GREEN BAY – The Packers got off to yet another slow start and then blew multiple scoring chances in the second half in falling to the Vikings, 24-10, Sunday at Lambeau Field.
With the loss, the Packers' fourth straight, Green Bay dropped to 2-5. The Vikings, with a fourth win in their last five games, improved to 4-4.
The game was filled with miscues by the Packers, namely penalties, dropped passes and poor execution offensively overall. Defensively, they allowed the Vikings to convert 10-of-18 on third down, a percentage that was much higher until very late in the game. Those conversions did not include a couple of costly roughing the passer penalties, either.
For all that went wrong, twice in the fourth quarter, the Packers were in the red zone with a chance to make it a one-score game and came up empty, turning the ball over on downs both times. In between, they got a strip-sack of Vikings backup QB Jalen Hall to get the extra possession in good field position.
Minnesota led 10-3 at the half and then built the lead to 24-3 by putting together a TD drive to open the second half, intercepting Packers QB Jordan Love on a deep ball, and then scoring again on the very next snap midway through the third quarter.
Love finished 24-of-41 for 229 yards with one TD, one INT and a 72.1 passer rating. Rookie WR Jayden Reed had four catches for 83 yards, and RB AJ Dillon added five grabs for 41. WR Romeo Doubs had the TD reception among four catches for 18 yards.
Love had 34 yards rushing on four scrambles, with RB Aaron Jones adding 29 yards on seven attempts.
For the Vikings, QB Kirk Cousins was 23-of-31 for 274 yards with two TDs and a 122.2 passer rating before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. WR K.J. Osborn had eight catches for 99 yards, TE T.J. Hockenson had six catches for 88 yards and a TD, and rookie WR Jordan Addison had seven catches for 82 yards and a TD.
Minnesota RBs Alexander Mattison (16-31) and Cam Akers (9-19) combined for 50 yards on the ground.
Here's a recap of all the action:
Vikings lead Packers 7-0 after first quarter
The Vikings won the opening coin toss and deferred. Luke Musgrave, initially questionable with an ankle injury, caught a 2-yard pass in the flat to open the game.
AJ Dillon took a draw for seven yards but the Packers were unable to convert on third-and-1 and punted after trading penalties with the Vikings.
Quay Walker nearly intercepted Kirk Cousins on second-and-8 but couldn't bring in the pass. Cousins connected with Jordan Addison for 10 yards on the next play to convert on third down.
Minnesota converted on third-and-1 with a jet-sweep run by Brandon Powell to move the ball to the Packers' 43.
Colby Wooden got in Cousins' face on a second-and-10 screen attempt, forcing an incompletion. T.J. Hockenson picked up nine yards on a slant and the Vikings unsuccessfully attempted a 42-yard Greg Joseph field goal.
Green Bay took over at its own 32 with 7 minutes, 7 seconds left in the first quarter following Joseph's miss wide right.
The Packers went three-and-out again after Love couldn't connect with Aaron Jones in the flat and Musgrave on a third-and-6 slant.
Cousins' pass to Jordan Addison was initially ruled complete but was overturned upon a successful challenge by Matt LaFleur. Minnesota gained 30 yards off two personal fouls, though, setting up first down at the Green Bay 36.
The Vikings converted a third-and-1 with a 23-yard pass to Hockenson to the Packers' 4, but a delay of game pushed Minnesota's first-and-goal back to the 9. Akers eventually scored with a 6-yard draw on third down to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead with 1:34 left in the first quarter.
Vikings lead Packers 10-3 at halftime
The Packers went three-and-out on their next possession, leading to a Daniel Whelan punt to start the second quarter.
Lukas Van Ness batted a Cousins pass at the line of scrimmage but the Vikings' drive continued after Cousins delivered a 21-yard pass to K.J. Osborn in the middle of the field on third-and-8.
Minnesota picked up another 20 yards on a screen to Addison to the Green Bay 32 and then moved into the Packers' red zone with an 18-yard pass to Hockenson.
On second-and-8, Cousins tried a thread pass to Addison in the end zone, but Keisean Nixon broke it up. Jaire Alexander stopped Addison short of the first down on third-and-8, leading to Joseph's 25-yard field goal to extend the Vikings' lead to 10-0 with 10:13 left in the first half.
Joseph's ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving Green Bay the ball at the 40. The Packers went three-and-out after a holding penalty on second down and Whelan punted back to Minnesota.
The Vikings converted a third-and-8 with an 11-yard pass to Osborn but would get no farther than the Minnesota 45 after Nixon broke up a third-and-3 pass for Brandon Powell.
