Vikings demolished by surging Packers, fall to No. 3 seed with 49ers win

Not only did they suffer an embarrassing loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, but the Minnesota Vikings also fell to the No. 3 seed in the NFC.

From the second they stepped onto the slippery grass inside Lambeau Field on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings clearly were not prepared to leave the stadium with a victory over the Green Bay Packers.

After a kickoff was returned for a touchdown and a pick-six, the Vikings quickly found themselves down 14-3 to the Packers before the first quarter had come to an end.

Minnesota ended up losing by a final score of 41-17 to Green Bay, a result that not even the Vikings’ biggest doubters likely expected. With the loss, Minnesota’s record drops to 12-4 heading into their final matchup of the 2022 regular season next weekend.

Key Minnesota Vikings players go down with injuries in Week 17 loss to Green Bay Packers

Losing by more than 20 points to their division rival was bad enough, but the Vikings also saw some key offensive linemen leave the matchup with significant injuries.

Minnesota center Austin Schlottmann went down early in the contest with what was first reported as an ankle injury. Further examination revealed that Schlottmann reportedly suffered a fractured fibula and he’ll miss multiple weeks due to the injury according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.

Schlottmann has been starting at center for the Vikings since Week 14 as Garrett Bradbury has been dealing with a back injury. With Schlottmann now banged up, hopefully, Bradbury is able to return in time for the playoffs in a couple of weeks.

Minnesota right tackle Brian O’Neill also left the matchup on Sunday early with an injury, and his might be even more severe. O’Neill went down with a calf injury during Green Bay’s kickoff return touchdown, but rumors are already swirling that the Vikings right tackle could now be done for the rest of the season

In addition to their loss on Sunday, Minnesota also fell to the No. 3 spot in the NFC after the San Francisco 49ers were able to escape an upset and get a win in their Week 17 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The No. 1 seed in the NFC is no longer attainable for the Vikings after Sunday’s loss, but they can still finish as the No. 2 seed in the conference if they beat the Chicago Bears and the 49ers lose to the Arizona Cardinals next weekend.

However, resting starters next week and remaining the No. 3 seed might actually end up being more ideal for Minnesota, as it will likely have them taking on the New York Giants in the first round of the playoffs, a team the Vikings just defeated in Week 16.