Packers blow fourth-quarter lead again in 39-22 loss to Vikings — SkimNews
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- Green Bay Packers lost 39-22 to the Minnesota Vikings in their season opener, extending a six-game losing streak (including playoffs) and marking the fourth time in that stretch they blew a lead of more than one score.
- Coach Matt LaFleur opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 after the Vikings jumped offsides, taking points off the board from a Trey Smack 40-yard field goal; Jordan Love was stuffed on a quarterback sneak and the Packers were outscored 22-0 the rest of the way.
- Jordan Love threw for 389 yards and two touchdowns — both to Christian Watson — but was sacked four times, lost a fumble, and was hit 15 times by a Vikings blitz that posted a 90.6% pass rush win rate, the highest by any team in a game since 2022.
- Defensive penalties wiped out three Packers stops late: illegal contact on Javon Bullard, roughing the passer on rookie Chris McClellan, and a defensive holding call on Xavier McKinney that nullified an Evan Williams interception in the end zone.
- Tight end Tucker Kraft framed the loss in self-inflicted terms: "The only people who can beat us are us," while reiterating that the Packers believe they are "the best team in the NFL."
- The collapse mirrors last season's late-game collapses, including a playoff loss to the Bears in which Green Bay blew an 18-point second-half lead — a pattern LaFleur said he addressed all offseason under the mantra "finish."
Why it matters: The Packers now head into Week 2 with a six-game losing streak and zero demonstrated solutions to a problem that cost them a playoff berth last season. LaFleur's repeated refusal to accept field goals in late-and-short situations — and the Packers' inability to get off the field on third down without penalties — turns a roster built around a top-10 passing attack into a team that cannot close games, regardless of opponent strength.
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