The Green Bay Packers lost 35-14 to the Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field on Thursday night, giving the Minnesota Vikings a chance to stretch their NFC North lead on Sunday. Minnesota is 2-0 heading into its trip to Tampa Bay. Green Bay is 1-2. A Vikings win would leave the Packers two losses behind after three weeks.
Minnesota earned its head start by beating Green Bay in Week 1, then winning at Chicago. Those are two division wins already in the bank, and Thursday gave the Vikings a chance to add a little space in the standings. While they deserve to enjoy the opening, they should also know their offense hasn’t played well enough to assume they’ll take it.
The Packers looked rough against Atlanta. The Falcons scored 27 straight points after an early Green Bay touchdown, Bijan Robinson ran for 194 yards, and the Packers finished with 17 rushing yards. Michael Penix Jr. returned at quarterback for Atlanta, so this wasn’t quite the offense that had started 0-2.
Minnesota Vikings have a division opening and an offense to sort out with Kyler Murray back in action
Vikings fans have already seen both sides of this Packers team. Jordan Love threw for 387 yards in the opener and had Green Bay up 12 late in the third quarter. Then Carson Wentz led Minnesota back, the Packers helped extend the go-ahead drive with penalties, and Brian Flores’ defense took the ball away twice. Love can still hurt this secondary when the teams meet again in Green Bay in November. For now, Minnesota owns the head-to-head win, and Green Bay owns an extra loss.
The Vikings’ 2-0 start has its own fine print. Flores’ group finished the comeback against the Packers and held the Chicago Bears to three points in Week 2. Dallas Turner is getting home off the edge. But Minnesota’s offense scored only three field goals in Chicago. That’ll win when the defense gives up three points, but it’s a lot to ask of that defense every week.
Kyler Murray has cleared concussion protocol and is set to start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His Vikings debut ended in the first quarter of Week 1, after just five pass attempts and an interception. Sunday should finally give us a sustained look at how Kevin O’Connell uses Murray’s movement alongside Justin Jefferson. Wentz kept the team afloat. Murray now has a chance to lead the touchdown drives Minnesota couldn’t produce in Chicago.
The backfield could make that harder. Jordan Mason is on injured reserve with a thumb injury, leaving the Vikings thin behind Aaron Jones Sr. Jones hurt his knee against Chicago, but the final Vikings injury report gives him no game designation, so he’s expected to play. If the knee limits him on Sunday, DeeJay Dallas and rookie Demond Claiborne would be the other running backs available to help Murray keep drives going.
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