The Green Bay Packers embarked on a crucial stretch of their schedule this past weekend against the Vikings, and thanks to Micah Parsons and Emanuel Wilson, they got to start on the right foot.

Heading into the John Madden Classic, let’s recap one of the Packers’ more comfortable wins of the season.

Where There’s a Wil, There’s a Way

Former Fort Valley State UDFA Emanuel Wilson drew his first start in the Green and Gold on Sunday, filling in for the injured Josh Jacobs, and his performance was nothing short of sensational.

The third year back led Green Bay’s ground attack with one hundred and seven yards on twenty eight carries—which was good for the Packers’ best individual rushing yardage total of the season so far—and also added two touchdowns.

Ninety-four of Wilson’s yards came after contact, and his ability to punish defenders was on display all afternoon.

Considering how adamant head coach Matt LaFleur has been in regard to establishing the run in recent weeks—much to fans’ chagrin at times—this type of production was a sight for sore eyes, especially as Jordan Love deals with an injury to his AC joint.

So what was the key?

If snap counts are anything to go by, the uptick may have been springboarded by a shift on the offensive line.

Anthony Belton, who was a second round pick in the latest draft, rotated possessions with Jordan Morgan at guard in the first half, then completely replaced him in the second half.

The change might’ve given the Packers more leverage, as a result, they completely dominated in time of possession, holding onto the ball for nearly fifteen minutes longer than the Vikings did.

With the way the Green Bay Packers’ defense has been playing, that discrepancy was more than enough.

Parsons and the Pride

While the Green Bay Packers’ offense was able to dictate the game on the ground, Micah Parsons and defense held up their end of the bargain with another steadfast showing.

For the eighth time this season, the opposition put up twenty points or less, and this time, the unit was also able to generate a healthy amount of turnovers and sacks.

The Lion himself recorded his ninth and tenth, becoming the first Packer to reach double-digits since Za’Darius Smith had twelve and a half in 2020.

In addition, Parsons’ streak of ten-sack seasons also grew to five, the second longest streak to begin a career behind only Reggie White, who had nine in a row.

Parsons wasn’t alone in his impact, however.

While Green Bay’s prized acquisition did plenty to wreck the game himself, the Packers’ pass rush wreaked havoc as a whole.

Warren Brinson led the group with five pressures, and Devonte Wyatt added two sacks of his own.

The constant duress proved devastating for Vikings’ quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who ended the game with a 34.2 passer rating, a rating somehow worse than the one he would’ve received if he’d spiked the ball into the dirt on every play.

McCarthy also threw two interceptions, which didn’t help a Minnesota offense that was held to negative yardage in the second half.

All in all, the Packers’ defense was relentless, and as Jordan Love mentioned to the media postgame, all the offense had to do was play clean.

Time for Turkey

The Green Bay Packers win over the Vikings came as a result of one of the most complementary contests we’ve seen this season, with significant contributions from all three phases of the game.

If Green Bay wants to continue its run at the division crown, that style of play will need to reign supreme, and there’s no better opponent to demand that excellence than the Lions.

Despite stumbling a bit in the first half against the Giants, Detroit was able to pull off an overtime win, and following that frustration, as well as a loss 27-13 to these same Packers in week one, Dan Campbell’s squad will be coming to play.

Green Bay has the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL, and the short week will do them no favors.