2022 Week 17 Game Recap: Packers 41, Vikings 17 (by Ross Jacobs)

This was a complete and total ass whipping by the Packers in every phase of the game. They scored on special teams first, followed that up with a pick-six, and then the offense finally got in on the scoring-fest with a few of their own. The score was 41-3 in the 4th quarter before the Vikings scored two late garbage TDs against the Green Bay backups.

Don't look now but the Packers have won their last 4 games (albeit against some pathetic teams) and are knocking on the door of the playoffs. They just need to beat the Lions this week to make in it. I'm not convinced they are going to get it done though, no matter how good they looked here. There was a bit of luck that led to this dogpile of a game, but they are definitely getting everyone back healthy and at full strength at the perfect time. Bakhtiari, Campbell, all the receivers and corners...if Green Bay can find their way into the playoffs they are suddenly a dangerous team that nobody wants to face.

The Vikings have the opposite problem. They are 12-4 with a high seed already locked up, but absolutely nobody is scared of them. They have to be the worst 12-4 team I've ever seen. Somehow they have given up 19 more points than they've scored...and yet they've won 12 games! That shouldn't even be possible. The truth is though that they've been skating by on good fortune against the bad teams on their schedule, just barely winning games, but when they play an actual good team (Phi, Dal, Det, and now Green Bay at full strength), they've gotten annihilated each time. Their offense isn't bad but their defense is a total abomination, specifically the pass defense. I don't see how they make any kind of playoff run. They are a huge threat to get upset in the first round.

Fantasy Player Notes:

 – All of 1 catch on 5 targets for Christian Watson and it's still completely obvious that he is the #1 option and the top look for Rodgers. They just missed on a handful of deep attempts...a few inches different and Watson might have walked out of this game with 4-100-1 or something similar. He's the new Jordy Nelson so long as Rodgers is there.

 – 6 TDs in his last 5 games for AJ Dillon. He's the hammer to finish things off and Jones is the Ferrari that starts the game off and helps grab the lead. He's not finding a whole lot of room to run yet, but his role is picking up nonetheless. Dillon been a RB1 over this time frame, the RB12 overall and RB7 in ppg...this is what I had envisioned before the season. Over the same span Aaron Jones is just the RB22 overall and RB17 in ppg despite his significantly higher efficiency.

It will be interesting to see how this backfield stays the same or changes next off-season. Jones is owed $20 million in 2023 and there's absolutely no way he's going to make that much. I doubt they let him walk though. Nobody is going to pay a RB at 28 years old, not with so many other talented backs hitting free agency this year. Most likely they bring him back on a renegotiated deal that pays him a lot less money, at least if Rodgers is back for another Super Bowl run. 

As long as Jones can stay healthy he's going to be a big part of this offense, but he's getting older and, as I predicted this past summer, the team clearly wants Dillon to take on a larger role...maybe I was just a year early. We'll see if Jones can stay on the field and keep his efficiency going because any drop off is going into the Dillon ledger, no matter how much less efficient he is on a touch by touch basis.

 – Justin Jefferson was totally wiped out by Alexander and Douglas here. It didn't matter where he lined up, they were all over him. That tight coverage led to a bunch of open looks for Hockenson who accrued 7 catches on 12 targets for a handful of empty yards. The Green Bay no fly zone is back in full force.

Snap Counts of Interest:

49 = Thielen

46 = Jefferson

46 = Osborn

47 = Hockenson

34 = Cook

45 = Lazard

38 = Watson

31 = Doubs

29 = Cobb

39 = Tonyan

29 = Dillon

25 = Jones