Dan from Beechgrove, TN

I'm sure others noticed, but if those two sacks had been safeties, the Pack would have scored 27.

Save the four points for Thursday.

Van from Canada

What a special teams play by Zayne Anderson! It really felt like the turning point of the game.

It was. Without question.

Mike from Algoma, WI

Vikings' offensive production in the second half: 15 plays, 4 yards! Are you kidding me? That may be the most dominant defensive effort I've witnessed since the '94 wild card against the Lions (B. Sanders: 13 carries, minus-1 yd). Amazing performance!

The Vikings were overmatched as soon as they got down multiple scores and the ground game couldn't protect McCarthy any longer.

Patrick from Boston, MA

The stat line doesn't do justice to Micah Parsons' impact on the defense. He was tripled-teamed at times which opens up opportunities for other guys to make plays. I also see the whole defense starting to play with the same relentless pursuit. The defensive dominance was a thing of beauty.

Build a lead, get after the QB. That was it. The Packers put their most effective formula for winning a game on display.

Glen from Eugene, OR

Quirky stat: the kicker for Minnesota covered more yards on the two fields goals (111) than the Vikings' running yardage (93) or their receiving yardage (87).

Something tells me it's hard to win that way.

Keith from Fishers, IN

Maybe not FULL consistency, but AAA+++ complementary football. Especially liked Emanuel Wilson's back story (didn't know this before) about being cut by the Broncos after just three days, then his attitude of "I dare you to try to tackle me" every time he ran the ball. Then the defense always having three or four guys swarm the ball on every short pass and some run plays. This looked like the team that showed so much promise in Weeks 1 & 2. Let's do it again on Thursday!

I really appreciate stories like Emanuel Wilson's. They are what make this league great. He talked last week about being hounded by LaFleur and RB coach Ben Sirmans his entire rookie year about protection calls and techniques. Sirmans said flat out he didn't trust Wilson in protection his rookie year, and he trusts him implicitly now. LaFleur added they continue to stay on him about his pad level to maximize the running power in his body. From a small, D-II HBCU school to a 100-yard rusher in his first NFL start. Just outstanding.

Don from Boise, ID

Nice win. Doubly so because it was a division win. And good to see the running game do well without Josh Jacobs. That said, am I the only one troubled by our conservative play? Thinking especially of the three and out after the first interception in the fourth quarter. I fear that style of play is not going to cut it this coming Thursday.

It won't in a general sense, but circumstances matter. The Packers were up three scores when they got the first INT midway through the fourth quarter. There was no reason to push for anything and put Jordan Love's bum shoulder in harm's way. They had the game won.

Marty from Plymouth, WI

I see in the postgame review, you state the offense "didn't maximize their opportunities" in the second half. I'd describe it as not being given a chance to maximize their opportunities. It seemed the play calling was based more on the fear of making a mistake, than in trying to deliver the knockout punch. Greg Olsen repeatedly mentioned it throughout the broadcast. We won't go far in the playoffs with such a conservative approach.

The eons of folks out there asking about the ultra-conservative offense in the second half need to watch LaFleur's postgame press conference and read my Rapid Reaction piece. They were simply channeling ol' Herm Edwards: You play to win the game.

Kevin from Clinton, NC

Two sacks or not, what are you doing throwing a shoulder on your own teammate against the sidelines?

No idea, man.

Brock from West Lafayette, IN

Good morning! Was that the cleanest-played game from a penalty standpoint this season? Felt like we rarely saw the referees and felt like that game went really fast. Was really nice not seeing the refs so much.

Two penalties for 10 yards. That'll play. The flags were down. So were the drops. The defense caught the ball, too. It's amazing how a team can look when it reduces the controllable errors.

H.R. from Henderson, NV

Great win today. I see a lot of the Packers in the Vikings: good players, young, solid core...and a lot of self-inflicted mistakes. Play of the game has to be the punt/fumble recovery. Thankfully that was one our ST was able to have go their way for a change.

That play allowed the Packers to win the special teams battle against probably the best unit in the league, which is saying something when the Vikings hit field goals from 52 and 59 and pinned Green Bay on the 2- and 8-yard lines with punts. Minnesota's special teams have made two costly blunders the last two games, and their margins are incredibly slim with a young, struggling QB.

Scott from Reno, NV

Not to take anything away from the D – which dominated – but McCarthy looked lost out there. It's like things are moving too fast for him. How much of this was due to a great defensive performance and how much was due to McCarthy being not ready for primetime?

It was his sixth NFL start. The Vikings let a QB who won 14 games for them walk out of the building – for a reasonable (in QB contract land) three years, $100M from Seattle – to turn their offense over to a draft pick whose rookie year was a wash due to injury. He didn't get to practice, didn't get to run the scout team, didn't get to do anything but study and rehab. Maybe McCarthy will turn out to be really good in the long run, but they did that collection of weapons (Jefferson, Addison, Hockenson, Jones, Mason) no favors in the short term.

Tim from Fitchburg, WI

Once again the NFC North is proving to be one, if not the, best divisions in the NFL. Thoughts on how you think the last third will play out? Gotta believe Chicago will slip with the toughest remaining schedule and a minus-3 point differential. MN fading with poor QB play. Hoping for a two-horse race to the end with GB controlling their fate with four division games remaining. Fingers crossed a healthy Jayden Reed can boost the offense to pair with a solid defense the rest of the way. Gonna be fun (I hope).

