The Minnesota Vikings got off on the right foot in Week 1, defeating the Green Bay Packers 39-22. It was the fourth season-opening win in five seasons under Kevin O'Connell, and for the second year in a row, the Week 1 victory required fourth-quarter heroics.
After finding themselves in a 22-10 hole with five minutes remaining in the third quarter, all phases of the team came together. With six minutes to play in the game, the Vikings had built a two-score lead, and momentum was completely on their side.
Here are three key stats from Minnesota's win over the Packers to begin the season.
3 Notable stats from the Vikings' Week 1 win over the Packers
No team had ever won by 17+ points after being down by 12+ with under 20 minutes to play
It's rare for a team to play so poorly for most of the game and still win by multiple scores. But the Vikings did that in spectacular fashion on Sunday. Heading
into the game, no team in NFL history had ever won a game by 17 or more points after trailing by 12 or more points with under 20 minutes to play, per OptaStats. Minnesota flipped the script to run away from Green Bay by the end of the game.
The @Vikings are the first team in NFL history to be down by 12+ points with under 20 minutes left in regulation and end up winning by 17+ points. pic.twitter.com/PnwBsd86T8
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 14, 2026
A 68-yard kick return by Myles Price with 5:09 to play in the third quarter set the Vikings up at the Packers' 28-yard line. Six plays later, Carson Wentz hit T.J. Hockenson on a 16-yard touchdown pass. A nine-play, 83-yard touchdown drive was extended by penalties. Minnesota's two other drives spanned one and 14 yards after forcing turnovers.
Wentz was the first backup QB to throw 3+ TD and 0 INTS in a season-opening win since 1961
It wasn't Wentz's most aesthetically pleasing game. After Kyler Murray went down with a concussion, Wentz completed 12/19 passes for 133 yards and missed some routine passes. But he managed to throw three touchdowns and avoided turning the ball over (an interception on 3rd-and-5 at the Packers' 6-yard line was negated by a penalty).
Wentz became the first backup quarterback to throw 3+ touchdowns and zero interceptions in a season-opening win since 1961. The quarterback in that game? Fran Tarkenton, who came off the bench in the Vikings' first-ever regular-season game to throw four touchdowns and run another in as Minnesota upset the Bears 37-13.
The Vikings blitzed Jordan Love on 78.3% of his dropbacks
We all know that Brian Flores likes to blitz. No one has dialed up the extra pressure since he was hired in 2023. But Flores ramped up the dial to the extreme on Sunday, blitzing Jordan Love on 78.3% of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats.
Love took advantage of the blitz at times, but Flores ultimately prevailed. The Vikings generated a 52.8% pressure rate and got to Love four times while blitzing. It was a high-risk, high-reward strategy that paid off in the end and showed that Flores will stay aggressive even after giving up some big plays.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: 3 Notable stats from the Vikings Week 1 win over the Packers
