Price made the field smaller
The Vikings did not need a long march to begin their comeback. Green Bay led 22–10 after Trey Smack's 26-yard field goal in the third quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, Myles Price returned the ball 68 yards to the Packers' 28. Minnesota's next play started there.
A short field is not a score. Carson Wentz completed a nine-yard pass to Josh Oliver, but Jordan Mason was stopped for no gain on second-and-1. Aaron Jones Sr. gained the yard on third down. After an incompletion and a two-yard run, Minnesota faced third-and-8 at the 16. Wentz found T.J. Hockenson for the touchdown, and the kick cut the deficit to 22–17.
Price finished with 179 yards on five kickoff returns. The longest is the one that matters here: it put the Vikings 28 yards from the end zone before their offense took a snap. They still had to convert twice. They did, and a 12-point deficit became five.
A shorter fourth down, but no points
That five-point margin was still on the board in the fourth quarter when Minnesota's Dallas Turner was flagged for offside on Smack's 40-yard field-goal attempt. The kick was good, but the penalty erased it. Instead of fourth-and-6 at the Minnesota 22, Green Bay faced fourth-and-1 at the 17.
The Packers ran Jordan Love, who gained nothing. Minnesota took over at its 17 with 13:17 left, still trailing 22–17. The penalty had shortened Green Bay's distance to a first down; the failed attempt left the Vikings one touchdown from the lead.
At 6:37, Jones scored on a three-yard run and Wentz found Justin Jefferson for a two-point conversion, putting Minnesota ahead 25–22. The record does not tell us why Green Bay took the fourth-down shot, or what would have happened without the penalty. Its immediate consequence is clear enough: the Packers lost the ball without adding to their lead.
The yardage told only part of it
Green Bay's offensive production was real. The Packers gained 419 yards at 6.3 per play; Minnesota managed 239 at 3.9. Christian Watson caught six passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns, including an 81-yarder from Love. Green Bay still lost by 17.
The third-down count ran the other way: Minnesota converted eight of 15, Green Bay three of 12. One of the Vikings' conversions was Wentz's nine-yard touchdown pass to Jefferson on third-and-5, which made the score 39–22. It came after James Pierre intercepted Love and returned the ball 28 yards to the Green Bay 14.
Result versus production
That possession illustrates why offensive yardage and the score do not have to move together. It does not prove third downs alone decided the game. The Packers gained far more ground; the Vikings made use of short fields and finished with far more points.