Starting at their own 15, Love dumped off a 4-yard pass to Dillon to start the drive. Green Bay converted the first down with an 11-yard pass to Christian Watson on third-and-6.
The Packers ran a misdirection screen for Aaron Jones that gained nine yards. Jones fumbled on the play but left guard Elgton Jenkins recovered it at the 39.
Jones picked up the first down with a 6-yard run up the middle. Love then caught Minnesota with 12 men on the field on a play that was originally ruled a completion to Romeo Doubs but overturned upon a successful Vikings challenge.
Watson was flagged for offensive pass interference on first-and-5 at midfield on the next play. Love got five yards back with a check down to Dillon to the Green Bay 50.
After the two-minute warning, Jones gained seven yards to set up third-and-3. He gained the first down after a 4-yard pass on a route from the backfield. Dillon caught an underneath pass and took it to the Minnesota 28 as the clock ticked under one minute.
The Packers moved into scoring territory after passes to Jayden Reed (eight yards) and Luke Musgrave (seven yards). Green Bay used its last timeout at the Vikings' 17 with 12 seconds left.
Anders Carlson initially hit the right upright on his 35-yard field goal but Vikings safety Jay Ward lined up in the neutral zone. Carslon then made a 30-yard field goal on an untimed down to end the half.
The 14-play, 73-yard series was Green Bay's longest scoring drive of the season.
Vikings lead Packers 24-10 after three
The Packers got Minnesota into third-and-9 to start the third quarter but Cousins completed a 32-yard pass to Osborn to the Green Bay 42.
The Vikings converted their seventh third down with a 12-yard pass to Osburn on third-and-1 to the Packers' 21. De'Vondre Campbell stopped Alexander Mattison a yard short of the first down on a third-and-3 pass.
The Vikings chose to go for it on fourth-and-1 with Cousins sneaking for the first down to set up first-and-goal from the Green Bay 10.
Minnesota found the end zone with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Hockenson on third-and-goal to extend its lead to 17-3 with 9:25 left in the third quarter.
On third-and-9, Love threw a deep ball to Reed in the seam but Vikings safety Josh Metellus plucked the ball out and returned the interception 43 yards.
Minnesota scored one play later on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Addison from the seam to make it 24-3 Minnesota with 7:48 left in the third quarter.
The Packers went hurry-up on their next series, gaining the initial first down with a 10-yard pass to Romeo Doubs on third-and-2. On the next play, Love found an open Reed for 31 yards.
Dillon caught passes on back-to-back plays for 16 yards but came off with an injury after his 6-yard pickup to the Vikings' 16.
On third-and-6, Reed generated a defensive pass interference call on Akayleb Evans in the end zone off a back-shoulder try. Dillon returned to the game but was stopped for no gain on first-and-goal from the Minnesota 1.
The Packers faced fourth-and-goal after an incomplete pass to Watson and a draw to Dillon. Green Bay scored on a quick fade to Doubs to cut the Vikings' lead to 24-10 with 2:39 remaining.
Rashan Gary and T.J. Slaton combined for a 7-yard tackle for a loss of Mattison near the end of the third quarter.
Vikings turn back Packers 24-10
It looked like Green Bay would be getting off the field after a 2-yard completion on third-and-11, but Rashan Gary was flagged for roughing the passer.
The Vikings moved past midfield with a 20-yard pass to Hockenson. Cousins converted the next third-and-8 with a 10-yard pass to Powell to the Packers' 13.
The Packers got Minnesota into third-and-9 to start the third quarter, but Cousins completed a 32-yard pass to Osborn to the Green Bay 42.
Preston Smith and Kenny Clark had back-to-back sacks of Cousins to force the field goal. Rookie Karl Brooks blocked Joseph's 44-yard attempt, which Jonathan Owens recovered and returned 23 yards to the Packers' 44.
Love connected with Watson for 17 yards on first down and hit Dontayvion Wicks for 12 yards on third-and-7, but Green Bay turned the ball over on downs at the 10 after three straight incompletions.
Cousins was injured on Clark's sack and immediately ruled out with an ankle injury. Jaren Hall replaced him.
In lieu of running the ball, the Vikings called two passing plays for Hall. Smith registered a strip sack of Hall, which Devonte Wyatt recovered at the Minnesota 15.
The Packers turned the ball over at the Vikings' 6 after Love was stopped one yard shy of the first down on a fourth-and-16 scramble.
Green Bay retook possession after a Vikings punt. Love extended a play and hit Reed for 34 yards to the Minnesota 46, but the Packers eventually turned it over on downs.
