Packers’ D comes up huge once again in win over Vikings
On an afternoon when Brett Favre was at the stadium and the team paid tribute to the late Bart Starr with his widow Cherry in attendance, the Green Bay Packers held on to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 21-16 in the home opener at Lambeau Field.
The Packers got going quickly on offense, building a 21-0 lead in a little bit over a quarter of play. The Vikings then turned up their defense and got a few things going on offense, cutting the Packer lead to 21-16 before the Packers made some key defensive (and offensive) plays to seal the victory.
The Packers were aggressive early. On their first play from scrimmage, Aaron Rodgers play faked and threw downfield to Davante Adams, connecting for 39 yards. Aaron Jones had two nice runs and Jamaal Williams took a short pass for 15 yards and a touchdown. After the Vikings’ kicker Dan Bailey missed a 47-yard field goal, Rodgers and the offense went right back to work, ending their second drive with a 12-yard TD pass to Geronimo Allison. On the Vikings’ next possession, Kirk Cousins got sacked and lost a fumble. The Packers turned the fumble into another touchdown on a 2-yard run by Jones and a 21-0 lead after the extra point.
After that, the Vikings started to show signs of life as Dalvin Cook ran for 75 yards and a touchdown, making the game 21-7 GB. Both teams turned the ball over in the second quarter as Allison lost a fumble after a first down and Cousins had a pass tipped and intercepted. The Vikings thought they had a touchdown before halftime on a pass to Stefon Diggs, but the review showed an offensive pass interference call on Cook and the TD was taken off the board and they ultimately had to settle for a field goal and a 21-10 GB lead at halftime.
The Packers couldn’t get much going offensively in the second half as they turned the ball over on their first possession in the half on a low snap that Minnesota recovered. The Vikings capitalized on the turnover as they went deep to Stefon Diggs for a TD. A penalty by Diggs for removing his helmet backed the XP try to the 48-yard line, and it got blocked, keeping the score at 21-16 GB.
Much of it had to do with Vikings’ Head Coach Mike Zimmer making defensive adjustments, but the Packers hardly got anything going on offense and it often seemed like they were moving backward. The Packers’ defense spent a lot of time on the field and they deserve a lot of credit for this victory.
Kirk Cousins can make plays and is capable of looking very good at times, but he is not consistent. The knock-on him is his failure to perform in the big moments and against quality opponents. He showed it again in the fourth quarter. On a first-and-goal at the GB 8, Cousins rolled out and threw a high pass into the endzone, where Kevin King made a great athletic play to come down with the interception. Cousins should have never thrown that pass, and the Packers’ defense came up huge when it mattered.
The Packers struggled on offense after building that 21-0 lead, but they deserve a lot of credit for getting some key first downs and running almost all of the time left on the clock on their final possession. All the Vikings could do is try some laterals, which resulted in their final turnover of the game.
It’s not time to panic about the offense because it is still early in the season and the Packers played against two of the best defenses in the league. The offense showed glimpses of what it can do when they took that 21-0 lead. They are leaning on their defense right now while the offense is still trying to figure things out. I really think the offense will come around soon.
The Packers played against two tough defenses in their own division and came away 2-0. It’s still early in the season, but those two wins might be valuable late in the season, especially if they win a close race for the division title or a playoff berth. You like that? Kirk Cousins may not like that, but if you are a Packer fan, you should.
There is still plenty of room for improvement, but I like the character of this team. Finding a way to win two tough games while facing adversity has shown me that they are capable of doing some great things.
The Packers have a few days to enjoy this win and then it is back to work. Next up is another home game, this time against the Denver Broncos next Sunday. Let’s keep the wins coming, especially at home!
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901
