What a night to be a Packer fan. The Packers played the best game of their 2023 season on both sides of the ball in Minneapolis’, U.S. Bank Stadium on the last day of the year.
An offense that had sputtered to a humiliating loss in late October on their home field against this same defense, opened up a can of revenge on the Vikings, stunning and silencing their crowd for most of the game, and at the same time, posting their second two-game win streak of the year while ending Minnesota fans dreams of a playoff berth.
Jordan Love and the offense could not move the ball on their first possession, but Minnesota seemed to lack the keys to disembowel the Packer defense that some previous teams found so easy. After the Vikings and their new starting quarterback, Jaren Hall, punted on a three and out, the Packer offense came to life.
A 12 play 64-yard drive ended abruptly with two incompletions, but Anders Carlson punched through a 34-yard field goal to give Green Bay a 3-0 lead. While naysayers were probably worried that the Packers would live to regret not scoring a touchdown on that drive, their worries were wasted energy.
Packers Defensive / Offensive Synergy Returns
Jaren Hall threw a pass two plays later to Viking tight end Johnny Mundt. Mundt was replacing All-Pro T.J. Hockenson who has a long recovery from two knee ligament tears. Mundt let the ball pop off his hands, and Corey Ballentine picked the floating ball out of the sky. That defensive gem set up the offense at the Viking 33 and two plays later Jayden Reed snatched a perfectly thrown 33-yard pass from Love.
Reed danced into the end zone untouched to make the lead 10-0. Ballentine showed up later, preventing a deep pass to Justin Jefferson. The truth is this defense has played its best with Alexander and Stokes out of the lineup. But neither Viking quarterback had the ability to truly dissect Ballentine’s or Valentine’s deficiencies. Both held up extremely well.
After falling behind by two scores, the Vikings again could not move the ball. After one first down and a Packer penalty the Vikings had a first and 5 but could not convert. Love and the Packers then drove 7 plays and fifty yards to knock on the door once again.
But instead of taking the short field goal LaFleur decided to do for it on 4th and short. He dialed up the perfect play, but a strong rush forced Love out of the pocket, and he threw a pass that required wide open Bo Melton to dive for it. The ball fell through his hands.
The Vikings Hall then moved the ball for the first time. Seven plays moved the chains a total of 40 yards and led to a 54-yard field goal. The Packer offense then drove down field with Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft, and Aaron Jones doing most of the damage.
But Love decided to join in, trying a keeper from the two-yard line, a scary dive over a low tackle attempt that bent Love sideways. The play’s ending hit looked like it had an injury potential on a major scale. But luck was also with the Packers on this night. Love escaped injury and his reach for the goal line padded the score to 17-3.
The Packer defense then rose up, getting a quick punt from Minnesota and then a strip sack on their next defensive opportunity. The strip sack by Preston Smith, gave the offense the ball with 32 seconds left in the half which was more than Love needed to find Reed again, this time as the speedy receiver gained a step on a crossing route turning the short crosser into a 25-yard traffic weaving touchdown. The score at halftime was 23-3 after Carlson shanked the extra point.
But the Packers were not satisfied with one half of solid play. Minnesota switched quarterbacks for the second half, turning to the recently demoted Nick Mullins. Mullins looked good to start the drive, but the Packer defense again foiled the Vikings hopes, getting stops on third and fourth down at the Packer nine yard line.
Love Exceeds Expectations
Love then handed the ball off to Aaron Jones who carved the Vikings for 25 yards. Once again, the Packers rolled through the Viking defense to the tune of 13 plays and 90 yards that culminated in a 9-yard pass to a wide-open Bo Melton for a seeming game icing touchdown. With the score 30-3, the Packer defense again did their job, forcing a punt.
Unfortunately, Jayden Reed was now out of the game due to injury and his replacement, Samori Toure, muffed the punt. The Vikings scored a quick touchdown and Packer fans edged nervously in their seats while the TV announcers brought up the last big Viking 30-point comeback.
But any angst fans of the Green and Gold had at that moment would quickly dissipate. A 13 play 55-yard drive that took almost 8 minutes off the clock ended with Carlson making a 37-yard field goal. The Vikings burned most of the rest of the clock in a failed 13 play drive that turned the ball over on downs.
The celebration ended with Sean Clifford at quarterback kneeling for the win. Jordan Love has now thrown 30 touchdown passes and had a QB rating of 125.3. That is six out of the last seven games Love has had a rating over 100.
