Sam Darnold and undefeated Vikings dominate first half and hang on to beat Packers 31-29

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings keep proving skeptics wrong while maintaining early control of the NFC North race.

Darnold threw three touchdown passes and Jordan Addison scored twice as the undefeated Vikings built an early 28-point lead and hung on down the stretch to beat the Green Bay Packers 31-29 on Sunday.

Picked by many to finish last in the NFC North, the Vikings (4-0) are off to their best start since 2016, when they won their first five games before slumping to an 8-8 finish. They've trailed for less than 3 1/2 minutes all season.

“At the end of the day, we believe in each other more than anyone else believes in us,” Darnold said.

Minnesota spoiled the return of Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who returned after missing two games with an injured left medial collateral ligament. He threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns, both career highs. But he also matched a career high with three interceptions while going 32 of 54.

“We fought the whole game and started making plays later, but too little, too late,” Love said.

Green Bay (2-2) got within 31-29 on Dontayvion Wicks’ second fourth-quarter touchdown catch — a 17-yarder with 56 seconds left. Minnesota’s Josh Oliver recovered Daniel Whelan’s ensuing onside kick — it actually was a drop kick — to secure the victory.

Darnold was 20 of 28 for 275 yards with touchdown passes of 29 yards to Addison, 2 yards to Oliver and 14 yards to Justin Jefferson. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble.

Addison, who had missed Minnesota’s last two games with an ankle injury, also scored on a 7-yard run.

Former Packers running back Aaron Jones had 22 carries for 93 yards and four catches for 46 yards in his return to Lambeau Field. Jones spent seven seasons with Green Bay before getting released and signing with the Vikings in March.

Jones had said he would do a “Lambeau leap" into the stands if he scored a touchdown. Jones never reached the end zone Sunday, but he still leaped into a section of Vikings fans in the stands on his way to the locker room after the game.

“As we were taking that last kneel, the Packers defense, they’re like, ‘Ahh, we didn’t let you Lambeau leap here. We didn’t let you Lambeau leap in our house,’” Jones said. “I’m like, ‘You guys are worried about me Lambeau leaping? You guys should be worried about the score.’ I came here and got what I wanted. But I did get my Lambeau leap in, so I got a two-for-one.”

Jayden Reed had seven receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown for the Packers.

The game featured seven turnovers — four by Green Bay and three by Minnesota.

Minnesota capitalized on two interceptions by Love and a pair of missed field goal attempts from Brayden Narveson to built its 28-0 lead in the first 25 minutes. It was the Vikings’ highest-scoring first half since 2017, when they scored 28 before halftime and beat Washington 38-30.

“This is a humbling league at times,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “Credit to them. They did more than we did to win the game. We’ve got to bounce back from it. We’ve got to learn from it and get better.”

Minnesota scored on each of its first three possessions as Darnold picked apart a Green Bay secondary missing injured cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine. When the Packers finally forced a punt, Shaq Griffin delivered a 28-yard interception return to set up one more Vikings touchdown.

The Vikings led 28-7 and had second-and-1 from the Green Bay 20 in the third quarter when Xavier McKinney picked off Darnold, becoming the first Packer to intercept a pass in each of his first four games with the team.

That helped Green Bay creep back into the game.

Love threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Wicks and a 13-yarder to Tucker Craft to cut Minnesota’s lead to 28-22 with 10:16 remaining. Minnesota regrouped on its next possession, with a couple of completions to Jefferson setting up Will Reichard's 33-yard kick with 6:50 left.

The Packers got one last chance after Minnesota’s Jailen Nailor was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Green Bay 4 with less than 2 1/2 minutes left. Love engineered a quick 96-yard drive to cut the margin to two.

But the Packers will continue staring up at the surprising Vikings in the NFC North standings.

“I know what we have in this room is special,” said Byron Murphy, who had one of the Vikings’ three interceptions. “So all that outside noise, I keep saying, ‘Stay off the (band)wagon. Don’t try to jump on it now. You all can stay over there, whatever you all do, but we’re going to keep this thing going.’”

Injuries

Packers WR Christian Watson was carted off the field after injuring an ankle on the play that resulted in an interception. “I have talked to Christian, and he told me that he thought it was just a sprain,” LaFleur said. ... Packers DL Devonte Wyatt hurt an ankle in the fourth quarter.