5 Takeaways From Packers 23 - 6 Vikings: Emanuel Wilson Gives Run Game Some Juice
The Packers run game didn't skip a beat with Wilson replacing the injured Josh Jacobs as the bellcow back.
By markoldacres

Packers play a clean game
This Packers team has got in its own way plenty this season in a myriad of different ways, but Sunday was the kind of mistake free game fans wanted to see, in all three phases.
Jeff Hafley’s defense will deservedly take the plaudits for dominating the game, but Green Bay’s offense was clean and crucially, took care of the football.
It was tough going at times against a stout Minnesota defense, but they scored a touchdown on the opening drive to give the Packers an early lead which they would never relinquish, and effectively bled the clock out late in the game.
Special teams got in on the act with one of their better showings in recent memory. Brandon McManus looked back to normal, making all three of his field goal attempts, while Daniel Whelan and Zayne Anderson combined to provide a game-altering turnover in Green Bay’s favor.
The Packers were only flagged twice the entire day, and the lack of laundry was emblematic of a crisp overall performance, which made for a comfortable afternoon.
Emanuel Wilson gives Packers run game some juice
Green Bay’s rushing attack did not skip a beat with Josh Jacobs on the sideline, as in his first NFL start, Wilson went over 100 yards for the first time in his career and scored a pair of touchdowns.
Wilson ground out the hard yards and also showed some finesse to make defenders miss, forcing six missed tackles on the day.
He is a more than capable second fiddle, and justified LaFleur’s decision to hold Jacobs out, as in a compromised state he may not have been able to perform to the level Wilson did.
Christian Watson taking on a bigger role?
Watson was targeted seven times on Sunday, the most since week nine of last year against Detroit, and caught five passes, his highest tally since week 13 of 2023 versus Kansas City.
Meanwhile, Romeo Doubs was only targeted twice on the day, his lowest number of targets since the Cleveland game back in week three, and well below his previous average of over six per game.
Jordan Love has looked Watson’s way on money downs plenty since the receiver returned to the lineup, and he has consistently repaid that faith. Is Sunday’s shift a sign of things to come? Or simply a decision based on the matchup against Minnesota?
Anthony Belton gets his shot
Rookie 2nd round pick Belton got his first real chance to show what he can do in anything other than injury relief versus the Vikings, rotating with Jordan Morgan to start the game at right guard, before taking over outright from there.
Belton played 45 snaps to Morgan’s 21, and Matt LaFleur praised Belton’s playstyle after the game.
He said of Belton: “He’s a mauler. I love the way he plays the game. He’s done a great job”.
It will be interesting to see how the competition at right guard continues in the coming weeks, with Green Bay still looking to nail down who their starter is at that spot.
Run defense shows some cracks without Quay Walker
Walker missed Sunday’s game with a stinger, and his absence was felt in the middle of the defense, specifically in run defense.
The Packers allowed 4.7 yards per carry on Sunday, up from their previous season average of 3.8, with Jordan Mason also breaking off an explosive run of 22 yards, which came on the only drive the Vikings got into the red zone.
Fortunately, Green Bay’s defense stepped up from there, stuffing two attempts to get one yard and giving the ball back to the offense, and Walker’s replacement Isaiah McDuffie had a strong individual day, making four run stops and notching his first career interception.
But if Walker, who usually wears the communication helmet for the defense, were to miss a game in the playoffs against a strong run team, it could pose problems for the Packers, and some of that was highlighted on Sunday.
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Mark Oldacres is a sports writer from Birmingham, England and a Green Bay Packers fan. You can follow him on twitter at @MarkOldacres
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Comments (46)
Coldworld
November 24, 2025 at 10:24 am
Good to see Wilson get his moment in the sun and seize it. He’s been quietly very good before, first as an underused counterpoint to Jones and then proving to be a perfect fit to emulate Jacobs when he’s out or just needs a break.
His 500 yards last year rivaled Jacobs yards after contact and yards per carry. Sure, it was a supporting role behind Jacobs, 1350, but still a significant supporting contribution. Despite that, many in the media and among us have incessantly called for him to be sacrificed for Lloyd last year, again this year as soon as Lloyd is healthy and even for RBs who never made the roster.
