MINNEAPOLIS – The Packers put together a furious fourth-quarter rally but came up short Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, falling to the Vikings 27-25.
Green Bay trailed 27-10 but got back into the game with a touchdown, two-point conversion, defensive stop and another touchdown.
Minnesota took over with just over two minutes left and got two first downs to run out the clock, so the Packers never got the ball back. RB Cam Akers made a falling, shoetop catch on third-and-3 for the game-sealing first down.
Until the late comeback, it was a game full of mistakes for the Packers as they fell way behind. A bad sequence sandwiching halftime led to 10 Minnesota points for a 20-3 Vikings lead.
The Packers fell to 11-5 with the loss and will be either the No. 6 or 7 seed for the NFC playoffs. The Vikings are 14-2 and have a shot at the No. 1 seed next week against the Lions.
For the Packers, QB Jordan Love was 19-of-30 for 185 yards with a TD and 91.7 rating. WR Romeo Doubs had seven catches for 58 yards, TE Tucker Kraft had two grabs for 53 yards, and WR Dontayvion Wicks had four catches for 43 yards.
RB Josh Jacobs had 17 carries for 69 yards and a TD, his seventh straight game with a rushing TD, tying Paul Hornung's franchise record. RB Emanuel Wilson added six carries for 29 yards and a TD.
For the Vikings, QB Sam Darnold was 33-of-43 for 377 yards with three TDs, one INT and a 116.1 rating. WR Justin Jefferson had eight catches for 92 yards, WR Jalen Nailor had five for 81 and a TD, and WR Jordan Addison had six for 69 with a TD.
Here's a recap of all the action:
Packers lead Vikings 3-0 after the first quarter
The Packers won the coin toss and took the ball. Dontayvion Wicks ran a pair of quick stop routes to convert the initial first down and Green Bay moved across midfield with a 6-yard Josh Jacobs run.
On the next play, however, Jacobs fumbled on a 7-yard run that was recovered by safety Cam Bynum at the Minnesota 38. The Vikings picked up one first down with a 7-yard pass to tight end Johnny Mundt.
Green Bay's defense got off the field after pressuring Sam Darnold into throwing the ball away on second down and hitting a 1-yard checkdown to C.J. Ham on second-and-8.
The Packers took over at their 15 after a 30-yard Ryan Wright punt but went three-and-out after three downfield incompletions. Minnesota retook possession at its 35 after a 49-yard Daniel Whelan punt.
Sam Darnold had time to throw on third-and-2 and found T.J. Hockenson for 11 yards. A 7-yard run by Aaron Jones moved Minnesota to the Green Bay 39. Darnold nearly hit Jordan Addison on a touchdown, but Keisean Nixon recovered to break up the pass in the end zone on second-and-3.
Xavier McKinney blitzed from deep safety to help force a Darnold throw away before Will Reichard's attempt at a 57-yard field goal was no good after hitting the crossbar.
Taking over at their 47, Green Bay fed Jacobs the ball on three straight plays for 14 yards. Tucker Kraft picked up 18 yards on an underneath pass, which moved the ball to the Vikings' 10 after a personal foul was called on Harrison Smith for a low block.
After a 4-yard pass to Luke Musgrave on third-and-goal from the 8, Green Bay opted for a Brandon McManus 22-yard field goal to put the Packers up 3-0 with 1 minute, 47 seconds left in the first quarter.
The first quarter ended after three straight Aaron Jones runs to the Minnesota 38.
Vikings lead Packers 13-3 at halftime
Zayne Anderson, who started at safety, exited to be evaluated for a concussion. Javon Bullard, who was playing nickel cornerback, replaced Anderson.
Darnold converted on third-and-4 with a 13-yard pass to Addison off a motion. After Edgerrin Cooper tackled Jones for a 2-yard loss, Addison got the yardage back with a 12-yard catch and run to the sticks.
On second-and-8, Jalen Nailor came free off a deep post for a 31-yard touchdown to pull ahead of Green Bay 7-3 with 11:52 left in the first half.
Jacobs got the Packers moving on their next possession, gaining 13 yards on third-and-1 and then picking up another five on his next career. Byron Murphy Jr. was called for defensive pass interference on Reed, a 12-yard penalty to the Minnesota 31.
Jacobs gained six yards on first down, but the Packers turned it over on downs when Love and Reed couldn't connect on a fourth-and-3 slant. The Vikings took over at their 24.