Next week the Bears, winners of 4 of their last 5, come to Lambeau with the desire to spoil the Packer’s New Year party.
Let’s hope the game gives the Packers their second three game win streak.
18 Comments
https://twitter.com/ReallyRichx2/status/1741837134938493177
No one has anything to say Jason. Everyone is all so disappointed. This team wasn’t supposed to be good without Aaron Rodgers. It’s like every one is in shock. Their belief system is shattered…..
ikr lol, got so quiet since it became clear Rodgers was replaceable without the ego and drama
More excited now to be a Packer fan than ever. Next year is really going to be something
Gentlemen? . . . The D still sucks. Moreover, if anything, those WRs bailout J Love constantly . . . But that is STATING THE OBVIOUS, isn’t it? No sour grapes here. Gutecunt(sp?) and Murphy were never the answer. Why do you insist on continuing to use your confirmation bias? Are you homers? For at least a decade, TT, Murphy, and Gutecunt(sp?) refused to give Rodgers the requisite talent. Why can’t you geniuses (assumed) admit to this or, are you both that obtuse to the facts? J Love made ONE spectacular throw yesterday. Btw, I thoroughly loved it. But that ONE THROW does not define, nor does it mirror 30 years of HOF QB1 production. The reason that this site has turned into a dust bowl is because of the inane banter produced by one person (Tom M) PERIOD. Live with that Jason. You allowed a divisive person to take over the dialogue in here PERIOD. FYI, intellectually speaking, it becomes tedious to read the same tired, half-witted banter and homerisms that pervade this blog nowadays to the actual dialogue and irreverence that used to happen in here a few years back.
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Now, please! By all means, enjoy your dying blog that has now been taken over by either a 1265 “salt” or some nascent half-witted Packer homer. Your complicity helped to create this vacuous, rudderless Packer blog. Either way, you have lost. In the prophetic words of PF4L: “Sad and Broken” . . .
You mean the same way Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Davante Adams, and Randal Cobb “bailed out” Aaron Rodgers? But that’s stating the obvious, right MMSUCKS? And to think these young WR’s have been able to shine without earning Jordan Love’s “trust” that the pompous Aaron Rodgers constantly demanded. Your beloved Aaron Rodgers won back to back MVP awards with teams that Gutekunst built. He had enough to win it all. That’s the biggest fallacy you girls LOVE to tell each other. Gutekunst and Murphy held Rodgers back. In reality, Rodgers held the Packers back. You put Brady or Mahomes on those teams that went 13-3 and you win at least one SB.
Jordan Love: 8 wins, 30 TD’s, 4 more rushing TD’s, 3850 yards passing, just 11 INTs. I’d say that’s more than just one play MMSUCKS but you’re the expert. It was fire Murphy and Gutekunst when we’re 2-5 but now that we’re 8-8 and one win away from a playoff berth just like last year with the mighty Aaron Rodgers and Murphy and Gutekunst can’t get any credit for that. Even though Murphy hired Gutekunst and Gutekunst built this roster. Then who gets credit? No one? Just blind luck?
Don’t blame Jason because you and the girls can’t articulate your blind love for all things Aaron Rodgers into a coherent counterpoint. It was time to move on. Management knew it and planned accordingly. It was the right call. Even if you ladies stubbornly refuse to admit it.
The defense is extremely terrible and I never liked the choice of Joe Barry from the beginning, but a lot of the putridness of the defense is because Alexander and Stokes, both recently injured, can’t play football anymore. They were each once pretty good. Plus Savage is just a guy now but he never really met expectations for his first round pedigree.
The WR constantly bail out Jordan Love. Oh for fuck sake dude, go back under the rock you crawled out from under. 16 TDs and 1 INT, 1800 yards, 68% completion % over the last 7 games. The last QB to do that over a 7 game stretch was Rodgers in 2021. That’s a LOT of bailing out. Go get fucked
Lol! Fuck you too. How many times do you see the WRs run back for the ball? Answer? NUMEROUS times. How many times does he throw the ball to an empty area yards away from the nearest reciever? Answer? Numerous times. The WRs are constantly running to get a weakly thrown, or underthrown pass PERIOD. What games are you watching?
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Regardless, my comments DID NOT warrant that kind of vitriol. Go fuck yourself. The only thing that you and I agree on is that the right wing sucks . . . For that you get a pass.
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Btw, I am glad that Love is winning . . . I just DO NOT believe that he is as good as you homers think that he is. So . . . Back the fuck off Kato and cool your jets . . .
