Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers throws a pass during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 22.Brace Hemmelgarn
Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers reminded the Minnesota Vikings whose division this has been this decade.
Rodgers threw for 212 yards and a pair of touchdown passes, Datone Jones had two of Green Bay's six sacks and the Packers stopped a three-game losing streak with a convincing 30-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday to pull even in the NFC North race.
James Jones had six catches for 109 yards and a score, Eddie Lacy rushed for a season-high 100 yards on 22 carries and the Packers (7-3) beat the rival Vikings for the 10th time in the past 11 meetings with Rodgers at quarterback. He has thrown for 28 touchdown passes with just three interceptions in those games.
The Vikings (7-3) had their six-game winning streak shoved back in their face by a proud Packers team that clearly wasn't ready to concede a division it has won four times in a row. The rematch is Jan. 3 in Green Bay.
Right after the ugliest of those three defeats, an 18-16 decision at home against Detroit, Rodgers and the Packers roared back with one of his vintage performances against the Vikings to the delight of the enemy fans chanting, "Go, Pack, Go!" throughout the evening.
Rodgers rolled right with plenty of time on third and nine and zinged the ball to Jones at the edge of the end zone for a 27-yard score on the first play of the fourth quarter. He shovelled the two-point conversion pass to Jones, too, for a 27-13 lead. Then, Adrian Peterson lost a fumble at the Packers' 21 after a 10-yard gain. Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater took back-to-back sacks to prompt a punt on the next possession, all but sealing the first loss at home for the Vikings in eight games since the Packers won here almost exactly a year ago.
Bridgewater took quite a bruising, leaving the game briefly with an injury to his left shoulder but managing to finish 25-for-37 for 296 yards and a touchdown without any turnovers.
Mason Crosby made all five of his field goal tries, rounding out the kind of balanced performance Green Bay has been lacking all season.