{"id":156943,"date":"2024-01-01T13:35:57","date_gmt":"2024-01-01T18:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=156943"},"modified":"2024-01-01T13:35:57","modified_gmt":"2024-01-01T18:35:57","slug":"minnesota-vikings-sunday-night-blunder-drops-playoff-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/01\/01\/minnesota-vikings-sunday-night-blunder-drops-playoff-odds\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota Vikings Sunday Night Blunder Drops Playoff Odds"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Vikings<\/a> came into Week 17 controlling their destiny and entered Week 18 needing a miracle, With both the Green Bay Packers<\/a> and Vikings having equal to play for, you\u2019d never tell by the performances on the field.<\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings Sunday Night Blunder Drops Playoff Odds<\/h2>\n

The Packers Offense – Moving the Ball at Will<\/h3>\n

The Green Bay offense and Jordan Love<\/a> moved the ball with very little resistance all game long. Love finished with 256 yards, completed about 73% of his passes, and had four total touchdowns.<\/p>\n

Love finished with 0.4 EPA<\/a> per play. To put that into perspective, if he were to continue that level of play throughout the entire NFL season, that would be leading the league. They had everything working on offense. When they saw a look they liked, they took a deep shot, which more often than not would be open. (Some due to good play design, other times due to blown coverages.)<\/p>\n

When they saw pressure looks, they had short routes to the flat all game long. Tucker Kraft had multiple catches with nobody around him, and the YAC opportunity was something the Packers took advantage of all game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the Vikings got torched this bad through the air, there\u2019s no way it could\u2019ve been this bad through the run!\u201d A thought most rational fans would have, but nope! It was just as effective the entire game.<\/p>\n

Aaron Jones averaged six yards per carry on 20 carries equaling 120 yards. There were multiple plays where he got through the first line of defense completely untouched. The guys in purple were getting blown off the line of scrimmage far too often as Aaron Jones cruised through the defense with little restraint.<\/p>\n

The Vikings Offense – Turning the Ball Over at Will<\/h3>\n

Heading into week 17 the Packers were 25th in defensive EPA per play and 28th in success rate. If you had only watched this team once, and it was this game, you\u2019d think they were the \u201885 Bears. The Packers defense got pressure with four, they got pressure blitzing, they doubled Justin Jefferson and put Jaren Hall in a spot where he had to make tough throws to move the ball.<\/p>\n

Jaren Hall<\/a> is going to get a lot of heat for this game, and while he deserves some portion of the blame, it was a tough spot to be put in.\u00a0That being said, his performance is best summed up by three plays.<\/p>\n

Why Jaren Hall Was Benched<\/h3>\n

The first was his first turnover, an interception by cornerback Corey Ballentine that was behind and tipped up by Johnny Mundt. As poorly as the Vikings played, they get a couple of sympathy points for all the injuries. In their biggest game of the season, a massive play this game was the fourth-string quarterback throwing a pick to a backup tight end because they didn\u2019t have any chemistry.<\/p>\n

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Tipped and picked by the @packers<\/a>!<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa: #GBvsMIN<\/a> on NBC
\ud83d\udcf1: Stream on #NFLPlus<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/cOt1Gy93Av<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/AKgc0t3ePI<\/a><\/p>\n

— NFL (@NFL) January 1, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n