Some football games are a symphony of talent, execution and innovation, graceful and soaring and inspirational. And some are an off-key middle school orchestra holiday concert, where, sure, everybody might be trying their best … but you still just want it over as soon as possible.
How did Green Bay’s 23-6 over Minnesota on Sunday go? Put it this way: It wasn’t anywhere near a symphony.
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This was a game that turned on Minnesota mental mistakes, one ridiculous, one catastrophic. About the only positive element that the Vikings can take from the game: at least neither of those mistakes was J.J. McCarthy’s fault.
What was McCarthy’s fault: The fact that Minnesota’s offense is as uninspiring and bland as fourth-day Thanksgiving leftovers. McCarthy struggled all afternoon to move the ball, only managing one 10-play drive … and even that one ended in a red zone turnover on downs. McCarthy finished the day with just 87 yards on 12-of-19 passing and two brutal second-half interceptions.
Pick your quarterback crime, McCarthy committed it. He held the ball too long, threw into traffic, made constant poor decisions, turned over the ball, and generally looked overwhelmed at every turn. This is still just the sixth career game for the 22-year-old McCarthy, but there’s a creeping sense that his struggles to achieve liftoff might run deeper than just young-player nerves.
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The Packers’ Emmanuel Wilson set the tone for this NFC North brawl early with his first touchdown, bouncing right back off the entire Minnesota line to charge into the end zone and put Green Bay up 7-3:
McCarthy simply couldn’t move the ball anywhere on the field, and only kicker Will Reichard’s prodigious leg — he drilled field goals of 52 and 59 yards — put Minnesota on the board.
The Vikings’ troubles run far wider than just the quarterback position, though. If you want a snapshot of Minnesota’s 2025 season, look no further than a penalty in the final minutes of the first half. Minnesota was lining up to block a Green Bay field goal, panicked at the thought that there were 12 men on the field, called a time out, realized there were only 11 men on the field after all … and then surrendered the field goal anyway.
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But that was just embarrassing. What happened early in the second half was flat-out embarrassing for everyone involved. Minnesota’s defense forced Green Bay into a punt on its first drive of the half … but on the punt, the Packers’ Zayne Anderson basically threw Minnesota return man Myles Price into the ball.
That turnover gave Green Bay the ball on the Minnesota 5-yard line, and the Packers delivered what was effectively the knockout punch just minutes into the second half.
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Packers QB Jordan Love wasn’t particularly brilliant on Sunday, going 14 of 21 for 139 yards, but he didn’t need to be. And Micah Parson was more disruptive — two sacks, three quarterback hurries — than he probably needed to be. The result, though, is a 7-3-1 Green Bay record and — with two games remaining against Chicago — a direct path to the top of the NFC North.
As for the 4-7 Vikings — yes, again, Sunday marked just McCarthy’s sixth game. But Sunday also marked one of the most catastrophic offensive performances of the year, if not the decade, for Minnesota. And with little cap freedom, Minnesota’s all-in gamble on McCarthy is looking more like a mistake by the week.
