The Green Bay Packers got standout performances from all three phases during a 23-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Matt LaFleur’s team needed to play complementary football to overcome the many injury issues entering Sunday, and the Packers responded — using 107 rushing yards from Emanuel Wilson, big plays from linebacker Isaiah McDuffie and a game-changing play on special teams to take care of business against an NFC North rival.
Of course, a dominant defensive performance in the second half was spearheaded by Micah Parsons and the pass-rush. Over five possessions after half time, the Vikings had negative net total yards (-1) and three turnovers.
The Packers are now 7-3-1 overall and 2-0 in the NFC North entering a huge showdown with the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.
Nine standouts from the Packers’ win over the Vikings:
RB Emanuel Wilson
Starting in place of injured Pro Bowler Josh Jacobs, Wilson put on his best Samkon Gado impression — rushing for 107 yards and a pair of scores in his first NFL start. According to Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com, Wilson became the first player to rush for at least 100 yards and score two rushing touchdowns in his first start since Gado in 2005. Wilson carried the ball 28 times to power the Packers’ run-heavy attack against Brian Flores’ Vikings defense.
LB Isaiah McDuffie
No Quay Walker, no problem? McDuffie got a game ball from Matt LaFleur after producing nine tackles, a sack, an interception and three third down stops. He stopped four drives: one with a tackle on T.J. Hockenson on third down, one with a stop of Hockenson on a third-down sneak play, one with a tackle of Aaron Jones on third down and one with a fourth quarter interception.
DE Micah Parsons
Parsons finished with three quarterback hits and 2.0 sacks, pushing his season totals to 20 hits and 10.0 sacks. In the first half, Parsons beat Christian Darrisaw inside and forced J.J. McCarthy into a wild throwaway. He got home in the second half, beating Darrisaw inside again for a quick sack on McCarthy on first down early in the third quarter and then getting around Darrisaw for a third time — this time with an outside move – to sack McCarthy on second down. His sacks created -12 yards. Parsons’ devastating rush was also directly responsible for Devonte Wyatt’s first sack.
DL Devonte Wyatt
Wyatt’s pass-rushing impact came alive in the second half. Twice, Wyatt took down J.J. McCarthy for drive-ending sacks on third down inside the 5-yard line. He used Micah Parsons’ bull-rush inside to get to McCarthy on his first sack, and he cleaned up a pressure from Rashan Gary on the second.
S Evan Williams
After the Packers went up 17-6, Williams stuffed Aaron Jones for a 1-yard loss on first down, eventually leading to a punt. In the fourth quarter, Williams was in the right place at the right time to intercept J.J. McCarthy’s wild overthrow down field. Back-to-back games with dagger interceptions from the Packers’ impressive second-year safety.
S Zayne Anderson
The veteran special teamer made the game-changing play early in the second half. Daniel Whelan’s punt inside the 5-yard line bounced backwards, and Anderson drove rookie returner Myles Price back into the ball and then recovered the loose ball. The turnover led to an immediate touchdown and a 17-6 lead. Anderson also made a tackle covering a punt and a kickoff on Sunday.
DL Warren Brinson
The sixth-round rookie led the team with five pressures on just 15 pass-rushing snaps, per Next Gen Stats. Brinson also combined with Isaiah McDuffie for one of the five sacks of J.J. McCarthy. Getting some pass-rushing juice from Brinson would be a big deal for the interior defensive line ahead of the stretch run.
K Brandon McManus
The veteran kicker needed a day like this. After struggling through a right quad injury for the better part of the last two months, McManus got through the week healthy and then made all five of his kicks on Sunday, including a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to three scores. The best case scenario in the kicking game was always McManus getting healthy and re-establishing himself as the reliable veteran. But keep in mind, McManus’ longest kick on Sunday was only 40 yards, and conditions at Lambeau Field were near perfect.
P Daniel Whelan
Whelan’s four punts resulted in three inside the 20-yard line, and the fourth punt was a 63-yarder that flipped the field. One of his punts inside the 10-yard line was muffed and resulted in a turnover. Another punt ended up at the 7-yard line. Whelan’s net average was almost 45 yards.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: 9 standouts from Packers’ Week 12 win over the Vikings
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
