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During the lead-up to the Saturday Night Football contest between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, the folks from NBC did a short video package that briefly touched on the Vikings’ four Super Bowl losses.
That was pretty much as good as it got for the Packers and their fans on the evening.
The Vikings’ defense pitched their first shutout in over 24 years, and the offense did just enough to get by as they walked out of Lambeau Field with a victory over the Packers to move themselves one step closer to a first-round bye.
Minnesota got on the scoreboard first, as they got a 49-yard field goal from Kai Forbath to take a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter. They got the first touchdown of the night late in the first quarter, as Case Keenum hit Stefon Diggs for a 4-yard scoring pass with under a minute remaining in the quarter. The play was set up by a big 39-yard pass interference penalty committed by Green Bay’s Josh Hawkins while covering Diggs on a deep attempt by Keenum.
That was all the scoring there was for the first half, as the teams played a scoreless second quarter. The highlight of the second stanza was an interception by Harrison Smith when the Packers were threatening inside the Minnesota red zone, and the pick stopped the drive cold.
The only points in the third quarter of play once again came from Forbath, as he connected on a 20-yard field goal late in the third quarter to make the score 13-0 in favor of the Vikings. Forbath added to the lead again with a little under three minutes left in the game, as he connected from 27 yards out to make the score 16-0. The Packers did have one last drive, but Harrison Smith intercepted Hundley for the second time on the evening to put an end to the Packers’ hopes.
It wasn’t exactly a huge statistical night for the Vikings. Case Keenum completed only 14-of-25 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. Stefon Diggs did most of the damage through the air, catching five passes for 60 yards and the Vikings’ lone touchdown. Only two other Vikings had multiple receptions, as David Morgan had two catches for 26 yards, and Adam Thielen had two for 24 yards. Jerick McKinnon (9 yards), Jarius Wright (8 yards), Kyle Rudolph (6 yards), Latavius Murray (6 yards), and Michael Floyd (0 yards) each had one reception.
On the ground, Murray led the way with 69 yards on 21 carries. McKinnon chipped in with 42 yards on seven carries, and Diggs had three yards on an end-around.
The Vikings’ defense was their usual dominant selves, as they held the Packers to just four third down conversions in 15 attempts. Hundley threw the ball 40 times, but only completed 17 passes for 130 yards along with his two interceptions.
The Vikings move their record to 12-3, and will finish their season on New Year’s Eve at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Chicago bears. Green Bay falls to 7-8 on the season, and will finish the season at Ford Field against the Detroit Lions.
Once again, the Minnesota Vikings complete their first sweep of the Green Bay Packers since 2009, taking home a 16-0 victory at Lambeau Field. Thank you to everybody that got their coverage of this week’s game right here at The Daily Norseman!