Halfway through their first Border Battle of the 2025 season on Sunday at Lambeau Field, the Minnesota Vikings could feel the momentum building in their favor.
The Vikings opening 30 minutes against the rival Packers had featured two scoring drives courtesy of Will Reichard’s leg – both field goals from 50+ yards, with the latter kick being a 59-yarder, making it the second-longest made field goal in Lambeau Field history behind David Akers’ 63-yarder with the 49ers back in 2012. Despite not finding the end zone in the first half, Minnesota only trailed by four points and saw a healthy 86 yards rushing from the duo of Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones, Sr., as well as a solid start from J.J. McCarthy (7-of-11 for 62 yards) and Justin Jefferson (three catches for 41 yards).
Minnesota appeared to keep that momentum rolling to start the second half, as it forced a Packers punt to begin the third quarter. The next 12 seconds, however, completely flipped the script for the remainder of the afternoon.
Vikings returner Myles Price initially let the punt find the field, but ended up getting a little too close for comfort. The ball ricocheted off his hand and was recovered by the Packers’ Zayne Anderson at the Vikings 5-yard line. Two plays later, Green Bay (7-3-1) found the end zone, and never looked back on its way to a 23-6 victory over Minnesota (4-7).
Sunday’s game not only gave Minnesota its fifth loss in the past six games, but it also caused the Vikings to move back in this week’s Power Rankings. Here’s a look at where the Vikings landed going into Week 13: