The Minnesota Vikings’ 39-22 win over the Green Bay Packers did not turn on one isolated play. It turned on a sequence.
First came the defensive swing: a sack-fumble, a pressure spike, and a Packers offense that suddenly could not stay on schedule. Then came Carson Wentz, who answered with four touchdowns across four drives as Minnesota turned a 22-10 deficit late in the third quarter into a 29-point unanswered run.
That sequence defined the Vikings’ opening game of the 2026 season, a comeback that was as much about how Minnesota controlled the middle of the game as it was about the final score. The Vikings trailed 22-10 with 5:09 left in the third quarter, then scored 29 straight points to outlast Green Bay 39-22.
The defensive phase of the turnaround started with pressure that Green Bay could not absorb. Andrew Van Ginkel forced a fumble during a sack of Jordan Love, and the ball was returned to the 1-yard line. Blake Cashman also played a central role in the pressure surge, generating seven quick pressures against the Packers, the most by an off-ball linebacker in a game since at least 2018.
That pressure showed up in the broader numbers, too. Love was pressured on half of his dropbacks, the highest rate in a game in his career. Minnesota’s defense also held Green Bay to 3 conversions on 14 critical downs, a level of disruption that kept the Packers from settling in even when they had the lead.
The Packers still had a chance to answer. Green Bay led 25-17 with about 13 minutes left and then faced a decision after an offsides penalty: take the points or go for it on fourth-and-1. Matt LaFleur chose the latter. Minnesota stopped the attempt, and the game’s momentum stayed with the Vikings.
From there, the offense took over.
Carson Wentz completed 12 of 19 passes for 133 yards and a 123.5 passer rating, but the raw line only tells part of the story. His three touchdown passes were his most since 2022, and Minnesota’s account of the game describes him leading four touchdowns in four drives during the comeback stretch. That was the offensive counterweight to the defensive pressure: once the Vikings got the ball back in favorable spots, they kept finishing possessions.
The comeback itself began with a special-teams jolt. Myles Price broke off a 68-yard kickoff return, and T.J. Hockenson finished the sequence with a 16-yard touchdown pass. Minnesota then kept stacking scores until the Packers’ lead disappeared.
Justin Jefferson was part of that closing stretch, too. His 9-yard touchdown reception tied him with Randy Moss for the second-most career receptions in franchise history at 587. Jefferson also caught the 2-point conversion from Wentz in the back corner of the end zone, another clean finish in a game that had started with Minnesota chasing.
The Vikings’ ground game was quieter than the passing surge. Jordan Mason led the team with 59 yards on 15 carries, while Aaron Jones had 40 yards on 12 carries. But Minnesota did not need a dominant rushing day to control the game once the defense started forcing long fields and hurried decisions.
That is what makes the final margin stand out. Minnesota won by 17 points despite being outgained by 180 total yards, the first time in franchise history the Vikings won by 15 or more while being outgained by 150 or more. The Packers also had the game’s explosive strike — Jordan Love’s 81-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson — yet it was not enough to offset the sequence of stops, pressure, and efficient finishing that followed.
So the comeback was not just a single burst of energy. It was a defensive reset, then an offensive run that kept cashing in. Minnesota opened the season by outlasting Green Bay 39-22, and the path from 22-10 down to a comfortable finish ran through both sides of the ball.