The Vikings are in run-the-table mode, if it isn't already too late for them. With the Packers playing the Lions on Thursday and the Bears playing the Eagles on Friday, there are a number of different ways this could look heading into next week.

Pete from Hillsborough, NC

Awful play call (IMHO) by Giants on fourth down inside Lions' 10-yard line with under two minutes to play (they should have kicked a field goal) shows why one can't rely on help from anyone else in the NFL. Teams have to go get it themselves.

Your last statement is very true. That was a tough call for New York on fourth-and-goal from the 6, up by three points. There were actually three minutes on the clock, and the Lions had one timeout (plus the two-minute). The Giants' previous head coach lost his job when they kicked a field goal to go up 10 against the Bears, instead of trying to go up 14, and the defense blew it. With only two wins on the year, I can see why they went for the game-sealing TD in this case, even though I would've kicked it to go up by six and given my defense the whole field to defend.

Steve from Cedar Falls, IA

Could you explain the analytics of not taking the ball first in overtime?

You're guaranteed a possession now, so knowing what you need to win or tie the game after your opponent's possession is an advantage.

Pete from Caledonia, MI

Observations: D was dominant but, JJ is almost unplayable now, Goff won't be the same. O was conservative and did enough but, need a huge game Thursday against a bad Lions D. Gibbs is superhuman (264 from scrimmage) and the D can't let him leak. The Bears keep getting' breaks and taking advantage of them. Just me or was Hutchinson's game-ending sack the definition of a hip-drop tackle? It was in the open, too. Gonna be an interesting battle in Detroit. I don't know what to make of it either way.

The Lions' defense gave up 500-plus yards and was on the field for 77 plays. The Packers' defense gave up 145 and was on the field for 44 plays. Every game is a new game, but on a short week, that could factor in here.

Nicholas from Moore, SC

How do you stop Jahmyr freaking Gibbs? Packers better be ready to play lots of man on the outside and have extras in the box. He's dynamic.

Set edges and don't miss tackles. Easier said than done, but the Packers did it against Barkley and need to bring that run D to Detroit.

Joe from Bozeman, MT

The demise of the Lions vs. the Giants was greatly exaggerated. Gibbs sure is a big-time runner. I remember all the draft experts criticizing the Lions for taking him when they did.

They saw something and knew how they wanted to use him. Only three running backs have been taken in the top half of the first round since the Giants drafted Barkley No. 2 overall in 2018 – Bijan Robinson (8) and Gibbs (12) in 2023, and Ashton Jeanty (6) this year. If you're not going to draft one of the four premier positions with a high pick, you'd better be right. The Lions were.

Keith from Bakersfield, CA

Not only are the Bears the only division leader with a negative points differential, they're one of only two such teams with a winning record. Their success so far feels an awful lot more like good fortune than good football. When does that charmed ride stop for them?

By my count, the Bears have faced backup QBs in 4½ of their last six games and have gone 5-1 in that time. This league can get weird that way. The Packers have faced three backup QBs this year, though one became the full-time starter in Arizona with better play. All you can do in this league is win the games in front of you.

Scott from San Antonio, TX

Not a question but an answer: The other NFL game that recorded nine lead changes was the Oakland Raiders-Baltimore Colts divisional playoff game played Dec. 24, 1977.

The "Ghost to the Post" game! Except I looked it up and counted only eight lead changes.

Jim from St. Pete Beach, FL

Can you please have the ads placed in an area where we don't ever notice their presence? That way you'd lose all your sponsors and would be out of a job and we wouldn't have Insider Inbox anymore! Great idea, huh?

Peachy.

Robin from Stillwater, MN

So now the Badgers are also winning with 27?! Is there a numerology expert on staff who can explain what this means for the state of Wisconsin?

It's truly reaching weird territory now.

Dave from Gwinn, MI

New England recently wore new "Nor'easter" uniforms, part of the NFL's new Rivalries program where eight teams debut new jerseys over the next 4 years. 2026 will be the NFC North's turn. Ed Policy said these uniforms will be "inspired by one of the most unique and defining pieces of Packers history." Any guesses? All-white Ice Bowl uniforms, gold "Lombardi Trophy"-inspired jerseys? Something involving the Lambeau Leap? Maybe all canary yellow with big bold dots all over, à la full-body cheeseheads?

Unless they're putting stock certificates on the helmets, I can't imagine it's not something connected to the Ice Bowl.

Bob from Kennesaw, GA

Mrs. Tony from Titusville is right…the Texans' throwbacks definitely DO look like candy wrappers. I've never understood all the reverence for Star Wars…it's just bad space opera, not real science fiction. It's like looking at the old '40s/'50s-vintage Flash Gordon serials, only with better production values. Yet, many folks claim they've learned everything that's important in life from it…which I actually CAN believe, given our current state of affairs. End of rant. Where's the Tylenol?

II Nation wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving, Bob.

Mark from Canton, GA

Only two penalties. No turnovers but got three on them. No special teams miscues. Played very disciplined football and that bodes very well going forward.

Happy Monday.

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