Week 12 vs Minnesota

The Packers entered week 12 to play only their second division game of the season, and their first since their week 1 win over Detroit. The Packers are sitting at 2nd place in the NFC North, and the Vikings are trailing in last place. JJ McCarthy and the Vikings would walk into Lambeau Field trying to avoid a three-game losing streak, and the Packers were looking to get back-to-back wins.

The Vikings opened the game with a solid drive to set up a 53-yard field goal by Will Reichard. The Packers quickly answered with a rushing touchdown to Emmanuel Wilson, who was starting for the injured Josh Jacobs. Both teams traded going three and out until Packers hit a field goal with two minutes left in the first half to put them up 10-3. The Vikings answered with a field goal of their own, sending the game into halftime with a 10-6 score.

The Packers opened the 2nd half going three-and-out, but after the Vikings muffed the punt, they got the ball back at the Vikings' 5-yard line. They capitalized on the mistake with Wilson's 2nd rushing touchdown of the day. The score was now 17-6 with 11 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. The Vikings would fail to score again, as the Packers' defense suffocated them. JJ McCarthy would be sacked five times and throw two interceptions, as he could not get anything going on offense. The Packers defense played overly conservatively the rest of the game, mainly draining the clock and hitting two more field goals to make the final score 23-6.

This was a dominant win for the Packers, and one of the defense's best performances of the year. The offense, however, left much to be desired; they played very conservatively in the 2nd half, relying on the defense to keep forcing stops. One of their two touchdown drives came from special teams, setting them up at the 5-yard line of the Vikings. The Packers turn their sights to next week, when they will face the Detroit Lions in the first Thanksgiving Day game. The Packers are looking for the season sweep and are fighting for the one seed in the NFC. There is a lot on the line for both teams in this game. It was two years ago that Jordan Love beat the Lions on Thanksgiving Day to start the turnaround of their season, when they reached the playoffs and became the first #7 seed to win a game. It should be a fun one in Detroit, and the nation is looking forward to it.