Vikings blank hobbled Pack & inch closer to bye
GREEN BAY, Wis. — It came with no Aaron Rodgers and no Davante Adams at the beginning of the night, and no Jordy Nelson by the end of it. But as they enjoy a long holiday weekend, Vikings fans aren’t likely to quibble with whatever qualifying factors there might have been in an emphatic victory over their biggest rivals.
The Vikings dispatched the Packers, 16-0, on Saturday night at Lambeau Field, exerting their defensive will in single-digit temperatures and ushering Packers fans out of the stadium early in the team’s final home game of the season. By the final three minutes of the game, the Vikings’ “Skol” chant could be heard clearly from Minnesota fans dotted across the stadium.
A week after allowing seven points to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Vikings recorded their first shutout since Dec. 5, 1993, securing their first season sweep over the Packers since Brett Favre led the Vikings to two victories over his former team in 2009. They have won four of their last five games against the Packers, moving coach Mike Zimmer’s career record against Green Bay to 4-4 after Brad Childress and Leslie Frazier went 4-12-1 against them.
The Vikings shut the Packers out for just the second time in franchise history, and the first time since a 3-0 victory on Nov. 14, 1971. They let the Packers convert just one of their first six third-down attempts, a week after giving up one conversion to the Bengals in 13 attempts, and stifled the Packers’ passing game to the point where Brett Hundley’s two scrambles of 24 yards apiece were Green Bay’s longest plays of the night.
Saturday’s win moved the Vikings to 123, marking the seventh time in franchise history and the first since 2009 they’ve won at least 12 games. They can clinch a firstround bye with a Carolina Panthers loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, or with a win next Sunday over the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Vikings’ win also kept them in the running for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, though they’d need another win and two Philadelphia Eagles losses to claim the top seed in the conference.
On a frigid night where players frequently slipped on Lambeau Field’s soon-to-be-replaced grass surface, the Vikings were able to string together two early drives when big plays were at a premium.
Their longest play of the first half came on a 39-yard pass interference penalty called on Josh Hawkins after Case Keenum underthrew a deep ball for Stefon Diggs, forcing the receiver to come back for the ball. Keenum finished the first half 9 for 14 for 75 yards, throwing a touchdown to Diggs.
He had several passes that could have been intercepted by a secondary with more wherewithal than the Packers’ injury-depleted group, but as the Vikings built a 10-0 halftime lead, Keenum avoided a big mistake. Hundley, however, did not.
On the eighth play of a 62-yard drive that took the Packers down to the Vikings’ 15, Hundley threw over the middle on third down for Lance Kendricks after staring at the tight end. Harrison Smith stepped in front of the pass and returned the interception 17 yards, snuffing out the Packers’ best chance to score of the first half.
Smith, who was not named to his third Pro Bowl this week despite putting together one of his finest seasons, posted seven tackles (including one for loss) in the first 54 minutes of the game.
The biggest concerns of the night for the Vikings came on the injury front. Offensive lineman Nick Easton left the game with an ankle injury in the first half, and defensive tackle Shamar Stephen was ruled out with a shoulder injury. Long snapper Kevin McDermott also left for the night after injuring his shoulder at the end of the first half, though tight end David Morgan did a capable job as the team’s emergency long snapper.
Left tackle Riley Reiff limped off the field in the second half, though he returned to the game in the fourth quarter.
RAVENS 23, COLTS 16: Joe Flacco threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns, Justin Tucker kicked three field goals and Baltimore beat Indianapolis to move a step closer to securing a playoff berth.
The Ravens (9-6) scored on their first two possessions and held off the skidding Colts (3-12) in a windy, rain-soaked second half.
Baltimore will reach the playoffs as an AFC wild card by beating Cincinnati at home next Sunday.
—With AP