MINNEAPOLIS – The Packers handled the Vikings, 33-10, on Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium to get to 8-8 with one regular-season game to go.
Here are five takeaways from the important, and dominant, triumph:
- A playoff berth is one victory away.
When the Steelers beat the Seahawks in Seattle shortly before kickoff, the Packers got the last bit of help they needed in the NFC Wild Card race.
The game with the Vikings began with the Packers needing two wins to secure a playoff berth, and now it's down to one. A victory next Sunday at Lambeau Field against the Bears (3:25 p.m. CT on CBS) gets the Packers a wild-card spot.
"The whole team is focused on making sure we get that win and moving on," said quarterback Jordan Love, who had another impressive performance. "We know exactly what's in front of us and we're trying to make the playoffs."
Love added that he and most of the locker room knew about the Seahawks' loss and that the team was in the position it wanted and needed to be, controlling its own fate.
"But it means nothing if we don't take care of business next week," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said.
- The offense had a banner night, led by Love.
Love threw for three TDs and a 125.3 passer rating. The offense put up 470 total yards, gained 28 first downs, went 9-of-14 on third down, and owned a 15-minute advantage in time of possession.
By any measure, Green Bay's offense was humming as the Packers topped 30 points for the second straight week after doing so only in Week 1 prior to Christmas Eve.
"I can't say enough great things about him," LaFleur said of Love. "His ability to hang in there versus some tough looks, drifting away from pressure, allowing his guys to make plays.
"I think he's playing at an incredibly high level."
- His offensive mates are balling out, too.
Running back Aaron Jones topped 100 yards rushing for a second straight week, gaining 120 on 20 carries.
Receiver Jayden Reed, who has battled injuries and had to leave this game at halftime due to a chest injury, had two explosive-play TDs in the first half, catching six passes for 89 yards in all. The "gritty" rookie was taken for additional scans and tests, LaFleur said, hoping he's going to be OK.
Fellow receiver Bo Melton, called up once again from the practice squad, turned in the Packers' first 100-yard receiving effort of the season, with six grabs for 105 and his first NFL touchdown.
"He's stepped up huge," Love said of Melton, who went over 100 yards on a deep ball from backup QB Sean Clifford when the Packers were running out the clock. "Bo's been a guy working every week, finding ways to get better. It's not a surprise to anybody he goes out there and does what he does."
Two weeks ago, the Packers had no individual 100-yard rushing or receiving games. With Jones healthy and Melton's emergence, suddenly they have three.
"From Day 1 that Bo got here, just an unbelievable attitude, unbelievable approach," LaFleur said of the young, speedy receiver claimed from Seattle last year. "He's been team first all the way."
Check out photos from the Week 17 matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023.
- Minnesota's QB decision backfired.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell made another quarterback switch before the game, looking for someone who could protect the football and end Minnesota's turnover troubles.
Rookie Jaren Hall wasn't it. The fifth-round draft pick was off-target to tight end Johnny Mundt on Minnesota's second possession, and Mundt deflected the ball to Packers cornerback Corey Ballentine for an interception to set up a Green Bay TD.
Then late in the first half, Preston Smith strip-sacked Hall from the blind side, rookie Karl Brooks recovered, and the Packers turned that into another TD.
"Hats off to Joe Barry and the defensive staff. They came up with a great game plan," LaFleur said of his defensive coordinator. "I know he's taken a lot of heat lately, and I know it's one game, but I was happy for him, our staff and our players to go out and put on a performance like that."
Hall was benched for Nick Mullens in the second half, but Minnesota still managed just 211 yards of total offense after gaining only 82 in the first half. Star receiver Justin Jefferson was held to five catches for 59 yards by Ballentine and rookie Carrington Valentine.
Defensively, the Packers' pressure was relentless, sacking Hall three times and Mullens once, and racking up an astounding 14 QB hits spread out amongst nine different defenders.
- The Packers have been in this spot before and have to flip the script from last year.
One more win, at home, against a division rival. Last year, the Lions were out of the playoff hunt but ended the Packers' season. This year, a rather hot Bears team also has been eliminated and is coming to visit.
"We were in a similar situation a year ago and couldn't get it done," LaFleur said. "Chicago … has gotten on a roll. I'm sure we're going to get their best shot. They'd love nothing more than to knock us out."
This year? New quarterback, a lot of new pieces on offense, but also a lot of veterans in the trenches and on defense who haven't forgotten the disappointment.
"The mindset is to go win," Love said. "We know exactly what we have to do, go win next week at home.
"Everyone remembers last year. We know exactly how it went down, how sick that taste was, losing that game, not making the playoffs. It's a new year. We've had the mentality so far that every game has been a playoff game."
