To beat Vikings, Packers coaches must learn from Week 1 mistakes

To hear Minnesota Vikings fans tell it, the charmed 12-3 season comes down to situational football. Kevin O’Connell stresses these late-game moments. They execute better in the fourth quarter (which they do), and maybe even keep a bullet or two chambered for the right moment when they’ll need it at the end of the game.

Whether or not that’s true, the Vikings did out-coached the Packers in their Week 1 victory. To get a revenge win and keep the season alive, Matt LaFleur and Joe Barry must come to this matchup guns blazing.

Jaire Alexander called Week 1 a “fluke” when it comes to Justin Jefferson’s performance. And to a point, it was: The Packers currently sit eighth in passing defense DVOA and boast the best passing DVOA in the league over the last five weeks.

But bungling pass-offs in zone coverage and safeties failing to run well with receivers downfield didn’t stop when the final whistle blew at US Bank Stadium back in September. To be sure, the Green Bay defense tightened up since that matchup though. Receivers, especially ones as good as Jefferson, aren’t running through their secondary wide open as they did in that game.

Barry played relatively simple coverages in that game and has mixed looks much better since then. He’ll have to if he wants to beat this team, as evidenced by the ridiculous touchdown Jefferson had against the Giants in which New York bracketed the superstar wideout with a safety, took away his inside leverage at the snap with the corner, and he still won on a dig route for a touchdown because he’s that special.

Dan Orlovsky @danorlovsky7

There is not a thing @JJettas2 cannot do Absolutely justified to put him in MVP conversation

Even scheming up ways to stop Jefferson assures no one that he will eventually be stopped. But that means Barry can’t merely play sides with his two corners. More attention to Jefferson can open up opportunities for Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn, both quality players in their own right. Fine. Let them beat you. It just can’t be Jefferson.

Sending safety help and shadowing more with Jaire Alexander have to all be on the table. Barry will have to dig into his bag of tricks to get there.