Packers at Vikings, Week 1 2026: Recap and Player Stats

The Minnesota Vikings opened the 2026 regular season with a 39-22 win over the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, September 13, but very little about the afternoon went to script. Kyler Murray, playing his first game for Minnesota, left in the first quarter with a concussion, and Carson Wentz took over. The Vikings were down 22-10 late in the third quarter before scoring the final 29 points of the game in front of 66,940 fans.

Wentz had been named the No. 2 quarterback for the opener, with J.J. McCarthy listed third, according to ESPN. The Associated Press noted that the veteran, in his 11th NFL season, had had little practice time in Minnesota’s offense. He still completed 12 of 19 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, good for a 123.5 passer rating. Murray went 3 of 5 for 18 yards and threw an interception before he was hurt.

“That’s why he’s here.” — Kevin O’Connell on Carson Wentz, via the AP

How Green Bay built a 22-10 lead

The Packers opened the scoring with a 59-yard field goal from rookie kicker Trey Smack. Jordan Love then found Christian Watson for an 81-yard touchdown, although Smack’s extra point failed, leaving it 9-0. Will Reichard got Minnesota on the board with a 38-yard field goal late in the first quarter.

Smack added a 43-yarder early in the second quarter. Wentz answered with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson, but Love and Watson connected again from 2 yards out with 14 seconds left in the half to make it 19-10. A 26-yard Smack field goal midway through the third quarter stretched the lead to 12 points. Love finished 21 of 42 for 387 yards with two touchdowns, and Watson caught six passes for 147 yards. Green Bay outgained Minnesota 419 yards to 239 for the game.

Twenty-nine unanswered points

The rally began with 2:08 left in the third quarter, when Wentz hit T.J. Hockenson for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 22-17. According to the AP, momentum shifted when Packers coach Matt LaFleur took a Smack field goal off the board after an offside penalty and went for it on fourth-and-1, and Love was stopped at the line with the Packers still up by five.

Minnesota’s go-ahead drive was helped along by four Green Bay defensive penalties. The AP listed them as an encroachment call on Jonathan Ford, illegal contact on Javon Bullard that cancelled a third-down sack, a late hit on Wentz by rookie Chris McClellan that wiped out a third-down incompletion, and defensive holding on Xavier McKinney that erased an Evan Williams interception in the end zone. The Packers disputed the last two flags. Aaron Jones Sr., the former Packers running back, scored from 3 yards on the next snap, and Wentz found Jefferson for the two-point conversion and a 25-22 lead with 6:37 to play.

Green Bay then committed two late turnovers, the AP reported: Love lost a fumble on a sack, which Andrew Van Ginkel recovered, and threw an interception deep in Packers territory that James Pierre picked off. Jordan Mason scored on a 1-yard run at 4:48, and Wentz’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Jefferson at 3:55 closed the scoring.

“Football is a funny game, but it’s fun to be on this side of it.” — Carson Wentz, via the AP

Jefferson finished with eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns, which the AP pointed out equals his touchdown total for the whole 2025 season. Hockenson had four catches for 36 yards. Mason led the rushing attack with 59 yards on 15 carries, and Jones added 40 yards on 12 carries.

Pressure and discipline

Minnesota’s defense sacked Love four times. Van Ginkel had 1.5 sacks, Dallas Turner was credited with a sack and seven quarterback hits, and Byron Murphy Jr. led the team with eight tackles. The Packers converted just 3 of 12 third downs and 0 of 2 fourth downs, and they were flagged 12 times for 98 yards. The Vikings were penalized three times for 15 yards, went 8 of 15 on third down and were 4-for-4 in the red zone by ESPN’s count. Myles Price returned five kickoffs for 179 yards, with a long of 68. After the game, Watson said, “Momentum is a strong thing, and we didn’t respond,” per the AP. O’Connell said the win “will stick with me for a long time.”

Injury notes

O’Connell said after the game that Murray seemed to be doing well, but there was no timetable for his return, according to the AP. The hit that injured Murray, delivered by Bullard, was flagged; on Monday O’Connell said it was a “violent, physical play” but not objectionable, ESPN reported. As of September 16, ESPN’s injury report listed Murray as questionable with a concussion, and a Week 2 starter had not been confirmed. The same day, the Vikings placed Mason on injured reserve after surgery to repair a fractured thumb. For Green Bay, left guard Aaron Banks (knee) was inactive, and Donovan Jennings made his first career start.

Up next, Minnesota visits the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, September 20, at 12:00 p.m. CDT on FOX. Read our Week 2 preview for the full picture.