Packers outscored 29-0 at end of Week 1 loss to Vikings | Instant analysis

MINNEAPOLIS – At the end of three quarters, the Green Bay Packers hadn't trailed. They had outplayed the Minnesota Vikings , doubling their yardage. There was only one question left unanswered.

The same question they couldn't answer all of 2025.

After spending an entire offseason hoping things would be different, the fourth quarter happened. And it was the same script that's become much too familiar in Titletown.

The Packers collapsed yet again, losing their 2026 opener 39-22 to the Vikings . It was their sixth straight loss dating to last season. In four of them, including this opener, the Packers held at least a 9-point lead in the second half.

Their biggest lead against the Vikings was 22-10 with 5 minutes, 9 seconds left in the third quarter. From that moment, they were outscored 29-0 through game's end.

After keeping offense afloat, Vikings pass rush finally gets to Jordan Love

Matt LaFleur raised some eyebrows during camp when he said Jordan Love is the best he's ever been around at adjusting protections before the snap, considering his last quarterback was you-know-who, but Love spent most of the game showing why he got such lofty praise. It just wasn't enough. Love is approaching a level where defenses blitz him at their peril. The Vikings, with defensive coordinator Brian Flores, is about as good as it gets with the blitz. Only until the end did Flores' scheme start overwhelming Love, who finished 21-of-42 passing for 387 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. No matter how many explosive plays Love hit on Flores' blitz, he kept bringing them, and eventually the Packers offensive line no longer could hold on. The Vikings finished with four sacks, all in the second half, and Love was hit 15 times. The turning point came when outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkle sacked Love unblocked on third down, stripped the football and set up a short Vikings touchdown. No quarterback could endure that onslaught of pressure, including one who usually handles it better than anyone.

Packers' improvised offensive line might be worse than last year

Anyone who followed training camp could have seen Aaron Banks ' absence coming Week 1. After never consistently practicing because of knee tendinitis, Banks was inactive. His lack of camp reps gave the Packers ample opportunity to prepare for an opener without him, but the coaching staff decided to stray from what they'd followed most of the past month. Rookie Jager Burton got most of the starting left guard reps replacing Banks, but it was Donovan Jennings getting the start. Maybe Burton wouldn't have been better, a rookie starting in the blisteringly loud road stadium, but the Packers' offensive line was overpowered all game. The most-glaring example came early in the fourth quarter when LaFleur elected to take 3 points off the board, which would have given his team an 8-point lead, in favor of a fourth-and-1 attempt – but Love couldn't pick up the yard. The Packers run game was absent all game, though. Running backs MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks combined for 66 yards on 20 carries. After a full offseason, one of the Packers' biggest issues from 2025 is still a big problem. The offensive line isn't good enough.

Packers defense can't overcome its own mistakes

The Packers' lack of rushing attack put a lot of stress on their defense, which trailed in time of possession all game and occasionally appeared gassed even in the first half. Even still, it was the defense's only undoing that was too much to overcome. On the Vikings' go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, the Packers three times had chances to get off the field. On the first, Javon Bullard 's illegal-contact penalty erased a split sack shared between Edgerrin Cooper and Devonte Wyatt on third-and-11. On the next third down, rookie defensive tackle Chris McClellan hit Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz to force an incompletion, but he landed on Wentz for what is considered a roughing the passer in today's NFL. It appeared the Packers would make a final stand in the red zone after Evan Williams intercepted Wentz, but a defensive-holding penalty on safety Xavier McKinney renewed the Vikings' possession. They scored one play later on a 3-yard run from Aaron Jones and never trailed again. Those three plays are exactly how teams do not finish games.

Keisean Nixon 's versatility will become key in Jonathan Gannon's scheme

After a training camp full of questions, Keisean Nixon wasted no time providing answers. On his first snap, Nixon tackled Aaron Jones in the backfield for a 1-yard loss. On his second, he intercepted a lame-duck pass from Kyler Murray , setting up a field goal on the Packers' opening drive. He finished with five tackles, including one for loss. He also had a half-sack and two quarterback hits, including one that forced an incompletion on the first play of the second half. Nixon didn't pitch a shutout in coverage, but for what the Packers need him to be in their defense, he was plenty. His versatility was especially impactful. Nixon is a former slot corner moved to the perimeter, and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was willing to mix blitzes into Nixon's workload, and it paid off in a handful of important plays. His playmaking ability is why the Packers stood fast in the veteran being a starter in their defense.

Trey Smack gets lesson in margin of error in NFL debut

Trey Smack got a hard lesson in the thin margins between success and failure in the NFL. The sixth-round rookie draft pick's debut had its highlights, including a 59-yard field goal that opened scoring and might have been good from 70. Smack made all four of his field goal attempts, including the fourth-quarter field goal LaFleur elected to remove. But he also pushed an extra point wide right after the Packers' opening touchdown, and that lonely point made a big difference in the game. Most significantly, it probably enticed LaFleur to chase the fourth-down conversion in the early fourth quarter, because Smack's field goal would have given the Packers only an 8-point lead. With the extra point, that same field goal would have made it a two-possession game with a 9-point lead. It's a tough job, being a kicker. On a day Smack showed off his leg, he also saw how important it is to make the easy ones.