Thirty-nine points in an NFL game is a total gut punch, especially in Week 1 against a backup quarterback. But for the Green Bay Packers, that ugly number doesn’t even begin to tell the full story of their defense’s absolute nightmare on Sunday. This defense wasn’t just bad; they got thrown into absolutely horrendous situations, particularly throughout the second half, battling both awful field position and terrible penalty calls. The flags were a huge issue on the Vikings’ go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter, but field position crushed them the entire second half. We gotta break down these scoring drives to see just how badly this defense was hung out to dry.
Early Penalties and Murray’s Exit Set the Tone
Things actually started pretty solid for the Packers. They put up 10 points on their first two offensive series, and the defense was doing its job. They forced a turnover on the second play of the game, then held the Vikings to a single first down before forcing a punt on the next. But then came the third drive. It started with Minnesota at their own 30 after a kickoff, and that’s when the flags started flying. Javon Bullard got hit with an unnecessary roughness call on what should have been a 3rd-down stop, and that hit took Kyler Murray out of the game. Just like that, the Vikings had a fresh set of downs at midfield with Carson Wentz now under center. The defense still managed to hold them to a field goal, allowing only two more first downs. That drive: 12 plays, 50 net yards (15 via penalty), 3 first downs (1 via penalty), lasting 6:05. You can already see the problem emerging.
The Flag Parade Continues, Leads to Deep Scores
The defense actually continued to play tough on the next two series, giving up just one first down combined and forcing punts both times. Meanwhile, the offense managed another field goal after Bo Melton’s big kickoff return. Then, a Daniel Whelan punt pinned the Vikings deep at their own 15-yard line with about five minutes left in the half. Sounds good, right? Nope. The drive opened with a sack on Wentz by Keisean Nixon and Jonathan Ford, which should have been huge. But then Brenton Cox jumped offsides. A short gain led to 3rd-and-8, which Wentz converted to Justin Jefferson over the middle. Evan Williams hammered Jefferson hard in the back as he went down, drawing *another* unnecessary roughness call. That’s two already! Wentz then converted another 3rd down near midfield, this time to T.J. Hockenson. And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, Lukas Van Ness jumped offside, giving Wentz a free play, and he bombed it to Jefferson for a 39-yard touchdown. That drive: 7 plays, 65 yards (20 via penalty), 4 first downs, in just 3:23.
Unraveling In The Third…
Here’s where things truly started to unravel. After Trey Smack kicked a field goal to push the Packers’ lead to 22-10, the kickoff coverage team completely lost track of Myles Price, who scamp
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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