Something definitely changed with Love at some point, his accuracy improved to NFL caliber. Part of that might be because the offensive line settled down. Also it should be pointed out that in his first year starting, Love broke the single season all time yards and TDs record …for the Bears. That’s right, Love is better than any Bears QB in history.
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Love’s strength is in finding and throwing to the open receiver. The fact that there were no Packers receivers who had a 100 game all year until this last game is and indication of his ability to spread the ball around. His receivers want to play for him.
Oh Flip Flop, keep pretending like you’re nostrodomus. Tell us all again how you wanted to tank the rest of the season to win the Caleb Williams sweepstakes.
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Jason, are you really that dense? It has nothing to do with Rodgers. No one comments here anymore because they can’t stand dealing with Tom. And no, he hasn’t been right about crap. He mentions every possible situation and then whatever happens he pretends like “he knew it all along!” Multiple long time commenters have said that they refuse to respond to him.
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It’s too bad this site has been reduced to Paul having to write personal articles for Tom so he can talk to himself about his Rodgers obsession.
Oh look, two more comments that I couldn’t see before because the site still doesn’t work right. Looks like MMSUCKS just seconded what I mentioned in my first post. It’s simply not worth the time and energy anymore. It doesn’t matter how many times you point out the facts. If you call him out on what he says he either disappears, sidesteps it with some irrelevent word salad, or pretends that it was something completely different. Then he starts right back up with the same fallacies. There is no reasoning, it’s all a game. It’s so ridiculous it’s almost like it’s an agenda.
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It’s always good to watch the Packers get a win but they just made it to 8-8 by beating a Vikings team that was starting their 3rd string QB, and then their 2nd string QB who happened to be benched from the week before. That, and Minnesota’s defense was a complete sieve. The Packers were literally ONE second away from going to overtime with the worst team in the league last week. Not to mention they made Tommy Devito and Baker Mayfield look like Joe Montana.
The fact the owner of this site embraces a turd tells you all you need to know about this “blog”. Wonder if Monty ever stops by to see what happened to this place.
Monty would never have put up with Rodgers diva crap. And he most certainly wouldn’t have been an Aaron Rodgers fanboy. He would have called you all pussies!
Golly Gee Batman….Tom M, wasn’t here when Monty was here.
But he talks like he knows Monty?
Tom knows how Monty thinks?
Tom knows what Monty would say?
Hmmmm…..that is some….special talent….lol
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What do you think Killer?
I find Tom annoying as anyone else, and obviously goes any direction the wind blows. He didn’t stick up for Love or believed in him when he struggled. As far as I am concerned, eff him.
I also think a large portion of the fan base rooted for Love to fail from the start because it would confirm their priors about Gutekunst and the organization (there is nothing wrong with criticism, and they definitely deserve it, Gute has messed some things up badly). I just never understood the rooting for failure thing. I am hoping Love is a long term face of the franchise and doesn’t become the egomaniacal weirdo Rodgers did. I also don’t think Rodgers would have this team where it is today.
Considering Monty had lots of opportunities to call people out but didn’t tells us exactly how deluded and obsessed you are with Rodgers. Deny, deflect and blame Rodgers instead, that is your MO. The only pussy here is you calling everyone else pussies that doesn’t agree with you. You know what you wrote, you know you denounced the Packers front office, so own up to it. Until then STFU, you aren’t a fan, remember? YOUR sentiments, not mine.
Actually I call you ladies. Much more dignified. Look, if you guys want to tell each other Brian Gutekunst ruined Aaron Rodgers career, that Mark Murphy is incompetent, that Mike McCarthy can’t coach, or Jordan Love isn’t playing like a franchise QB, have at it. No reason to let reality interfere with your mass delusions. Just don’t get your panties in a bunch if the rest of us don’t buy into your nonsense.
The New York Jets are an absolute disaster as an organization right now. It’s no coincidence that your beloved Aaron Rodgers is front and center of that mess. The circus has come to town. And it’s going to get much worse before it ever gets better. I feel for the Jets. Meanwhile back in Title Town we’re going to be just fine….
Let’s not forget the Yimmy Kimmel / AROD feud. Anyhoo, I was not expecting much by way of a record this year, Aaron Rodgers was at 18 years a feat in its self sans Tom Brady, and we enjoyed many ups a downs. I wished for more SB appearances and wins but it didn’t happen. So, you move on from it and try something different. Still love my Pack and always will. Happy New Year to you all.