Green Bay trounces Minnesota at Lambeau

Aaron Rodgers brought out the championship belt, scoring a 2-yard rushing touchdown, as the Green Bay Packers kept its playoffs hopes alive, beating the Minnesota Vikings 41-17 on Jan. 1 in Green Bay.

Green Bay’s first touchdown came by way of kick returner Keisean Nixon, who returned a kick 105 yards for a touchdown early in the first quarter. This was the Packers first kick return for a touchdown since 2011, when Randall Cobb did so in his debut game against the New Orleans Saints.

“You look at the picture on the tablet after the fact — I mean that was a pretty big hole there,” said Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, noting the strong blocking on the play. “I think any time you have a returner that’s capable of taking it to the house, that energizes the guys blocking for him.”

Nixon wasn’t the only player busy though, as tight end Robert Tonyan caught a 21-yard touchdown in the middle of the second quarter — Tonyan’s first touchdown since week four against the New England Patriots.

Joining in on the scoring, was Packers safety Darnell Savage, who intercepted Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in the second quarter and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown.

Rodgers went 15 for 24 with 159 yards and one touchdown, while halfback Aaron Jones contributed 111 rushing yards, which puts him over 1,000 rushing yards on the season. This is the third season in Jones’ career that he has hit the 1,000 rushing yard mark.

Also, for the fifth straight game this year, Packers halfback A.J. Dillon recorded a rushing touchdown, on a 2-yard plunge, during the first play of the fourth quarter.

“I don’t think I have been a game where we score in all three phases (offense, defense, special teams),” said LaFleur. “Every phase made an impact tonight.”

The Vikings were stifled on offense, as Cousins turned the ball over four times — three interceptions and one lost fumble. The Packers, led by defensive back Jaire Alexander were also able to keep Justin Jefferson at bay. Averaging 117.1 yards per game and leading the NFL in receiving yards, the Louisiana State alum was held to just one catch for 15 yards in this game.

Not only did the defense do its part in containing Jefferson, Vikings halfback Dalvin Cook was held to 27 rushing yards on nine carries. With Jefferson, Cook and Cousins held in check this game, Minnesota was only able to muster two touchdowns late in garbage time of the fourth quarter.

In fact, the only lead that Minnesota held in this game was after it scored an early field goal following a blocked punt. Vikings safety Josh Metellus blocked Packers Punter Pat O’Donnell’s punt, which was recovered by Green Bay and tackled at Green Bay’s 1-yard line.

A Cousins incompletion, followed by two rushes for Cook totalling a loss of 1 yard, gave the Packers a must-needed early stop.

“I felt like were going to win the game the whole time,” said Rodgers. “Even if it was 7-0 there, I felt like this was our day and things have been happening for us the last few weeks, exactly as we need them to happen.”

That field goal was followed up by 41 straight points from Green Bay, including a 56-yard field goal make from kicker Mason Crosby, who scored his 1,900th point in this game. That milestone makes Crosby just the 12th player in NFL history to reach 1,900 points.

Another piece of history in this game too revolves around wide receiver Randall Cobb, who recorded his 530th reception with Green Bay. That ties him with James Lofton for fifth all-time in Green Bay Packers history.

With the Cleveland Browns beating the Washington Commanders in week 17, Green Bay now controls its own destiny, meaning a win against the Detroit Lions in week 18 will guarantee the Packers attain the seven seed in the NFC in the playoffs, something that seemed impossible five weeks ago.

“I had faith, much like 4-6 in ‘16,” said Rodgers, referring to the Packers six-game win streak to end the 2016-17 regular season. “Sometimes you’ve got to fool yourself a little bit into believing a little bit more, but I definitely had faith that I was going down scrapping, for sure.”

lreimer@newmedia-wi.com