The Vikings aired it out against the Packers as Sam Darnold attempted 43 passes in Week 17. The seventh-year quarterback racked up 377 yards with three touchdowns against Green Bay. Head coach Matt LaFleur realizes the team needs to do better defending high-end passing attacks. “You’ve got to get pressure on these guys if they’re going to drop back this many times. If you don’t, it’s going to be a long day,” LaFleur said per USA Today’s Ryan Wood on X.

LaFleur also lamented the Packers’ slow start. Halfway through the third quarter, Green Bay trailed the Vikings 20-3. “You just can’t do that against good teams,” LaFleur acknowledged, via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.

While the Packers have enjoyed a successful season, they’ve struggled against the top talent in the conference. The team has been swept by the Vikings and the Lions and lost to the Philadelphia Eagles this year. According to LaFleur, there “absolutely is a belief we can win one of these games, but we’ve got to do it.”

Matt LaFleur and the Packers need to go back to the drawing board

Green Bay’s 6-5 conference record leaves the team vulnerable to being leap frogged by the Washington Commanders. Whether they finish with the sixth or seventh seed, there’s a good chance the Packers will face a nightmare playoff scenario in which they’d match up against the Lions, Vikings or Eagles. If that’s how things play out, Green Bay would need to win their first game against those teams in the pressure-packed atmosphere of the postseason.

The best case scenario for the Packers would be a Wild Card round matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. Green Bay beat LA 24-19 in Week 5.

The team’s Week 17 defeat eroded some confidence as Jordan Love went 19/30 for 185 yards and one touchdown while running back Josh Jacobs squeezed 69 yards out of 17 carries. Meanwhile Darnold continued his MVP-level campaign. The Vikings boast the fourth-best passing offense in the NFL. Minnesota will win the division with a victory over the Lions in Week 18.