Vikings slow Aaron Rodgers, a little, with varied defensive looks

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer arrived with a bag full of defensive curveballs to his 14th NFC North game against Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The strategic changes stalled Rodgers' latest prolific effort in Minnesota, where he eventually broke through a reinforced Vikings defense in Sunday's 34-31 win over Green Bay.

The Vikings defense returned three key starters in safety Harrison Smith, cornerback Patrick Peterson and linebacker Anthony Barr. All three were featured in immediate game-plan changeups; Smith aligned as a slot defender on the first snap; Peterson shadowed Packers receiver Davante Adams' side of the field; Barr worked as a middle linebacker in one coverage as linebackers Eric Kendricks and Nick Vigil covered outside targets.

"We gave him a couple different looks he hadn't seen from us all year," Peterson said. "That's what you've got to do with great quarterbacks like Aaron. You can't be status quo and line up in generic defenses. He's good enough to point it out and know where to go."

Rodgers was initially inefficient as the Vikings built a 16-3 lead. He completed eight of 15 throws for 111 yards in four drives. The Packers offense converted just two of six third downs.

But that changed quickly, and in familiar fashion.

"We played really well in the first half," Zimmer said. "Then we really couldn't get them stopped."

The Vikings defense folded before halftime, giving up five completions for 77 yards and a touchdown. The defense has now surrendered a league-leading 59 points inside two-minute warnings this season.

But Adams couldn't get much going until after halftime when Packers head coach Matt LaFleur schemed some touches to Green Bay's star receiver. Adams first caught a back-shoulder throw against Peterson, who shadowed Adams when aligned outside, for 12 yards. Adams then motioned across the Packers' formation to the other side of the field for a 17-yard catch and run.

Adams capped the Packers' third-quarter drive with a 10-yard touchdown, off a scramble drill as Rodgers evaded a weak pass rush and pointed Adams to the open area in the end zone. The Packers counterpunched at times by moving Adams away from Peterson.

"They moved [Adams] around a lot," Peterson said. "They kind of noticed that early in the game. I think the majority of the game he was [in the slot], just trying to create mismatches. I thought guys did a great job covering him; he just got open a couple times."

After three straight Packers touchdowns in the second half, not even Zimmer wanted to bet on his Vikings defense. Zimmer cranked up the blitz calls, but Rodgers beat them during touchdown passes of 18 and 75 yards to Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Rodgers finished with 385 yards and four touchdowns, but didn't get a chance to win the game.

Zimmer had quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Vikings offense sit on the ball with the final drive. Running back Dalvin Cook purposefully went to the turf inside the 10-yard line, helping to run out the clock for a game-winning field goal that saved the defense from potential defeat.

"Hopefully going forward we can kind of find our way to put the forks in teams," Peterson said. "Put them away when we have to, but we're still trying to learn how to do that."