Justin Jefferson caught eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and the Minnesota Vikings closed the game with 29 unanswered points for a 39-22 win to stun the Green Bay Packers in the season opener for both teams on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Carson Wentz came off the bench to complete 12 of 19 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns for Minnesota. Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones Sr. rushed for one touchdown apiece, and T.J. Hockenson had one touchdown catch.
Jordan Love completed 21 of 42 passes for 387 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for Green Bay. Christian Watson caught six passes for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray’s team debut ended early as he sustained a concussion midway through the first quarter. Murray was hit in the head on a scramble and stayed down for a few minutes before walking off the field under his own power.
The Vikings trailed 22-10 late in the third quarter before staging their decisive rally.
Wentz hit Hockenson for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 22-17 with 2:08 remaining in the third quarter.
After a turnover on downs by Green Bay, the Vikings again marched down the field to seize the lead. Jones darted left for a 3-yard touchdown run, and Jefferson caught a pass for a two-point conversion to give Minnesota a 25-22 lead with 6:37 remaining.
Love fumbled on a strip-sack on the next possession, and the Vikings capitalized with a 1-yard touchdown run by Mason that made it 32-22 with 4:48 to go. Andrew Van Ginkel shared the sack with Blake Cashman but was credited with both the forced fumble and the recovery.
The Packers’ meltdown continued as Love threw an interception to James Pierre on the next drive. Minnesota took advantage of another short field as Wentz found Jefferson, who dived and stretched his right arm to touch the ball against the right pylon for a 9-yard score.
Green Bay led 19-10 at the half.
The Packers scored the first nine points, with their biggest play coming on an 81-yard touchdown catch by Watson. He hauled in a pass from Love behind midfield and darted down the left sideline for the score, though the extra point was missed.
Wentz connected with Jefferson on a 39-yard pass for the Vikings’ first touchdown to cut the deficit to 12-10 with 1:55 left in the half.
The Packers made it 19-10 with 14 seconds before halftime. Love rolled right and found Watson for a 2-yard touchdown.
–Field Level Media
