Vikings Territory Breakdown: Vikes Lose 41-17—But it Was More Like 41-Donut

Vikings Territory Breakdown with Joe Oberle and Mark Craig

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The Minnesota Vikings, with the number one seed in the NFC playoffs at stake before they took the field at Lambeau Stadium on Sunday, played like they were opposing the Indianapolis Colts and helped the Green Bay Packers build a huge first-half lead. The comeback magic that has been part of their make-up throughout the 2022 season, left them in their first game of 2023 and they were beaten, no pummeled, by the Packers by a score of 41-17. No comeback; no one-score game; and they are no longer look like the team of destiny in the NFC.

No matter. What remains for the 12-4 Vikings is yet a chance (albeit slim to none) to grab the number two seed and potentially host two playoff games. But the result is no longer under the Vikings’ control. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Las Vegas Raiders and are now tied with the Purple and hold the tie-breaker. The Vikings need to beat the Bears in Chicago next week and hope the Niners lose to the 4-12 Arizona Cardinals at home. Doubtful

What they don’t need is to get beat in the trenches on both sides of the ball. They don’t need their top weapon and, arguably, the best receiver in the league to be shut down completely on the big stage (one catch on five targets for 15 yards). They don’t need to lose the turnover battle by an alarming 4-0 margin. They don’t need two missed field goals. They don’t need to give up to their opposition their first pick-six and kickoff return for a touchdown in a game since 1967. They don’t need to be gifted the ball 1st and goal on the one-yard line after a blocked punt and only score three points off it. They don’t need dropped passes, missed communications and the loss of two starting offensive linemen to injury and out for the game. And they don’t need a running game that is (nearly) led by their quarterback who spends much of his time on offense looking as though he is running for his life.

All of that happened in the game against the Packers. So, they need to flush this one and get back to work before the trip to the Windy City. Meanwhile, we at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast Joe Oberle and Mark Craig are back to work to break down this mess at Lambeau and look at what comes next for the Vikings. Tune in and check out what will be an exciting final week to an already amazing 2022 regular season.

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