SWEEPING AWAY THE CHEESE

VIKINGS 27

PACKERS 25

The Vikings closed out the calendar year of 2024 on Sunday with their home finale against the hated Packers. Nobody could have guessed what importance this game would hold when the schedule came out last spring. 

This most unexpected of seasons reached a new crescendo, as the Vikings swept the Packers for the first time since 2017, won their 9th game in a row for the first time since 1975, and took their last necessary step to set up a week 18 showdown in Detroit for the ages.

The stakes for today were clear. Win and stay alive in the division and #1 seed race. Lose and be almost certainly relegated to not just a wild card, but maybe even drop to the 6 seed.

The Packers entered on a 9-2 run since our win at Lambeau, the only 2 losses to the Lions. And insultingly, the Vikings, despite having won 8 straight, were home underdogs.

The first break went to the Vikings, as on the opening drive Josh Jacobs fumbled. We have a turnover forced in every game this season. We didn't score after this one, though, and actually, the game began very defensive minded. 

The Vikings 1st scoring chance came up empty when, after Jordan Addison just missed hauling in a deep shot to the endzone, Will Reichard doinked a 57-yard field goal off the crossbar. The Packers took the shorter field and drove to their own field goal, pushed along in part by an atrocious personal foul call on Harrison Smith. 

The Vikings 1st score came on a Sam Darnold deep shot to a wide open Jalen Nailor, who re-emerged from really a couple of months of minor contributions at best to have a big game. 

The defense turned over Jordan Love and company on downs the next series, and we drove to a Reichard field goal. 

Another field goal closed the half, but not without some help. After some poor clock management left us with only another long field goal, Reichard missed from 55. But the Packers were offsides. Will got another shot and made this one. The 13-3 halftime score did not quite reflect how in control the Vikings were.

The score did expand after halftime, though. The Vikings took the ball, and drove to another touchdown, a terrific step up throw by Darnold to Addison. 

On the other end, Brian Flores's defense was basically rattling Love from minute one, causing him to be very inaccurate. Josh Jacobs ran a little, but was not able to control things. 

At 20-3, the only thing that could save the Packers was a Vikings mistake. And we did have one, when Darnold threw his 1st actual bad interception in weeks, a toss into double coverage. The return (which Nailor actually caused a fumble on before the Packers recovered) set them up for a pretty easy touchdown. So it was a game again. 

But Darnold has shown all year a knack for bouncing back quickly from mistakes, and he did again on a wonderful response drive, a 70 yard march that ended with a little Darnold to Cam Akers swing pass for the score and a re-established 17 point lead. 

The Vikings pass rush got to Love with a Gink/Cash sack which forced a punt, and we were driving again. A long catch and run by Jefferson helped set us up for another Reichard field goal, a 43 yarder....which he clanked off the post. You know, Parker Romo might be on a plane back here soon. Reichard just hasn't been the same since his IR stint. 

Here is where the momentum really shifted. Instead of going up 20, the Packers were handed some shred of life, and as if it was a rerun of week 4, the Vikings' defense suddenly stopped playing. Green Bay zipped to a touchdown and added the 2. 27-18. 

The Vikings' next drive featured one of the great catches of Jefferson's career, a one-hander on a 3rd and long...which was wiped out by a holding penalty.

The Packers get the ball and again zip to a touchdown with minimal resistance. So here we were again, sweating out a game we had controlled. 

We needed a couple of first downs to ice the game. We got one on a swing pass to CJ Ham. Then, a couple of plays later, we had a 3rd and 2. A first down ends the game. A 4th down forces a really dicey decision.

The call was a little play action pass, with Darnold tossing the ball to Cam Akers. I swear, as the ball was in the air, my heart stopped, because it looked like it was off and would be incomplete. But Akers managed to scoop the ball just off the turf and secure the catch that ended the game. Add that moment to the list of plays that define the season if we go all the way. 

And we could. Yes, this could prove to be just another team that teases us with possibility only to let us down. They could lose in Detroit. They could lose in the playoffs. Nothing is guaranteed. But I have never felt a vibe from a Vikings team quite like this one. I don't look at it as anything that they let games be closer than they need to.

Look, if this is THE team, the team that will finally do this, it will never be easy. Not with this franchise. If we do this, we will have to accept the stress that comes every step of the way.

Four wins.

Four wins left to get. First is the final game of the NFL regular season next Sunday night at Ford Field. The Vikings and Lions have been playing each other since 1961, and this will be the biggest matchup ever. The winner wins the NFC North and home field advantage, and the loser will be the 5th seed and likely never see their home field again this year.

The Lions can not be dismissed at all, even with all their injuries, but this Vikings squad is really starting to feel like the one we have all been waiting for. I think they can do this.