeaways, you don't need to.
This was an ugly showing from a team that views itself as a Super Bowl contender. On that front, it's difficult to have much faith in a team that lost 40-3 to the Cowboys earlier this season and trailed 41-3 at one point in this game, to make no mention of the 33-0 deficit they somehow erased against the Colts.
The Vikings are now 12-4 with a minus-19 point differential on the season, which is a truly absurd statistic. It would've been worse without a couple garbage time touchdowns, including one thrown by backup QB Nick Mullens.
Minnesota will wrap up its regular season against the lowly Bears next weekend in Chicago. After that, this team that exists on nothing but one-score wins and blowout losses will enter the postseason with very few people outside their building believing in them as legitimate contenders to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
What a bizarre season.
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