The Green Bay Packers couldn’t contain Dalvin Cook and fell apart in the second half, leading to a 28-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Matt LaFleur’s team dropped to 5-2 after seven games, while the Vikings improved to 2-5 and momentarily kept their dying season alive.
Here are some quick takes from the Packers’ unexpected defeat:
– Such an uninspired performance overall. You have to wonder if there was some looking ahead to Thursday night.
– This is a good football team, but the same fatal flaws that existed last January still exist now.
– Again, the response to some adversity was concerning. The Packers started well, but the Vikings punched back and Matt LaFleur’s team didn’t find a counter until late. This team feels a little bit too much like a frontrunner.
– This is one of the worst tackling teams in football. Dalvin Cook made first contact look like nothing. The defensive backs really struggled to tackle in space, a growing trend for this defense.
– The seat is getting hotter and hotter for Mike Pettine. His guys didn’t execute well on Sunday, but it’s a front-running group without a true identity. Kirk Cousins only needed to attempt 14 passes.
– The Packers managed the wind wonderfully in the first half, using the run game and short, safe passes to move the ball efficiently over two long drives. They had penalties and some self-inflicted mistakes in the second half and the long drives dried up.
– The wind was certainly a factor. The Packers had a lot of nice matchup opportunities in the passing game but the wind condensed the offense in a big way. The Packers didn’t have Aaron Jones to make up the difference. The Vikings did have Dalvin Cook.
– Davante Adams had three touchdowns but the Vikings did a decent job keeping him contained. He caught seven passes for only 53 yards.
– Marcedes Lewis and Elgton Jenkins were both flagged for two holding calls.
– I can’t believe they picked up the flag on fourth down. It was an awkward play, but Anthony Harris made contact early and clearly wasn’t playing the football. He directly interfered. The officials called this game really tight but then picked up the flag on a big play.
– The Vikings defensive backs and pass-rushers played much better than expected. That defensive front was especially impressive considering the lack of top-end talent. Mike Zimmer doesn’t have great talent to work with anymore, but he had his guys ready to play.
– The inside linebackers struggled. Kamal Martin and Krys Barnes were consistently out-leveraged or playing in the wrong gap.
– This is going to be a bad loss if the Packers are in the running for the top seed in the NFC late in the year.
– The only bright side here: At least the Vikings aren’t getting Trevor Lawrence.
– Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers are going to enjoy watching this one. Packers have three days to get ready for a tough trip to Santa Clara.
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