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Vikings' defense steals the show in Kirk Cousins' winning return against Packers

Ben Goessling, The Minnesota Star Tribune on

Published in Football

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Late in the fourth quarter, the Lambeau Field bleachers turned purple with the Vikings up 30-10 on Green Bay.

Packers fans filed for the exits and Vikings fans broke the stadium’s subdued murmur with “Skol” chants.

The remaining few Packers fans tried to break up the chants with jeers, but there was little else the fans of the home team could offer as a retort. Not after a historic performance by the Vikings’ marauding defense shut down perhaps the NFL’s hottest quarterback.

Seven players sacked Packers quarterback Jordan Love, and the Vikings forced four takeaways in the 30-10 win that broke a two-game losing streak and put them back in a three-way tie for the NFC North lead with the Lions and Bears. The four turnovers helped the Vikings reach 30 points for the first time since their 39-22 season-opening win against Green Bay.

The headline of the week was the Vikings’ deal for Kirk Cousins at Tuesday’s trade deadline, following a Monday night loss to the Bills that exposed the team’s quarterback issues. On Sunday, Cousins played mostly a supporting role to a defense that’s become the Vikings’ lead act.

The Vikings’ eight sacks were their most ever at Lambeau Field, breaking the record of seven they set in the final matchup between Bud Grant and Bart Starr in 1983. They sacked Love 12 times in their final six quarters against the Packers this year, while outscoring Green Bay 59-13.

Even with linebacker Blake Cashman out because of a concussion, the Vikings streamed pass rushers through the middle of Green Bay’s line, frequently greeting Love with eight defenders at the line of scrimmage as he prepared to take the snap.

With the Packers threatening to pull within six points at the end of the third quarter, the Vikings rushed Love with six defenders on a third-and-10, positioning safeties Josh Metellus and Theo Jackson and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel over tight end Tucker Kraft.

As right tackle Anthony Belton blocked down toward Kyle Van Noy, Kraft blocked Van Ginkel, who engaged briefly before dropping into coverage. Jackson and Metellus then pursued Love unblocked. The quarterback threw incomplete for receiver J. Michael Sturdivant, and the Packers settled for a Trey Smack field goal.

 

The Vikings led 17-0 at halftime, as fans booed the Packers into the locker room.

Cousins completed 21 of his 31 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns against one interception. Both of his TDs were to receivers he’d never played with before this week.

On a third-and-23 in the first quarter, Cousins hit Myles Price with a strike over the middle of the field, and the receiver sprinted for the end zone after colliding with rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse.

Price’s 38-yard touchdown was the first receiving score of his career. He made two attempts to leap into the stands behind Lambeau Field’s south end zone before Packers fans pushed him back.

Then, in the fourth quarter, Cousins pump faked twice before finding tight end Gavin Bartholomew over the middle of the field. The 20-yard TD made it 27-10 Vikings with 8:29 remaining, and sent Packers fans drifting toward the exits.

Aaron Jones found a few Vikings fans to leap into the stadium’s north end zone stands after his touchdown on a second-quarter toss play. Cousins left the field to cheers from Vikings fans congregating outside the team’s tunnel.

On Sunday, there was little Love or any of the Packers could do to interrupt the Vikings’ joy.


©2026 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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