The Viking Age
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Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers: Week 17 game review

By Adam Carlson

Jan 3, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) celebrates after the Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers 20-13 at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) celebrates after the Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers 20-13 at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 2, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) catches a pass against Green Bay Packers cornerback Davon House (31) in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) catches a pass against Green Bay Packers cornerback Davon House (31) in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

The Good

  1. Adam Thielen on special teams.  A 41 yard run on a fake punt caught the Packers off guard and put the Vikings into scoring range. While the Minnesota Vikings couldn’t turn it into a touchdown, Thielen has proven to be valuable in so many places for the team that it has made him invaluable to the squad.
  2. Bringing in Kenrick Ellis to help stop the run.  The Vikings wanted to stop the damage being done up the gut by Lacy and Starks, so they brought in their big-bodied free agent acquisition to help contain things and plug up the middle. It seemed to work, as the big runs were far fewer with him in the lineup.
  3. Sharrif Floyd celebrating his “catch” from Rodgers. Watching him grab the pass that Rodgers was throwing out-of-bounds and then signalling for a first down was hilarious. It’s nice when you can get some of the personality of the players to come out during the game, even if it is something silly like this.
  4. The secondary playing the pass very well. Aaron Rodgers didn’t have a lot of options for open receivers and several of the team’s cornerbacks (specifically Xavier Rhodes) played solid games. Making the Packers one-dimensional is exactly what Green Bay did to Minnesota to win their first meeting of the year.
  5. Covering the hail mary.  We’ve seen Green Bay work their magic on the Detroit Lions earlier in the season. However, the Vikings were able to fend off the last-ditch effort by Green Bay to come out with the win and the division title. Xavier Rhodes was in the right place at the right time!

Next: The Bad

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