The Vikings finished the season with a five-game win streak. The Packers are riding into the playoffs on a three-game losing streak. Good time for a lie down.
As was the case with many of the league’s Week 18 games, the Packers essentially sat out this game. It’s pathetic that so many teams are turning the final week of the regular season into a preseason game. The league has a problem and the Packers are a part of it. Very nice. I guess it’s still a sweet thing to see the Vikings dominate the Packers.
The highlight of this game was seeing Justin Jefferson get 100 receiving yards for the game and especially get 1000 receiving yards for the season. This has been a very difficult season. Much of the difficulties are reflected in Jefferson’s season statistically and emotionally. With all of the issues that the team encountered, it’s actually remarkable that the Vikings had a winning 9-8 record and Jefferson finished with 1048 yards.
As for the game, the Vikings managed only 16 points. It could’ve/should’ve been so much more. They settled for three field goals. Of course those could’ve/should’ve been touchdowns. The Packers defense put up marginal resistance. They couldn’t stop Jefferson. They couldn’t tackle Jordan Mason. Jefferson was basically through when he hit 100 yards. He played three quarters. Mason only had 14 carries. The offense took a hit when J.J. McCarthy left the game after a single pass in the second half. A hairline fracture on his right hand kept him out of the Christmas Day win over the Detroit Lions. Many pundits and fans didn’t think that he should be playing in this “meaningless” Week 18 game. I’m glad they aren’t making that decision. Every opportunity McCarthy had to play this season was worth something. I don’t get how anyone would think otherwise. Before he left the game, McCarthy was playing well. He had a couple throws and a couple decisions that he might like back. Other than those instances, he played well. With 182 passing yards in essentially a half of football, he was looking to throw for well over 300 yards. The Vikings were looking to score many more than 16 points. It appeared that his hand issues returned after throwing 23 passes. Every opportunity McCarthy has to see an NFL defense, even a Packers defense simply going through the motions, has value. In my opinion, he took advantage of his final opportunity of the 2025 season. I can’t wait for his 2026 season.
The Vikings defense was great. Again. Even acknowledging they were facing QB3 Clayton Tune, they were great. The Vikings defense has been great for well over a month. It’s surprising that this strong defensive run has been done with Jonathan Greenard and Joshua Metellus sidelined with injuries. The duo are team leaders on and off the field. In Greenard’s place, Dallas Turner has been dynamite. He sacked Tune twice. On the first sack, he forced a fumble. Unfortunately, the Packers recovered. With sack yardage factored into the passing numbers, the Packers passed for -7 yards. They gained only 121 total yards. It was a dominating performance from the Vikings defense. It would’ve been nice if it’d remained a shutout.
It’s always a sad deal to see a Minnesota Vikings season end. There was a particular sting to this one as Harrison Smith and C.J. Ham were removed from the game with great applause and congratulations from teammates and fans. I’ve been reluctant to accept it but it feels like this was the last game of the great Vikings career of Smith. If it’s Ham’s last game, it’s nice that he got a touchdown.
Even with the frustrations of this season, it’s tough to see it end. I suppose the five-game winning streak pushes the belief that this season could’ve been so much different. They finished a half game out of the playoffs. A couple breaks here or there and the Vikings are a playoff team. They were 4-2 in the NFC North. They were 7-5 in the NFC. Those are better records than several of the playoff teams. It’s been a frustrating season and it’s frustrating to see it end.
Up next is the offseason.
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