Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers Match Player Stats On Oct 02, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 2, 2014

Packers 42, Vikings 10: Aaron Rodgers threw three first-half touchdown passes, including the 200th of his career, as host Green Bay mauled NFC North rival Minnesota.

Julius Peppers returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown and Eddie Lacy rushed for 105 yards and a pair of scores on 13 carries as the Packers (3-2) improved to 7-1-1 in their last nine against the Vikings (2-3). Rodgers finished 12-of-17 for 156 yards in three quarters while Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson each hauled in first-quarter scoring passes to ignite a spree of 42 consecutive points.

Christian Ponder, the third starting quarterback in as many games for Minnesota with rookie Teddy Bridgewater sidelined with an ankle injury, wound up 22-of-44 for 222 yards with two interceptions and six sacks. Ponder avoided the shutout when he ran in from 6 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter while Matt Asiata contributed 72 yards on 15 carries.

Green Bay surged ahead on a pair of four-play TD drives in the first quarter, with three power runs by Lacy setting up Rodgers' 8-yard pass to Cobb before Rodgers connected on a 66-yard scoring strike to a wide-open Nelson. Peppers picked off Ponder and raced 49 yards for a score with 6:51 left in the half before Jamari's Lattimore's interception set up Rodgers' 11-yard TD pass to rookie Davante Adams two minutes later for a 28-0 edge.

The Vikings didn't run a play in Packers territory in a disastrous opening 30 minutes and their first eight possessions consisted of five straight punts followed by back-to-back interceptions by Ponder and a fumble by Asiata before the half mercifully halted the ninth drive. Lacy scored on Green Bay's first two drives of the third quarter, bouncing around right end from 11 yards out before bulling in from the 10 for a 42-0 lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Rodgers' TD pass to Adams marked the 200th of his career and came in his 99th game, making him the second-fastest player in history to reach that milestone (Dan Marino, 89 games). ... Former first-round pick Ponder had a passer rating of 13.4 at halftime in his first start since suffering a concussion against Chicago on Dec. 1, which came one week after he guided the Vikings to a 26-26 tie in Green Bay. ... Peppers became the first player in league history to register 100 sacks and 10 interceptions with his fifth career touchdown - and first since 2009 as a member of the Carolina Panthers.