The tenor of the game did not allow Matt LaFleur’s offense to get into a rhythm. The Packers started their first four drives: missed field goal, interception, missed FG, interception. After all that, it was 28-0 for Minnesota and the scramble continued for Green Bay.

“I don’t think we envisioned throwing the ball 50 times; That’s not the plan in any game,” LaFleur said. “Normally in a game like this, things probably don’t go the way you want them to.”

Love definitely came into the game and stretched the field as the Vikings sat back and protected the lead, but a fourth-quarter Heave interception and a Tucker Kraft fumble hampered the comeback effort.

“It seemed to me that he was getting more and more comfortable,” LaFleur said of Love. “We made more explosive plays, which is difficult when a team is in a two-man lineup. But I think there are a lot of good lessons to be learned from every game.”

Given the injury in Week 1, it’s a blessing that Love only missed two games. Sunday’s return started off as bad as possible for the entire Packers club, from missed passes to missed field goals and missed tackles to missed coverage calls and penalties. With that in mind, it’s a positive sign for the pack’s continued development that they made a game out of it when Love was completely out of action.

Green Bay has made the playoffs 2-2 in each of the last five seasons, including in 2023 when they fell to 2-5 and finished 9-8 before losing in the divisional round at San Francisco.