The Green Bay Packers were on a roll, having won five of their last six games. They were coming home to face a desperate Minnesota Vikings team that had struggled so badly on offense in its last two games they were forced to trade for a new quarterback prior to the trade deadline and insert Kirk Cousins into the lineup just days after he was acquired.
The Vikings made that move in large part to save their defense. That unit had exhausted itself in losses to the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills the past two weeks. Minnesota's defense had been on the field for 42-plus minutes in the loss to the Bills, and they were hoping that the Cousins acquisition would allow the offense to stay on the field and give the defense a chance to play to its potential.
Those hopes turned into reality. The Vikings defense was fresh against the Packers and that unit registered 8.0 sacks against Jordan Love. Additionally, Love threw one interception and the Packers lost 3 fumbles in a 30-10 Vikings triumph.
The Vikings had a 35:16-24:44 edge in time of possession.
Love credited the Vikings defense for its outstanding performance, but at the same time questioned the Packers game plan against a defense that constantly attacked the pocket.
“You don’t stand a chance sometimes when you’re facing pressure and the routes are still developing,” Love said after the game, per USA Today beat reporter Ryan Wood. “We’ve just got to do a better job identifying who’s coming, knowing who we’re sliding to.”