3 winners and 6 losers from the Packers’ ugly loss to the Vikings, with their playoff hopes taking a major hit

Green Bay dug itself a deep hole in Minnesota before a second-half response, and the individual performances tell a familiar story about consistency.

Wendell Ferreira — NFL News Writer
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Nov 15, 2026; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings defensive line Elijah Williams (99) in the third quarter at Lambeau Field.
Nov 15, 2026; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings defensive line Elijah Williams (99) in the third quarter at Lambeau Field. Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Green Bay Packers lost to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday after an awful first half. The 30-10 loss puts the Packers in a tough position, because their 6-4 record is enough for the last place in the NFC North, a 1-3 division record, and with their playoff chances dropping from 62% to 41% according to the A to Z Sports’ playoff predictor.

Here are the Packers’ winners and losers from the loss to the Vikings at Lambeau Field.

Winners

Safety Xavier McKinney

Xavier McKinney now leads the NFL with six interceptions after picking off Kirk Cousins once. He also made a great read late in the third quarter to force a three-and-out right after the Packers finally scored. That stop set up the following drive, when Green Bay cut the lead from 20-0 to 20-10.

McKinney remains a smart and effective player. The offense couldn’t sustain anything and the defense was on the field for most of the game, but he still kept that unit at some level of success.

Edge defender Lukas Van Ness

Van Ness had 1.5 sacks against the Vikings, and he now leads the Packers with six sacks this season. He also stops the run and plays with discipline.

He isn’t the ideal primary edge rusher for a team, but he has taken a big step forward in his game. Once Micah Parsons gets back and Van Ness becomes the second edge rusher, it will be clearer how much his effort, motor, and ability to generate strong plays mean to this defense.

Running back Kaleb Johnson

The Vikings had plenty of success stopping the run early. But as the Packers moved to more spread looks and a faster tempo in the second half, Kaleb Johnson found more space and took advantage of it. He finished above four yards per carry.

None of his runs were explosive plays, but Johnson showed how consistent he can be. Josh Jacobs wasn’t available Sunday. Still, Johnson generates more yards on his own than Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, or Chris Brooks have this season.


Losers

Tight end Mark Redman

The backup tight end fumbled on the first drive, and that mistake set the tone for a disastrous first half. Andrew Van Ginkel essentially took the ball out of his hands close to the Packers’ end zone. You would expect a blocking tight end to be stronger with the football. Minnesota only turned the takeaway into three points, but the first half was full of mistakes from that point on.

Kicker Trey Smack

Smack was fine after that, but he did miss a 53-yard field goal early in the game. He leads the NFL in misses, and the lack of consistency has been a problem even if Green Bay trusts him on a long-term basis. In a game where every point is hard to get, missed field goals put the entire operation in a bad spot.

Tight end Tucker Kraft

Kraft had one 18-yard reception in an important moment. Outside of that, though, he struggled. On one Jordan Love interception, Kraft appeared to stop running because he didn’t believe in the seam route, and veteran Vikings safety Harrison Smith picked off the pass. Kraft also had a drop.

The star player doesn’t look as explosive as he did last year, and that may be a consequence of the ACL injury and the process of getting back to full strength. Either way, Kraft hasn’t been the same player.

Wide receiver Matthew Golden

Golden was fairly productive with five receptions for 70 yards. The problem: he had two consecutive drops in the second quarter, both on missed first-down opportunities during a three-and-out, and another drop later on. Golden now has 11 drops this season, the most in the league. The production is there, but the inconsistency is costly in close games like this one.

Center John Williams

John Williams, a former seventh-round pick, is essentially in his first NFL season after missing his entire rookie year with an injury. He is a tackle playing center because Sean Rhyan and Jacob Monk are hurt.

Williams hadn’t been great, but this game was especially bad. He allowed four pressures, gave up sacks, and had two bad snaps, one of which became a fumble. Green Bay will hope Rhyan returns after the bye to stabilize the interior of the offensive line to some extent.

Head coach Matt LaFleur

Matt LaFleur took too long to understand what this game demanded. The Packers were very conservative in the first half, with only one pass targeted to a wide receiver in the entire first quarter.

He also made a costly decision to accept a third-down penalty, and the Vikings scored on the ensuing third-and-23. At the end of the first half, LaFleur waited 15 seconds to call a timeout on the final drive.

The offense improved in the second half with more spread formations and tempo. The Packers finally adjusted, but the adjustment came too late. LaFleur had a bad game as a play-caller, as a decision maker, and as a head coach overall.

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