Vikings Loss to Packers Gives Glimmer of Hope for Minnesota's Future

Coming off a thrashing in the previous week, the Minnesota Vikings rebounded with a quality performance against one of the league’s best teams. They would ultimately fall to the Green Bay Packers 24-21, but the team showed signs of life by bouncing back from a poor Week 11.

Expectations were deflated entering Week 12. The Vikings failed to impress in Chicago the week before. Green Bay was the hottest team in the NFL, scoring points at will as of late. Minnesota more than held its own in a back-and-forth affair though, only trailing by more than one score for just over five minutes in the fourth quarter.

The team’s ability to implement and successfully execute the game plan is the biggest positive. On both sides of the ball, the Vikings had a clear plan for the Packers and functioned well within the plan, something that hasn’t always been said of the 2014 Vikings.

Slowing down Aaron Rodgers was objective No. 1. While the league’s best quarterback still racked up significant stats, he was unable to find enough rhythm to pick apart the defense consistently.

Rodgers gave a glowing review of Mike Zimmer’s merits as a schemer, per VikingUpdate.com, which should sooth the worries of some fans when it comes to where the Vikings are headed from a coaching standpoint:

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Aaron Rodgers: "It was different playing against a Mike Zimmer team. Mike is a great football mind, and he had a great plan for us again."

— VikingUpdate.com (@VikingUpdate) November 23, 2014"

The defensive plan worked well enough. Zimmer fit the puzzle pieces together in a way that spared the Vikings from Rodgers’ downfield passing ability. The entire defense played smart football for 95 percent of the game, looking like the well-coached unit it is.

Not enough can be said about the job Minnesota’s cornerbacks did against some talented Green Bay receivers, too. On numerous occasions, Rodgers was able to ad lib after escaping the pocket, scanning down the field for seconds on end. He usually had to resort to running despite his tremendous ability to find receivers at the last second.

Even when Rodgers did fit the ball in, coverage closed quickly and the Packers were unable to bust off big gains. That’s why the entire Minnesota secondary deserves praise for the way it held up against the Packers, something few defenses have done this year.

Andrew Krammer of 1500 ESPN provides a stat that puts the Vikings defense in the same sentence as some of the league’s best:

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In 2014, only Detroit, Seattle and Miami held Aaron Rodgers to a shorter avg. throw than the #Vikings on Sunday (7.21).

— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) November 24, 2014"

This goes back to the game plan. Minnesota wanted Rodgers to throw underneath the first layer of coverage as often as possible. The defense forced him to do that many times, rallying for tackles soon after. Rodgers’ yardage stats fell well short of his season averages as a result.

Offensively, Minnesota showed more of the same. Teddy Bridgewater was up-and-down and threw the ball with less accuracy than he has all season. Even so, he responded well over the course of the game, having another strong fourth quarter.

A few positive performances stand out. Kyle Rudolph became more involved in his second week back, giving the Vikings hope for more production in the games to come. Joe Banyard also impressed in Matt Asiata’s stead, making multiple impressive receptions underneath and churning for first downs. He even scampered for a few good gains on the ground. He may be carving out a role even after Asiata returns.

The main positive for the offense goes back to the game plan as well. Norv Turner’s offense had much more success finding ways to beat the defense that didn’t feel like pulling teeth.

Bridgewater and the Vikings were also able to sustain drives in a way that kept Rodgers and the Packers offense off the field.

Quarter	Plays	Yards	Result	T.O.P.
1	14	74	TD	5:28
2	11	42	FG	5:07
3	7	17	FG	1:53
4	13	79	TD	5:11

In Chicago, the Vikings failed to mount a single drive of more than 10 plays. Their three against Green Bay all ended in scores, chewing up the clock and shortening the game in the process.

Minnesota’s offense has three games already in 2014 in which it failed to even mount three scoring drives in the first place, much less three with more than 10 plays. The three double-digit scoring drives mustered against the Packers are a season high. Controlling the ball was a big part of the Vikings’ plan, and they executed it effectively.

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Ultimately, a turnover and opportunistic plays—or lack thereof—ended up deciding the game. Youth played a factor, too. Bridgewater threw an interception, the game’s only turnover, making a rookie mistake under pressure. With a veteran presence under center, Green Bay’s offense was much sharper with the football.

The Vikings defense missed its opportunity too when Harrison Smith got his hands on an inaccurate Rodgers pass. It was a difficult play to make, but the Packers present few opportunities for defenses to change the game.

Minnesota still has to learn how to make opportunistic plays when they are presented. That’s the sign of a confident, experienced team and the only way to topple a team like Green Bay.

The Vikings are not there yet in the rebuilding process, so games like this are all a part of the learning process for a team with a rookie quarterback, rookie running back and a left tackle who can’t get in anyone’s way but his own.

Despite losing on Sunday, the Vikings gave a glimmer of hope for the immediate future and showed measurable growth as a team against the toughest test left on their schedule.

Statistics via ESPN.com unless noted otherwise.