By Melissa Freund
Sports Assistant Editor
It’s official. The Green Bay Packers are back on top.
After defeating the Minnesota Vikings, on Sunday, Dec. 2, Mike McCarthy and his team are now tied with the Chicago Bears for the top spot in the NFC North Division.
After losing to the New York Giants 38-10 in week 12, the Packers returned to the field with a vengeance on Sunday.
Unsure of how the defense would perform, as linebacker, Clay Matthews was benched due to a hamstring injury, the Pack managed to hold onto the lead and finish the game with a 23-14 victory over Minnesota.
Also missing from the Packers’ line-up on Sunday were wide receiver, Jordy Nelson and guard,
T. J. Lang.
According to Fox Sports, the win on Sunday night was the second time in a row that the Packers have defeated the Vikings, and the fifth time out of the last six match-ups.
After a touchdown pass to James Jones early in the first quarter, Green Bay quarterback, Aaron Rodgers and his team had to face the Vikings’ running back, and the NFL’s leading rusher, Adrian Peterson, who had a staggering 210 yards on Sunday.
Late in the second quarter, Peterson had a career long 82-yard rushing touchdown, putting the Vikings up 14-10 at half time. Yet as the second half winded down, Minnesota was unable to keep the lead.
Although a trick play by Rodgers and Cobb ended in an interception, the Packers’ defense responded in a similar fashion, as Green Bay free safety, Morgan Burnett picked off two passes, giving Minnesota quarterback, Christian Ponder, a career high of two interceptions in a game.
Rounding out the fourth quarter with the longest drive in the NFL this season, spanning a remarkable 11:00 minutes, the Packers pulled out the win.
Closing up the Packers’ final drive, Mason Crosby put Green Bay’s final score at 23, with his third field goal of the game.
How did the Packers manage a win? The numbers say it all.
While Peterson finished the game with an impressive 210 yards, Rodger’s 27 completions and 286 passing yards dwarfed the 12 completions and 119 yards put up by Ponder.
While the Pack is back on top, there are still four games remaining in the regular season.
In a fight to maintain their position, the Packers will face the Detroit Lions at 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9, followed by a match-up with the Chicago Bears, and rounding out their season with a rematch against the Vikings on Dec. 30.