The Minnesota Vikings got beaten down by the Green Bay Packer in Week 17 and there was a lot to learn from the New Year’s Day contest in Wisconsin.
Heading into Week 17, the Minnesota Vikings had an opportunity to close the gap on the top-seed Philadelphia Eagles and stay ahead of the San Francisco 49ers but they couldn’t beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
Instead of competing with the Packers, Minnesota collapsed in every phase and had one of their worst games of the season against their division rival in a game televised nearly everywhere in the United States.
The final score of 17-41 actually looks closer than the game really was. It was seriously that disappointing of a game from the Vikings’ perspective. This is the time of year when teams try to gain momentum, not start a downward spiral.
Despite the disaster of the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17, they still have at least two more games to play before looking ahead to the offseason and can take what they learned to prepare for those games. Here are six takeaways from the game at Green Bay.
The offensive line is in shambles
Coming into this game, there were already question marks around starting right guard Ed Ingram and his ability to be an effective pass blocker but problems continued to pile up for the unit heading into next week.
Garrett Bradbury is already missing time with a back injury that was aggravated in a recent car accident, but now his backup, Austin Schlottmann has fractured his femur and will be out for the season.
With the interior of the offensive line already being a weakness for the Minnesota Vikings, right tackle Brian O’Neill left Sunday’s game. He is a bright, young blocker who the team will miss if he is forced to miss time.
Before Week 18, the Vikings will need to figure out a decent option for center and work together to ensure the new center is on the same page with the rest of the offensive line as well as Kirk Cousins.
Minnesota’s offense got shut down
Fans of the Minnesota Vikings have seen the team have cold streaks where they struggle to move the chains, but this game against the Packers saw early every weapon be taken away and pressure consistently getting to Cousins.
Minnesota’s run game was non-existent (we’ll talk more about it later) but it was even more disappointing that Cousins and Jefferson couldn’t recreate their magic from their first meeting with Green Bay.
Justin Jefferson had only five targets on the day and he only hauled in one of those for 15 yards while facing some very physical defense. Green Bay effectively removed him from being a factor in the game.
To put things in perspective, Vikings receivers were only targeted 19 times out of 35 pass attempts. Green Bay clamped down on Minnesota’s receivers and made it difficult for them to get a clean release while pressure closed in on Cousins from up the middle.
The tight end is the new no. 2
The disappearance of Adam Thielen continues. He has struggled to be a contributor this year despite being a red-zone darling the last few years and accumulating respectable receiving statistics.
Against the Packers, Thielen had one catch for 16 yards on four targets. It is now more than safe to say that tight end T.J. Hockenson has replaced him as the secondary target after Justin Jefferson.
An argument could also be made that Hockenson is the primary target on short to mid-range passes. Although he didn’t have a huge game against the Packers, the value of trading for him in the middle of the season has been evident.
Hockenson had 12 targets and hauled in seven of them for 59 yards, enough to be the team’s leading receiver while trying to help as a blocker. His help will be essential in future games for the Minnesota Vikings.
Vikings’ edge rush is disappointing
Green Bay only attempted 27 passes on the day, but Minnesota only had one sack on the day. Za’Darius Smith had a big game in the first meeting, between these two teams but only managed three tackles in this game.
To amplify the struggles, fellow outside linebacker and pass rush specialist Danielle Hunter for only one tackle on the day. More productivity is needed from this duo if they want to be successful.
Minnesota’s only sack came from pressure up the gut by defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. this team can do much better than this while getting after a quarterback even if it means scheming pressure,
Aaron Rodgers took him time in the pocket to work on former teammate Chandon Sullivan and was pretty successful at that. Duke Shelly continues to look like a smart signing since he keeps making nice plays.
There were several uncharacteristic mistakes
The Minnesota Vikings are a very disciplined team that ranks sixth in the fewest penalties accepted against them. They average only five per game. That includes this week’s outing which had six called against them with a number of those being because of the new offensive linemen.
Luck in general was on Green Bay’s side. Tipped balls would find their way into the hands of Packers players. Minnesota players slipped on the turf, resulting in turnovers and errors not typical of the team.
Two missed field goals by a usually-trusty Greg Joseph kept the gap between the two teams larger than it could have been. Not that six points would have made a major difference in the game, but it could have impacted momentum and field position.
This was not a good day for the Vikings in any sense of contest. Hopefully, things can return to normal for Minnesota next week when they travel to Chicago to take on Justin Fields and the Bears.
The playoff picture looks much different now
Now, it seems like Minnesota will be the third seed in the NFC and likely have a Wild Card game against the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings already beat the Giants in Minnesota this season, making that situation feel pretty good.
On the other hand, if the Green Bay Packers can defeat the Detroit Lions in Week 18, they will leapfrog into the seventh seed and be on a collision course to visit the surging San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round.
Losing to the Packers will always sting a little extra, and it feels even worse with all the trash talk and everything on the line leading up to this particular border battle. But it could have been a lot worse.
As I always say in these pieces, it’s awesome that Kevin O’Connell and this first-year offense and defense are going to the playoffs in a transition year. It would have been nice to see more consistency and polish, but that will come with time. Enjoy this season for what it is, a gift.