Minnesota Vikings: Five things we learned in victory over the Green Bay Packers

The Minnesota Vikings are first-place in the NFC North after taking down an Aaron Rodger-less Green Bay Packers squad, 23-10. What did we learn from the victory?

It sure feels great to be a Minnesota Vikings fan. After taking down the hated division rival Green Bay Packers 23-10, the Vikings sit in first-place of the NFC North at 4-2. The bigger story though is the loss of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone, likely ending his season.

On Green Bay’s second drive of the game, Rodgers rolled out right and found an open Martellus Bennett who couldn’t gather in the easy catch. To make matters worse for the Packers, Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr put a hard hit on the Packers quarterback driving his right shoulder into the ground. Rodgers would get up, but was clearly upset over the hit as he headed to the sidelines to get his shoulder checked out.

After a few minutes on the sidelines, Rodgers was carted into the locker room to get X-rays, where it was determined he’d broken his collarbone. A devastating blow to Green Bay’s chances of winning the game, but furthermore, making the playoffs and a Super Bowl.

Even so, it’s important to note that Barr’s hit was legal. When a quarterback rolls out of the pocket, he puts himself at further risk. Not to mention, the play was pretty bang-bang, so there’s not a whole lot Barr could have done on the play.

Nevertheless, Rodgers’ injury changes the whole outlook of the NFC North, giving the Vikings a better chance of coming out on top. Not saying the odds were slim to begin with, but they just increase with an injury to arguably the game’s best player.

Besides the Vikings increasing their chances of winning the division, what else did we learn from the Week 6 victory over the Packers? Let’s take a look.