The Minnesota Vikings blew out the Green Bay Packers for the second time this season, improving to 14-2 on the season. I know the final scores of 31-29 (first game) and 27-25 (last Sunday) don't appear to be blowouts, but they were. The Vikings jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first game and a 27-10 lead in the second game. In the two matchups, the Packers spent a total of 14/120 minutes (11.6% of the minutes) with a win probability of 50% or higher against the Vikings. They also never possessed the ball a single time in the second half of either game with a chance to tie or take the lead. Don't let any cheeseheads try to convince you that either of these games were close...or that the Packers belong on the same field as the Vikings. The Minnesota Vikings have their eyes on a Super Bowl run, while the Packers are living in lollipop land.
Here was my prediction for the Viking/Packer game:
"I predict this game will be another 1-score, back and forth battle, with the Vikings winning 31-23. The Vikings will sweep the Packers for the first time since 2017. I expect the Vikings defense to force Jordan Love into multiple turnovers because he is horrible under pressure, Justin Jefferson is going to have a huge game with multiple clutch receptions, and Sam Darnold is going to continue his historic quarterback season under center. The Vikings need to contain Packers running back Josh Jacobs while also winning the turnover battle. Let's improve to 14-2 and have the opportunity to compete with the Detroit Lions in week 18 for the number 1 seed in the NFC playoffs!"
Sam Darnold put on another masterclass performance, throwing for a career-high 377 yards, 3 touchdowns, and boasting a 116.1 passer rating. Justin Jefferson recorded 92 receiving yards including one of the best catches I have ever seen him make (was nullified due to a holding penalty). Darnold's touchdown passes went to Addison, Nailor, and Akers. Darnold now has 13 games with a 100+ passer rating this season, tying him with Aaron Rodgers (2011) and Patrick Mahomes (2018) for 2nd most games with a 100+ passer in a single season in NFL history. Darnold only trails Rodgers' 14 such games in 2020 and he can tie the record this Sunday in Detroit! With the Vikings improving to 14-2, Darnold is officially the first QB in NFL history to record 14 wins in his first season with a team. Jordan Addison's touchdown catch makes him tied with Sammy White (19) for most receiving touchdowns by a player in his 1st two seasons with the Vikings (Randy Moss - 28). The Vikings were able to contain running back Josh Jacobs, holding him to only 69 yards and forcing him to fumble early in the game. This also helped the Vikings win the turnover battle 1-0, bringing the Vikings forced turnover count to 16 consecutive games. By containing Josh Jacobs so well, it forced the Packers to have to rely on Jordan Love to pass the ball. This game went just like the first matchup. The Vikings dominated the first 3 quarters, and then the Packers proceeded to accumulate a bunch of garbage points in the 4th. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Jordan Love had 59 passing yards and the Vikings were winning 27-10. This was a blowout, even though the final score didn't show it.
The last four Vikings quarterbacks to beat the Packers twice in the same season are Randall Cunningham (1998), Brett Favre (2009), Case Keenum (2017), and now Sam Darnold (2024). I know this trend might look scary at first glance, but don't fret. The 2024 Minnesota Vikings are going to AT LEAST make the NFC Championship game...the only difference...Sam Darnold is going to finish the job that those 3 quarterbacks were unable to accomplish. Darnold and the Vikings are going to win the Super Bowl this season. You know I'm not scared to make predictions if you have followed my blog at all. I've said the Vikings will make the Super Bowl back in Week 3. I have said Blake Cashman is the most important piece to the defense, and we are 13-0 when he plays. I predicted the Vikings to win 13 games this season, when Vegas had us with 6.5 wins and countless other "experts" predicted we'd be picking in the top-5 of next season's NFL draft. I just look at football as unbiased as I can, and this Vikings team has always looked like a championship contender since training camp, in my opinion.
BATTLE FOR THE NORTH:
Our 14-2 Minnesota Vikings will travel to Detroit to square off with the 14-2 Lions. This will officially be the final game of the NFL regular season, after it was flexed to 7:20pm on Sunday night, and the winner will be crowned the champion of the NFC North and earn the number 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs. This is one of the biggest NFL season finales in the history of the NFL. Detroit's defense is a mess with how many players they have on the IR, while Minnesota boasts one of the top-5 defenses in the entire league. Both offenses are extremely talented, but I would argue Detroit has the slight edge based on scoring output through the entire season. I don't see this game resulting in a blowout either direction. This game will come down to the final few drives in order to decide to victor. I predict the Lions to take a 31-28 lead late in the 4th quarter...and then Sam Darnold and Justin Jefferson will lead the Vikings down the field for a touchdown to win 35-31. My brother, Justin, says that this will be a shootout with the Vikings winning 33-32. My freind, Taylor, says the Vikings will win 35-14. It won't even be close because the Vikings defense will show up and the Lions defense is a shell of itself. Also, the Vikings will win the turnover battle 3-0. No matter how the game ends, make sure to bring your popcorn!
