The Green Bay Packers defeated the Minnesota Vikings last night, securing the top spot in the NFC. The final result of this event was 37-10 for the hosts, who got even for the previous defeat that took place in Minneapolis. Green Bay used the fact that Vikes played without Kirk Cousins, who is in health and safety protocols, and decided not to show any mercy towards the big rivals.
“Disappointing tonight,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “I didn’t feel like we gave ourselves a chance to win.”
The Packers were up 20-3 at halftime, confidently controlling the situation on the field. Rodgers already threw two TD tosses, plus, Mason Crosby hit two field goals.
Rodgers, the top candidate for winning the NFL MVP awards for the second year in a row, fourth overall, threw for 288 yards, 29/38, for those two scores and wasn’t sacked at all. Matt LeFleur even gave a chance to the backup QB, Jordan Love, who completed two of his four passing attempts for 19 yards.
Meanwhile, the Packers’ rushing game was superb, generating 174 yards on 32 snaps. Aaron Jones had 76 on eight carries, while AJ Dillon had 63 on 14 rushes, but with two touchdowns.
The Vikes had to start with Sean Mannion, who had a solid performance with 189 passing yards, one touchdown, and no turnovers. Many believed that he would be the problem for the guests, but it turned out that Minnesota struggled with the better part of its game – rushing.
Dalvin Cook ran nine times for 13 yards, and Mannion scrambled twice for 14 yards, which was all when talking about the ground game.
Following this defeat, the Vikings are out of the playoff race, because Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Washington Football Team, securing the spot in the postseason. This comes as a big blow for the franchise from Minneapolis, who just might make some radical moves in the future offseason.
On the other side, the Packers are once again topping the NFC.
“It definitely feels amazing,” Dillon said about his team winning the No.1 seed in the conference. “It’s something we’re continuously working toward, we’re striving toward, to get that.
The young running back had a huge help in offense coming from Davante Adams who caught 11 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. Allen Lazard added 72 receiving yards on six catches, for another score.
The Packers will now become the first team in NFL history to win at least 13 games in 3 straight seasons.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 3, 2022
The Packers reached the NFC Championship game four times in the last seven years, losing each of those contests. Two years ago, the 49ers were better, and in 2020, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In the meantime, Rodgers is the top favorite for the NFL MVP award, and he’ll become the first player since Peyton Manning in 2009 to defend the honors. Before the last round, he and Colts’ RB Jonathan Taylor came as top two candidates, but with a major difference in odds – Rodgers was at -110 while Taylor sat at +550.
We assume that LeFleur won’t risk anything in the last round and that he will keep Rodgers off the field, in Detroit. Green Bay visits the Lions in a match with no competitive edge; therefore, Jordan Love will probably start.
The Vikes are hosting the Chicago Bears in the closing event of their campaign. This could easily turn out to be the last game for Mike Zimmer as the head coach, as there are already some indications that the Vikes want a change at that position.
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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