Three keys to the Vikings’ 27-25 win over the Packers
Jalen Nailor caught five passes on five targets for 81 yards and kicked off the Vikings’ scoring with a 31-yard touchdown.
Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor
Nailor had the Vikings’ second-most receiving yards in their 27-25 win over Green Bay, catching all five targets for a season-high 81 receiving yards. He came just shy of matching his career high of 89 yards against the Packers in Week 17 of 2022.
The third-year Viking scored the first touchdown of the game with a 31-yard reception in the second quarter when Darnold found him yards ahead of the two closest Packers defenders.
Nailor also made a key third-down conversion in the third quarter, catching a 22-yard pass on the drive that ended with a touchdown by wide receiver Jordan Addison.
Key play
Cam Robinson’s third-down holding penalty
There were relatively few flags thrown Sunday afternoon compared with recent Vikings games, but a late one caused Minnesota to sweat out the final minutes of the game.
The Packers had just narrowed the Vikings' lead to nine points with their second touchdown and a two-point conversion.
On third-and-5, wide receiver Justin Jefferson made a one-handed, 18-yard catch to convert after a rough start to the drive.
But it was called back by a holding penalty against left tackle Cam Robinson and the Vikings were forced to punt the ball away.
Green Bay went on to score the next drive, making it a two-point game after the Vikings had led by 17 at the top of the fourth quarter.
Key number
134
The Vikings had held Packers quarterback Jordan Love under 100 passing yards entering the fourth quarter, but Love led back-to-back scoring drives for a combined 134 yards and 15 points across 18 plays.
Green Bay scored on a 5-yard rush by running back Emanuel Wilson and a 3-yard pass from Love to wide receiver Malik Heath. Love earned the two-point conversion on the first touchdown with a completion to wide receiver Romeo Doubs.
In both Vikings-Packers games this season, Green Bay has rallied back from deficits to make it a nail-biter.
Up next
at Detroit, Sunday, 7:20 p.m.
The Vikings travel to Detroit with the NFC North title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed on the line. The Lions have been ravaged by injuries since the Vikings lost to them 31-29 in Week 7 but have lost just one game since that meeting — 48-42 against the Buffalo Bills, the AFC’s No. 2 seed, in Week 15.
2024 schedule and results
Sept. 8: W, 28-6 at N.Y. Giants
Sept. 15: W, 23-17 vs. San Francisco
Sept. 22: W, 34-7 vs. Houston
Sept. 29: W, 31-29 at Green Bay
Oct. 6: W, 23-17 vs. N.Y. Jets in London
Oct. 13: Bye
Oct. 20: L, 31-29 vs. Detroit
Oct. 24: L, 30-20 at L.A. Rams
Nov. 3: W, 21-13 vs. Indianapolis
Nov. 10: W, 12-7 at Jacksonville
Nov. 17: W, 23-13 at Tennessee
Nov. 24: W, 30-27 OT at Chicago
Dec. 1: W, 23-22 vs. Arizona
Dec. 8: W, 42-21 vs. Atlanta
Dec. 16: W, 30-12 vs. Chicago
Dec. 22: W, 27-24 at Seattle
Dec. 29: W, 27-25 vs. Green Bay
Jan. 5: at Detroit
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On this episode of the Access Vikings podcast, Ben Goessling, Andrew Krammer and Emily Leiker preview Sunday night’s game at Ford Field, where the Vikings haven’t won since the 2020 season.