Packers Crunch Vikings, Clinch Homefield Advantage

In what might be his closing statement in the MVP race, Aaron Rodgers had a big night to propel the Green Bay Packers past the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers entered Sunday night with 138 victories and 445 touchdown passes in his 17-year career. Sean Mannion entered with zero wins and zero touchdowns in his seven-year career.

The credentials of the starting quarterbacks were lopsided. The outcome of the game was, too.

Rodgers threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns as the Green Bay Packers routed the Minnesota Vikings 37-10. Paired with the Arizona Cardinals’ upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys, the Packers (13-3) clinched a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

Playing without standout quarterback Kirk Cousins, who tested positive for COVID on Friday, the Vikings (7-9) were eliminated from playoff consideration.

Rodgers solidified his MVP credentials with a superb performance on an 11-degree night. He was 29-of-38 passing for 288 yards and had his sixth consecutive game of two-plus touchdowns and zero interceptions – tied for the second-longest streak in NFL history.

Will it be his closing statement? With nothing to play for in next week’s finale at Detroit, will coach Matt LaFleur play Rodgers vs. the Lions to keep him sharp? Or will he give Rodgers the week off to give his broken toe an additional week of healing?

For their part, Rodgers and Adams said they want to play and expect to play.

While the offense was sensational after three consecutive red-zone failures, the defense dominated. From one perspective, it was a statement performance. The Packers gave up 219 rushing yards and 8.8 yards per carry last week vs. Cleveland. Over the previous three games, the Packers were 30th in rushing yards allowed per game (166.3) and 32nd in yards allowed per carry (6.7; 1.5 yards worse than any other team). The Packers overwhelmed the Vikings and their star running back, Dalvin Cook, who had 12 touches for 13 yards. Then again, it came against the inept Mannion, who had 45 completions and three interceptions in seven seasons before Sunday.

When Rodgers converted a third-and-3 with a scramble to the 7, the crowd erupted with an “MVP!” chant.

For LaFleur, it was his 39th victory – breaking a tie with George Seifert for most in NFL history by a coach in his first three seasons.

After three consecutive red-zone failures, the Packers led only 6-0 in the second quarter. The next three possessions ended up in the end zone – a leaping, 20-yard touchdown catch by Allen Lazard, an 11-yard touchdown by Davante Adams and a bulldozing, 4-yard run by AJ Dillon. After a field goal by Mason Crosby brought the tally to 30-3, the only remaining questions were the final score and the number of fans that would stick around as the temperature fell into the single digits.

Green Bay finished 8-0 at home, the best record in the league.

What’s Next: The Packers will close the regular season at the Detroit Lions at noon Sunday. The Lions had been playing much better; their 2-4-1 record after the bye including a blowout victory over Arizona and three losses by a combined nine points. However, they were crushed at Seattle 51-29 to fall to 2-13-1. Former Packers backup quarterback Tim Boyle went 22-of-37 for 262 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Game Ball: Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams were magnificent. It’s impossible to separate the two. Rodgers threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Adams late in the first half that made the score 20-0. Earlier in the half, they connected on a pair of unstoppable back-shoulder connections. Rodgers and Adams are rolling. Can they stay in such harmony if they get a couple weeks off?

Key Play: The Packers misfired on their first three red-zone possessions but broke through on Allen Lazard’s leaping 20-yard catch over Krys Boyd. Aaron Rodgers saw the one-on-one matchup and Lazard adjusted and survived a hard landing on the frozen turf for the breakthrough touchdown that made it 13-0.

Key Moment: Kirk Cousins tested positive for COVID on Friday. That was the key moment. Maybe Cousins’ presence wouldn’t have mattered but the Vikings didn’t have a prayer with Sean Mannion. With Green Bay leading 20-0 late in the first half, the Packers held a 299-28 advantage in yards.

Key Stats: The Packers became the first team in NFL history with three consecutive 13-win seasons.

In the first half, Davante Adams had 118 receiving yards and Aaron Jones had 99 total yards. The Vikings as a team had 70.

On Green Bay’s first touchdown drive of the night, Adams became the sixth player in league history with 600-plus receptions, 8,000-plus receiving yards and 70-plus receiving touchdowns in his first eight seasons. The others: Hall of Famers Marvin Harrison, Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss and Jerry Rice, plus future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald. Adams also became the fourth player in franchise with 8,000 career receiving yards.

The Vikings’ longest play through three quarters was a 21-yard reception by center Garrett Bradbury. Yes, the center. Sean Mannion threw a pass over the middle to tight end Tyler Conklin, who was clobbered by safety Adrian Amos. The ball fluttered in the air and Bradbury alertly grabbed the ball near his ankles and lumbered up the field to the 14. The Vikings scored on the next play.

Early in the fourth quarter, Adams recorded his 116th reception of the season, breaking his own franchise record of 115 from last season.

What It Means: The Packers have wrapped up homefield advantage. The Arizona Cardinals’ upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys, combined with the Packers’ as-expected victory over the Vikings, sealed the deal. Green Bay improved to 13-3. The Rams and Buccaneers are 12-4 but Green Bay owns tiebreakers over both teams – head-to-head over Los Angeles and conference record over Tampa Bay.

So, the Packers will get to rest while the rest of the NFC playoff field slugs it out on Super Wildcard Weekend. Will coach Matt LaFleur give the team another week of rest next week at Detroit?