Three Overreactions From Packers’ Victory Over Vikings

Jordan Love vs. Jaren Hall is a quarterbacking mismatch of epic proportions. With that overwhelming advantage, the Green Bay Packers needed to take care of business against the Minnesota Vikings.

They did much more than take care of business. They dominated. By routing the Vikings 33-10, they can clinch a playoff berth if they can beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Here are our weekly Three Overreactions from Sunday night.

With Jordan Love, Anything’s Possible

Yes, it’s true. With Jordan Love, anything is possible. Not just in future seasons. This season.

With Love, the Packers destroyed the Vikings. With Love, the Packers should beat the Bears to get into the playoffs. With Love, the Packers – despite their other warts – are going to be a formidable opponent for the Lions, Cowboys or whoever awaits on Wild Card Weekend.

Over the last seven games, 33 quarterbacks have thrown at least 100 passes. Love is second in passer rating (109.9), first in touchdown passes (16) and first in interceptions (one). That 16-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio is better than FanDuel Sportsbok’s MVP front-runners: Lamar Jackson (15 to 4), Dak Prescott (15 to 2) and Brock Purdy (16 to 6).

Against the Vikings, Love delivered another elite-level game. Playoff-level intensity. Deafening noise. Blitzing opponent. Rivalry game.

Love handled it all with the ease of a championship-caliber quarterback.

“I can’t say enough great things about him,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Just his ability to hang in there vs. some tough looks, drifting away from pressure, putting the ball in play, allowing his guys to go make plays. I think he’s playing at an incredibly high level. Super-happy for him because he’s put in a ton of work to get to this point. I really think the sky’s the limit for him. He’s just showing a glimpse of what he can ultimately be.”

For three decades, the Packers dominated the Bears because of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. With Love, the dominance will continue.

“This is exactly the situation we’ve been working for all offseason (and) all through training camp to get ready to put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs,” Love said. “It hasn’t been easy all year. There’s been a lot of highs and lows, a lot of adversity.

“We didn’t know what to expect coming into the year. We didn’t have any expectations. I think everybody’s continued to work, continued to find ways to get better and we’re controlling our destiny right now. So, I’m excited to go handle business next week.”

The future is now for the Packers. That’s not to say they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. But, because of Love, the Packers are legitimately good enough to beat any team

The Other MVP

There’s no doubt that Jordan Love is the team’s MVP for the production he’s assembled despite a revolving door of skill-position weapons.

The runner-up would be right tackle Zach Tom, who personifies the type of draft pick that championship teams make.

Every year, the focus of the NFL Draft is the first three rounds, in general, and the first round, in particular. Tom was picked with a fourth-round compensatory pick. Teams considered 139 other players to be better prospects.

Five offensive tackles were picked in the first round. Nine went in the first 80 picks.

Tom arguably is better than all of them.

On Sunday night, the matchup was against Danielle Hunter, who’s fifth in the NFL with 15.5 sacks and is one off the NFL lead with four forced fumbles. He’s a game-wrecker, the type of player capable of flipping a game on one snap.

Tom gave up one pressure. He’s been excellent all season but has really hit his stride down the stretch. Starting with the Week 11 game against the Chargers, when Love and Co. got rolling, his man has touched the quarterback just once in seven games, according to Pro Football Focus.

In today’s NFL, a right tackle is just as important as a left tackle. After all, five of the top seven players in pressures rush against the right tackle more than two-thirds of the time. Would Tom be an upgrade over Josh Myers at center? Maybe, but Tom is a stud at right tackle. He should be Green Bay’s starter at that spot for the next decade.

Addition by Subtraction

In 2020, cornerback Jaire Alexander was an All-Pro. In 2021, linebacker De’Vondre Campbell was an All-Pro. In 2022, Alexander was an All-Pro again.

The Packers certainly don’t need Campbell. They might not need Alexander, either, after the unlikely combo of Corey Ballentine and Carrington Valentine helped shut down the Vikings’ star-studded receiver trio of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and K.J. Osborn.

Yes, the Vikings’ quarterback situation can’t be ignored. But any quarterback good enough to be in the NFL should be able to connect with open receivers. Jefferson caught 5-of-10 targets for 59 yards. Addison caught 3-of-5 passes for 28 yards. Osborn never saw the ball in 33 snaps.

Ballentine got in Jefferson’s face and never backed down against a player who in his last two home matchups against the Packers caught 17 passes for 353 yards and four touchdowns. That has to be how the Packers play against Chicago and whatever playoff games are ahead. Heck, that should be how the Packers play in 2024.

“I felt like watching the film, I feel like that’s how a lot of his catches come,” Ballentine said. “Not to say he’s not a good player. He’s a good player, but I feel like he just creates a lot of space off the line.

“My goal was to get hands on him right now and make sure I can get sticky and play a little closer, especially with the quarterback they had. I didn’t think he could make the throw with me on his body right now. That was my goal to attack that all day.”

Alexander’s future in Green Bay is complicated. He’s a great player who hasn’t had a great year. Is he not committed to the team? Is he not committed to playing for Joe Barry? For Matt LaFleur? Will the potential of a new defensive coaching staff get Alexander’s career back on track?

Maybe the public shaming of a one-game suspension will be the reset everyone needs.

Campbell’s future in Green Bay isn’t complicated at all. He should never play another snap with the Packers. Isaiah McDuffie not only is younger and cheaper, but he’s the better player. With Campbell out of the lineup the last two weeks, the Packers allowed 96 rushing yards (3.8 average) against Carolina and 67 rushing yards (4.2 average) against the Vikings.

The Packers really need McDuffie to get through the concussion protocol in time for Sunday’s season-ending showdown against Chicago.