Recap: How the Vikings held on to beat the Packers 31-29 and improve to 4-0

This is the live report from Lambeau Field of the Vikings’ 31-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers. To read Ben Goessling’s analysis of the game, go here.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In the second quarter Sunday, the Vikings had their biggest lead at Lambeau Field since 1973.

Despite the fact they forced two turnovers in the fourth quarter, they still needed to recover an onside kick to close it out.

But wins, whether they come through blowouts or one-score games, count the same, and the Vikings have now won two straight games at Lambeau Field. They held on for a 31-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in a game in which Kevin O’Connell won three challenges, Sam Darnold threw for three touchdowns and the Vikings had four takeaways against Jordan Love.

Aaron Jones, who ran the apron around Lambeau Field to high-five Packers fans before the game, finished with 22 carries for 93 yards in his first game against his former team. Darnold went 20-for-28 for 275 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.

Why it happened: The Vikings were better in every facet of the game while building a 28-0 lead in the first half. Darnold dissected the Packers defense from clean pockets, while Green Bay forced Jordan Love into two first-half interceptions. The first real mistake of the game came when Jalen Nailor, returning punts while Brandon Powell was out with an injury, lost a punt in the sun and set up the Packers’ first touchdown. The Packers’ two second-half touchdowns came with the help of a Darnold interception, a play after he had been twisted down by Rashan Gary, but the Vikings came up with two more takeaways when they needed them.

What it means: The Vikings are 4-0 through the first month of a schedule that was supposed to contain its toughest stretch at the beginning of the season. They are up two games on the Packers in the NFC North and could have a two-game lead on everyone if the Detroit Lions lose Monday night. They’re 4-0 for the first time since 2016 and could be undefeated heading into their bye with another win. They will have some concerns to address with the way their defense played in the second half, but being undefeated after a month puts them in a great spot.

Play of the game: With the Vikings up 21-0 in the first half, the Packers continued to play man coverage on Justin Jefferson, who fought off a grab from Keisean Nixon to haul in Darnold’s third touchdown pass of the day. It put the Vikings up 28-0.

Turning point: The Packers made it a one-score game in the fourth quarter, after Love hit Tucker Kraft for a touchdown and a two-point conversion. But the Vikings answered with a field goal, and a play after Jordan Love hit Dontayvion Wicks for 36 yards on a corner route, Byron Murphy Jr. made the quarterback pay by catching an overthrown deep shot for Wicks. It was Love’s third interception of the game, and the first of two takeaways for Murphy, who would punch the ball out of Kraft’s hands for a fumble on the next possession.

Up next: vs. New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Oct. 6, 8:30 a.m. The Jets fell to 2-2 with a 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

— BEN GOESSLING

Here’s how the game played out:

Under new kickoff rules this season, teams must declare when they are going to attempt an onside kick. The Packers did just that, and it was taken by punter Daniel Whalen. His bouncing kick was recovered by Vikings tight end Josh Oliver, and the Vikings were able to run out the clock to move to 4-0.

The Packers aren’t done — yet. Packers quarterback Jordan Love completed four straight throws for 90 yards and a touchdown. The score went to receiver Dontayvion Wicks, who dropped two passes earlier in the game but has now caught two touchdown throws. The Vikings’ lead is 31-29 with 56 seconds left.

An aggressive three-play, 53-yard stretch from Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has given Minnesota a two-score lead again with 6 minutes and 50 seconds left. The Vikings are up 31-22 following kicker Will Reichard’s 33-yard field goal.

Coach Kevin O’Connell put his foot on the gas with the play calling, having Darnold throw multiple times following the strip-sack on the previous possession.

The Vikings’ scoring drive — their first of the second half — began with a 17-yard deep toss to receiver Justin Jefferson. After Darnold hit tight end Josh Oliver for an 8-yard screen, he dropped back again and found Jefferson for a 27-yard catch and run that put the Vikings into field-goal territory. The drive stalled when Darnold slipped on second down and threw away the third-down pass.

Uh oh. The Vikings once led 28-0, but the Packers have rattled off 22 unanswered points to make this a one-score game with 10 minutes 16 seconds left.

Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon, who was on the wrong end of a touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson earlier in the game, blitzed and hit Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold from behind to force a fumble and Vikings turnover at their own 20. Two plays later, the Packers are back in this game after quarterback Jordan Love hit tight end Tucker Kraft for a 13-yard catch and run into the end zone.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur opted for a 2-point conversion, which Love converted with another toss to Kraft. — ANDREW KRAMMER

Packers quarterback Jordan Love struck back to start the fourth quarter, throwing his way down the field during an 11-play, 89-yard touchdown drive. He found Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks, who dropped a couple of passes this afternoon but was wide open in the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown. The Vikings’ lead has been cut to 28-14 with 11 minutes left.

Love completed 6 of 8 passes for 58 yards on the drive, including a 28-yard strike to Packers wide receiver Bo Melton down the right sideline that pushed them into Vikings territory. — ANDREW KRAMMER

Whatever momentum the Packers gained by scoring just before halftime, that has ended as both offenses stalled throughout the third quarter. Each team had three possessions and amassed four punts, an interception from Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, and a turnover on downs when Packers quarterback Jordan Love missed an open receiver, Dontayvion Wicks, down the sideline. Love’s late pass was broken up by Vikings cornerback Shaq Griffin near the goal line.

Darnold had the Vikings marching downfield with a 7-play, 62-yard drive that ended when Packers safety Xavier McKinney intercepted him at the 2. McKinney undercut a route by running back Aaron Jones, landing his fourth interception in four games for Green Bay.

The Vikings will begin the final frame with the 28-7 lead they held at halftime. — ANDREW KRAMMER

The Vikings lead 28-7 at Lambeau Field, with the Packers set to receive the second-half kickoff. The blowout, for the moment, isn’t in historic territory, but the Vikings’ command of the game has been clear.

Sam Darnold is 11-for-15 for 136 yards and three touchdowns, throwing with little pressure from Packers defenders and carving up a Green Bay secondary depleted by injuries. The Packers’ insistence on playing man coverage against Justin Jefferson, especially in the red zone, has been perplexing, but the Vikings have been happy to take advantage of it.

On defense, the Vikings have hit Jordan Love six times, intercepted him twice and had eight passes defensed. Love has shown he will take chances throwing into coverage, and the Vikings have been able to pressure him with timely blitzes. A late rush from Blake Cashman through an open lane set up Shaq Griffin’s pick before the Vikings’ fourth touchdown.

The Vikings have outgained the Packers 192-151 and held Green Bay to two third-down conversions on seven attempts. We’ll see whether they can produce another lopsided victory in the second half. — BEN GOESSLING

The Packers got on the board just before halftime, after a madcap sequence that included a Jalen Nailor muffed punt and a penalty on coach Matt LaFleur.

Sam Darnold’s high throw over the middle on the Vikings’ previous drive caused Brandon Powell to be injured on a collision, and Jalen Nailor had to replace Powell as the punt returner. He was staring into the sun over the south end zone of Lambeau Field and lost the ball through his hands and over his head. The Packers got the ball at the Minnesota 3.

On the next play, Jordan Love hit Romeo Doubs for a 2-yard gain, but Doubs was ruled down short of the goal line as he bobbled the throw before securing it outside of the end zone. LaFleur ran onto the field to argue with officials and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Packers called a timeout to avoid a 10-second runoff after the penalty, but LaFleur appeared to be insisting he had called a timeout before stepping onto the field to argue with officials.

In any case, the Packers still finished the drive with a 15-yard pass from Love to Jayden Reed before halftime. — BEN GOESSLING

So far as I can tell, this is the Vikings’ biggest lead at Lambeau Field since 1973.

They are up 28-0 on the Packers, after a Shaq Griffin interception put the Vikings at the Packers 4-yard line. The Packers have continued to play single coverage against Justin Jefferson; he was fighting off a grab from Keisean Nixon when Sam Darnold, working again from a clean pocket, dropped one in to Jefferson, setting up the Griddy he had promised to do in the Lambeau Field end zone.

The Vikings were up 31-0 against the Packers at Lambeau Field on Dec. 8, 1973, in a game where recent Ring of Honor inductee Bobby Bryant returned an interception for a touchdown. Their next-biggest lead was 27 points in Randy Moss’ showcase game on Monday night in 1998.

We’re getting into historic territory with this level of Vikings dominance at Lambeau Field. — BEN GOESSLING

The Vikings made it a 21-0 game with another dissection of the Packers defense.

Sam Darnold, who’s now 9-for-10 for 115 yards, took advantage of extraordinary protection from a Vikings offensive line that has also opened up enough space for the Vikings to gain 53 yards on 11 rushing attempts. The run that finished the drive was a jet sweep to Jordan Addison, who scored his second touchdown of the day by making Keisean Nixon whiff on a tackle and turning upfield for the score.

