MINNEAPOLIS — Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score to put the Green Bay Packers in control of a spot in the playoffs with a 33-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.
Aaron Jones rushed for 120 yards and Jayden Reed had two touchdown catches for the Packers (8-8), who can get the NFC's last wild-card spot by beating Chicago at home next week. They moved above the cut when Seattle lost earlier in the day.
Love went 24 for 33 for 256 yards in what might have been the finest game in his first season as the Packers' starter in the post-Aaron Rodgers era.
The Vikings (7-9) benched another turnover-prone quarterback after an interception and a fumble by Jaren Hall in the first half were converted into touchdowns by the Packers. Nick Mullens took over for Hall for the second half, the fifth time the Vikings have switched quarterbacks since Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon in the fourth quarter of a 24-10 win at Green Bay on Oct. 29.
Detroit clinched the NFC North by beating Minnesota here last week, marking just the second time in 13 seasons the division wasn't won by either the Packers or the Vikings, but a prime-time game between these border-state rivals always generates plenty of energy in the stadium.
Cousins got the party off to a rowdy start when he — wearing a thick gold chain around his neck — and his son ripped off their shirts to lead the crowd in the “Skol!” chant and blow the Gjallarhorn. The “Go Pack Go!” serenades quickly joined the soundtrack, though, and this became quite the New Year’s Eve blowout.
Love was flustered two months ago in Green Bay by the Vikings defense. But despite his penchant for overthrows, he has come a long way and given the Packers abundant optimism for the future at quarterback that is missing in Minnesota with Cousins set to become a free agent and no clarity about a potential return.
Hall, who was the first reliever for Cousins two months ago only to be forced out of his first start with a concussion, hardly had any time to throw. Green Bay's defense that was shredded over the last three games by the Giants, Buccaneers and Panthers — and now missing starting cornerbacks Jaire Alexander (suspension) and Eric Stokes (hamstring) — took full advantage of the rookie from BYU.
Hall’s off-target throw in the first quarter glanced off the hands of Johnny Mundt — in an elevated role after the season-ending knee injury to Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson — and in the air to Carrington Valentine for an interception. Love’s 33-yard touchdown pass to Reed came two plays later.
Preston Smith’s strip-sack of Hall with 26 seconds left before halftime sealed the deal. Karl Brooks recovered at the Minnesota 37, and the Love-to-Reed connection got Green Bay in the end zone three plays after that for a 23-3 lead.
QB ROULETTE GAME CONTINUES
After rookie Jaren Hall’s fumble late in the first half Sunday night that led to a Green Bay Packers touchdown, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell had seen enough. He felt his team needed a spark coming out of halftime in hopes of getting back into a pivotal game.
O’Connell benched Hall with the Packers leading by 20 points and Minnesota’s playoff hopes dwindling. O’Connell went back to veteran backup Nick Mullens, who had just lost his starting spot to Hall during the week of preparation.
The switch to Mullens was O’Connell’s third quarterback change in four weeks — all for reasons related to performance. It wasn’t enough as the constant rotation at quarterback, and the subsequent turnovers, were a big part of the Vikings’ 33-10 loss to Green Bay.
“There were some things execution-wise, some things progression-wise, just some play calls here and there that we just had to get everybody, give ourselves a chance, especially with where the score was at half, just to make sure we got a premier execution in at least the process,” O’Connell said.
Hall went 5 of 10 for 67 yards and two turnovers in his second career start. Mullens finished 13 of 22 for 113 yards and a touchdown, but Minnesota was handed a significant loss in its goal of reaching the postseason.
“If I was the coach, I would have made the same decision,” Hall said after the game.
O’Connell said Hall was having trouble getting through his progressions.
“We just had our eyes in the wrong spot and just things that would have been hard to really predict,” O’Connell said.
Since losing Kirk Cousins to a season-ending Achilles tendon tear in Week 8 at Green Bay, the Vikings have used three quarterbacks, a direct reflection of the team’s 7-9 record and losing five of the past six games.
The Vikings need to win at Detroit next week and have losses by Green Bay, Seattle and either Tampa Bay or New Orleans to make the playoffs. O’Connell said the team will evaluate, again, who will start next week.
“Ultimately, what we’ve got to find a way to do is, regardless of what we try to do with the plan, whether we try to simplify it, whether we try to use tempo, use different aspects of our offense, the quarterback position, the decision we’ll make, will be based upon that position putting our group in a place to try to move the football and have success,” O’Connell said. “We did not do that tonight and, like I said, we’ll look at it. I think all options are on the table.”
O’Connell’s choice comes down to Hall, Mullens or Joshua Dobbs.
Hall, the fifth-round draft pick out of BYU, was the first replacement for Cousins, starting the next week at Atlanta. But Hall suffered a concussion early in the game, leading to Dobbs getting an opportunity. Dobbs, who had just arrived in a trade from Arizona, provided a temporary spark, leading Minnesota to a pair of wins.
But then Dobbs struggled and was replaced by Mullens in the second half of a 3-0 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mullens had six turnovers in two starts, both losses, leading to O’Connell deciding on Hall as the starter for Sunday night.
“That’s the life we live,” Mullens said after Sunday’s game. “As a quarterback in the NFL, you work as hard as you can. It’s a long journey, things will happen. You try to play your best and try to do your best for the team.”
With Hall under center, Minnesota managed just 82 yards in the first half. He missed his first four pass attempts and completed only one to star receiver Justin Jefferson as the Vikings fell behind 23-3.
“I felt very confident being out there,” Hall said. “I had a couple snaps last time I played, and I had a good memory of what that felt like. So, I’m not exactly sure what the case was for why it wasn’t clicking out there. We’ll watch the film and hopefully we’ll find the answer.”
Answers have been hard to come by for the Vikings without Cousins.
REED IS BOOKING IT
Reed has 10 touchdown catches to lead the Packers. The second-round draft pick from Michigan State set the franchise rookie record with 60 receptions, passing Sterling Sharpe (1988).
Both of Reed’s scores belong on the season highlight reel. Love did the work on the first one with the prettiest pass of the game to hit Reed in stride on a post route. Reed did the heavy lifting on the second by running a crossing route, dodging two tacklers after the catch and dragging two more defenders into the end zone.
Reed hurt his chest on that play and didn’t return for the second half. With Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks already sidelined by injuries, the Packers have some depth concern at wide receiver after Samori Toure also left in the fourth quarter.
INJURY REPORT
Vikings: RG Ed Ingram (shoulder) left in the third quarter. ... CB Byron Murphy (knee) was sidelined for the second straight game.
Packers: Smith and RB A.J. Dillon (neck) left with injuries in the third quarter. ... LB Isaiah McDuffie (concussion) was carted off in the second quarter when he collided with Lukas Van Ness and Colby Wooden during a sack. McDuffie started in place of De’Vondre Campbell (neck), who missed his second consecutive game.
UP NEXT
Vikings: play at Detroit next Sunday.
Packers: host Chicago next Sunday.
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