The Packers put the Vikings to bed well before midnight as the rivals from Green Bay rang in the New Year with a 33-10 blowout win in Minneapolis.
The Vikings (7-9) can still make the playoffs by winning at Detroit next Sunday and getting a lot of help. Here’s what Minnesota needs:
- Vikings beat Lions
- Bears beat Packers
- Cardinals beat Seahawks
- Panthers beat Buccaneers or Falcons beat Saints
Jordan Love threw for 256 yards and three scores while Vikings rookie Jaren Hall turned the ball over twice and was benched after an ugly first half. Green Bay (8-8) churned out 470 total yards to Minnesota’s 211 and the Pack held the ball for more than 37 minutes in an utterly dominant performance inside U.S. Bank Stadium.
Minnesota lost six of eight home games this season.
After the Vikings held Green Bay to a field goal on their second drive of the game, Hall threw behind backup tight end Johnny Mundt, who was starting in place of the injured T.J. Hockenson, and the ball tipped off Mundt’s hands and was intercepted. Two plays later the Packers scored on a 33-yard touchdown strike from Love to Jayden Reed.
Tipped and picked by the @packers!
📺: #GBvsMIN on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/cOt1Gy93Av pic.twitter.com/AKgc0t3ePI— NFL (@NFL) January 1, 2024
Jordan Love to Jayden Reed for the seventh time this year!
📺: #GBvsMIN on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/cOt1Gy93Av pic.twitter.com/edDNVK1f9y— NFL (@NFL) January 1, 2024
Five offensive plays later and the Vikings were sitting 4th-and-4 and had to punt the ball back to the Packers with 2:28 left in the opening quarter. And it was a bad punt of just 30 yards to the Green Bay 26-yard line.
The Packers moved the ball into Minnesota territory and had a chance to tighten their grip by adding points but on 4th-and-1 from the 24 Love lobbed a pass that a wide open Bo Melton dropped for a turnover on downs. However, as was the case all night, the Vikings didn’t take advantage.
Hall completed his first pass of the game – a 13-yard connection to Justin Jefferson – with 12:35 left in the second quarter. He followed that completion with a strike of 20 yards over the middle to rookie Jordan Addison. But two plays later he was sacked for a loss of 10, setting up 3rd-and-16 that ultimately led to Greg Joseph tying a season long with a 54-yard field goal.
Green Bay answered Minnesota’s three points with seven points, with Love reaching the ball into the end zone for his fourth rushing touchdown of the season. It capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive and gave the visitors a 17-3 lead 3:59 to go in the first half.
Jordan Love lays out for the touchdown!
📺: #GBvsMIN on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/cOt1Gy93Av pic.twitter.com/tKVChsYux3— NFL (@NFL) January 1, 2024
The Vikings picked up one first down on the ensuing drive but another sack put them in a 3rd-and-16 situation and Hall’s pass wobbled high and incomplete and it was punting time again for a Minnesota offense that had 82 total yards in the first half.
Disaster struck after Green Bay punted the ball with 39 seconds to play.
Preston Smith beat left tackle Christian Darrisaw for a strip sack of Hall and it took the Packers just three plays to start nailing the Vikings’ coffin shut as Love hit Reed on a crosser and the speedy rookie broke a tackle from Harrison Smith and wiggled his way to the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown an da 23-3 lead with eight seconds left in the half.
At that point, Hall’s night was over. He finished 5-of-10 passing for 67 yards, one interception and one lost fumble.
ANOTHER @JaydenReed5 TD! #GBvsMIN | #GoPackGo
📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/FT58FpKFbq
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 1, 2024
Nick Mullens took over to start the second half and just as fast as the Vikings started gaining momentum they started going backwards. First-and-10 at the Green Bay 32 devolved into 2nd-and-28 at the 50 after a false start on Darrisaw, an illegible player downfield penalty on Ed Ingram and then a sack for a loss of eight yards.
But they got 14 yards back on a completion to Mundt and then on 3rd-and-14 Mullens found Jefferson for 21 yards and a first down to the 15-yard line. All of that led to coach Kevin O’Connell’s decision to go for it on 4th-and-4 from the 9-yard line and the decision backfired as Mullens was hit as he threw and the ball flailed incomplete in the direction of Jefferson in the end zone.
Then came the dagger as Green Bay went 91 yards on 13 plays in exactly eight minutes, with Love floating a pass to a wide open Melton for a nine-yard touchdown.
Trailing 30-3, the Vikings punted on the first play of the fourth quarter and special teams ace Najee Thompson forced a muffed punt that Minnesota recovered deep in Packers territory and Minnesota turned it into a six-yard touchdown pass from Mullens to Mundt to get within 20 points at 30-10.
Green Bay added a field goal in garbage time and the Vikings
Up next: Vikings at Lions, Sunday, Jan. 7 at 12 p.m.
