8 Reactions to the Vikings’ Road Victory Over Green Bay
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings matched up with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday as part of the Week 8 slate of NFL games.
Minnesota dominated throughout much of the game, capturing their third-straight victory, and they continue to move up the NFC standings.
With the game now in the rear-view mirror, here are 8 reactions to Minnesota’s latest victory.
1. Cousins’ Injury
Despite the win, Vikings fans leave this victory holding their collective breath. Kirk Cousins was wheeling and dealing throughout much of the game, but he had to leave in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury and was quickly ruled out. It’s too early to speculate, but Jaren Hall finished out this game, and Nick Mullens is unable to play until Week 10 as he remains on IR. The Vikings QB situation is up in the air heading into Week 9.
2. Another Big Showing for Jordan Addison
Jordan Addison has continued to be a star in the absence of Justin Jefferson. The rookie was unguardable against Green Bay making big catches and drawing penalties over and over again. He finished his day with 7 catches for 82 yards and his 7th TD of the season.
3. The Vikings Defense Is Legit
Minnesota’s defense showed up in a big way once again. The group allowed just 270 yards of total offense to Green Bay, and the Packers converted just 5 of their 14 third down attempts. If it is a worst-case scenario for Cousins, this group will need to lead the way moving forward.
4. Rough Day for the Special Teams
Overall, Sunday was not a great day for the Vikings special teams. Greg Joseph missed a couple kicks (one was blocked), and a penalty took back what would have been a huge kick return for Ty Chandler. These things need to be cleaned up for the Vikings to compete at the highest level in the NFC.
5. Another Sub-Par Rushing Performance
The Vikings rushing offense continues to hinder this group. They had just 62 yards on 31 carries, and more often than not, the group moved backwards rather than forwards. Again, if Cousins is unable to go next week and moving forward, Minnesota needs stronger efforts out of this group. It could be a situation to watch with the trade deadline approaching.
6. Mixed Bag for the Red Zone Offense
There was some good and some bad from the Vikings’ red zone offense. They settled for field goals twice, and they scored touchdowns twice. The 4th-and-1 in the first quarter seemed like a scenario to go for it, but it ended up not mattering. Still, you’d like to see more touchdowns than field goals in these scenarios.
7. Josh Metellus’ INT Turned the Tides
The Vikings used a surging start to the second half to put this game away. They quickly drove down the field for a score to go up 17-3, and then Josh Metellus ripped away a pass for an interception that, 30 seconds later, resulted in a 20-yard TD to Addison. Without this turn of events, Week 8 could have gone very differently.
8. Back to .500
Regardles of injuries or some tough stretches that took place over the first half of the year, the Vikings are back to .500 at 4-4. This should be celebrated. Minnesota has taken a lot of lemons over the opening portions of this season and turned them into lemonade. Nobody can question the resilience of this squad, and now, they are in the easy portion of their schedule.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.