Aaron Rodgers vs. the Vikings: A retrospective, featuring 4 memorable Minnesota wins
MINNEAPOLIS -- To paraphrase former President Gerald Ford, Vikings fans, our long nightmare is finally over.
Aaron Rodgers, long the bane of the purple and gold, is headed for pastures that are a different shade of green, if not actually greener. The Green Bay Packers and New York Jets have agreed on a trade that will send the four-time MVP away from the NFC North.
READ MORE: It's official: Packers QB Aaron Rodgers traded to New York Jets
There's no denying Rodgers got the better of the Vikings more than vice versa. In 29 career regular season games against Minnesota, Rodgers was 17-11-1. He threw 57 touchdowns in those games and only eight interceptions. Eight. In 15 seasons. Each of the other NFC North teams picked him off more, with the Chicago Bears snagging 10 picks off him and the Detroit Lions stealing 12.
Rodgers has completed 68% of his passes against the Vikings for 7,157 yards and 57 touchdowns. The yardage is higher than against any other team, and only the Bears have surrendered more passing scores to him (64). He also rushed for four TDs against Minnesota. The Vikings sacked Rodgers 77 times during his tenure in Green Bay, and recovered seven fumbles from him.
Rodgers and the Vikings met just once in the playoffs, after the 2012 season. With backup quarterback Joe Webb starting for Minnesota, Rodgers and the Packers cruised to a 24-10 win. Rodgers threw for 273 yards and one touchdown in the game.
One more depressing stat before we get to the good stuff: In the 15 seasons Rodgers started for the Packers, the Vikings had nine different quarterbacks start on opening day. Can you name them all? Tarvaris Jackson, Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb, Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel, Teddy Bridgewater, Shaun Hill, Sam Bradford and Kirk Cousins.
OK, let's send Rodgers off on a high note (for Vikings fans, not him). Despite his winning record against the Vikings, he suffered some memorable losses, too. Here are some of the best beats the Vikings ever gave the former Packers passer.
Brett Favre beats his former team
When Favre came to the Vikings following a short stint with the New York Jets (hmm...), his first game against the Packers was, obviously, hotly anticipated. Fans in Minnesota were eager to see Favre do to the Packers what he had done so many times to the Vikings.
Favre didn't disappoint, throwing three touchdowns against his former team in a 30-23 victory. But it was what the Vikings defense did to Rodgers that day that made the game so memorable. The defense sacked Rodgers eight times, with Jared Allen alone responsible for 4.5 of them. The defense also forced Rodgers into two turnovers.
Vikings win NFC North in 2015-2016
The battle for the NFC North title came down to the final game of the 2015-2016 season. The Vikings and Packers were both 10-5, so whoever took the day would take the crown.
Despite just 99 passing yards on 10 completions from Teddy Bridgewater, the Vikings won, 20-13. The deciding score was a Rodgers fumble that cornerback Captain Munnerlyn returned 55 yards for a touchdown. Rodgers also threw an interception in the game, and was sacked five times.
READ MORE: 2023 NFL Draft: Could the Vikings land their QB of the future?
U.S. Bank Stadium christened
Of course the Vikings' first game at their new stadium was against the Packers. It had to be. And they had to win - losing to your rival in your stadium's debut would cast a pall over the whole event.
The Vikings led 17-7 after the third quarter, but an early fourth quarter touchdown tightened the gap and had the new stadium's crowd sweating. The tension increased when the Packers were driving late in the game to tie or take the lead.
Rodgers had been picking on young cornerback Trae Waynes all game, and when he went at him again after the two-minute warning, Vikings fans were holding their breath. But he made possibly the best play of his career, picking off Rodgers and all but sealing the stadium-christening win for the Vikings.
Kevin O'Connell's debut
Just as they broke in their new stadium against the Pack, another new era would begin against Rodgers and Green Bay -- head coach Kevin O'Connell's tenure at the top.
Vikings fans didn't know quite what to expect - O'Connell was young and philosophically opposite from their previous coach, Mike Zimmer. But hopes were high, with the former Rams' offensive coordinator coming off a Super Bowl victory.
O'Connell did not let fans down. His offense - especially Justin Jefferson - was humming all day in the 23-7 win. Kirk Cousins threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns - both to Jefferson, who caught nine passes for 184 yards.
The defense also impressed, holding the Packers to a single touchdown, sacking Rodgers four times and turning him over twice. They also held him under 200 yards and didn't allow a passing touchdown.
The Vikings, unfortunately, do not have the Jets on the schedule this year. But could a Super Bowl matchup with Rodgers and Gang Green be in the cards? Would anything be more poetic than the Vikings finally getting back to the big game, only to face their greatest scourge in new clothing? Would Vikings fans even want that? Only time will tell.