A 13-yard pass to Hockenson and defensive pass interference call on Nixon moved Minnesota to midfield. Darnold converted a third-and-6 with a 16-yard pass to Nailor over the middle to the Packers' 26.
While Cam Akers' 16-yard run set up first-and-goal, Green Bay's defense held Minnesota to a 25-yard Reichard field goal to make it 10-3 Vikings with 2:16 left in the first half.
Green Bay went three-and-out on its next series after Wicks was flagged for illegal formation on a third-and-1 handoff to Jacobs. Love missed Bo Melton on a deep ball on third-and-6 and punted with a little more than one minute left in the half.
Minnesota pushed the ball to midfield before Karl Brooks sacked Darnold for a 5-yard loss with 13 seconds left. Hockenson caught a 12-yard pass to the Green Bay 37, setting up Reichard for a 55-yard field goal.
Reichard missed the initial kick wide right but Edgerrin Cooper lined up offsides. Reichard made the 50-yard attempt as time expired in the first half.
Vikings lead Packers 27-10 after three quarters
The second half began with the Packers announcing defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt is being evaluated for a concussion.
Green Bay got Minnesota into two third-down situations, but Darnold converted both – first with a 4-yard crosser to Jones on third-and-3 and then a 22-yard pass to Nailor in the middle of the field on third-and-8.
The Vikings extended their lead to 20-3 with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Addison with 9:44 left in the third quarter.
Green Bay again went three-and-out with Love and Reed not connecting on a third-and-9 pass. Minnesota took over at its 30 after a 29-yard Whelan punt.
Carrington Valentine gave Green Bay hope with his second interception in three weeks. He returned it 33 yards before fumbling but Brooks jumped on it at the Minnesota 16.
Green Bay converted the takeaway into a touchdown behind a 3-yard Jacobs run and 9-yard pass to Romeo Doubs that set up first-and-goal from the Minnesota 4. After a 3-yard carry, Jacobs finessed his way into the end zone to cut the Vikings' lead to 20-10 with 5:07 left in the third quarter.
It was Jacobs' seventh consecutive game with at least one rushing touchdown, tying Paul Hornung's franchise record set in 1960.
Minnesota answered with an efficient drive highlighted by a 20-yard pass to Addison and a 13-yard Jones run on back-to-back plays, setting up first-and-goal at the Green Bay 7.
Akers scored on a 9-yard screen with 51 seconds left in the half to make it 27-10 Vikings.
The third quarter ended with Love finding Doubs for a 5-yard slant on third-and-4.
Green Bay falls to Minnesota 27-25, drops to 11-5
The Packers stalled at the start of the fourth quarter following an illegal formation call on Zach Tom and Blake Cashman sacking Love for a loss of nine on third-and-12.
Darnold hit Jefferson for 37 yards on second-and-8. Cooper registered his fourth tackle for a loss, taking down Ty Chandler for minus-3 on second-and-12. Eric Stokes nearly picked off Darnold on third down.
Reichard missed a 43-yard field goal off the left upright with 9:18 remaining. Green Bay took over at its 33.
On third-and-10, Melton caught a 13-yard pass over the middle. Tight end Tucker Kraft gained 35 on the next play. Jacobs appeared to score a 19-yard touchdown on the next play, but Sean Rhyan was called for a hold.
Emanuel Wilson got 14 yards back on a quick pass and Doubs converted on third-and-6 with a 6-yard out. Wilson finished the series with a 5-yard touchdown run to cut Minnesota's lead to 27-18 with 6:12 remaining. The Packers converted the two-point conversion with a pass to Doubs.
Green Bay's defense earned a three-and-out on the Vikings' next possession, which included left tackle Cam Robinson being called for holding on third down. The Packers took over at their 39 with 4:37 remaining.
Love was sacked on first down for a loss of eight but gained 11 back on an out to Wicks on second down. Doubs caught a slant for 18 on third-and-7. The Packers moved into the red zone with a 4-yard pass to Melton. Love hit Wicks for 17 yards on third-and-1, setting up first-and-goal at the Minnesota 2.
Love caught the Vikings with 12 men on the field and used the free play to throw a 3-yard TD to Malik Heath, pulling Green Bay within two points, 27-25, with 2:18 remaining.
The Packers had all three timeouts left. C.J. Ham caught a 13-yard pass from Darnold off play-action to reach the two-minute warning. Gary tackled Akers for a loss of one on first down before Darnold connected with Jefferson off a play-action rollout for eight.
On third-and-3, Darnold found an open Akers for six yards and the first down.
