Packers end the year 2023 on a winning note at Minnesota
The Packers improved to 8-8 and kept their playoff hopes alive with their 33-10 road victory vs the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.
The Packers won the coin toss and took the ball. They didn’t score on their initial drive, but they scored the first 10 points of the game. After holding the Vikings to a field goal, they scored the next 13, taking a 23-3 lead into halftime. They didn’t need to do much on offense in the second half as their defense held the Vikings down, and the Packers left the field on US Bank Stadium with a huge victory and a great way to end the year 2023.
Thoughts about this win:
Jordan Love delivered as I knew he would. He had 4 total touchdowns, 3 passing and 1 rushing. However, the Packers’ offense is a lot better when Aaron Jones is in the lineup. When Jones is in there, A.J. Dillon can thrive as the backup. It doesn’t seem to matter who is out there at receiver as long as Jones is active, but we need Christian Watson to be back as he is a huge threat in the passing game. He is expected to be available next week.
The Vikings were starting a rookie quarterback, but that hasn’t mattered to the Packers’ defense if you looked at the previous 3 weeks. They came out with a purpose this time and got an interception by Corey Ballantine, even if it was off a tipped pass, and they got a sack and fumble recovery just before the first half ended, where they capitalized by scoring a touchdown.
The third quarter could hardly have gone any better for the Packers. The Vikings benched rookie Jaren Hall and replaced him with Nick Mullens. He drove them down the field and took some time while doing it, but they failed on fourth down. The Packers took over and went on a long drive themselves, finishing the drive with a touchdown and a 30-3 lead.
It was basically a playoff game for both teams and the Packers were up to the challenge. This loss officially eliminates the Chicago Bears and most likely eliminates the Vikings from the playoffs. You could hardly ask for a better scenario than what we witnessed in this game.
Speaking of the Bears, the Packers will host them next Sunday at 3:25pm Central Time on CBS. The Packers just have to win and they are in the playoffs. Of course, the Bears would like nothing better than to win at Lambeau Field and spoil the Packers’ playoff hopes. They have to be ready for this game. They need to bring their defense and hold Justin Fields and the rest of the offense down.
It will be a battle this coming Sunday for sure. In the meantime, let us celebrate this win against the Vikings and enjoy this new year. It is now 2024. Happy New Year Packer fans! Let’s have a great one for all of us and for our team!
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackersFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901