Mistakes Cost Minnesota Vikings a Big Opportunity in Loss to Packers
Over 100 yards in penalties, six sacks and a huge late turnover were enough to cost the Minnesota Vikings an opportunity to make a statement in the NFC North on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
The mistakes from Minnesota told the story of Green Bay's 30-13 win.
The Vikings and Packers were nearly even in total yards, total plays, time of possession, first downs and third-down conversions. But Minnesota committed 91 more yards in penalties, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was bruised and battered behind a poor offensive line and Adrian Peterson's lost fumble in the second half all but killed any chance at a comeback.
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The Vikings squandered a golden opportunity to assert themselves as the team to beat in the division. The loss snapped Minnesota's five-game winning streak and dropped the team to 7-3. The Packers, who won for the first time since Oct. 18, improved to 7-3 and reclaimed first place in the NFC North via the head-to-head tiebreaker.
| Total Yards | 342 | 320 |
| Passing Yards | 248 | 196 |
| Rushing Yards | 94 | 124 |
| First Downs | 16 | 19 |
| Yards per Play | 5.5 | 4.6 |
| Time of Possession | 29:38 | 30:22 |
| Penalties | 8-110 | 4-19 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
A young team built on a few basic principles—running the football on offense and attacking on defense—had too many blunders in all areas of the game to beat the four-time defending division champions.
Minnesota committed a season-high eight penalties for 110 yards, the most by the franchise since 2003. The offense had drive-killing infractions on three of the first four possessions, the defense gave up 55 yards in penalties on Green Bay's touchdown drive before the half and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson had a 15-yard personal foul penalty after a long return in the second half.
The Packers had four penalties for 19 yards.
While the officials were no friends of the Vikings, the Minnesota offensive line was no ally of Bridgewater.
The second-year quarterback took six sacks and absorbed 10 hits. He briefly left the game in the second quarter after getting crunched underneath two pass-rushers. His left shoulder checked out fine and he returned, but Green Bay's assault on Bridgewater continued into the second half.
His running back didn't provide much help.
Peterson, who rushed for just 45 yards on 13 carries, struggled to find running room for most of the afternoon. When he did find a little space on a fourth-quarter run, Peterson lost control of the ball and fumbled for the sixth time this season. The Packers recovered, keeping Green Bay's 14-point lead intact and sapping Minnesota of a huge scoring opportunity late in the game.
The Vikings briefly lead in the first half after Bridgewater's 47-yard touchdown to tight end Kyle Rudolph. But the Packers made more big plays down the stretch.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers found Randall Cobb for a touchdown before the half after cornerback Terence Newman's 50-yard pass interference penalty gave Green Bay a second life. The Packers then responded to Minnesota's touchdown in the third quarter with a score of their own, using a 37-yard completion to James Jones and a 27-yard touchdown—with both plays coming on third down—to get into the end zone.
Minnesota's final four possessions ended in a fumble, punt and two turnovers on downs.
The Vikings are still in good shape at 7-3. If the season ended today, Minnesota would make the postseason as the NFC's top Wild Card team., but there's no doubt Sunday's result will sting.
A chance to deal a significant blow to the kings of the division was lost, and the Vikings have no one else to blame but themselves. A young team like Minnesota can't make that many errors and expect to win a big game against one of the NFL's elite teams.
Now comes the response.
The Vikings have the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals over the next three weeks. It's a difficult stretch, with road games in Atlanta and Arizona sandwiching a visit from the reigning NFC champions. How the Vikings handle the gauntlet will likely dictate if Week 17's showdown at Lambeau Field has any kind of importance to the division race.
One thing is for sure: Minnesota's season will tailspin if the mistakes made on Sunday continue over the final six games. The Vikings can still beat just about anyone if they don't beat themselves.
Zach Kruse covers the Vikings for Bleacher Report.
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