Vikings Storm Back with 29 Unanswered Points to Beat Packers

The Minnesota Vikings looked to be dead in the water for about three quarters of Sunday’s season opener against the Green Bay Packers.

Kyler Murray threw an interception on his first pass in purple and gold and later left the game with a concussion. Green Bay racked up 19 points in the first half as Minnesota’s defense played lethargically. But then, everything changed toward the end of the third quarter and throughout the fourth.

Minnesota scored four consecutive touchdowns, and its defense forced four turnovers (two on downs, one fumble, and one interception) to finish the game as they stormed to a 39-22 victory. Here are five takeaways from Week 1.

What Now at Quarterback?

Depending on how Kyler Murray recovers over the course of the week, the Vikings could be facing a big question mark at quarterback for Week 2.

Murray 3/5 passing for 18 yards and the aforementioned interception before leaving the game with a concussion. If he isn’t ready to go by Sunday, Carson Wentz did a lot during the fourth quarter to ensure he remains in the starting role should Murray miss time, but there were certainly some ugly moments mixed in as well. The third down throw that was ended up well right of a wide open Jordan Addison stands out.

2. Justin Jefferson Is Still Unstoppable

No matter what changes with the Vikings year over year, one thing continues to remain the same: Justin Jefferson is still the most dominant receiver in the NFL. The Vikings’ star found the end zone twice on Sunday (marking his first touchdowns at U.S. Bank Stadium since 2024) and hauled in a couple of ridiculous Super-Man catches that simply wouldn’t have been caught if thrown to anyone else.

As long as Justin Jefferson is in the lineup, the Vikings have a chance to do something on offense simply by him being him.

3. Quiet Day for the Vikings’ First Round Pick

A number of Vikings rookies got some run in the season opener. Jake Golday got a little bit of playing time out there on defense and special teams while Domonique Orange picked up his first career tackle for loss in his NFL debut.

What stands out though is who wasn’t exactly present on defense over the course of the afternoon: first-round pick Caleb Banks. He did get some playing time on the defensive line, and there weren’t many moments you can point to and say he played poorly, but his presence wasn’t all that notable. Hopefully that changes going into Week 2.

4. James Pierre Has a Solid Day but Secondary Still Concerning

It was a solid Vikings debut for cornerback James Pierre, particularly in the second half. He played a hand in the comeback win with a couple of pass defenses and the fourth quarter interception to essentially seal the game for Minnesota.

However, it’s still tough to come away from that game and not have some concern for the Vikings’ secondary this year. Minnesota got torched in the passing game for 387 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown to Christian Watson, who finished the day with six receptions for 147 yards and a pair of scores. The Vikings will be facing plenty of speedsters at wide receiver over the course of the year, particularly next week against a Bears offense that put up 59 points on the Caroline Panthers.

5. Penalties Save the Day

We can drink the purple Kool-Aid all night. That’s our right after a Week 1 win over a division rival. But, penalties going in Minnesota’s favor certainly played a role in this win, particularly with the touchdown drive on their first possession of the first quarter.

The Vikings got a roughing the passer to bail them out of a third down incompletion near midfield. Then, a defensive holding call overturned an interception in the end zone, allowing the Vikings to score on the very next play.

In total, the Packers were penalized 12 times for 98 yards. That’s not going to happen every week.

Editor’s Note: Information from ESPN helped with this article.

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