Nothing to Love: Packers Lose to Vikings 31-29

Jordan Love returned to the lineup and threw three interceptions and the Minnesota Vikings raced to a 28-0 lead to beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson scores against Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon on Sunday at Lambeau Field. / Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Jordan Love was introduced to thunderous cheers before the Green Bay Packers’ game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

For two long hours, that was the highlight of the day for the fans who weren’t wearing purple – and there were many thousands of them – as the Vikings quickly piled up an insurmountable lead and held off the Packers 31-29.

The Vikings led 28-0, then had three critical answers during the final 7 minutes.

“Credit to Minnesota, they did a really good job in terms of being able to get out on us 28-nothin’,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I though there were a lot of critical mistakes that we made, not all obviously by the players.

“I’m absolutely embarrassed that I got an unsportsmanlike (conduct penalty). And when you expect composure from your team and then you’re doing that, that’s a bad look. I think we all can be better, myself No. 1 at the forefront of that. This is a humbling league at times, and credit to them, they did more than we did to win the game. And we’ve got to bounce back from it, we’ve got to learn from it and get better.”

Minnesota is 4-0 after completing an impressive sweep off the 49ers, Texans and Packers. Sam Darnold threw three touchdown passes in the first half.

The Packers are 2-2, with Love losing his starts against the Eagles and Vikings. After missing two games with a knee injury, he threw two interceptions in the first half and too often was off-target.

“We did not make enough plays,” Love said. “Had a turnover early and we just didn't make plays. Did not play well enough, personally, me, and accuracy was a little bit off, a little bit shaky and it was definitely making it hard on some of the guys, which just led to us getting off the field early and not being able to put up points, so got in a hole early with all that resulting.”

Still, the Packers had a chance. Love threw touchdown passes to Dontayvion Wicks and Tucker Kraft in the fourth quarter to pull within 28-22 with 10:16 remaining.

However, the Vikings delivered a critical answer. Completions of 17 and 27 yards to Justin Jefferson set up a field goal that extended their lead to two scores, 31-22, with 6:50 remaining.

On the ensuing possession, Love hit Wicks for 36 but threw an ill-advised bomb to Wicks with safety Harrison Smith closing in for a sack. The ball was easily intercepted in the end zone by Byron Murphy.

The defense got a stop but Kraft was stripped by Murphy for Green Bay’s fourth turnover of the day with 4:18 to play.

In his return to the lineup, Love completed 32-of-54 passes for 389 yards. He threw four touchdown passes but also tossed three interceptions for a passer rating of 83.0. He was hit often and his passes, especially in the first three quarters, were frequently a bit low.

In his return to Lambeau Field, Aaron Jones carried 22 times for 93 yards and caught four passes for 46 yards. His 139 total yards practically doubled Josh Jacobs’ 78.

Jefferson caught six passes for 85 yards and a touchdown and Darnold was 20-of-28 passing for 275 yards with three touchdowns and one interception against a Packers secondary playing without cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine.

The first half was one of the most embarrassing performances in Lambeau Field history. The game was over in about 18 minutes. Here’s how it started:

Touchdown, Vikings.

Missed field goal, Packers.

Touchdown, Vikings.

Interception, Packers.

Touchdown, Vikings.

Missed field goal, Packers.

At that point, the worst Lambeau Field loss in Packers history – the Lions beat Green Bay 40-0 in 1970 – was in jeopardy.

The Vikings made it 28-0 with 5:28 remaining in the half. Love’s pass sailed through the hands of Luke Musgrave and Romeo Doubs and into the waiting mitts of cornerback Shaq Griffin, who picked off the pass and returned it to Green Bay’s 4. After a holding penalty, Darnold hit Jefferson for a touchdown against Keisean Nixon.

Only a touchdown pass from Love to Jayden Reed late in the first half helped the Packers escape complete embarrassment. That play was made possible by punter Daniel Whelan, whose bomb of a punt went through the hands of returner Jalen Nailor and was recovered by Bo Melton at the Vikings 3.

“To just be able to get that first touchdown, it fires the guys up and something that we’ve just got to keep building on,” Love said.

Who could have possibly thought the Packers would make a game of it? Especially after opening the third quarter with three-and-out punts after the second-half kickoff and Xavier McKinney’s fourth interception? Or after a fourth-down bomb was dropped by Wicks in the end zone?

A 12-yard completion to Reed and a 28-yard completion to Melton set up Love’s third-and-1 touchdown pass to Wicks that made it 28-14 with 11:38 to go.

Two plays later, the defense made a huge play. Just as Darnold was ready to throw the ball, Nixon got home on a nickel blitz for a sack-strip, which was recovered at the Vikings’ 20 by Edgerrin Cooper. One play later, Love threw a swing pass to Kraft, who barreled through one defender and bulled his way up the sideline for a 13-yard touchdown. Love-to-Kraft for two made it 28-22 with 10:16 to go.

Lambeau Field was going wild but the Vikings closed out the game. First, they got the field goal. Next, they intercepted Love. Then, they forced a fumble. Finally, on third-and-12, Darnold hit Jefferson for 13, but the drive died inside Green Bay’s 5.

With thousands of fans having left the building, the Packers answered with a 96-yard touchdown drive, with Love hitting Reed for 21 and 42 before connecting with Dontayvion Wicks for a 17-yard touchdown with 56 seconds to go.

Daniel Whelan’s onside kick was recovered by Oliver.

The Packers will play at the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. The Rams fell to 1-3 by losing to the Bears 24-18.

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