Upon Further Review: Vikings vs. Packers

For all the talk about the Minnesota Vikings' lofty aspirations and the Green Bay Packers' woes so far this season, the two teams entered Sunday's game separated by just one game.

A win for the Packers would have meant a 5-5-1 tie for second in the division, and a daunting lead for the 8-3 Chicago Bears.

And on the first play of the Vikings' second possession, such a record certainly appeared to be in the cards.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins fired to Stefon Diggs behind the line, trusting in Diggs' ability to generate yards after the catch.

Instead, rookie cornerback Jaire Alexander blew up the play single-handedly, trucking Diggs and fellow receiver Adam Thielen on the same tackle for a net loss of 10 yards.

By the second quarter Diggs and Thielen were torching Alexander and the Packers' secondary, racking up eight receptions each and powering the Vikings to a 24-17 win.

Cousins bounced back with one of his best games of the season, while head coach Mike Zimmer's defense held Aaron Rodgers in check.

Rodgers struggled throughout, completing just 17 of his 28 passing attempts for 198 yards and a touchdown, while the Vikings' offense bounced back, racking up 416 total yards.

Check out some of our top takeaways from Sunday's game. (Story | Photos)

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