The Green Bay Packers clinched their first NFC North title since 2016 by claiming their first-ever win at U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday night in Minneapolis.
A pair of Aaron Jones rushing touchdowns in the second half and arguably the most impressive performance of the 2019 season from Mike Pettine’s defense powered the Packers to a dominant, 23-10 win over the Vikings.
The Packers are now 12-3, with a chance to finish 13-3 and secure a first-round bye (and possibly even the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC) with a win over the Detroit Lions in the season finale on Sunday.
Jones fumbled on the first series but came alive after halftime, rushing for 154 yards on 23 carries. His 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the Packers their first lead, and his 56-yard score in the fourth quarter all but put the game away.
Pettine’s defense made sure of it.
Za’Darius Smith tallied 3.5 sacks, five tackles for losses and five quarterback hits as the Packers held Kirk Cousins to 82 net passing yards. The Vikings managed only 139 total yards and seven first downs. Cousins was sacked five times and intercepted once.
The Vikings scored 10 early points off of turnovers but never seriously threatened again.
The Packers, meanwhile, held the ball for over 37 minutes and out-gained the Vikings by almost 250 yards.
Matt LaFleur became the first Packers coach to win the NFC North in his first season as coach.
The Packers last won the NFC North in 2016 when they defeated the Lions at Ford Field in the season finale. They’ll be playing for nothing more than playoff positioning next Sunday when they go back to Ford Field.