4 Stats Behind the Vikings Win Over the Packers
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings were able to earn their third-straight victory on Sunday with a 24-10 win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
However, it was a bit of a melancholy scene following the game as the Vikings seem to have lost QB Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles, which would more than likely end his season.
Still, a win is a win. The Vikings are back at .500, and they’ve earned each of these wins, which should be celebrated. For this latest Vikings win, here are 4 stats that propelled Minnesota to a 4-4 record.
Third Down Efficiency
Once again, the Minnesota Vikings dominated on third downs in Week 8. They had 18 attempts throughout the day, and they converted 10 of them. They also were able to turn one of those failures into a fourth-down conversion.
Meanwhile, the Vikings defense held Green Bay to only 5-of-14 on their third downs, and on fourth down, the Packers managed to only convert one of their four attempts. This led to an outstanding time of possession difference in favor of the Vikings.
Most impressively, when Cousins was in the game, Minnesota faced third downs with 8+ yards to go on six separate occasions. They got first downs on each and every one of them. This could be the area where Minnesota misses their QB1 the most as he has been terrific on third downs.
Penalties
Once again, the Vikings proved to be more disciplined than their opponent in the penalty category. Even when Minnesota wasn’t winning games, they proved to be very effective in this area. Minnesota was penalized seven times, but these penalties resulted in just 35 yards.
On the other side, the Packers proved unable to match Minnesota. They had a whopping 11 penalties on Sunday (including some more while trying to cover the elusive Jordan Addison), and they resulted in 99 yards for the Vikings, including four first downs
If the Vikings are going to continue winning without Cousins in the lineup, they will need to put themselves in situations where Jaren Hall or Nick Mullens can succeed which involves not moving backwards due to silly penalties.
Yards per Pass Play
Throughout the game, the Vikings were not afraid to push the ball downfield through the air. They averaged 7.5 yards per passing play, and K.J. Osborn led the way with 12.4 yards per reception. The Packers secondary was unable to match the talent in Minnesota’s receiving group, and this was without Justin Jefferson on the field.
Meanwhile, Green Bay struggled to move the ball via the pass. The Packers averaged just 4.4 yards per passing play, and Minnesota was able to sack him four times which resulted in a total loss of 33 yards. Minnesota’s defense has been playing great football as of late, and they will need to continue to do so if the Vikings are going to keep winning games.
Turnovers
Largely, the Vikings were able to eliminate the turnovers that plagued them throughout the year. They very nearly had their first game of completely turnover-free football, but then, Jaren Hall coughed up a fumble in the fourth quarter.
Green Bay also played turnover-free football for the most part, but their only turnover proved very costly. Josh Metellus was able to intercept Jordan Love on the Packers’ opening drive of the second half. One play later, Cousins hit Addison for a 20-yard TD to blow the game open, 24-3. This was the turning point in the game that allowed Minnesota to capture their first double-digit victory of the season.
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.