GREEN BAY – The Packers were shut out at home for the second time this season, and the Vikings put themselves in prime position to earn a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs with a 16-0 decision at Lambeau Field on Saturday night.
Green Bay dropped to 7-8 on the season with one game remaining, while Minnesota improved to 12-3.
Packers QB Brett Hundley, whose effort was hurt by a bunch of dropped passes on a frigidly cold night, finished 17-of-39 for 130 yards with two interceptions for a 30.2 passer rating as several potential scoring drives came up empty. Hundley also had 48 rushing yards on scrambles.
RB Jamaal Williams had 15 carries for 58 yards for the Packers, and rookie WR Michael Clark and TE Lance Kendricks led the pass catchers with 36 yards each.
For the Vikings, RBs Latavius Murray (21-69) and Jerick McKinnon (7-42) combined for 111 rushing yards. QB Case Keenum was 14-of-25 for 139 yards with a TD and 85.2 rating. WR Stefon Diggs caught the TD p ass and had five receptions for 60 yards.
Here's a recap of the action.
First quarter:
The Packers picked up just one first down on their first three possessions and the Vikings scored twice to take a 10-0 lead into the second quarter.
The Packers won the toss and elected to receive. On the first snap of the game, a 7-yard completion to WR Randall Cobb, RT Jason Spriggs went down with an injury and had to be carted off the field. Justin McCray, starting at RG for Jahri Evans, moved over to RT with Lucas Patrick coming in to play RG.
RB Jamaal Williams ran three straight times for 10 yards, bringing up third-and-6, and QB Brett Hundley's pass for rookie WR Michael Clark was broken up by CB Trae Waynes. A poor punt put the Vikings on their own 30.
A 17-yard pass to WR Stefon Diggs, a 7-yard run by RB Jerick McKinnon, and an 8-yard pass to WR Jarius Wright on third-and-2 gave the Vikings a pair of first downs. On third-and-7 from the Green Bay 31, QB Case Keenum's pass to the sideline for WR Adam Thielen was broken up by CB Davon House, and K Kai Forbath was good from 49 yards out for an early 3-0 Minnesota lead.
The Packers went three-and-out, and the Vikings started on their own 28. DT Kenny Clark sacked Keenum on third down, and the Vikings punted. The Packers went three-and-out a second straight time.
RB Latavius Murray ran three straight times for 23 yards, and then Keenum took a deep shot to Diggs. CB Josh Hawkins was flagged for defensive pass interference at the Green Bay 6-yard line, and two plays later, Keenum and Diggs hooked up for a 4-yard TD. The Vikings led 10-0 with 56 seconds left in the quarter.
Second quarter:
The Packers blew a scoring chance late in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing the Vikings, 10-0.
The Packers began the second quarter with a 10-yard pass to Cobb on third-and-2, but that was all. The Vikings went three-and-out, with S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix just missing an interception on a third-down pass for Diggs.
Green Bay went three-and-out for the third time in five possessions, though, as WR Jordy Nelson dropped a slant pass that would have moved the chains. P Justin Vogel's punt pinned the Vikings on their own 11.
Keenum hooked up with Diggs for 20 yards on the first snap to get Minnesota out of the hole. McKinnon caught a 9-yard pass to convert on third-and-7, but on the ensuing third-and-1, LB Kyler Fackrell sacked Keenum for a 4-yard loss on a bootleg, and the Vikings punted.
QB Brett Hundley scrambled for 24 yards to get the Packers across midfield for the first time. After Williams ran for 9 yards, Hundley found Nelson for 25 yards on a free play with Minnesota having 12 defenders on the field. The Vikings challenged the ruling of a completion, and the call was overturned on replay, with Nelson having lost control of the ball as he went to the ground.
With the penalty enforced instead, the Packers had a first down on the Minnesota 35, and Hundley hit TE Lance Kendricks for 8 yards, followed by a 5-yard connection with Nelson for a first down at the 22. Williams ran for 4 up the middle to take it to the two-minute warning.
But on third-and-3 from the 15, Vikings S Harrison Smith stepped in front of Kendricks and picked off Hundley's pass.
The Vikings went three-and-out when they got confused by the chain gang on their side of the field giving them a first down, but it wasn't official. What they thought was a first-down pass was a third-down pass that was incomplete, forcing the punt.
Third quarter:
The Vikings extended their lead to 13-0 over the Packers after three quarters.
A 21-yard pass to Thielen and an offside penalty on LB Ahmad Brooks got the Vikings to midfield on the opening possession of the second half. But the Packers' defense held there and punted Green Bay back to its own 15.
Williams ran three straight times for 12 yards, and Hundley scrambled for 22 to the Green Bay 49. Hundley then hit WR Jeff Janis for 12 yards on third-and-10, but his next third-down pass went through Kendricks' hands over the middle. The Packers decided to go for it on fourth-and-7 from the Minnesota 36, but Hundley's pass was incomplete.
The injuries continued to pile up for the Packers, as it was announced that Nelson (shoulder), TE Richard Rodgers (shoulder) and RB Aaron Jones (knee) were out for the rest of the game.
Murray ran for 14 yards to midfield, but Keenum overthrew an open Thielen deep. A delay of game made it third-and-13, and a scrambling Keenum almost crossed the line of scrimmage, but stepped back to hit TE David Morgan, who dodged multiple tacklers to pick up the first down and 23 yards in all.
The Packers tried to throw the challenge flag, but the officials did not see it before the next snap, so there was no review. Green Bay was penalized for 12 defenders on the field, and then Murray caught a 6-yard pass for a first down at the Green Bay 19.
Keenum found Diggs for 11 yards to make it first-and-goal on the 7, but three Murray runs did not find the end zone. Rookie CB Lenzy Pipkins tackled him short on third-and-goal from the 2, and Forbath's 20-yard field goal made it 13-0 Vikings with 1:20 left in the period.
The Packers went three-and-out, with with WR Geronimo Allison dropping a pass and Hundley getting sacked on third down by Waynes on the final play of the quarter.
Fourth quarter:
The Vikings went three-and-out to start the fourth quarter, with Clark getting his second sack of the game and nearly getting his third, as he and LB Reggie Gilbert pressured Keenum heavily on third down. WR Trevor Davis returned the punt to the Green Bay 47.
Hundley moved the chains with a 10-yard pass to Clark and then hit Clark again for 19, with the rookie WR making a diving catch at the Minnesota 20. After Williams ran twice for 7 yards, Kendricks dropped a slant on third down, and the Packers called a timeout before the fourth-down play from the 13 with 10:09 left.
Hundley's back-shoulder throw for Clark, with CB Xavier Rhodes in coverage, was incomplete, and the Vikings took over.
Runs of 18 and 9 yards by McKinnon got the Vikings moving, and Keenum ran a QB sneak for a first down on the Minnesota 42. Green Bay's defense held there, and the Vikings punted the Packers back to their own 5.
The Packers picked up two first downs, but deep balls for Janis and Clark and third and fourth downs were overthrown, and the Vikings regained possession with 3:56 left. The drive began at the Green Bay 14 following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The Vikings tacked on a 27-yard field goal by Forbath with 2:56 left.
Hundley was intercepted for a second time by Smith on fourth down at the two-minute warning.