The Vikings’ work in the red zone has been much improved this season; they have had few issues finishing drives at Lambeau today. — BEN GOESSLING

The first 15 minutes of this game have been a beatdown.

Sam Darnold, with ample time to throw, has already hit eight receivers. He’s 8-for-9 for 104 yards and two touchdowns early in the second quarter. The Vikings’ coverages have caused Jordan Love to second-guess things, and Kamu Grugier-Hill created another turnover when Love threw into triple coverage for Christian Watson, who was injured on the play. Even special teams has favored the Vikings so far; embattled Packers kicker Brayden Narveson missed his only field-goal attempt off the upright from 37 yards out.

The Vikings took a 21-point lead at Lambeau Field last year; they’ve got a chance to do the same early in the second quarter. — BEN GOESSLING

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold now has 10 touchdown passes this season after he hit Josh Oliver on a 2-yard pass near the end of the first quarter for a 14-0 lead. The Vikings benefited on two penalties on back-to-back plays called on Packers defensive backs working against Justin Jefferson. The first, a pass interference call on Eric Stokes, brought the Vikings to the Green Bay 3-yard line.

It was the Packers’ rookie kicker who ran into the first problem Sunday as Brayden Narveson missed a 37-yard attempt, doinking the right upright. The Packers were driving well until a false start penalty at the Vikings 14. As Vikings fans know, it is Minnesota rookie kickers who historically have struggled at Lambeau. Mark Craig talked to Vikings rookie kicker Will Reichard last week about the specter of Daniel Carlson.

The Packers won the toss and deferred and the Vikings took the opening drive 73 yards in six plays, the first three going to Aaron Jones in his return to Lambeau Field. The big play was a 31-yard completion from Sam Darnold to Jalen Nailor on third and 14 from the Minnesota 40. On the next play, Darnold hit Jordan Addison for a 29-yard TD. Addison is playing his first game since sustaining an ankle injury in the season opener against the New York Giants three weeks ago.

The Vikings will try to get to 4-0 with Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback after losing Kirk Cousins to an Achilles injury at Lambeau last October. With a win, the Vikings would stay in sole possession of first place in the NFC North before heading to London next week. The Packers, who have won two games in a row without Jordan Love, have their quarterback back from a knee injury in time to face the frenetic Vikings defense.

The grills are lit, the drinks are flowing, and the purple jerseys are mixing with the green and gold outside Lambeau Field. And Packers quarterback Jordan Love arrived to the stadium Sunday morning wearing a Brett Favre jersey.

Among many possible interpretations, one is Love will tough it out and play through a knee injury that has sidelined him the past two games.

Love is officially active and expected to make his return from an MCL sprain he suffered Sept. 6 during the Packers’ season-opening loss against the Philadelphia Eagles. He remained limited in Packers practices this past week. Green Bay’s defense won’t have top cornerback Jaire Alexander (quad/groin). He’s officially inactive.

Love’s Favre jersey is likely a show of support for the 54-year-old Packers Hall of Famer who told a congressional committee last week that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

The Vikings are near full strength. Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. will miss his second straight game, but wide receiver Jordan Addison and edge rusher Dallas Turner are back. Addison will not have any limitations, coach Kevin O’Connell said Friday, while returning from a Sept. 8 ankle sprain. Turner missed one game due to a Grade 1 right knee sprain suffered Sept. 15 vs. the San Francisco 49ers.

Running back Aaron Jones, who spent his first seven seasons in Green Bay, spent time before kickoff chatting with former Packers teammates, coaches and executives, including team president Mark Murphy.

Edge rusher Bo Richter and tight end Robert Tonyan, a former Packers starter, are available to play after the Vikings elevated them from the practice squad Saturday. The team has one elevation left before either player must be signed to the 53-man roster to play. Teams can elevate players up to three times per season.

Vikings’ inactives: Pace (ankle), WR Trishton Jackson, CB Fabian Moreau, DL Levi Drake Rodriguez, CB Dwight McGlothern, OT Walter Rouse

Packers’ inactives: Alexander (quad/groin), G/T Jordan Morgan (shoulder), DL Colby Wooden, DL Brenton Cox Jr., S Kitan Oladapo, CB Carrington Valentine, OT Travis Glover

— ANDREW KRAMMER

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