MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings got a big lead on the rival Green Bay Packers back in September, going up 28-0 before nearly coughing up the advantage entirely. Three months later, they offered up a sequel for the U.S. Bank Stadium crowd, nearly surrendering a 27-10 fourth-quarter lead before outlasting their NFC North rivals for a critical 27-25 victory, their ninth straight on the 2024 season.
Sam Darnold turned in an MVP-caliber performance to help Minnesota dominate much of the afternoon, while Brian Flores’ defense suffocated Jordan Love and Co. until the final quarter, when Green Bay surged back to life thanks to a couple of surgical drives through the air. Vikings kicker Will Reichard also contributed to the game’s close finish, missing two of four field goals while also failing to hit the landing zone on a kickoff, granting the Packers favorable field position.
Sunday’s anticipated showdown started slowly, with both sides trading stingy defensive stands, but Darnold settled in after feeding speedy wide receiver Jalen Nailor, who saw an uptick in opportunities with Green Bay zeroing in on star pass catcher Justin Jefferson. From there, he had little trouble spreading the ball to the array of weapons in Kevin O’Connell’s lineup, with Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson all corralling at least five catches against a “D” missing star corner Jaire Alexander.
Flores’ group, meanwhile, all but rendered the Packers’ pass game a non-factor early. Missing deep threat Christian Watson, Love managed just 45 yards through the air in the game’s first two quarters, and while bruising back Josh Jacobs had a heavy workload up the middle, Green Bay spent most of the rematch playing catch-up. Things finally clicked late, with Love guiding a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives while feeding Romeo Doubs, but it was too little, too late.
The win bumps the Vikings to 14-2 on the season and sets up a winner-take-all against the Lions in Week 18 for the NFC North title and home-field advantage. It also drops the Packers to 11-5 in the North.