Starr’s trip back to Lambeau Field could be his last

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer had a strict directive for his players Monday after the team’s 30-13 loss to Green Bay. Thursday’s game will mark 192nd meeting in NFL’s oldest rivalry…. Kind of starting with us on stage at the (NFL) Honors (show in February this year), getting to share some laughs together, and just going from there. This is not a normal week, as the Packers host the Bears on Thursday. Trainers called it the worst one they had ever seen.

“Once you get to Thursday, it’s exciting”.

The Vikings were playing from behind all game, forcing them to throw the ball and taking the game out of Peterson’s hands. “It’s going to be a special night”. The Packers looked more like themselves, individually and collectively, than they had in weeks. And with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers completing just 16 of 34 passes for 212 yards, running back Eddie Lacy pounded his way for 100 yards on 22 carries. 500 or better (Packers, Buccaneers, and Vikings), and it looks like whatever slim playoff hopes they had have been dashed with this home loss. “The biggest mistake that we make, is that we let that loss become more than one”. He was instrumental in holding Adrian Peterson to just 45 yards, shadowing him the entire game. The veteran kicker didn’t have to wait long to redeem himself against the Vikings.

Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett (83) runs past Green Bay Packers free safety Micah Hyde (33) during his touchdown reception in the second half at Soldier Field.

On defense: Rodgers sliced and diced an improved secondary, buying time with his legs and firing darts down the field, and Lacy rushed for more yards than he had in the previous four games combined. “Everybody knows what we have in this locker room”, said James Jones, who had six catches for 109 yards as the Packers (7-3) got their 10th win over the Vikings in the last 11 games with Rodgers at quarterback.

Plenty, though, hurt the Vikings.

Up next: The Bears will take on the Packers on Thanksgiving night in Green Bay. The Bears have wins this season over the Raiders, Chiefs, Chargers and Rams. “Those things will beat a good football team”.

The Packers were hungry after losing three games in a row. Hitting a 42-yard field goal on the opening drive of the game to put the Packers on the board first.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Vikings took the ball at Green Bay’s 42-yard line after a short punt by the Packers late in the second quarter, poised to forge a tie or take the lead before halftime of this pivotal NFC North game.

A combination of dropped passes (including a costly one early against the Packers), missed deep connections with Teddy Bridgewater (many of them overthrows by the QB) and the emergence of Stefon Diggs in an otherwise run-oriented offense have made Wallace, a major offseason acquisition, little more than a bystander lately.

“We’ve got to fix this problem if we want to get to the next level, to the playoff round and to the Super Bowl”, Munnerlyn said.