Though it should not have needed it, yesterday hopefully killed that lunacy and showed why we are very lucky to have him. His fit with this O is remarkable and he’s a legitimate weapon at the NFL level.
splitpea1
November 24, 2025 at 11:15 am
Wilson is the perfect replacement for Jacobs. The ability to gain yards after contact is crucial with this offensive line. He also showed great vision on one particular play where he was able to bounce outside away from heavy traffic and pick up a nice gain. Caught a couple of passes, too.
GBPfaninMO
November 24, 2025 at 01:38 pm
On some teams I think Wilson would get a shot as the feature back so in my opinion Jacobs healthy or not,Wilson should have more touches than just giving a breather
Houndog
November 24, 2025 at 10:48 am
A win is a win, but let the thumbs down begin!
I don't know about the rest of you, but I kept waiting for the Pack to shove it down their throats, put the game away, and score touchdowns vs. field goals in the second half! The defense definitely did their part, and our kicking game the past few weeks has been questionable at best!.
Maybe I missed it, or maybe watching the Rams last night re-ignited something, but I don't remember seeing any appetite for "The Dagger" from the Packers' offensive play caller again yesterday. MLF is offensive, and too damned inclined to play Not To Lose! Sure, they won, but a couple freak plays could have changed everything in seconds.
Too often, it looked like the old McPuffy "Run, two, three, kick" dance going on inside the red zone! Thanks to Wilson, it worked a few times.
GregC
November 24, 2025 at 11:48 am
I would've liked to see a few more passes, but I'm not going to complain about a 23-6 win.
Houndog
November 24, 2025 at 02:55 pm
I'm not complaining, Greg, but with Minny's receivers that game could have been 23-20 in a few short minutes if the kid could have cut one loose without Parsons on his ass! Stomp on their throats, take away any doubt!
Damn, didn't Jefferson look depressed after the game?
SicSemperTyrannis
November 24, 2025 at 12:07 pm
I've had a sprained AC joint, I absolutely understand not having JL10 throw when he didn't have to. His ability to continue this season is in more jeopardy than anyone wants to consider ... we're very fortunate to have #2.
Houndog
November 24, 2025 at 03:07 pm
Sorry, SST, but I've got a 'modified distal' on my right, and two ruptured ligaments in my left, and I work construction every day.
It's Love's non-throwing shoulder that's injured, if they're worried about him they should put Willis in for the second half, I would have liked the excitement.
I'd rather see a little Air Coryell mixed in than a full half of Marty Ball, three yards and a cloud of dust!
But hey, I think Wilson was great, and even Brooks had one or two nice runs. They were running so much that I just thought they should have tried a play of doubling up backfield and then throw long, Minny would have bit on that like starving dogs!
GBPfaninMO
November 24, 2025 at 01:56 pm
I'm glad GB will at least have more than 1 win in division this season but I hear ya nobody is scared of a Lafleur led offense
MitchAnthony
November 24, 2025 at 02:19 pm
I won't complain that this game became a bit vanilla when they could have really lit it up and rubbed the Vikings nose in it. JJ McCarthy is really really bad right now. Their offense is just not going to score points on a good defense. Anyone's good defense. If there was a game Green Bay could look beyond and probably had to look beyond it was this one. Once they went up by two scores it was over.
Green Bay has to play their biggest (so far) regular season game on Thursday at noon. If that meant playing a more vanilla game, fewer snaps, less wear and tear on players and going into Thursday in better shape for the one that really matters - good on them. Detroit played a long hard fought game with a lot more snaps. I think their defense was on the field for at least 30 more snaps than Green Bay on Sunday. Gibbs was running his tail off. Hopefully he's a bit gassed out this week.
Let's hope a better recovered Green Bay team with a good plan of action takes the field on Thursday because they played Minnesota easy. This time around I wouldn't be so critical over playing not to lose. This time.
Houndog
November 24, 2025 at 03:16 pm
"This time around I wouldn't be so critical over playing not to lose. This time."
Mitch
Neither would I, if it wasn't every phucking game! As I said above, with Minny's receivers this game could have turned around quickly on 2 - 3 lucky McCarthy throws!
mnbadger
November 24, 2025 at 07:09 pm
Mitch, your Last paragraph says it all.
