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If you were hoping to see the Green Bay Packers’ backups play well on Sunday’s regular-season finale, hopefully you did not watch the team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings this afternoon. Clayton Tune and the Green Bay offense put up just 121 yards of total offense against the Vikings, the fewest in a single game for the franchise since gaining just 120 yards in a 35-0 loss to the Patriots in 2006.
Meanwhile, the offense put up negative-7 passing yards, tying the fourth-lowest number in team history and putting up the first game with negative net yardage since 1976. Tune was sacked 4 times for 41 yards, outbalancing the 34 yards he gained on 6-for-11 passing. The only player to catch more than one pass from Tune was practice squad callup Jakobie Keeney-James, who had two receptions for 15 yards.
If you want to get an idea of just how badly this game went for a Green Bay Packers offense that had backups playing all over the lineup, look at the punting stats. Daniel Whelan put up the most gross punting yards in any NFL game this season, with 8 punts for 431 yards and a 53.9-yard average. That 431 yards also ranks as the fifth-most in any game in Packers franchise history.
Defensively, the Packers — also with largely a second-string unit — gave up 363 yards to the Vikings, who saw J.J. McCarthy leave the game in the third quarter after reaggravating his right hand injury. Meanwhile, the Packers saw Bo Melton leave the game with a knee injury while making a special teams tackle, and Javon Bullard also went out late with an injury of his own.
The Packers will look ahead to next week’s Wild Card playoffs and will watch the late afternoon games to see if they will be traveling to Chicago or Philadelphia to try to break their recent 4-game losing streak. They finish the season 9-7-1, while Minnesota finishes the season with a winning record at 9-8, having won their last five games.
The Vikings started with the football and took an early lead on the first drive of the game. J.J. McCarthy completed three passes to Justin Jefferson for 39 yards but he was penalized for taunting after a 6-yard scramble, setting the Vikings back behind the sticks and leading to a 43-yard field goal by Will Reichard to open the scoring.
The Packers failed to gain a first down on their first series, as two short runs by Emanuel Wilson and a third-down pass by Tune was batted down at the line of scrimmage. Daniel Whelan boomed a beautiful 62-yard punt to pin the Vikings inside their own 3-yard line, and the Packers’ defense got a stop after giving up just one first down.
Chris Brooks picked up a first down with an 11-yard carry to start the next Green Bay drive, but Dallas Turner sacked Tune and forced a fumble on third down. The Packers recovered, but...
