World’s Best Preview: 2019 Key Moments – No. 3, Victory at the Vikings

After three consecutive victories that lacked style points or any sort of dominant element, the Packers crushed the vaunted Vikings to cement their contender status

DETROIT – As the 2019 regular season and the 2019 calendar year come to a close, let’s take a look back at how the Green Bay Packers went from 6-9-1 last season to 12-3 and rolling into the playoffs this season.

No. 3: Victory at the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings were 6-0 at home on the season.

They were 3-0 in the brief history of U.S. Bank Stadium against the Packers.

They had scored more points than the Packers and allowed fewer points.

Kirk Cousins had outplayed Aaron Rodgers for most of the season.

But in what amounted to a must-win game for both teams – for Green Bay in its quest for home-field advantage and for Minnesota in its quest for the division title and to send a message for a potential playoff rematch – the Packers decked the Vikings 23-10 on Monday night.

Aside from three first-half turnovers, Green Bay dominated. Za’Darius Smith had perhaps the most dominant defensive performance by a Packers front-seven player since Reggie White in Super Bowl XXXI. Cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Kevin King earned decisive victories over the Vikings’ premier receiver tandem of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. Running back Aaron Jones had more yards (160) than the Vikings (139) gained as a team. The Packers prevented the Vikings from getting a first down on seven of 13 possessions and allowed just three plays of more than 10 yards.

It was a statement victory by the Packers. In their last major road trip, they were destroyed at San Francisco. After three consecutive victories that lacked style points or any sort of dominant element, the Packers crushed the vaunted Vikings. Their coach, Mike Zimmer, could barely stomach the postgame handshake with his rookie counterpart, Matt LaFleur.

“We’ve got a resilient group, a group that doesn’t blink, doesn’t flinch in tough times and sticks together,” LaFleur said after the game. “That’s what we talk about all the time and it’s a credit to that locker room and I couldn’t be happier to be their coach. It’s a tough place to come into, too. The crowd was electric, and we knew it was going to be tough and that’s a damn good football team. So, just real happy for our guys. That was one of our goals, to win the division, but I think there’s more out there for this football team and now is time to re-assess those goals and move forward.”

In the victorious locker room, championship hats and T-shirts were distributed. When LaFleur announced his Christmas present to the team – a full day off for the holiday – Rodgers gave LaFleur a big bear hug. About an hour after the game, Rodgers walked back on the field and was greeted by scores of Packers fans who had hung around the visitors’ tunnel. They serenaded the quarterback with a “Go Pack Go” chant.

With that, the Packers are in position to earn at least the No. 2 seed with a victory on Sunday. If Green Bay wins and Seattle wins at home against San Francisco, the Packers will earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. With one powerful performance, and with the potential of spending the postseason at home, the Packers showed they indeed can contend for the Super Bowl.

“Yeah, it’s exciting,” Rodgers said. “Being a part of that 2010 team and having to win three games on the road, that’s a tough way to go. Especially with how deep this playoffs in the NFC is, it’s nice to have a chance to have some games at home. I said this earlier in the season, just getting in gives you a legitimate shot but knowing that we could have two home games to get somewhere special changes the whole dynamic, especially with the type of temperatures that we expect in Green Bay and the way that we’ve over the years played at home.”

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Top 10 Moments of 2019

Three: Dominant win over the Vikings

Four: Aaron Jones starts record run

Five: Opening statement at Chicago

Six: Leaping past the Lions

Seven through 10: Clutch when it’s close (and more)