While the postseason isn’t completely out of reach for the Vikings, who fell to 4-7, their paths to the playoffs are numbered.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Four yards.

Trailing by four points at halftime, the Minnesota Vikings’ offense moved the ball just four yards in the second half as the Green Bay Packers cruised to a 23-6 win Sunday at Lambeau Field.

While the postseason isn’t completely out of reach for the Vikings, who fell to 4-7, their paths to the playoffs are numbered. And offensive outputs such as Sunday’s will only limit those paths moving forward.

“Our margin of error is pretty clearly razor-thin right now, but what we can’t do is lose the turnover battle three to nothing, significantly lose the field position battle and then have negative plays on offense that gives you really no chance against one of the better defenses in the league,” said Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell.

Prior to picking up two first downs on their last offensive series, Minnesota was minus-22 in total yards through the first 24 minutes of the second half. McCarthy was sacked four times and the ground game was stuffed for minus-3 yards on two carries as the Vikings went backwards on two of their first three drives coming out of the half.

It didn’t help that Christian Darrisaw (foot) and Donovan Jackson (ankle) left the game early with injuries, but McCarthy never appeared comfortable in the pocket as the Packers continually applied pressure to derail drives.

The run game was working early, averaging 5.1 yards per rush in the first half, but by the time the offense touched the ball in the second half, the deficit had swelled to 11 points. A mistake on special teams (more on that later) gave Green Bay running back Emanuel Wilson an easy path to his second touchdown of the game.

Needing a response, McCarthy was sacked on the first play of the ensuing drive and Minnesota never recovered. The Vikings would go on to punt three times in the second half. The only two drives that didn’t end in a punt ended in interceptions.

“You’re not going to come to Lambeau Field and win a game, especially playing like that in the second half,” O’Connell said. “Absolutely not.”

McCarthy has now thrown two interceptions in four of his six starts, including in each of the last three games, all of which ended in losses. He finished 12 of 19 for 87 yards and no touchdowns, the second time this season he’s thrown multiple picks with no touchdown passes.

“I think there’s an ultimate emphasis on just the process,” said McCarthy, who is now 2-4 as a starter. “Obviously, you want the results, but growth and learning and getting better every day is the most important thing.”


McCarthy’s development

It’s been a tough start for the No. 10 overall pick in 2024. From his mechanics to his decision-making, McCarthy has acknowledged where many of his mistakes have stemmed from. But he says he needs to continue to eliminate some of those “little things” that have shown up in big ways.

The turnovers have been the most glaring, but his rhythm, or lack thereof, within the offense, has been palpable. Whether it be drops, sacks, or errant throws, the offense hasn’t gelled the way it did a season ago. 

The most productive drive Sunday came after running back Jordan Mason rumbled for 43 yards on five carries. Aaron Jones Sr. took over and produced a 5-yard run of his own, but a failed sneak by tight end T.J. Hockenson, followed by a negative run on fourth down, ended the drive with no points despite moving 58 yards. McCarthy was also 2-for-2 passing on that drive, but the empty possession allowed Green Bay to stretch its lead to 10-3.

“I thought we did a good job committing to the run early on in the game,” O’Connell said. “Stacked some plays on plays and started to feel what that can do for you along the line of scrimmage, but then, after running the ball pretty well, consistently on that drive, we get to a third-and-inside 1 … and don’t get it on fourth down. … So, no matter what you do running the football-wise, if you can’t continue to get those new sets of downs, we’ve gotta then have the marriage of the run and the pass to try and come to life.”

The offense came to life for an instant on the next drive when McCarthy placed a perfect pass to receiver Justin Jefferson for a 19-yard gain to help get into field goal range, but a sack and a short pass left Minnesota with a 59-yard field goal attempt, which Reichard connected on to make it 10-6 at the half.

“Confidence is always high, no matter what, because of the guys in that room, because of the trust and faith in my abilities,” McCarthy said. “It’s just you’ve gotta put things together. You’ve gotta keep putting plays together, days together and execute better at the end of the day.”


Another blunder on special teams 

Despite scoring the only points in the first half, the Vikings’ special teams unit had another costly blunder that shifted the momentum in the second half.

One week after allowing a 56-yard kick return that allowed the Chicago Bears to kick a game-winning field goal, a punt ricocheted off returner Myles Price and gave the Green Bay Packers the ball at Minnesota’s 5-yard line.

The Packers bowled into the end zone two plays later, making it a two-score game instead of giving the Vikings’ offense a chance to overtake the lead.

Minnesota kicker Will Reichard connected on two 50-plus-yard field goals for the team’s only points, and punter Ryan Wright averaged 55.5 yards and pinned two punts inside the 20, but the muffed punt overshadowed all of that as it gave Green Bay a massive boost that the offense failed to deliver.

“We’ve got some rookies part of that phase where, to a certain extent, you kind of know there’s going to be some variance to that, but at the same time, it’s just what are we doing as coaches? What are we doing to emphasize how to play smart football?” O’Connell said. “On that play, I know what Myles is trying to do, he’s trying to fair catch and see if he can get a piece of the gunner to try to help the ball have time to get in the end zone. But first and foremost, we’ve got to be able to make the initial play, which was the decision not to catch that ball, and then we’ve got to get all Minnesota Vikings away from it.”


More injuries up front

For the first time this season, the Vikings had all five starting offensive linemen on the field at the same time. However, it didn’t end that way as both Darrisaw and Jackson left the game in the second half and never returned.

Darrisaw left with a foot injury, while Jackson injured his ankle, leaving the Vikings with two backups on the line for the remainder of the game.

Center Ryan Kelly returned after a four-week stint on injured reserve, but the injuries to the left side of the line left the team shorthanded once again along the offensive line.