GREEN BAY, Wis. — Sam Darnold threw three touchdown passes and Jordan Addison scored twice as the Minnesota Vikings built an early 28-point lead and hung on down the stretch to beat the Green Bay Packers 31-29 on Sunday.
The Vikings (4-0) are off to their best start since 2016 when they won their first five games before slumping to an 8-8 finish. They have trailed for less than 3 1/2 minutes all season.
The Vikings spoiled the return of Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who returned after missing two games with an injured left medial collateral ligament. He threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns, both career highs. But he also matched a career-high with three interceptions while going 32 of 54.
Jayden Reed had seven receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown for the Packers (2-2).
The Packers got within 31-29 on Dontayvion Wicks’ second fourth-quarter touchdown catch — a 17-yarder with 56 seconds left. The Vikings’ Josh Oliver recovered Daniel Whelan’s ensuing onside kick — it actually was a drop kick — to secure the victory.
Darnold was 20 of 28 for 275 yards with touchdown passes of 29 yards to Addison, 2 yards to Oliver and 14 yards to Justin Jefferson. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble.
Addison, who had missed the Vikings’ last two games with an ankle injury, also scored on a 7-yard run.
The game featured seven turnovers — four by the Packers and three by the Vikings.
Former Packers running back Aaron Jones had 22 carries for 93 yards and four catches for 46 yards in his return to Lambeau Field. Jones spent seven seasons in Green Bay before getting released and signing with the Vikings in March.
The Vikings capitalized on two interceptions by Love and a pair of missed field-goal attempts from Brayden Narveson to build their 28-0 lead in the first 25 minutes. It was their highest-scoring first half since 2017 when they scored 28 before halftime and beat Washington 38-30.
The Vikings scored on each of their first three possessions as Darnold picked apart a Packers secondary missing injured cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine. When the Packers finally forced a punt, Shaq Griffin delivered a 28-yard interception return to set up one more Vikings touchdown.
The Vikings led 28-7 and had second-and-1 from the Packers 20 in the third quarter when Xavier McKinney picked off Darnold, becoming the first Packer to intercept a pass in each of his first four games with the team.
That helped the Packers creep back into the game. They got within 28-14 on Love’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Wicks with 11:38 left.
On the Vikings’ ensuing possession, Keisean Nixon hit Darnold from the blind side and knocked the ball loose, with Edgerrin Cooper recovering the fumble at the Vikings 20.
Two plays later, Love threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft. Love found Kraft again for a 2-point conversion that made it 28-22 with 10:16 remaining.
The Vikings regrouped and got in field goal range on Darnold’s 27-yard completion to Jefferson. Will Reichard’s 33-yard kick extended their lead to 31-22 with 6:50 left.
Byron Murphy intercepted Love in the end zone and Kraft lost a fumble on the Packers’ next two series. But they got one last chance after the Vikings’ Jailen Nailor was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Packers 4 with less than 2 1/2 minutes left.
Love engineered a quick 96-yard drive to cut the margin to two.
Injuries
Packers WR Christian Watson was carted off the field after injuring an ankle on the play that resulted in Grugier-Hill’s interception. … Packers DL Devonte Wyatt hurt an ankle in the fourth quarter.
Up next
Vikings: Face the New York Jets on Sunday at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Packers: Visit the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.