Finally, the Green Bay Packers managed to win comfortably in a game that they were expected to do so. Playing without Josh Jacobs and a somewhat limited Jordan Love, the Packers cruised against the Minnesota
Vikings, harassing quarterback J.J. McCarthy frequently en route to a 23-6 victory.
Emanuel Wilson was the star offensively for the Packers, running for more than 100 yards and two touchdowns as he took over the starting duties from Jacobs. Defensively, the Packers got big days from Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt, who each recorded a pair of sacks. Linebacker Isaiah McDuffie started on Sunday for the injured Quay Walker, and he also had a big game, posting 9 total tackles, a half-sack, and an interception.
Jordan Love’s workload was limited, likely due to both the game plan and thanks to the Packers’ run game doing a decent job picking up chunks of yards. Although the efficiency does not look great at the end — they averaged less than four yards per carry — they had a handful of chunk plays on the ground. Love finished just 14-for-21 for 139 yards, but a few of those completions were huge plays on third downs as he helped Green Bay go 50% on third downs.
The Packers move up to 7-3-1 on the season ahead of their trip to Detroit on Thanksgiving Day this Thursday.
Minnesota started with the football and drove for a long field goal to start the game. A long run for Aaron Jones and a 15-yard reception by Justin Jefferson pushed the Vikings to the edge of field goal range, and the Packers defense stiffened, holding them to a 52-yarder from Will Reichard.
On their first drive, the Packers got a 12-yard catch from Christian Watson to convert an early third down, then a 24-yard pass interference penalty on Josh Metellus in coverage against Luke Musgrave up the left sideline set them up near the red zone. Dontayvion Wicks picked up 18 with some great shifty moves after the catch to set up a one-yard run from Emanuel Wilson, who ran over linebacker Blake Cashman at the goal line to punch in the game’s first touchdown and a 7-3 Packers lead.
The Vikings’ second drive ended in a punt after getting behind the sticks. A fumbled exchange on first down and a short run by Jones set up a 3rd-and-9, when Isaiah McDuffie sniffed out a checkdown to T.J. Hockenson and laid a big hit on the tight end well short of a first down. Minnesota dropped their punt perfectly, however, setting up the Packers at their own 2.
Green Bay was unable to sustain a long drive, but they were able to get out of the shadow of their own end zone with a pair of first downs. After a third-down sack at the 24, Daniel Whelan flipped the field with a 63-yard bomb of a punt, netting 52 yards after a return and setting Minnesota up at their own 24.
The Packers’ run defense gaveth and tooketh away on the next Vikings series. Issues flared up early, with Jordan Mason breaking off an explosive run for 22 yards, but the line stood up in short yardage. They stopped Hockenson on a sneak attempt on 3rd-and-1 from the 17-yard line, then stuffed Mason on the next play, forcing a turnover on downs.
Wilson turned up the heat on the Vikings defense on the Packers’ third offensive series, carrying the ball five times in a row to start the drive and picking up 28 yards with a pair of first downs. After Brooks moved the chains on short yardage, Wilson again came on and broke off another ten-yard run, then Love found Romeo Doubs for 18 yards to get well into field goal range. Brandon McManus hit from 32 yards out, extending the Packers’ lead to 10-3 with 2:25 to go in the first half after a 14-play drive that took eight minutes off the clock.
Minnesota ran the ball three times to try to get a first down and run some more clock off, and they managed to get a first down on the third attempt with just over a minute left in the half. McCarthy then found Jefferson for 19 yards, but two plays later Warren Brinson and Isaiah McDuffie split a sack to force a 3rd-and-17 from outside of field goal range. Jones picked up six yards to set up the Vikings at the 41, and Kevin O’Connell sent Will Reichard out for a 59-yard field goal attempt. Richard drilled the attempt, cutting the Packers’ lead to 10-6 at the half.
Coming out of the break, the Packers went a bit up-tempo to start, picking up first downs on a swing pass to Wilson and then on a 13-yard scramble by Love. A loss of one from Wilson and then a loss of 4 on a checkdown set up a 3rd-and-long, however, and Love’s pass was incomplete to bring on a punt from midfield.
The Packers got a massive break on the punt. Return man Myles Price let the ball bounce inside the 5, but instead of watching the ball he went to block Zayne Anderson. Whelan’s punt bounced back towards Price, hitting him before Anderson fell on it for a huge turnover.
Two plays later, Wilson reached over the goal line for his second touchdown, giving Green Bay a 17-6 lead.
A Micah Parsons sack on first down scuttled the Vikings’ ensuing drive, setting them back and forcing a punt. The Packers’ offense picked up a pair of first downs but Whelan came on to punt after Love audibled into a shotgun run on 3rd-and-1 and Wilson got stuffed.
Three negative plays drove the Vikings back nearly into their own end zone. After Evan Williams stuffed Aaron Jones for a loss of one on first down, Parsons sacked McCarthy again on second down then nearly got him for a safety on third down. McCarthy just got out of the end zone before Devonte Wyatt brought him down for the sack, and the Vikings punted away again.
Wilson broke a 12-yard run off on the first play, then had runs of 6 and 8 yards to back it up as the clock ran out on the third quarter. He had another 11-yarder shortly thereafter to get into the red zone, but after a loss on third down McManus hit from 30 yards out to extend the lead to two touchdowns. The Packers did not throw the ball on that drive, going 43 yards on 7 run plays to add to their lead.
A loss by Mason on first down, a false start penalty, a drop by Adam Thielen, and another sack from Wyatt just outside the goal line yielded another Vikings punt, and this time Romeo Doubs returned it 16 yards to Minnesota’s 40-yard line. After one first down, the Packers tacked on another field goal from McManus to go up by 17 points.
McDuffie added to his big day with an interception on the very next play from scrimmage, as Rashan Gary hit McCarthy’s arm as he was about to release the football. The Packers’ offense did not move the football, punting away and pinning the Vikings back deep again inside their own 10. McCarthy threw another pick, this time to Evan Williams, and Malik Willis came on to run off the remainder of the clock and seal the comfortable win.