It's cool to think that mlf was so confident this game was won at 17 - 6 that he purposely set the cruise control and milked the clock to save wear on his team.
I don't give him that much credit.
If that was the plan, Willis should have been behind center.
Back to coaching not to lose.
Let's kick some kitty cat ass on Thursday!
GPG!
T7Steve
November 24, 2025 at 10:52 am
"Clean game."
Enough said, but of course, I'll never stop at enough. I'm hoping this will keep progressing but have to remember that good teams make you make mistakes at the worst times. We just need to be the team forcing them.
Coldworld
November 24, 2025 at 11:15 am
That crew was refreshing. Very little called on either side. Part of it was the extreme predominance of the run game by us and both dudes in the first half probably, but neither team was penalized much.
Starrbrite
November 24, 2025 at 09:10 pm
That’s an excellent point CW. I meant to mention the officiating in a previous post—but you said it better.
It is sooooo nice to watch a (any) game without a zebra changing/over calling the game.
TKWorldWide
November 24, 2025 at 11:07 am
The NFL is week to week. MLF knows that he will need to be more aggressive vs Detroit on Thanksgiving. Hopefully Gibbs will still be worn out after running for 6 gazillion yards yesterday.
T7Steve
November 24, 2025 at 11:17 am
How many 0s in 6 gazillion?
SicSemperTyrannis
November 24, 2025 at 12:08 pm
Eleventy seven.
crayzpackfan
November 24, 2025 at 12:42 pm
LMAO
TKWorldWide
November 24, 2025 at 01:00 pm
A crapton?
Sorry, not sure about the metric to standard equivalent. 😂🏈
dobber
November 24, 2025 at 02:17 pm
If he spelled it correctly, I only see one.
Houndog
November 24, 2025 at 03:27 pm
Yeah, let's hope he's still tired on Thursday!
How about those Giants, they fired their D/C this morning but kept the bonehead O/C-Interim Coach that decided to NOT go for the field goal that could have put them up by six. Management?
TKWorldWide
November 24, 2025 at 07:37 pm
And those same Giants lost Barkley and McKinney to FA in the same year, I believe.
Houndog
November 24, 2025 at 02:44 pm
Yeah, no shit, Gibbs is a scary dude, and his speed is amazing! As much as I wanted to see the lowley Giants beat them, I'm glad thery're not at a 'Pissed-Off' stage for Thursday, they'll be tough enough without that to make up for!
I don't know about MLF knowing anything anymore! He called what seemed like a dozen or more runs in a row, and at some point a pass could have caught them off guard for a big gain it seemed to me. I'd love to see him, but I'd likelt piss my pants if he actually stepped on someone's throat some day, maye a 55 - 9 kinda' day!
LambeauPlain
November 24, 2025 at 11:17 am
In addition to a complementary game in all three phases, the Packers played confidently and finally...mostly mistake free (2 penalties). They won the T/O battle. The Defense got several 3 and outs. It was a workmanlike, albeit somewhat of a boring contest as the Packers achieved the #1 objective: Win the game.
And a W against the ugly purple, no less! Send their (too many!) fans in the stands home for the long drive home into the setting Western sun, soon to go dark and cold. Also a metaphor for their season.
The ugly purple fans were very quiet for a change.
And the game was also one of the quickest played I recall with the lack of penalties, no officials holding constant conferences, and the volume of run plays draining the clock.
Give me that W, that performance, and I will take some "boring".
T7Steve
November 24, 2025 at 12:15 pm
I was going to ask you how many of those fans were there? I didn't see that many on the broadcast and sure didn't hear them.
How did the Packer fans treat Aaron Jones? I didn't hear anything. I hope they treated him with the respect he deserves for a former Packer who turned purple but only after giving us his best years.
NFLfan
November 24, 2025 at 11:22 am
I have to say I am astonished by Gibbs-he plays like this is his last day on earth-
I like to look into the backgrounds of exceptional players-Gibbs was raised by his grandmother when his parents could not care for him. His grandmother was very poor and they lived in shelters. @ 15 he was adopted by Grey and Dusty Rose who provided stability.
