Five extra points: Run defense’s goals, Jordan Love’s regrets, Kevin O’Connell’s risks shape Vikings’ victory

The Packers’ No. 1-ranked running game (204.0) tried to outmuscle the Vikings on first down early. Made sense, but it failed, which is one reason the one-dimensional Packers trailed 28-0. “Green Bay was booking the key matchup as their front against our front,” Vikings nose tackle Harrison Phillips said. “We had a chip on our shoulder to establish what we did.” After opening the game with an 8-yard run on first down, Green Bay’s next six first-down runs netted 4 yards, including tackles for loss on back-to-back plays by linebacker Blake Cashman (minus-2) and Phillips and lineman Jerry Tillery (minus-1). “One of our top goals was stopping the run on first down because they’ve been so good at it,” Cashman said.

Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill is proving to be one of the league’s best backups. His second start came with his second interception, a thing of beauty that caught Jordan Love by surprise and led to a 21-0 edge. “The guy made a good play,” Love said. “I didn’t see him.” Pre-snap, Grugier-Hill was hugging the left A-gap like he was going to blitz on third-and-7. A blink later, he was 16 yards downfield doubling and taking the ball from receiver Christian Watson. “We were running a Tampa-2 there,” Grugier-Hill said. “They ran a dagger concept with a receiver, and I just came off of it and went and made a play” — one of the best plays of the season.

Harrison Smith’s mind was on an awful fourth-quarter missed tackle when his awesome fourth-quarter pressure was mentioned. “We did a lot of good things, but I need to play better,” said Smith, referring to a missed tackle that turned what should have been a 1-yard gain by Tucker Kraft into a 13-yard touchdown and a 28-22 ballgame. Four minutes later, Smith was a free runner on a blitz off the front side on first down. Love panicked and threw a deep ball up for grabs that cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. intercepted. A horrible decision by Love. “It’s an all-out blitz; I felt Smith, and it’s one of those critical mistakes,” he said. “I should have thrown the ball away.”

The 31-29 final doesn’t do justice to Kevin O’Connell outcoaching Matt LaFleur while improving to 2-1 at Lambeau Field. O’Connell was aggressive and won the maximum three replay challenges while LaFleur lost an ill-advised challenge and drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on first-and-goal at the 1. O’Connell went for it on fourth-and-1 at the Packers 4 and failed when a field goal would have made it a 12-point game with 2:18 left. That led to a 96-yard touchdown drive and ample time for Green Bay to win with a field goal had it recovered the onside kick. “Looking back on it, I’m sure people will wonder why that decision happens,” O’Connell said. “But I can’t really make those decisions based upon the, ‘Oh no, what could happen.’ I got to be aggressive and always smart.”

No one expected O’Connell to come out throwing right after the Packers turned a strip-sack takeaway into a touchdown to make it a six-point game with 10:16 left. The situation screamed for the Vikings to play it safe. Nope. The first play was a 17-yard bullet from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson. “Got the kind of look that I was hunting for on the play,” O’Connell said. “I knew we would give Sam a clean pocket to be able to step into that thing.” O’Connell called five of six passes and kicked a field goal for a two-score game. “I loved what K.O. did on that drive,” said left tackle Christian Darrisaw. Said Smith, “I like how he trusts his players.”

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