Green Bay Packers beat Minnesota Vikings, 23-14 – NFL Week 13 Recap
Green Bay Packers defeated Minnesota Vikings, 23-14, in Week 13 game on Sunday, December 2, 2012, at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI.
Packers (8-4) became the leaders of National Football Conference (NFC) North and Vikings (6-6) remain at the 3rd rank in the division.
From the beginning, the game was in the hands of Packers. In the first quarter, Packers wide receiver James Jones received a 32-yard pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers and scored a touchdown. The lead was increased when Mason Crosby kicked a 30-yard field
goal.
In the second quarter, Vikings scored two touchdowns and came in a dominant position. At 12:18, quarterback Christian Ponder threw a seven-yard pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph to score first touchdown for the team.
At 05:08, running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 82 yards and scored a touchdown.
Crosby kicked a 47-yard field goal in third quarter and reduced the deficit to only one point. Packers running back James Starks rushed for 22 yards and scored his first touchdown of this season and brought his team in lead 20-14.
According to the Associated Press, talking about the turning point of the game Packers coach Mike McCarthy said:
"I thought Morgan Burnett's interception in the third quarter in the end zone was the key play of game. It shifted the momentum."
Vikings could not score more points in the game. Crosby kicked his third field goal from 31 yards in the fourth quarter and ended the game with 23-14.
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said about his defeat:
"We can win with the personnel that we have. We've shown that we can. We just have to do a few things better. There's no reason to panic."
Ponder finished the game with 12 of 25 for 119 yards, scored a touchdown and threw two interceptions. He got 48% completion in the game, his lowest in this season.
He said:
"This one definitely hurts. For what this game means to the team, to this state, it's disappointing -- especially with the way Adrian played -- to go out and throw two interceptions."
Rodgers was satisfied with his performance. He completed 27 of 35 passes for 286 yards and scored a touchdown and an interception.
With completion percentage of 77.1 and quarterback rating of 84.6, Rodgers is hopeful for winning more games in the season, he said:
"Everything's right in front of us. We've got to go win our home games and get a couple wins on the road."
Packers are going to play their next game against Detroit Lions, while Vikings will face Chicago Bears.
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