There was a lot to learn from the Minnesota Vikings during their Week 11 win over the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Week 11 was a game that many fans of the Minnesota Vikings had circled on their calendar. Any time the Green Bay Packers come to town, it is bound to be a notable game, and this contest was no different.
The Vikings were able to squeak out a 34-31 victory over the Packers in this meeting thanks to a last-second field goal by Greg Joseph. However, fans of Minnesota already know the feeling of games like this all too often.
With this win, the Vikings moved to 5-5 on the season and moved into the playoff picture once again. Since Green Bay still has a pretty firm grip on the NFC North, Minnesota is looking to take one of those Wild Card spots and keep moving up the conference standings.
There were plenty of things to learn from this game between the two rivals in the black and blue division. Let’s break down some of the notable things from Week 11 that stood out during the game on Sunday.
Justin Jefferson is an absolute monster
News flash: Justin Jefferson is good. VERY good. Lately, he has been the clear No. 1 receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, widening the gap between him and fellow wide receiver Adam Thielen by a significant margin.
Jefferson was absolutely dominant in the first quarter of play. In that 15 minute span, he caught all three passes thrown in his direction for a total of 104 yards but was held in check for the entire second quarter.
But the second-year wonder wasn’t done there. He ended the day with eight catches on ten targets for 169 yards and two touchdowns, leading all receivers in yardage during the contest and making things very challenging for a depleted Green Bay defense. He averaged 21.1 yards per catch, an amazing number for someone who caught eight balls.
The Minnesota Vikings have an absolute star in Justin Jefferson. They need to do anything they can to keep him happy and lock him down to a huge contract when that time comes in order to keep him wearing purple and gold for a long time.
Luck can go the Vikings way sometimes
There were a few instances during this game where it seemed like lady luck was on the side of the Minnesota Vikings instead of finding a way to steal a win from them like fans saw in previous weeks of play.
Kirk Cousins threw two balls that ended up in the hands of Packers defenders this week. One of the interceptions was negated by a roughing the passer penalty and the other was reviewed to be incomplete when the ball hit the ground. There was even a third play where Kirk’s arm got hit and it looked as though his throw would have gone to a defender had it not been interfered with.
Don’t forget to factor in two fumbles by Minnesota that were recovered by the purple and gold. One was covered by left tackle Christian Darrisaw while Dede Westbrook was able to get on the other one.
In addition, Packers kicker Mason Crosby had a 39-yard field goal bounce off the upright with 11:19 to go in the second quarter. Had that kick gone in, it may have changed the way the entire game played out in the final minutes.
Kirk Cousins can put some drives together
It’s kind of hard to believe, but there were only five punts in this entire football game. The Minnesota Vikings kicked the ball away three times while the Packers surrendered twice on the day.
Sure, Dalvin Cook had a solid day by rushing 22 times for 86 yards and one touchdown. But when it came time to get things done, it was hard to disagree with what quarterback Kirk Cousins was able to do on the field.
Cousins connected on 24 of his 35 pass attempts, gaining 341 yards and scoring three touchdowns. He used play-action and moved around the pocket well despite pressure from Green Bay’s front seven.
Kirk took risks and put faith in his receivers. He let players like Justin Jefferson (169 yards), Adam Thielen (82 yards), and Tyler Conklin (35 yards) go get the football and pick up yards on the ground following the reception. If Cousins continues to play this way, Minnesota will be a very dangerous team going forward.
Getting the defense back was huge
Being without some of your best players can make a huge difference in the outcome of football games. So far this season, the Minnesota Vikings have dealt with short-term injuries, long-term injuries, and COVID-19 as well as other things that made getting a full game together tricky.
Week 11 saw the return of several important players on defense. Cornerback Patrick Peterson, safety Harrison Smith, and linebacker Anthony Barr all made their return and it was noticeable in the defense.
Despite those players coming back, Green Bay still moved the ball well. They had 467 yards of offense and put up 31 points against this unit. Still, there is something to be said for holding Green Bay’s running backs to 64 yards on the day and giving up only four total first downs to the Packers ground game.
There were still hiccups. Missed assignments and some rust were evident during the game. But if the Minnesota Vikings can keep these players together on the field and allow them to gel, they will continue to improve and progress each week.
*Updated to correct the status of Michael Pierce
The Vikings can’t seem to break the trend
If you are a fan of the Minnesota Vikings and still have fingernails, consider yourself to be lucky. The team always seems to find a way to make every game as dramatic as possible, and that’s something that needs to stop.
All but one game that Minnesota has played so far this season has been decided by one score or less. The one outlier is the 30-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. Otherwise, the trend is a pretty wild one.
Minnesota’s five losses have been by 3,1, 7, 4, and 3 for an average of 3.6 points. They have consistently been competitive in every game they have played, no matter if they were playing the winless Detriot Lions or 8-2 Green Bay Packers.
The Vikings are doing the right things now. The last two weeks have seen the mentality of this team shift toward being more aggressive offensively and that has helped them beat two tough teams in a row. Now, they face another tough task in the 49ers next week.
What were your biggest takeaways from the Week 11 game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers? And which of these takeaways do you relate to the most going forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.