GREEN BAY — Minnesota jumped out to a 28-0 lead and then held off a furious Green Bay rally to stay unbeaten with a 31-29 win at Lambeau Field on Sunday. Play of the Game A game is never decided on the first possession but its direction can certainly be impacted by it. That was the case on Sunday as the Packers had a chance to put Minnesota on its heels early when Sam Darnold tried to force a pass into an area he should not have. Linebacker Isaiah McDuffie had a chance to pick it off but couldn’t hold on. After converting a third-and-15 later on the drive, Darnold found Jordan Addison for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. The drive set the tone and it could have been a much different one if McDuffie had come up with the pick. Honorable mention: Facing third down on their first drive, Jordan Love looked to Dontayvion Wicks on a shot crossing route. The pass was low but catchable for the second-year wide receiver but he dropped it. Had he caught it, he had a clear path to the end zone. The mistake became even more important when Brayden Narveson clanked a 37-yard field goal off the right upright a play later. Game Balls Offense: WR Jayden Reed All the second-year wide receiver does is make explosive plays. Reed had seven catches for 139 yards against the Vikings. That included gains of 24, 17, 21 and 42. His yardage total was the highest of his career, a number that just barely topped the 138 yards he had in the opener against Philadelphia. In a room that may not have a clear-cut No. 1, Reed is the one playing closest to it. TE Tucker Kraft Like Reed, Kraft has established himself as the go-to-guy at tight end. He did have a late fumble, but he also had six catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. That score was pure Kraft, as he used some extra effort to plow through defenders, stay in bounds and get into the end zone. A score & a Lambeau Leap for Kraft!#MINvsGB pic.twitter.com/tiaSsbcYBs — Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 29, 2024 Defense: S Xavier McKinney The Packers offseason addition continues to find the ball, becoming the first player in franchise history to have an interception in each of his first four games with the team. It came at a vital moment, too, as he stepped in front of a Darnold potential touchdown pass to Aaron Jones near Green Bay’s goal line in the third quarter. X gon' take it from ya.#MINvsGB pic.twitter.com/iuUdeNQkS8 — Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 29, 2024 What Went Right The comeback Green Bay played complimentary football late in the second quarter and second half to nearly erase a 28-point deficit. Love and the passing game came alive, as he threw four touchdowns (three after halftime), a new career-high for the second-year starter. Reed and Kraft were big parts of it, but Wicks also recovered from some tough drops to catch a pair of touchdowns. The defense caused a pair of turnovers, including a sack/fumble by Keisean Nixon that led to points. Even the special teams and Daniel Whelan got into the mix late in the first half with a booming punt that Minnesota’s Jalen Nailor couldn’t corral. Green Bay’s Bo Melton recovered the muffed punt and the Packers later scored their first touchdown. What Went Wrong The start It was 28-0 with 5:28 left in the first half. The fact it ended up being a 31-29 game is commendable on the Packers end but they also have to own the hole they built themselves. The Vikings converted their first three third-down chances over the first two scoring drives and never faced third down on the drive to make it 21-0. When Green Bay did get them into long yardage situations, they couldn’t get any pressure on Darnold. When Jeff Hafley sent pressure, the Vikings countered with some perfectly timed screens. Offensively, Love’s accuracy left a lot to be desired as he played for the first time in more than three weeks following his knee injury. A lot of passes were low and others were behind receivers. Still, many hit guys in the hands and they didn’t catch them. That was a significant change from the pass catchers stepping up for Malik Willis in the last two games. There were some poor decisions from Love, too, including tossing up a Brett Favre-like jump ball in the fourth quarter that was intercepted in the end zone. While his four scores were a career-high, his three interceptions tied for the most in his career. The kicking game was addressed earlier but Narveson’s miss wasn’t his only one on the day. He also was wide right on a 49-yard kick later in the first half. He’s now 9-for-13 this season and 3-for-6 from beyond 40 yards. What They Said Matt LaFleur when asked if they needed to reevaluate the kicker spot: “I got a lot of confidence in Brayden. I do. I know it’s tough. We all want the results. He’s a young guy and a lot of times with young kickers you go through this. Certainly, I know he’s disappointed but I still got a lot of belief in him.” Jordan Love on if he’s going to be managing his knee injury all year: “I hope not. I hope it will continue to heal and get better but at this moment, yeah, it’s definitely something that is there.” In Case You Missed It — Green Bay lost wide receiver Christian Watson early in the second quarter on Love’s first interception. He got hit low and it appeared to be a significant injury. But he was able to walk off under his own power and told LaFleur he believes it is just an ankle sprain. — Aaron Jones made his return to Lambeau Field for the first time with another team. The former Packers running back finished with 93 yards on the ground and added 46 yards receiving. He also got a Lambeau Leap, though he jumped into a sea of Vikings fans. Aaron Jones gets his Lambeau Leap https://t.co/9C9yKmA1rq — Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) September 29, 2024 — Green Bay was without two of its top cornerbacks in Jaire Alexander (quad/groin) and Carrington Valentine (ankle). That forced Corey Ballentine into more action and he was responsible for the first of Jordan Addison’s two touchdowns. — LaFleur was hit with a unsportsmanlike penalty late in the first half when officials did not see him trying to call timeout. LaFleur said it wasn’t because of what he said but that he was too demonstrative. Matt LaFleur appears to be irate on the sidelines pic.twitter.com/gmD8hvxRzH — NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) September 29, 2024 Inside the Numbers 9 — That is how many carries Josh Jacobs got in the game. It’s tied for the fewest carries he’s gotten since Nov. 2021. He made the most of his chances, gaining 51 yards. He added 4 catches for 27 yards. 13 — That is how many targets Wicks got on the day, more than any other player. He ended up with five grabs for 78 yards and two touchdowns. 54 — That is how many passes Love made on the day. That was 10 more than his previous high set in Green Bay’s comeback win over New Orleans last season. He completed 32 of them on Sunday, which was also a career-high. 60.0 — That is what Whelan averaged on his three punts on Sunday. Per Packers.com’s Wes Hodkiewicz, that is the best mark by a Packers punter since Boyd Dowler averaged 62 yards during a game in 1962. What’s next The Packers (2-2) hit the road to face the Los Angeles Rams (1-3) on Sunday. Kick is at 3:25 p.m. The post Vikings 31, Packers 29: 2-minute drill first appeared on 96.7FM 1670AM The Zone | WOZN - Madison, WI.