Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings: Second quarter recap and third quarter discussion

We’ve reached halftime at U.S. Bank Stadium, and your Minnesota Vikings lead the Green Bay Packers by a score of 17-0.

The Vikings started the quarter with the ball but were forced to punt when Kirk Cousins’ pass for Adam Thielen fell incomplete on 3rd-and-2. The Packers started their next possession with a long pass from Aaron Rodgers to Robert Tonyan that got Green Bay near midfield. A few plays later, the Packers were looking at a first-and-goal from the 9-yard line. On 4th-and-goal from the 1, the Packers handed the ball to J. J. Dillon and he got stopped short of the goal line by a host of Vikings to force a turnover on downs!

The Vikings then started their drive from the 1-yard line and marched all the way down the field, keyed by a 64-yard bomb from Kirk Cousins to Justin Jefferson. They tried to get Jefferson his second touchdown of the day, but Jefferson couldn’t get both feet down on a third-down catch. On came Greg Joseph for a 28-yard field goal. He split the uprights, and the lead increased to 10-0 with just under four minutes left in the quarter.

The Packers’ next possession resulted in a three-and-out, giving the Vikings the ball back at their own 26-yard line with time to add to the lead. And that’s just what they did, as Cousins again found Jefferson, this time for a 36-yard touchdown that saw Jefferson wide open. Joseph added the extra point and the Vikings took a 17-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Just for good measure, Rodgers tried to throw one deep at the end of the half and it wound up in the arms of Harrison Smith for an interception.

Jefferson currently has 158 yards and two touchdowns on six catches. That’s the most receiving yardage in a half for a Minnesota Vikings receiver in the last 30 years. That’s pretty impressive.

We’re at halftime at U.S. Bank Stadium, and the Vikings lead the Packers by a score of 17-0. Come on in and join us for the third quarter!