Packers 42, Vikings 10: Score, Stats & Highlights

Minnesota Vikings v Green Bay Packers

Thursday nights used to be known as Must See TV. It was when all the best shows were on. Cheers. Cosby. Family Ties. Hill Street Blues. Hell, even Dwayne Wayne lived on Thursday nights.

But this season, Thursday Night Football on CBS and the NFL Network has produced five channel-changing blowouts. Week 5 continued the trend as the Minnesota Vikings were annihilated 42-10 by the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Football chased Sheldon Cooper and The Big Bang Theory from Thursday night for this?

The Vikings were without hotshot rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater (ankle), who was coming off a promising first career start — a win against the Saints with 317 yards passing. Instead, the Vikes played journeyman Christian Ponder. Union Square had a better chance of surviving between Friends and Seinfed than Ponder had against the Packers D. Union Square lasted 13 episodes and Ponder barely made it to halftime.

And while the Vikings sputtered, Eddie Lacy splattered anything in his path. Green Bay’s burly back was pure smashmouth in trucking his way to 105 yards and two touchdowns. On a night the Vikings died from a thousand wounds, Lacy delivered the heaviest artillery.

Here’s how it went down …

Eddie Lacy Was an Absolute Beast

The above image is the end of Lacy’s second touchdown dash of the game, a 10-yard power run that put him over 100 yards and for the second time in the game, blighted Vikings S Robert Blanton.

Lacy’s first TD also came on some hard charging:

The Packers Drew First Blood on an Aaron Rodgers TD Pass

Following three Lacy runs of 18, 29 and 6 yards, Rodgers found Randall Cobb for an 8-yard TD — the first of three Rodgers (156 yards) thew for the game. The Packers started the drive on their own 34 and Lacy’s first four runs amassed 58 yards. He was particularly beastly on this run:

Jordy Nelson Caught a Bomb to Put the Packers Ahead 14-0

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Nelson is the NFL’s leading receiver, but this 66-yard TD was his only catch of the game. He came into the game with an NFL-best 459 yards receiving.

The Vikings Miss Teddy Bridgewater Terribly

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Ponder started for the injured Bridgewater, who was out with an ankle injury. A week after Bridgewater threw for 317 yards in his first career start, Ponder was awful. In the first half he was 8-for-19 for 60 yards and two killer interceptions.

Ponder finished the game 22-of-44 for 222 yards and 2 INT. He ran for the Vikings lone TD on the first play of the fourth quarter, snapping a 42-0 shutout.

Packers DE Julius Peppers Terrorized Ponder

Dropping back into coverage, Peppers picked off Ponder midway through the second quarter and rumbled 49 yards for a TD. At that point in the game, Ponder completed 6 of 14 passes for 46 yards. The Peppers pick-six made it 21-0 Packers.

Green Bay LB Jamari Lattimore also Picked Off Ponder

Lattimore snatched Green Bay’s second pick of the night, giving the Packers excellent field position again. The interception set the Packers up on the Minnesota 10 before Rodgers hit Davante Adams three plays later for a 28-0 lead.

Thursday Night Games Have All Been Blowouts This Season

All five Thursday night games have been one-sided this season, decided by no fewer than 20 points. The 32-point Packers win continued the trend of knockouts.

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