Minnesota Vikings take NFC North title after Green Bay victory in final game
Monday 4 January 2016 10:55, UK
Minnesota beat Green Bay Packers 20-13 in their final game of the regular season to take the NFC North title and end the Packers four-year reign at the top.
The Vikings (11-5) won a third consecutive game to earn the third seed in the NFC play-offs and they will host the sixth-seeded Seattle Seahawks (10-6) next weekend.
Meanwhile, Green Bay (10-6) lost its second game in a row and fell to fifth seed, and will play next weekend at Washington Redskins (9-7), won the NFC East.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers helped Green Bay rally from a 20-3 deficit to pull within seven points with five-and-a-half minutes remaining, but Vikings returner Cordarrelle Patterson broke into the clear on the ensuing kick-off and Packers safety Micah Hyde recovered at the 23.
The Packers appeared poised to complete the comeback when a 17-yard catch-and-run by wide receiver Randall Cobb, a 37-yard long ball to wide receiver James Jones and a 13-yard screen to fullback John Kuhn made it first-and-goal at the 10.
The rally was to stall there, however, when a completion for no yards, a three-yard sack by defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and an incompletion made it fourth down from the 13.
After the Packers burned their second timeout, Rodgers' end-zone pass to Jones was intercepted by Xavier Rhodes.
The Vikings almost gave the Packers another chance on the next play from scrimmage, with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and running back Adrian Peterson botching the exchange, but the latter pounced on the loose ball.
