The Vikings came into this game at Lambeau Field with their playoff hopes hanging on by a thread. Over the course of three miserable hours for the visiting team on Sunday afternoon, the metaphorical rope snapped.
J.J. McCarthy failed to get anything going in another dud of a performance, the Packers got a workhorse game from backup running back Emanuel Wilson, and a special teams mistake proved disastrous in a 23-6 Vikings loss to the Packers. The defeat drops Minnesota to 4-7 and virtually guarantees that they'll be watching the postseason from home when January rolls around.
This was simply a difficult one to watch from a Minnesota perspective. The Vikings were hanging around at halftime, trailing 10-6 thanks to a couple long field goals from Will Reichard, a running game that was working effectively — and limiting how much McCarthy had to do — and a solid defensive effort. But it was obvious that at some point, the passing game was going to need to produce, or the defense would need to come up with some splash plays of their own.
Neither of those things happened in the second half. The Vikings started the third quarter with a brutal mistake by rookie punt returner Myles Price, as a ball hit him for a Packers takeaway that set up an easy touchdown to make it 17-6. From there, it was all gross for Minnesota. They had -10 net yards in the third quarter. They had nine net yards in the fourth quarter, which began with another backwards drive, followed by an interception. McCarthy would go on to throw another pick later in the quarter.
Yes, that's -1 net yard of offense in the entire second half.
McCarthy finished his sixth career start 12 of 19 for 87 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 34.2 passer rating. He was sacked five times.
This was about as ugly as it gets for a Vikings team that came into this season with high hopes and one of the most expensive rosters in the league. Their young quarterback has been a complete mess so far, and the rest of the roster hasn't been nearly good enough to make up for it. There are still six games left, but it's already time to start asking some tough questions and looking ahead to the offseason.
The Vikings were moving the ball fairly well on the game's opening possession before inexplicably abandoning the run and settling for a field goal. The Packers then marched right down the field, aided by a pass interference penalty, and scored a touchdown to take a 7-3 lead that they would never relinquish.
A great punt from Ryan Wright led to a Vikings stop, which set up their best drive of the game. But it stalled in the red zone after an odd T.J. Hockenson sneak attempt on third down and a stuffed Jordan Mason run on fourth down. The teams traded field goals after that, and it was 10-6 at the break.
The second half was nothing short of an utter disaster. McCarthy looked out of his depth, two offensive linemen (Christian Darrisaw and Donovan Jackson) left with injuries, and Micah Parsons dominated.
It's going to be a long trip back to Minnesota for the Vikings, who will travel to play the Seahawks on the road next week.