Vikings vs. Packers: Carson Wentz Fuels a 29-0 Run as Minnesota Stuns Green Bay in Week 1

Carson Wentz was supposed to be the insurance policy. The Vikings brought the 11th-year veteran back for emergencies, and one arrived in the first quarter, when Kyler Murray's Minnesota debut ended with a concussion. By the end, the backup had three touchdown passes and the Green Bay Packers had another collapse for the collection.

Minnesota scored the final 29 points and beat the Packers 39-22 on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, turning a 22-10 hole late in the third quarter into a fourth-quarter speedrun. Green Bay outgained Minnesota by 180 yards and still lost by 17.

"That's why he's here," coach Kevin O'Connell said.

Green Bay Had This One Wrapped

Murray's first pass was intercepted by Keisean Nixon, and rookie Trey Smack turned the takeaway into a 59-yard field goal. On the next Green Bay possession, Jordan Love hit Christian Watson for an 81-yard touchdown two plays in. Smack missed the extra point, but 9-0 felt plenty comfortable.

Murray's afternoon ended soon after, when he slid short of a first down and took hits from Lukas Van Ness and Javon Bullard. Bullard was flagged for unnecessary roughness, and Murray was evaluated for a concussion and ruled out, per the Vikings.

The teams swapped field goals, Will Reichard from 38 and Smack from 43, before Wentz manufactured Minnesota's first touchdown with pure veteran mischief. He used a hard count to pull Van Ness offside, then took the free shot to Justin Jefferson, who beat rookie corner Brandon Cisse for 39 yards. Per the team, Minnesota didn't throw a touchdown that long all of 2025. Love answered with a 2-yard score to Watson with 14 seconds left in the half, and Smack's 26-yarder in the third made it 22-10.

Then the Roof Caved In

Myles Price changed the temperature. The second-year returner took the ensuing kickoff a career-long 68 yards behind a big block from DeeJay Dallas, and Wentz found T.J. Hockenson for a 16-yard touchdown to make it 22-17.

"I think it really started with that kickoff return," Aaron Jones Sr. said.

From there it got silly. Jones punched in a 3-yard touchdown, his first against the team that drafted him, and Wentz hit Jefferson for a 2-point conversion and a 25-22 lead with 6:37 left. On Green Bay's next drive, Andrew Van Ginkel split a sack of Love with Blake Cashman, forced a fumble and returned it to the 1, where Jordan Mason plunged in. On the drive after that, Cashman tipped a Love pass, it caromed off Harrison Smith and James Pierre caught it. Three plays later, Wentz hit Jefferson from 9 yards out. Four straight drives, four touchdowns, ballgame.

"Things happen fast," Wentz said.

The Fourth-and-1 That Flipped the Script

Here's the sequence Packers fans will be replaying all week. Leading 22-17, Green Bay had three points from Smack in hand, but Minnesota was flagged for offside and coach Matt LaFleur took the points off the board to go for it on fourth-and-1. Rookie Domonique Orange spearheaded the stop on Love's sneak, and the Packers turned it over on downs at the Vikings 17. The AP suggested that call might have triggered the entire meltdown.

The ensuing 83-yard drive was a Packers penalty parade. Per the AP, Jonathan Ford was called for encroachment, Bullard's illegal contact wiped out a third-down sack, rookie Chris McClellan's late hit on Wentz erased a third-down incompletion, and Xavier McKinney's defensive holding negated an Evan Williams interception in the end zone. Jones scored on the next snap.

"Momentum is a strong thing," Watson said, "and we didn't respond."

Wentz, Jefferson and a Wasted Gem

Wentz finished 12 of 19 for 133 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers, a 123.5 passer rating. The team said it was his most touchdown passes in a game since 2022. The raw numbers are modest. The poise was not.

"For him to come in and do what he did and just be part of that calming presence that allowed our team to continue playing, I can't say enough about him," O'Connell said.

Jefferson caught eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, which the AP noted matched his entire 2025 total. His 9-yard score was his 587th career catch, tying Randy Moss for second in franchise history, per the Vikings. Defensively, Van Ginkel finished with 1.5 sacks, and the team credited Dallas Turner with seven of Minnesota's 15 quarterback hits.

Love deserved better for most of the afternoon. He threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns against a blitz-happy defense, and Watson turned six catches into 147 yards and two scores. But the late fumble and interception, plus a 3-for-12 day on third down, sank him.

The Math Makes No Sense, and That's the Point

• 29-0: Minnesota's closing run.
• 419 to 239: total yards, Green Bay's way. Per the Vikings, it was the first win in team history by 15-plus points while being outgained by 150-plus yards.
• 12 for 98: Packers penalties, against 3 for 15 for Minnesota.
• 8 of 15: Minnesota on third down.
• 4 for 4: the Vikings in the red zone.

O'Connell Gets a Keeper, Green Bay Gets Deja Vu

O'Connell has stacked comebacks in five seasons but still hasn't won a playoff game, per the AP, so September magic only buys so much.

"This one will stick with me for a long time," O'Connell said.

O'Connell said Murray seemed to be doing well after the game, but there's no timetable for his return. Wentz beat out 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy for the backup job on experience, and Sunday showed why.

Green Bay looked like a team still haunted by last season. Per the AP, the Packers closed last season on a five-game losing streak and lost four times after leading by at least two possessions in the second half, including a wild-card collapse in which Chicago outscored them 25-6 in the fourth quarter. They also played without left guard Aaron Banks (knee), giving Donovan Jennings his first career start.

Both teams play Sept. 20: Green Bay visits the New York Jets, Minnesota visits Chicago.

The Substitute Teacher Ran the Class

Every school had that substitute who ignored the lesson plan and still had the room locked in by the bell. That was Wentz on Sunday, and he admitted some of the calm was an act. "Sometimes you've gotta fake it 'til you make it," he said.

The scoreboard says it worked.

"Football is a funny game," Wentz said, "but it's fun to be on this side of it."

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press and Vikings.com.