because he was concluded his interview with a TV broadcasting team.
He was well worth the wait in every sense of the phrase.
The team finished Sunday’s match with a 27-25 score, just narrowly missing the top selection for the playoffs in the NFC.
Our football team truly admires the way he’s utilized his opportunities to the fullest,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “I’ve had a fantastic time coaching him.
The Vikings, with a remarkable record of 14-2, are heading to Detroit for a crucial final-week showdown, with the NFC North title and the additional benefits of home field advantage and a first-round bye on the line. Their marshaling defense, fueled by the intense energy of the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium, has excelled to a 7-1 record on home turf.
“Here at home, our competitors feel we’ve got the upper hand,” stated linebacker Blake Cashman, who put on a standout display with 11 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks, which helped prevent Packers quarterback Jordan Love from ever gaining a sense of flow.
A player’s first season with a team is marked by their freshman history.
When Darnold walked back into the locker room following his interview with none other than Tom Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion and the newest lead analyst for Fox, his teammates hosed him down with water and hoisted him up above the crowd.
After that unfortunate play, I have to admit it was quite chaotic,” Darnold said, flashing a wide grin. “I don’t even remember what happened after Aaron Jones picked me up.
Love’s only passing touchdown for the Packers was a 3-yard throw to Malik Heath with 2:18 left, cutting their deficit to just two points and sending a surge of excitement through the crowd of enthusiastic fans decked out in green amidst the sea of purple fans.
The Packers’ struggle against top NFC teams continued, dropping to 0-5 against the conference’s top teams following a tough 31-29 loss to Minnesota, despite a furious comeback from a 28-point deficit on September 29 in Green Bay.
We know our identity, now we just have to work on correcting some mistakes.
The Green Bay Packers dropped two games, getting swept by the Detroit Lions and having their opening match in Brazil lost to their opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles.
We can’t pretend we’re on the same level as other teams if we can’t beat them,” said safety Xavier McKinney. “To be more effective, we need to pay attention to the little things, play with more precision, and improve our performance from the start.
Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson each scored second-half rushing touchdowns to propel the Packers in their late game surge, after Will Reichard’s second missed field goal of the game with 9:18 remaining prevented the Vikings from expanding their lead to ten points.
With the score still in question and the Packers holding onto all their timeouts, O’Connell was confident enough in Darnold to give him the chance to put his team ahead before the final two minutes of play.
Darnold converted crucial third downs with both his legs and arm to secure crucial first downs. On third-and-2, he made a scrambling run that allowed the Vikings to pick up a key first down. Shortly before that, he connected with Justin Jefferson in tight one-on-one defense for a 9-yard gain.
He can be assertive, but he’s still going to be a solid decision-maker,” O’Connell said. “He’s performing as quarterback at an extremely high standard.
Good company
Darnold completed 33 of 43 passes, with one interception, leading the Vikings to a total of 441 yards from 70 plays, which is their second-highest output of the season.
He surpassed Brett Favre (33, Vikings, 2009) and Vinny Testaverde (33, Ravens, 1996) to take 4th place in touchdown passes in a debut season. The 2018 3rd overall draft pick for the Jets is now behind only Matthew Stafford (41, Rams, 2021), Tom Brady (40, Buccaneers, 2020), and Peyton Manning (37, Broncos, 2012) in this category. Notably, Stafford and Brady each led their teams to Super Bowl victories that year, while Manning was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Injury report
The Green Bay Packers’ injury report included several key players. Receiver Christian Watson was inactive due to a knee injury. Meanwhile, linebackers Quay Walker and Jaire Alexander, who deals with knee issues, missed their second and sixth consecutive games respectively, and ninth this season. In addition, safety Zayne Anderson and defensive end Brenton Cox, both backups, entered the concussion protocol during the game and were done for the day.
Vikings linebacker Jones (quadriceps) was pulled from the game in the fourth quarter as a precautionary measure, according to O’Connell. Meanwhile, outside linebacker Patrick Jones (knee) hobbled off the field after taking a late hit from Packers tight end Tucker Kraft in a low, diving block that prompted a chorus of boos from the crowd in response to the replay on the video board, though no penalty was called.
Up next
The Green Bay Packers will close out the regular season by hosting the Chicago Bears next weekend, while the Minnesota Vikings will travel to Detroit.
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AP NFL:
