3 Takeaways from Packers' Week 17 Win vs. Vikings
The Green Bay Packers are now one victory away from reaching the playoffs. Who could have seen that coming a month ago?
It's been an improbable run by the Packers, who extended their winning streak to four games with a dominant 41-17 win over the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Green Bay led by as many as 38 points and didn't allow any Minnesota touchdowns until the final 7 minutes and 36 seconds.
Sitting at 8-8, the Packers have an all-or-nothing contest on the schedule for Week 18. If they beat the Detroit Lions at home, they'll get into the postseason as the NFC's No. 7 seed. If they lose, their season will be over.
Here are three takeaways from Green Bay's Week 17 win.
The Season-Saving Winning Streak Has Been Quite Impressive
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After a 3-1 start to the season, the Packers endured a midseason stretch in which they lost seven of eight games. They were 4-8 at the end of November and seemed poised to miss the playoffs for the first time since Matt LaFleur took over as head coach prior to the 2019 season.
Instead, Green Bay reeled off four consecutive victories over the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins and now the Vikings. The Packers needed each of them to set the stage for the high-stakes Week 18 matchup vs. the Lions.
"We're going to have a good story to tell, you know what I'm saying, but we've got to finish it," Green Bay safety Adrian Amos said, per Steve Megargee of the Associated Press. "We finished this week and now we're 0-0. We've been in playoff mode for a while. We've got to continue going into this week."
Even if the Packers lose and fail to extend their playoff streak, it's still been an impressive run to put them in this position. Clearly, they won't be satisfied if that's the case. But at one point, it appeared like Green Bay's postseason hopes were going to end weeks ago.
The Defense Set Early Tone Against Strong Vikings Offense
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Here were the results of the Vikings' seven first-half possessions on Sunday: two punts, one field goal, two missed FG attempts and two interceptions. And one of those picks was a Darnell Savage 75-yard interception return touchdown that pushed the Packers' lead to 14-3 with 5:17 to go in the first quarter.
At halftime, Green Bay led 27-3, and it hadn't allowed Minnesota to do much of anything offensively. That didn't change early in the second half, either, as the Vikings' first two drives after the break ended with a lost fumble and another Kirk Cousins interception.
By forcing four turnovers, the Packers' defense didn't let the Vikings' offense establish any momentum until late in the fourth quarter, when the game was already out of reach.
"They say [turnovers] come in bunches, so you've just got to capitalize on it," Savage said, per Megargee. "I think we're just going out there, playing hard, trusting each other. A lot of stuff's falling our way."
Green Bay will need its defense to make more big plays in Week 18, as Detroit also has a potent offense. So the Packers will look to carry this momentum over into their next matchup.
The Rushing Attack Again Showed Its Value to the Offense
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When Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon are both having success, they form one of the best two-headed rushing attacks in the NFL. The pair of backs had a performance indicative of that on Sunday, as each fared well against Minnesota's defense.
Jones had 14 carries for 111 yards, marking the first time the 28-year-old eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground since Week 10. Meanwhile, Dillon had 12 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown, the sixth for the 24-year-old over his past five games.
Those were needed performances as the Packers didn't put up big offensive numbers (315 total yards), but they capitalized on opportunities, made some key plays and committed no turnovers.
"Offensively, not a huge game stat wise but we did a good job holding onto the football and then running the ball effectively," Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers said, per Mike Spofford of the team's official site.
As long as the Packers' offense is doing that, it should be set up for success. Especially if Jones and Dillon are making the type of impact they have of late.
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