Aaron Rodgers Suffers Potentially Season-Ending Injury as Vikings Top Packers

The Minnesota Vikings entered Sunday worried about the long-term health of their starting quarterback. A few hours later, an injury to the Green Bay Packers' starting quarterback helped propel the Vikings to the top of the NFC North.

Case Keenum threw for 239 yards and a touchdown while the Minnesota defense locked in following Aaron Rodgers' first-quarter departure on their way to a 23-10 win over the Packers.

Rodgers, an MVP candidate through the first five weeks of the season, suffered a broken collarbone on a hit by Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr with a little under seven minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Packers said he could miss the remainder of the 2017 season.

Rodgers' departure signaled the end of any positive momentum for the Packers offense. Brett Hundley, getting his first extended NFL action in his third season, looked mostly overwhelmed. He completed 18 of his 33 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown and threw three picks. None of the Packers' pass plays went for longer than 26 yards, and most of Hundley's completions were short throws that netted minimal yardage.

The Green Bay ground game didn't fare much better as Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery didn't have holes to run through. Jones led the team with 41 yards on 13 carries, but no Packers run went for longer than nine yards.

The Vikings held Green Bay to 227 total yards.

Meanwhile, Keenum and the Minnesota offense turned in a steady but unspectacular performance. Keenum's 239 yards came on 38 attempts; most of the passing attack involved intermediate passes meant to keep time churning and the chains moving. Adam Thielen led all Vikings with 97 yards on nine receptions.

Jerick McKinnon continued to prove himself worthy of a lead-back role in his timeshare with Latavius Murray, leading the Vikings in rushing for the second straight week. McKinnon finished with 69 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and added five receptions for 30 yards and another score.

Murray accounted for 28 yards on his 15 carries. Splitting carries between the two might be a thing of the past going forward.

The Vikings now hold the tiebreaker and sit in first place in the NFC North despite Sam Bradford's continued absence. Bradford aggravated a knee injury in last Monday's win over the Chicago Bears and does not currently have a timetable for his return. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Teddy Bridgewater may be activated from the physically unable to perform list this week.

Minnesota hosts the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday. The Packers will try to fix their offense in time to host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.