The Packers and Vikings Face Off in Week 1, but We Already Know How It Ends
Tom Woldum
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Sometimes things come together in a confluence of rare occurrences, and sheer hysteria ensues. Every 18 months (give or take) the moon’s path crosses the sun’s, and a Total Eclipse grabs the attention of an entire hemisphere. Halle’s Comet last passed within earth’s view in 1986, and basically all of humanity stopped what they were doing to watch—knowing it would be 76 years before anyone still alive could view it again. And don’t even get me started on what was probably the Mother of All Confluences, the birth of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
Today, Viking fans will undoubtably lose their collective minds as the NFL schedule makers have gifted us with a convergence nearly as breathtaking as chocolate and peanut butter. For only the second time in the 62-year history of their storied rivalry, the Vikings will host the Packers in Week 1. Granted, the first time happened just two years ago, so if you are a fun-hating, Negative Nancy you may be thinking, “big deal”.
Or, you may be reveling in the fact that Purple and Green will be clashing at U.S. Bank Stadium as the ultimate tone-setter for the 2022 season. The NFC North appears to be a two-horse race, and most handicappers see a very large gap between the favored Packers and the underdog Vikings. Can we learn from history? Depends on how selective you want to be.
Overall, there have been seven games featuring the Packers and Vikings in Week 1, with the first six all occurring in Wisconsin. Here’s what the past has to tell us:
September 16, 1962 – Packers 34, Vikings 7
Played at New City Stadium, where the Packers played from 1957 until it was renamed for Curly Lambeau in 1965, upon his passing. Somehow, I imagined Lambeau Field was Lambeau Field since the days of the Roman Empire. No, only since the days of Vince Lombardi, whose squad thoroughly outplayed Norm Van Brocklin’s Vikings. They ran up a 34-0 lead before Fran Tarkenton’s late TD pass to Jerry Reichow.
If you were playing fantasy football in 1962 and had Paul Hornung on your team, you probably won this week—Hornung put up 67 rushing yards, 41 passing yards, scored 3 touchdowns, caught two passes, and kicked three extra points and a field goal. The Pack were on their way to a 13-1 first-place finish, winning the NFL Championship with a December 30 victory over the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium.
September 15, 1974 – Vikings 32, Packers 17
The Vikings turned the table from their Week 1 matchup 12 years prior, running up a big win on their way to an appearance in Super Bowl IX (Spoiler Alert: they lost). On this opening day in Lambeau, Minnesota came out of the halftime break tied 10-10, and proceeded to break it open with a strong second half. Chuck Foreman led the way with three touchdowns. It was Bud Grant’s only Week 1 clash with the Packers.
September 6, 1992 – Vikings 23, Packers 20 (OT)
With the newly acquired 23-year-old Brett Favre watching from the bench at Lambeau, Don (“Magic Man”) Majkowski battled Rich Gannon to a draw through four quarters, 20-20. Fuad Reveiz sealed the deal with a 25-yard field goal in OT while Terry Allen led the way for the Vikes with 140 rushing yards.
It was Denny Green’s triumphant debut as Head Coach; the Vikings were on their way to a first-place 11-5 in the brand-new NFC North…and a disappointing loss to Washington in the Wild Card round. This Week 1 game—played thirty years ago—was most notable as the last time the Vikings have faced the Packers without Favre or Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback.
September 4, 1994 – Packers 16, Vikings 10
With Favre firmly in charge and playing at home for the opener, it was never in doubt as the Packers put up a 13-0 halftime lead, holding off a Vikings rally fueled by a Reveiz field goal and a James Harris fumble return for a touchdown.
Quarterback Warren Moon was quiet, and perhaps the busiest player on the Vikings was punter Mike Saxon with seven punts. The good news is that it was the Vikings, not the victorious Packers, who would go on to win the North with a 10-6 record. Then again, it would be the Packers, not the Vikings, who would manage to win a Wild Card round game, slipping past Detroit 16-12 while the Vikes were losing to Chicago 35-18 later that fall.
September 7, 2003 – Vikings 30, Packers 25
Another turn-the-tables situation, as the Vikings travelled to Lambeau and Daunte Culpepper outdueled Favre (thanks to a 150-yard receiving day from Randy Moss) but, as with two years before, it would be the Opening Day loser who would win the NFC Central that fall, with the Packers finishing first, 10-6, while the Vikings missed the playoffs at 9-7. It was coach Mike Tice’s only Opening Day against Green Bay.
September 8, 2008 – Packers 24, Vikings 19
This Monday Night affair was the only Viking-Packer opening matchup to be played in primetime, and it was the first such game to feature Aaron Rodgers. The young QB made his first professional start after three seasons as Favre’s backup. Rodgers played brilliantly from the start, completing 18 of 22 passes for 178 yards and a 115.5 quarterback rating in the victory.
The Vikes countered with Tarvaris Jackson, who “answered” with 16 of 35 passes completed and a QB rating of 59. Adrian Peterson was the lone bright spot, gaining 103 yards on the ground, with a touchdown. Still, this was another case of losing the battle and winning the NFC North war. Minnesota would go on to win the division and again lose their Wild Card round game, this time to Philadelphia.
September 13, 2020 – Packers 43, Vikings 34
Played at U.S. Bank Stadium, this was the highest-scoring game of the group. The Packers held just an 8-7 lead with less than a minute left before halftime before the offenses went into overdrive.
When it was over, Rodgers had thrown for 379 yards. Green Bay’s Davante Adams and Minnesota’s Adam Thielen each had 100+ receiving yards and two touchdowns. This game was also Mike Zimmer’s only appearance on this list. The Packers would win the Division crown with a 13-3 record before dropping the NFC Championship game to Tampa Bay, while Minnesota finished third at 7-9.
Wrapping Up
What does history tell us? I think the most notable thing is this: in the seven times these teams have opened the season against one another, one of these two have gone on to win the division. Sometimes it’s been the game winner, sometimes the game loser, but always—always—one of these two combatants have prevailed at season’s end. Win or lose, we can be confident that this year’s edition of the Vikings has only one team to beat.
Bring on the 2022 Season! Bring on the Pack! Skol Vikings!
