Packers 23, Vikings 6: 2-minute drill

November 23, 2025|In Packers

Packers 23, Vikings 6: 2-minute drill

November 23, 2025|In Packers

Packers 23, Vikings 6: 2-minute drill

GREEN BAY — Green Bay got a dominant effort from its defense and 107 yards rushing from Emanuel Wilson on its way to a 23-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Play of the Game

It was a 10-6 game early in the third quarter when Daniel Whelan dropped a punt inside the 10-yard line. It took a perfect bounce and Zayne Andersen was able to shove Minnesota returner Myles Price into the ball. It turned into a major scrum but Andersen came out of the pile with the ball. Two plays later the Packers were in the end zone for a 17-6 lead and never looked back.

“That changed the entire game. I can’t say enough about that play,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “That was the play of the game. That was the difference maker.”

Game Balls

Offense:

RB Emanuel Wilson

Forced into a starting role with Josh Jacobs sidelined, Wilson delivered a career day. He ran for 107 yards and added 18 more yards on a pair of catches. The fourth-year back was the first 100-yard rusher for the Packers this year and his total was the most for a Green Bay back in nearly a calendar year. He showed his toughness near the goal line on each of his touchdowns, running through a guy on his first and stretching the ball over for the score on his second.

Defense:

DE Micah Parsons

The Packers star was the most dominant player for what was a dominant performance for the defense. Parsons collected a pair of sacks to give him 10 on the year. He’s the first Green Bay player to hit double digits in sacks since 2020 and he now has at least 10 sacks in each of his first five seasons in the league.

What Went Right

The defense

My goodness was the Packers defense flying around against an overwhelmed JJ McCarthy and a scuffling Vikings offensive line. It wasn’t just Parsons, either. They finished with five sacks, as defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt joined Parsons with two. Rashan Gary didn’t get credit for a forced a turnover but his hitting of McCarthy’s arm led to an Isaiah McDuffie interception in the fourth quarter. Evan Williams also had an interception, his second in as many weeks, as the Packers secondary limited Minnesota’s electric wide receiver duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to just four catches for 48 yards — all of them by Jefferson.

https://x.com/packers/status/1992691921085731064?s=20

Special teams

After a tough week in New York, the Packers special teams bounced back, as kicker Brandon McManus returned from injury to hit all three of his field goals. Daniel Whelan dropped three of his four punts inside the 20-yard line, the third-quarter fumble recovery was the play of the game and Romeo Doubs had a season-long 16 yard return in the fourth quarter.

What Went Wrong

The offense…we guess

The offense was fine-ish and that’s all that was needed because the defense was so good. Green Bay ran the ball for 146 yards, its most since Oct. 12, though it took them 42 carries (3.5 yards per carry) to do it. Jordan Love completed 14 of 21 passes for 139 yards. They got bogged down deep in Minnesota territory multiple times, with three drives ending inside the 21-yard line. It wasn’t a clean performance by any stretch but it got the job done.

In Case You Missed It

— Green Bay was without a number of key players due to injury, including running back Josh Jacobs, wide receiver Matthew Golden and linebacker Quay Walker.

— Jordan Morgan got the start at right guard but was replaced by rookie Anthony Belton on the second drive and Belton ended up playing most of the game.

— Cornerback Keisean Nixon left the game in the second quarter with a stinger and did not return. LaFleur called him day-to-day.

— Nixon was replaced by Kamal Hadden, who was playing in just his seventh career game. He more than held his own for a passing defense that limited a talented receiving core.

“Really proud of that. Kamal has made as much progress as any player we’ve had here,” LaFleur said. “Just to see where he’s come from to where he is now. I think it’s totally reflective in terms of how he’s approached coming in the building on a daily basis.”

— Handing off was an issue for Love, who came into the game nursing a left shoulder injury. It led to him only using his right hand to give the ball to the backs on running plays.

— Love was replaced by Malik Willis for the final drive of the game.

Inside the Numbers

14 — That’s how many plays it took the Packers to go 68 yards on a drive that ended with a field goal in the second quarter. It tied for the most plays in a drive this year. The drive lasted 8:01, which made it the longest scoring drive of the season.

-1 — That’s how many yards the Vikings had in the second half. They ran just 15 plays after the break.

145 — That’s how many yards the Vikings offense had on the day. It was their fewest in a game since 2019 when the Packers held them to 139 on the Monday night Green Bay clinched the NFC North that season.

62 — That’s how many yards passing the Vikings had. It was their fewest since 2021 and the fewest the Packers have allowed since Houston had 55 in October of last year

34.2 — That was McCarthy’s passer rating — the second-worst for an opposing quarterback since 2018.

17 — That’s how many points the Packers won by — their largest margin of victory this season

What’s Next?

Green Bay (7-3-1) will head to Detroit (7-4) to face the Lions on Thanksgiving

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