Photo / Morry Gash | AP
September 16, 2018. The 116th meeting between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers. Both teams entered the Week 2 match up 1-0. The Vikings had beaten the San Francisco 49ers 24-16 at US Bank Stadium the week before. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers stunned the Chicago Bears, overcoming a 20-0 deficit to win 24-23.
The good news for Vikings fans coming into the game was that Rodgers sprained his MCL in the Bears game and was questionable the entire week leading up to the game. Rodgers did start the game and a lot of analysts assumed the injury would affect his mobility, leaving him a sitting duck for Everson Griffin, Linval Joseph and company.
Rodgers was good, but not "Aaron Rodgers good". He did finish with 281 yards passing and a touchdown. But the Packers built their lead around their special teams: a blocked punt touchdown and two Mason Crosby field goals gave Green Bay a 20-7 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
That's when Captain Kirk took over.
Kirk Cousins, the Vikings key off-season acquisition, began doing what the Vikings brought him to Minnesota to do: put up points against the Packers.
Cousins began the fourth quarter with a three-yard touchdown pass to Stephan Diggs to cut the Green Bay lead to 20-14.
The Vikings held Green Bay to a Crosby field goal.
Cousins then found Diggs again, this time for a 75-yard touchdowns strike to cut the Green Bay lead to 23-21.
The Vikings held Green Bay to a Crosby field goal.
On the first play of the Vikings' next drive, a Cousins pass intended for Laquan Treadwell (who scored his first NFL touchdown in this game...the second game of his third NFL season...) ricocheted off Treadwell's hands into the hands of Green Bay safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix with just over two minutes left in the game and Green Bay leading 26-21.
The Vikings held Green Bay to a Crosby field goal.
Now down by eight points, Cousins led the Vikings into Green Bay territory again, and hit a double-covered Adam Thielen with a 22 yard touchdown with 90 seconds left in the game. The two-point conversion attempt was a complete on a beautiful fade route to Diggs.
The game was tied at 29-29.
Rodgers drove Green Bay to Minnesota's 35 with :31 seconds left. Mason Crosby's first attempt at the game winning field goal was good, but a Vikings timeout before the snap negated the try.
Crosby's second attempt at the 52 yarder was no good.
The Vikings got the ball first in overtime, driving down to the Green Bay 35 yard line.
Enter rookie kicker Daniel Carlson.
Carlson was the top kicking prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft. The former Auburn kicker was a three-time All-American, three-time All-SEC, and the all-time leading scorer in SEC history. The Vikings traded two picks to the New York Jets to move up and draft him in the fifth round. Carlson won the Vikings kicker job over Kai Forbath in training camp. He hit four of six field goals in the preseason, and was 1/1 in 2018 with a 48 yarder against San Francisco the week before.
Carlson had already missed one against Green Bay: a 48 yard field goal in the second quarter.
And here was his chance to redeem himself and give Minnesota the lead with a 49 yard field goal.
Carlson missed wide right, giving Aaron Rodgers the ball at the Green Bay 35.
Rodgers and the Packers played conservative, setting up for another potential Crosby field goal...and why not? The guy was 5/6 already.
On third and four from the Minnesota 32, Rodgers was sacked by Mackenzie Alexander, pushing the Packers out of Crosby's field goal range. Green Bay punted the ball back to the Vikings.
Again, Cousins and the Vikings drove deep into Packers territory, this time setting up Carlson with a 35 yard field goal to send the Vikings home with a win.
He missed right. Again.
The game finished tied at 29-29.
The Vikings cut Carlson the next day.
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