Green Bay Packers crush Minnesota Vikings 37-10 to clinch NFC’s top spot
By Ben Morse, CNN
The Green Bay Packers clinched the No. 1 seed in the National Football Conference (NFC) with an emphatic 37-10 victory over division rivals the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns, wide receiver Davante Adams hauled in 11 catches for 136 yards and a touchdown and running back AJ Dillon added two rushing scores to seal the victory.
Facing back-up quarterback Sean Mannion — with Vikings starter Kirk Cousins on the Covid-19/reserve list — the Green Bay defense stifled the visitors, helping the Packers romp into a 20-0 lead before halftime.
The win means that the Packers seal home-field advantage throughout the playoffs — ensuring the NFC will have to go through Lambeau Field — as well as a first-round bye.
Rodgers, who has put himself in the running for back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards with his play in recent weeks, said he’s hoping the chilly Green Bay weather can help the team come the playoffs.
“Last year, we didn’t get that good Green Bay weather,” Rodgers said after the win. “Tonight was one of those nights. We haven’t had a game like this in a while, temperature-wise. It’s just different. The whole feel of it.
“It’s a different ballgame when it’s cold at home and we’ve handled the cold pretty well over the years. So that’s what we’re hoping for in the playoffs.”
For Adams, who was voted to this year’s Pro Bowl after another excellent season, his dominant performance continued his stellar year.
His 11 receptions put him at 117 on the season, surpassing the 115 he had a year ago. He also set a new career high of 1,498 receiving yards on the season, putting him just 21 yards behind Jordy Nelson’s franchise record with one week to go.
But with the top spot in the NFC already secured, head coach Matt LaFleur could choose to rest his best players, although he says the decision will be made this week.
“We’ll kinda play it by ear. We’ll have conversations tomorrow certainly with our staff, we’ll definitely have talks with our players and we’ll make the best decision for us. But if you ask me right now, I’d say my gut is that these guys are going to play at least a little bit next week.”
The Packers’ win also clinched a playoff spot for the Philadelphia Eagles and eliminated the Vikings from contention for a postseason spot.
Onto the next round
The Cincinnati Bengals produced one of their best performances in recent years to beat the high-flying Kansas City Chiefs 34-31, clinching the AFC North title and securing their playoff spot.
It was the combination of second-year quarterback Joe Burrow and first-year wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase — teammates in college — who tore the Chiefs’ secondary apart.
Burrow finished with 446 passing yards and four touchdowns, while Chase finished with 266 receiving yards and three touchdowns — the most receiving yards in a game by a rookie in NFL history.
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Elsewhere, the Tennessee Titans wrapped up the AFC South division title following their 34-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The win marks the Titans’ first back-to-back division titles since the then Houston Oilers won three AFL Eastern Division titles from 1960 to 1962.
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