Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson forced Packers running back Aaron Jones to fumble the ball near the sideline with 12 minutes, 29 seconds left in Green Bay's season-opening win at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Sunday's marquee matchup: Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers
October 17, 2020 at 9:29PM
The ball bounced out of bounds.
And that, folks, is the only time the Packers have come close to turning the ball over all season.
So, yeah, the team that's 4-0 and averaging league highs in points per game (38.0) and yards per play (6.8) also is the first team in NFL history to top 150 points without a turnover through four games.
"The beauty in that is there really haven't been opportunities [for turnovers]," said quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who hasn't thrown an interception in 139 attempts. "We haven't really had a ball on the ground, we really haven't had defenders getting touches on the ball much. There haven't been a lot of turnover-type plays."
Jones' fumble came on the 62nd of the Packers' 76 plays against the Vikings. Since then, Green Bay has snapped the ball 199 times without a fumble or a hint of a turnover.
Every other NFL team had at least one turnover through three games. The Vikings have turned the ball over nine times, tied for 29th in the league, in 306 plays over five games.
Tampa Bay, which hosts the Packers on Sunday, has seven turnovers, including two pick-sixes thrown by Tom Brady.
Obviously, all eyes will be on the 43-year-old Brady and the soon-to-be 37-year-old Rodgers when these two meet for just the third time in their first-ballot Hall of Fame careers.
They split their first two meetings when Brady was with the Patriots. Rodgers won 26-21 at Green Bay in 2014. Brady won 31-17 at New England in 2018.
In those two games, they combined for seven touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Brady completed 22 of 35 passes (62.9%) in both games, throwing for 245 yards, two touchdowns and a 102.7 passer rating in his loss. He had 294 yards, one touchdown and a 99.0 passer rating in his win.
Rodgers completed 24 of 38 passes (63.2) for 368 yards, two touchdowns and a 112.6 rating in his win. He completed 24 of 43 passes (55.8) for 259 yards, two touchdowns and an 89.2 rating in his loss.
Sunday's game could, of course, come down to turnovers.
Brady has five of them, including four interceptions. Rodgers has none since his three in the NFC title game loss at San Francisco nine months ago.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
