GREEN BAY — Zayne Anderson has one career NFL interception. 

And while the play he made during Sunday’s 23-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field was critical — “That changed the entire game,” head coach Matt LaFleur opined afterward — the Green Bay Packers backup safety/core special-teamer wasn’t necessarily sure it ranked ahead of his INT from last season.

“I don’t know. It doesn’t feel quite as good as a pick,” said Anderson, who received one of LaFleur’s three postgame game balls in the victorious locker room following the game. “But it’s awesome when you can help the team change the game like that.”

One could even argue that the play ended the game, or at least any hope the Vikings had of rallying. Having forced a Daniel Whelan punt on the Packers’ opening possession of the second half, the Vikings were still within 10-6.

Then Anderson shoved Vikings return man Myles Price into the ball and recovered it at the Minnesota 5-yard line. Two plays later, running back Emanuel Wilson plowed in for a 1-yard touchdown and a 17-6 lead.

“You just saw the life sucked right out of Minnesota,” Whelan said. “I thought it was phenomenal.”

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell called the turnover “catastrophic.” For LaFleur, it was euphoric.

“That changed the entire game. I can’t say enough about that play,” LaFleur said. “It was a great punt, first of all, by Daniel, and then Zayne Anderson, his ability to drive his man into the football and then somehow come up with it, I thought that was the play of the game. That was the difference-maker right there.”

For his part, Anderson insisted he simply was “just doing my job,” but he knew the importance of the moment.

“Those opportunities don’t come up much, but when they do, it’s important that we take advantage,” Anderson said. “If they touch it, that’s our ball.”

Stepping into the breach

While Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s ineptitude — he finished the day having completed 12 of 19 passes for 87 yards with two interceptions for a microscopic 34.2 rating — certainly helped, the Packers defense managed to get by with Carrington Valentine and Kamal Hadden at cornerback after No. 1 corner Keisean Nixon left the game with a stinger at the end of the first quarter.

Hadden had never played an NFL regular-season snap on defense, so Valentine, who moved into the starting lineup after Nate Hobbs’ latest knee injury, traveled with Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson for the rest of the game.

“I thought both those guys did an outstanding job. Really, really, really proud of their efforts,” LaFleur said. “I would say this about Kamal: Kamal has made as much progress as any player that we’ve had here — just to see where he’s come from to where he is now. [And] I think CV’s done a hell of a job, ever since his role’s been expanded, I mean, he’s answered the bell.”

LaFleur said he did not have an early read on whether Nixon would be ready for Thursday’s matchup with the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, calling the injury “day-to-day” but admitting that “Thursday is certainly in question right now. But I wouldn’t rule him out by any stretch.”

A changing of the guard?

Although 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan started at right guard, and it initially appeared he would be rotating with rookie second-round pick Anthony Belton, Belton wound up taking over and playing the vast majority of the snaps.

It would stand to reason that Belton will start against the Lions as a result.

“He’s a mauler and he does a great job. I love the way he plays the game,” LaFleur said. “Certainly, we’ve got to look at the tape and see how it fared for us. But he’s done a great job.”

Belton said he’d been working at right guard “the past couple weeks” in practice but didn’t know when he might actually play there.

“Today was the day. I had the opportunity,” Belton said. “I just wanted to put my best foot forward to try to put good stuff on tape.”

Playing it safe

Just as running back Josh Jacobs had explained earlier in the week, the Packers decision on whether to play him came down to a risk/reward analysis with the matchup with the Lions looming four days later.

Ultimately, LaFleur said it was a clear choice in his mind.

“The conversations I had with him, I just said, ‘Hey, man, you’ve got to let me know in terms of where you’re at.’ He’s always going to fight to play,” LaFleur said of Jacobs. “He was fighting to play. There was just a little apprehension, I felt, and so we thought it was the best thing to do to not put him in that position.”

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