Well, that was easy.
The Green Bay Packers made quick work of the Minnesota Vikings Thursday night, winning 42-10 and taking a 42-0 lead into the fourth quarter.
Several Packs deserved praise for their performances in the game. Eddie Lacy had his best game of the season with 105 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Jordy Nelson grabbed a 66-yard touchdown. The Green Bay offense seems to finally be finding its rhythm.
But the real star of the game was defensive end Julius Peppers. The 13-year veteran signed with Green Bay in the offseason and made arguably the game's most impressive play when he intercepted Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown.
"[Morgan Burnett] just said, 'Go, go, go, go!'" Peppers told reporters after the game.
Per tradition, Peppers took the Lambeau Leap after his score. However, it wasn't as easy as everyone thinks it is.
"It was actually pretty tough to get up there. I was pretty tired after that run, so I barely got up there," Peppers said. "It was tough."
It may have been tough for Peppers, but at least it was enjoyable. This game was not, however, enjoyable for Minnesota.
The Vikings were down 28-0 after the first half and only mustered 299 total yards with third-string quarterback Christian Ponder getting the start in place of an injured Teddy Bridgewater.
"Green Bay outplayed us," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. "They were more physical than we were. They did a much better job all night."
"Playing like that, you don't have much to say. It was embarrassing. That's not the way I expected to come out and play," Ponder said.
Rookie Bridgewater impressed in Minnesota's 41-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons last week, but left the game early after suffering a sprained ankle.
The Packers must be pleased getting a victory such as this with quarterback Aaron Rodgers only attempting 17 passes. Of those 17, Rodgers completed 12 for 156 yards and three touchdowns. The 2011 MVP crossed the 200 career touchdowns threshold with his performance.
"I'm very proud of Aaron," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "It seems like he's in the point of his career now where every week or every other week he's breaking a record."
