Build a lead. Control the game. Give it all away with a fourth-quarter meltdown. The Green Bay Packers' nightmare struck again in a crushing season-opening loss against the Minnesota Vikings, in which they were outscored 29-0 to end the game.
Final: Vikings 39, Packers 22. When will this stop happening?
In an agonizingly familiar script, a strong start fell apart in the blink of an eye. Penalties, turnovers, an offensive line that couldn't block a sneeze. The first three quarters were an entirely different game.
Perhaps it's not so surprising that plenty of Packers winners emerged from the first three periods, despite what ended up being a dismal loss. That said, let's start with the losers, seeing as the end of the game is bitter on the brain for Packers fans.
Packers' loss was dominated by late-game losers
The offensive line
The Packers have some major soul-searching to do on the offensive line. Donovan Jennings is not the answer at left guard if Aaron Banks misses more time. In fact, he shouldn't be the first choice as a backup. Just give Jager Burton his chance already.
Jennings was hardly the only culprit once the floodgates opened to the Vikings' five-man pass rush schemed up by coordinator Brian Flores. Jordan Love was charged with a strip-sack fumble that led to a scoop-and-score, but he was the least culpable party involved. His protection up front may as well have been a sheet of soaked Kleenex.
After surviving the first half, the offensive line turned in a collectively catastrophic effort as Flores bulldozed them with blitz packages. All four sacks the Packers allowed came in the final quarter, leading to back-to-back Love fumbles. This group needs answers, and soon.
Head coach Matt LaFleur
Another obvious answer. No comment on declining a made field goal after a Vikings offsides and getting stuffed on a 4th-and-1 sneak, the precipitous play that snowballed the collapse.
After being knocked all offseason for the team's late-game collapses last year, culminating in the Wild Card Game implosion, this was the worst possible way to kick off 2026 for LaFleur. It wasn't just being outscored 22-0 in the fourth quarter. It was the utterly unhinged, plastic-bag-the-wind way in which it happened. Everything that went wrong did, in all phases of the game.
Making matters worse, LaFleur was badly outcoached by Flores in the second half. Yes, he was working with a wet-paper offensive line to work with, but he simply had no answer to slow down the onslaught on Love in the pocket. All that talk about improving team toughness sure looks like just that - talk, without the results to show for it.
Running back Kaleb Johnson
Johnson was one Packer not at fault for the loss. One of the game's surprises was his absence from the backfield. Instead, the Packers leaned on MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks while Johnson returned a pair of kickoffs and watched.
Brooks isn't known as a ball carrier, and after Green Bay gave up a draft pick to acquire Johnson at roster cutdowns, it was strange to see him exclusively on the sidelines. Maybe he wasn't able to learn the playbook in time. We'll have to see if his usage changes moving forward.
The Packers' run game in general
Lloyd and Brooks were fine, producing 66 rushing yards on 20 carries. The problem is that a fine-to-mediocre run game, held back by a porous offensive line, gave Flores full license to blitz the house on every snap. Lacking an explosive threat or dependable bruiser made it hard for the Packers to keep the Vikings defense honest.
Defensive tackle Chris McClellan
McClellan delivered a mostly solid performance. His status as a so-called loser isn't even his fault; it's more about bad luck and being robbed of what should have been a big positive play: a third-down sack nullified by an egregious roughing-the-passer penalty. It was one of three highly questionable calls on a single Vikings drive.
It's not why the Packers lost, but it was another turning point in the disastrous avalanche. McClellan got robbed.
The winners, for whatever it's worth
Wide receiver Christian Watson
Watson certainly vindicated the Packers for handing him a four-year, $92 million extension this offseason. He finished the day with six catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns, including an 81-yard blaze on Green Bay's second possession.
Fittingly, most of his production came in the first half, before disaster descended. Still, he looked every bit the explosive threat the Packers paid him to be, building on his career-best production after returning from injury last season.
Cornerback Keisean Nixon
Nixon made his mark early by intercepting Kyler Murray on the first pass he threw, and continued to wreak havoc all over the field. In addition to five tackles and a TFL, Nixon registered a pair of quarterback hits and half a sack as defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon dialed up creative blitz looks. It was a strong start for Nixon coming off his nightmarish start to training camp.
Wide receiver Matthew Golden
Love's most-targeted pass-catcher, Golden stepped into the No. 2 receiver role behind Watson as Jayden Reed and others took a back seat in the opener. The exciting sophomore finished with six receptions for 95 yards, but more meaningfully, he already looks well on his way to the hoped-for breakout. Both his field-stretching speed and short-area agility showed up in electric fashion.
Edge rusher Lukas Van Ness
With Micah Parsons hyping his teammates from the sidelines, Van Ness held down his role as the Packers' top threat off the edge. When he didn't get home, Van Ness remained active on the line of scrimmage, putting up a hand to disrupt passing lanes and being a general handful for the offensive line to handle. A costly offsides penalty notwithstanding, he delivered a plus outing overall that included a sack and a tackle for loss.
Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper
Gannon made full use of Cooper's potential as a multi-purpose dynamo. Cooper lined up in the middle, on the edge, blitzed, dropped back in coverage. He racked up seven tackles, including two tackles for loss, and a sack when the Vikings' offensive line left him unblocked up the middle. Despite the loss, Gannon has to love the piece of clay he has in Cooper to optimize his defense.
Partial credit: Kicker Trey Smack
Smack nailed a 59-yard field goal on his first kick of the game, proving that he is made for the moment. He promptly missed an extra point on Green Bay's next score, however, so dock his grade slightly there.
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