They were better in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings will face off in one of three late afternoon starts in Week 11 of the National Football League 2015 regular season on Sunday. “But when they come in …” Maybe it did take divine intervention for Lacy to rumble for a season-high 100 yards one week after missing a game because of a pulled groin. “It’s one game and we didn’t play the best that we could and they made plays”. Bridgewater took back-to-back sacks to prompt a punt on the next possession, all but sealing the first loss at home for the Vikings in eight games since the Packers won here nearly exactly a year ago.
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The Green Bay Packers were a game behind the Minnesota Vikings in the race for the NFC North division title … that was before the Packers defense had something to say about it.
Linebacker Anthony Barr wasn’t smiling when he spoke Monday to the media, but he claimed to have seen such gestures among his teammates. “I remember spinning out, and my legs got wrapped up, and the ball got away from me”. With the incomparable Adrian Peterson at halfback and a strong, fast defense, the vikings looked like the last team the suddenly punchless Packers wanted to play as they tried to cure what ailed them.
On the season, the Green Bay Packers average 236.3 yards in passing and 108.0 yards in rushing.
“I still believe in this football team and i believe in everything about us”, he said.
The inactives for Green Bay included Brett Hundley, LaDarius Gunter, Alonzo Harris, Andy Mulumba, Lane Taylor, Jared Abbrederis and Ty Montgomery. Randall Cobb, who we will get to later, was dropping a few big passes.
Zimmer said he’s disappointed in the performance – noting there were “too many mistakes” to win the game – but is not discouraged by the team’s future. He shoveled the 2-point conversion pass to Jones, too, for a 27-13 lead.
The Green Bay Packers think they welcomed back the Eddie Lacy they know and love on Sunday.
Big games then follow for Minnesota on December 6 at home against Seattle and December 10 at Arizona. “It’s something that going forward we’ve got to continue to build”. One of the keys to success in Zimmer’s scheme is keeping the quarterback in the pocket with disciplined lanes for the pass rushers, resisting temptation to chase a sack at the expense of giving the offense an opening.
Although his 16-of-34, 212-yard stat line doesn’t turn heads, Aaron Rodgers made plays when it counted. Except for the hit on their overall and intraconference record, that humbling 20-3 defeat did plenty of good by the way it galvanized the players after the embarrassment on national television.
While the Vikings, Bears and Lions are doing their best to catch up in talent, it will be hard to ever match the Packers’ experience and stability with Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy.
Zimmer didn’t have much more to add. “I don’t know [how he is]”, Zimmer said. He was declared out in the second half with an ankle injury. While the team did manage to score 30 points, they did have issues at times.
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With the myth of their invincibility shattered by the toughest three-game stretch of coach Mike McCarthy’s tenure, the Packers came to a sobering realization in the week leading up to their day of reckoning against the NFC North Division-leading Minnesota Vikings. “You’ve got to be able to win when the whole world is watching”, cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said. “We want to win it, so our goals are still ahead of us….”
