Cousins, meanwhile, did almost nothing through the air while bulleting passes into a tight secondary, hitting only T.J. An early punt block seemed to set the stage for an upset, but immediately afterward, they failed to punch the ball in from the 1-yard line, getting no push for Dalvin Cook on a night the running back was largely nonexistent. Why the Vikings lostÄespite apparently having destiny on their side in close games with equal or lesser opponents, they know how to fold against the big dogs. Mason Crosby, meanwhile, chipped in with a perfect 56-yard field goal to keep Green Bay in front. Offensively, Rodgers mostly leaned on Aaron Jones, who seized on one open lane after another, but also sealed the game with a TD scramble of his own, relocating to the sidelines with more than seven minutes left as Jordan Love took on mop-up duty. Slaton all logging at least a pick or multiple pass deflections. And the rest of the secondary was opportunistic as ever, getting hands on receivers and Kirk Cousins throws on key downs, with Adrian Amos, Rasul Douglas, Darnell Savage and T.J. Jaire Alexander flat-out dominated in coverage against Justin Jefferson, setting the tone early with physicality. As the game wore on, it was chiefly the "D," which has been the driving force for the Packers' resurgence as a playoff hopeful. Here are some additional takeaways from Sunday's blowout: Why the Packers wonÄ®arly on, it was because the defense and special teams came to play: Joe Barry's unit limited Minnesota to 14 plays for 20 yards on the Vikings' first four drives, and Keisan Nixon made a 105-yard kick-return TD look easy. While Rodgers himself didn't post gaudy numbers working against a vulnerable Minnesota defense, Kirk Cousins had a particularly head-scratching performance, tossing three interceptions while failing to connect with Jefferson. But Sunday's Week 17 rematch was all Packers (8-8), who can now clinch a wild card berth with a win against the rival Lions in Week 18. The Vikings (12-4) already clinched an NFC North title earlier this season. Folding in every phase of the game, the Vikings trailed early due to a special teams blunder, failed to stop the Aaron Jones-led ground game, then got manhandled by Green Bay's resurgent defense as the Packers claimed a 41-17 rout that was even more lopsided than the score indicates. 1 playoff seed, not to mention sweep and eliminate Aaron Rodgers and Co., Minnesota hardly even put up a fight at Lambeau Field. With a chance to remain in contention for the conference's No. It turns out the Green Bay star didn't go far enough in his remarks. Jaire Alexander called the Vikings' explosive Week 1 rout of the Packers a "fluke" in the lead-up to this week's anticipated NFC North rematch.
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