National Football League roundup: Packers’ win over Vikings has them back in race

There were no extra film sessions, no extra practice reps.

Crosby made field goals on each of Green Bay’s first two drives, sandwiched around a 47-yard touchdown pass from Teddy Bridgewater to tight end Kyle Rudolph, as the teams finished the first quarter tied at 6-6.

There was one adjustment his preparation.

“It looks like he’s bouncing back”, McCarthy said of Lacy.

The Packers went ahead by 13 on their first drive of the second half on Crosby’s fourth field goal but the Vikings climbed back into the game when Peterson rumbled into the end zone from 6 yards out to make it 19-13.

On offense: Bridgewater was under siege all afternoon and Peterson was held under 100 yards for the first time in a month.

The Packers were out of options when they entered their NFC North rival’s stadium.

It is hard to hear such loud renditions of “Go, Pack, go” during the game. Minnesota has allowed an N.F.C.-low 17.1 points a game thanks to a crushing interior defense led by Joseph that takes away the run while also harassing opposing quarterbacks. Peterson surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season for the seventh time in his career….

The loss for the Tennessee Titans leaves them in the basement of the AFC South on 2-8, and now in desperate need of a string of wins to get them back into contention. Teddy Bridgewater was continuously under pressure, especially in the second half.

But prayer wasn’t the only explanation. Sunday was a different story.

“I just landed amusing on my shoulder”, Bridgewater said.

What was the biggest contributing factor in the loss to Green Bay – poor execution or too many penalties? There’s plenty of time for Green Bay to put together a run. Give Lacy the football, and he gets yards.

Starting in place of Marshawn Lynch, out with an abdominal injury, Rawls posted his third 100-yard rushing game of his rookie season and the second time topping 160 yards. Right guard T.J. Lang is questionable with a shoulder injury. “When he gets going like he was today, the team follows him”.

“Are we frustrated because Aaron’s getting hit?” said Bakhtiari, speaking for the offensive line. The Packers knew what was at stake, yes. He shot 7-for-16 from the floor with three 3-pointers, and had five steals. Given up for dead by many after a stunning home loss to the Lions dropped them to 6-3, the Packers roared back with a huge victory that puts them back in the driver’s seat for the NFC North title. He is doubtful with an ankle injury.

The Packers still didn’t resemble a Super Bowl contender in Minnesota, but their victory kept alive a reasonable chance for them to become one. The offensive line held up against an aggressive Vikings front seven, paving the way for the balanced offense the Packers needed. “And that’s something that I think you would expect from your leader and a great quarterback that’s done it at such a high level”. Offensively, putting up 30 points, it’s been a while since we’ve reached that.

In terms of running the ball, the Vikings were supposed to have a decided advantage. “We didn’t make any plays”. “When he gets hit because of us, yeah, we get frustrated”. Maybe it’s not. There were no definitive answers here on Sunday, only more questions. With fewer opportunities, Rodgers’ numbers weren’t as impressive. They were penalized eight times for 110 yards, and none was more costly than Terence Newman’s 50-yard pass-interference penalty that set up Green Bay’s first touchdown, a pass from Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb with six seconds remaining in the first half that sent the visitors into the half leading 16-6. Jones had six catches for 109 yards.

Since the bye, Cobb has more than 53 yards just once in four weeks. “We’ve got to find a way to finish one of them”. “Everybody wants us to point fingers at each other, but we know the team that we have, we know the guys in this locker room and our coaching staff. We all believe in each other”. On the ground, James Starks rushed for 42 yards in 15 attempts.

As the broadcast went to commercial, Fox helpfully included a slow-motion replay of the squirrel’s open field running.

Still, the key is giving Lacy the carries he needs.