In a battle that came down to a nail-biting finish, Vikings cornerback Mackensie Alexander contributed one of the biggest plays of the night, returning a fumble to help Minnesota to a 20-13 win and the NFC North division title.
The Vikings had a 13-3 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter. On a third-and-12 play, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers dropped back to his own 45-yard line to make a pass, but Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen got a hand on Rodgers' arm, causing a fumble. Munnerlyn scooped up the ball at the 55-yard line and—with blocking support from cornerback Andrew Sendejo and linebacker Anthony Barr—ran it all the way back for a touchdown.
"I never heard a whistle, so I went to scoop up the ball," Munnerlyn said. "Guys did a great job on defense on blocking, you know, the quarterback, and I slowed down and got into the end zone."
The game officials reviewed the play to determine whether it was a fumble or an incomplete pass. Munnerlyn said he initially wondered if the touchdown would be called back, but after watching the replay, he knew his six points would stand.
Following the game, Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer commented on the teamwork that resulted in Munnerlyn's return.
"That was big," said Zimmer. "It was a great rush by Everson. He made a great run on it […] that gave us a little breathing room."
"It was going back and forth," Zimmer added. "And we just continued to fight."
After a Vikings turnover shortly prior, the fumble return effectively swung the energy in Minnesota's favor.
"Those guys had just had an interception, so they were taking the momentum back," Munnerlyn said. "Defensively, we knew we had to go out there and make a stop, and we got it."
Munnerlyn's touchdown gave Minnesota a 20-3 lead. Green Bay did come back to make things interesting in the fourth quarter, scoring another 10 points, which made the defensive score even more significant.
During the Sunday Night Football broadcast, analyst Cris Collinsworth referred to Zimmer as a "cornerback whisperer" for the way he's been able to develop defensive backs specifically. That has certainly shown in Munnerlyn's performance all season and his quick reaction on the play.
The Vikings defense as a whole has played well all year. Post-game, tackle Danielle Hunter emphasized their chemistry as a group.
"The talent is all across the board when it comes to this defense," Floyd said. "We love playing for each other."
Munnerlyn echoed Floyd's sentiments and also expressed confidence in the Vikings team and next goal ahead of them: defeating the Seattle Seahawks in round one of the playoffs. The cornerback said the team has "scratched and pulled" all season to accomplish an 11-5 record; the Vikings will continue to take things one step at a time and keep moving forward.
"If you look at the past couple weeks, we've been playing outstanding on defense, and that's what's been getting us over the top," Munnerlyn said. "It's definitely been team wins, and at the same time we've been playing 'lights-out' on defense. I'm always a firm believer that defense wins championships. If you stop the opponents from scoring, you can get to the big dance and win a championship."
And that's just what Munnerlyn plans on doing.
