MINNEAPOLIS — The Green Bay Packers aren’t just going back to the playoffs, they’re going back as NFC North champs. A week after they ensured themselves of ending their two-year playoff drought, they wrapped up their first division title since 2016.
And by doing so with Monday night’s 23-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings, they assured themselves that they wouldn’t have to come back to U.S. Bank Stadium in the playoffs. Before Monday, they had never won in this building.
It wasn’t pretty until the fourth quarter, when Aaron Jones scored the second of his two touchdowns to run his season total to an NFL-leading 19.
But then again, when it hasn’t been Jones or Davante Adams, it hasn’t been pretty on offense for a good portion of their 12-3 season.
It was only 15 days earlier when Aaron Rodgers said: “I wouldn’t mind winning ugly all the way to the Super Bowl.”
For a while, this one looked like it would qualify as another step along that path.
Consider:
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The Packers turned it over three times in the first half. It was their second three-turnover game of the season. Both came on Monday Night Football, the previous being in Week 6 against the Lions.
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That’s also when Rodgers last threw an interception before Monday. He had a streak of 277 straight passes without one until badly underthrowing Adams on a pass into the hands of Vikings safety Anthony Harris in the second quarter. That ended the second-longest interception-free streak of Rodgers’ career. He once threw 402 straight without a pick, which remains the longest streak in NFL history.
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The Packers had allowed just 29 points off turnovers entering the game, the second fewest in the league behind only the Vikings (26). The Vikings’ first 10 points all came off turnovers (Jones’ fumble and Rodgers’ pick).
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Rodgers couldn’t get much going deep, especially early on. He completed just 1-of-8 passes on throws of more than 10 yards in the first half, tied for his second worst half since 2008 with a minimum of eight attempts, according to ESPN Stats & Information. And the one he completed was fumbled away by Adams.
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It was Rodgers’ third game this season without a touchdown pass, although they’ve won all three. The Packers had been 4-10 entering this season when Rodgers failed to throw a touchdown. It was the first time Rodgers won a game in which he threw an interception and no touchdowns.
But thanks to Jones’ 23 carries for 154 yards with two touchdowns and Adams’ 13 catches for 116 yards, and thanks to Za’Darius Smith, whose monster season included a monster game Monday night with 3.5 sacks as a part of a seven-tackle (five for a loss) game, the Packers survived without the best day from Rodgers
Still, the Packers will face questions about how much damage — if any — they can do in the postseason.
As division champs, they are guaranteed at least one postseason game at Lambeau Field, but if the season ended the way it stands now, the Packers would have the No. 2 seed in the NFC. With that comes a first-round bye and then a divisional round game at home. And they’re still in play for the top overall seed in the NFC. If they win the regular-season finale at Detroit and the San Francisco 49ers lose at Seattle on Sunday night, then the Packers would earn the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Not bad for a team that wins ugly.