Bitternotsour
November 24, 2025 at 11:33 am
I'm astonished by the depth of your knowledge regarding the Lions...
barutanseijin
November 24, 2025 at 12:14 pm
NFLFan is a bandwagoner
NFLfan
November 24, 2025 at 03:12 pm
I'm actually an Aaron Rodgers (2005) fan with an acquired taste for the Packers though this year the taste has soured pretty badly. MLF came through this game but he waits until his back is against the wall. If he pulls it together for the next 5 games or at least shows diligence-I will return but if he keeps the same coaches and makes no other changes, I will be gone.
GregC
November 24, 2025 at 12:34 pm
He's the one who said Marshawn Lloyd is soft and gets hurt a lot because he was pampered as a child.
NFLfan
November 24, 2025 at 02:48 pm
.
NFLfan
November 24, 2025 at 03:01 pm
.
NFLfan
November 24, 2025 at 03:13 pm
Hey Greg-I'm a woman-that should make you like me even more-ha,ha. and I stand by my comment. My guess is you were raised in the Burbs.
I lived in Oakland for 10 years and owned a rental home in the Hood. The Hood guys are who is in NFL. The guys who can run @ 60 MPH from the Cops or are able to sleep on floors or shelters most of their childhood-Davante, Jacobs, J Gibb, James Jones, Donald Driver and many more.
Marshawn Lloyd doesn't have the pain tolerance or toughness required.
NFLfan
November 24, 2025 at 02:47 pm
I like to study great players and teams of all stripes-ask me about the players on the 9ers or Rams. I like excellence.
Snap the ball
November 24, 2025 at 11:56 am
Good for Gibbs. Go player …
We need to stop him Sunday.
Lots of the NFL is like that
Donald Driver had a tuff life also…but he is in my top 3 of all time favorites.
Maybe top two
TKWorldWide
November 24, 2025 at 07:40 pm
You mean Driver is on the same tier as me?
CanPackFan
November 24, 2025 at 11:44 am
I see improvement as many fans do. For once, all 3 phases of the team played well. The Defense looked good but remember that they played against a poor QB. I like how penalty free the team played, particularly on the Oline. They looked far better this week with Rhyan at center and Belton at guard despite predictable play calling in the second half. My biggest concern for Thursday is Gibbs and our run defense. Missing Quays' speed at MLB might be a concern? The safeties played closer to the LOS which was good (against MIN) but they will have to respect DETs passing game - but I hope not too far back. A good pass rush may negate that... GPG
Vachio
November 24, 2025 at 05:41 pm
Remember just a short time ago when poor QBs could look forward to a career game against the Pack? This is VERY refreshing from my perspective.
Snap the ball
November 24, 2025 at 11:51 am
I enjoyed boring football. Good control offensively. Good defense. Control the clock.. Good special teams.
A little jump around at the end of the game ……on. A Beautiful Sunday in Green Bay ….
I don’t know what more a person could ask for.
Snap the ball
November 24, 2025 at 11:53 am
It’s not that the Vikings Defense is bad. They have good coaching and so we kick a few field goals ..should have done that vs Panthers and Eagles
That was boring football also and should have won.
Trust me. They will open it up.
pantz_bURp
November 24, 2025 at 12:04 pm
I was doing my best Hank's imitation during the game by yelling,
"WILSONNNNNNNNNNNN, Wilsonnnnnnnnn...!!?!
His RAS (Raft Athletic Score) is impressive.
T.Hanks,
PB
SicSemperTyrannis
November 24, 2025 at 12:11 pm
.
pantz_bURp
November 24, 2025 at 12:09 pm
"5 Takeaways From Packers 23 - 6 Vikings"
I am confused. I thought the Packer D had 3 takeaways...?
Oh well,
P Burp
*If the Packers win the rest of their divisional games....wait for it..........waitttttttttt......wouldn't that be today's version of the infamous Packer Sweep.
Gosh, I impress myself at time......
T7Steve
November 24, 2025 at 12:28 pm
The Packers had 3 turnovers. 2 by the D and 1 on special teams.
Lphill
November 24, 2025 at 02:23 pm
I'm not understanding why Love played at all I think Willis would have been fine especially with a Thursday game.