The Minnesota Vikings have long been eliminated from playoff contention, playing their last three games with nothing on the line, while the Green Bay Packers were locked into the No. 7 seed.
While the Packers opted to rest their starters and important backups for this week, the Vikings fielded J.J. McCarthy and all their starters who had not yet been shut down, looking to hit some statistical milestones and also further the development of some of their young players. Also, to potentially say goodbye to some franchise icons with former players showing up to the game in Harrison Smith jerseys.
On the defensive side of the ball, it went exactly how you would have expected of a game with a Brian Flores-led defense against a practice squad quarterback. Despite this, it took a while for this offense to get going, getting their first touchdown with just 20 seconds in the half with C.J. Ham recording what could be his last TD in purple, bringing them a 13-0 lead into half.
McCarthy removed himself from the game in the third quarter due to re-aggravation of pain in his right hand where the hairline fracture occurred. From here, almost all the starters would see themselves pulled to start the fourth quarter.
Max Brosmer made yet another comical red-zone turnover, fumbling the ball when he didn’t seem to realize the play was still live and giving it back to the Packers. Brosmer did lead another drive into the red zone, leading to a field goal to make it a 16-0 game. The Packers got a last-second consolation field goal to make it a 16-3 game, and the Vikings end a strange season with five consecutive victories to wind up with a winning record.
Here are five numbers to break down one of the oddest border battles in recent history.
6
Justin Jefferson crossed 1,000 yards for the sixth time in six seasons, joining only Randy Moss and Mike Evans as the only wide receivers to do so. He became just the third Viking with six 1,000-yard seasons after Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Randy Moss.
Jefferson finished the day with 104 yards on eight catches, getting his first 100-yard game since September 28 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The plan was obvious early: Get Jefferson the ball as often as possible so he could get the 53 yards he needed to get his 1,000 yards. Jefferson caught the first three passes of the game, with designed touches, and ended up getting past the 1,000-yard mark halfway through the second quarter.
This season presented unique challenges for No. 18. He spent the season playing with a developing quarterback, a journeyman backup, and an undrafted free agent. While some receivers of his caliber would have complained on the sideline and in the media, Jefferson has been entirely professional. He offered nothing but praise and encouragement to his quarterbacks. As O’Connell said, “If there was a statistical category for leadership, you would have 2,000 yards.”
Jefferson has had a few uncharacteristic drops this season. He has also struggled to find the end zone, recording just two touchdowns this season. Still, the Vikings had to get Jefferson to 1,000 yards this season. It shows that this organization is committed to looking out for him and his interests.
The Vikings have a decision to make about what to do at the quarterback position. It’s hard to imagine that Jefferson’s input wouldn’t be crucial in this choice.
4
Dallas Turner recorded his fourth strip sack of the season, tied for the most in the league. Turner, the overlooked 2024 first-round pick has come on towards the end of his sophomore campaign while filling in for Jonathan Greenard.
Turner has been a different player than last season, especially in pure pass-rush reps, where he has shown an ability to win with both speed and power on the edge. Turner blasted past Green Bay’s left tackle on his way to lay a massive blind side hit on Clayton Tune, who dropped the ball, only to have his running back jump on it.
Turner recorded another sack on third down in the third quarter, again winning with speed on his way to his second sack of the game and 11th of his career. His 11 sacks since the start of 2024 are the most of any player who is 22 years old or younger.
You could say this sack came while working against a backup tackle in a meaningless game. Still, Turner’s improvement has been consistent and impressive all season. In the Seattle Seahawks game, he recorded two sacks, both of which forced fumbles.
Turner’s ability to get to the quarterback and target the ball was something this defense needed, as it occasionally lacked spark plays and turnover opportunities. With Jonathan Greenard coming back at the start of the season and Andrew Van Ginkel‘s value to the defensive line, it is interesting to see how the team will work in an ascending Turner to get him the snaps he needs to make an impact.
2
The Vikings have held their opponents to minus-three net passing yards or fewer in the first half for the second time this season, becoming the first team to do so since the New York Jets in 2023 and the first time in team history since 2003, when this stat started being measured.
When the Packers announced that Clayton Tune would be the starter for this game against Brian Flores, who was looking to put another strong performance on tape to solidify his bid to be a head coach again, we all sort of knew how this game would go. Even Matt LeFluer joked about meeting with Flores before the game and begging for mercy.
He wouldn’t receive it.
While the Packers may have treated this week like a preseason game, Flores didn’t. He provided exotic looks that were far too complex for most starters to diagnose, let alone a third-string quarterback in only his second-ever start.
There are rumors about Flores’ future in Minnesota and whether he will receive a head coaching job. However, if he doesn’t, this front office and ownership group will likely make every effort to keep him coaching this defense.
7
The Vikings converted their seventh consecutive fourth down, the longest streak in the NFL this season. They were able to pick their seventh conversion up on a fourth-and-one quarterback sneak that was upheld after a Packers challenge.
Minnesota has had issues with playcalling in short down-and-distance situations, with a lot of flak being put on this team, sometimes looking to push the ball down the field instead of playing for the sticks. The primary issue with KOC’s playcalling from a fan’s perspective has been the team’s inability to convert in short down-and-distance situations. It seems like the offense has fixed some of these issues, though it’s too little, too late.
Now, going into next season, with just how good the team has been on fourth down to end the year, you start to wonder if O’Connell and this offense will develop a more aggressive philosophy next year on fourth down and adapt more to the times.
2
C.J. Ham scored his second rushing touchdown of the season, tying his single-season career high. While most of the attention was on Harrison Smith and his potential retirement, the celebration of Ham went a little under the radar. Ham was with his family before the game on the field, and the emotion was clear to see as he shared a moment with them.
Ham has been a Minnesota Viking for his entire career. Even for a franchise that has long loved its homegrown Minnesota players, he has been especially cherished — not just on the field, as he has been a captain for the special teams unit, but also off of it as their two-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.
O’Connell made it a point to give Ham the ball at the goal line, letting a faithful servant of this team go out on a high note as he evaded a couple of tacklers to wiggle into the end zone, where the entire offensive line would mob him in celebration. If this indeed was the end, it was a great way for a player as beloved as Ham to go out.