MINNEAPOLIS — How balanced is Minnesota's attack?

The Vikings showed it in the 129^th Border Battle against Green Bay in building a 17-point lead with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter and in salting away the game to send Sam Darnold into the victory formation.

The result was a 27-25 victory after a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Packers (sound like Week 4 when the Vikings led 28-0 and won 31-29?), but this was one that Minnesota controlled for most of the afternoon.

Head Coach Kevin O'Connell improved to 26-9 in one-score games and spearheaded the sweep against the division rival as Minnesota improved to 14-2 and kept possible the opportunity to play for the No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs.

A win next week at Detroit, who plays at San Francisco on Monday, will secure the division crown and a first-round bye.

It was O'Connell's 50^th regular season game at the helm, and he is now 34-16.

Two of the final three passes thrown by Darnold were a neatly designed play that created ample space for fullback C.J. Ham to catch the ball in space, gain 13 and stay in bounds, taking the clock to the 2-minute warning.

His final toss of the night was designed to throw the ball to the void created when the Packers brought pressure from the edge. Darnold got the ball over the defender with just enough juice for Cam Akers to secure a shoestring catch as he went to the turf.

Just before lofting the ball to Akers, the Vikings put Darnold on the move and he threw an absolute strike to Justin Jefferson to turn second-and-11 into a manageable third-and-2.

Jefferson led the Vikings with 92 receiving yards on eight catches, taking his receptions total for the season to 100.

Jalen Nailor added five catches for 81 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown for Minnesota's first points and a 7-3 lead in the second quarter.

Jordan Addison caught six passes for 69 yards, highlighted by a diving grab for an 18-yard touchdown on an artistic route, and T.J. Hockenson added five catches for 68 yards.

Here are four more observations presented by Minnesota Eye Consultants, the Proud LASIK Partner of the Minnesota Vikings, followed by a scoring summary:

1. Darnold bounces right back

The only blemish of the night for Darnold was an interception in the third quarter when he targeted Hockenson in double coverage.

Carrington Valentine nabbed the pass and returned it 33 yards. Nailor hustled on the play and forced a fumble during the return, but Green Bay took over at the 16 and scored its first touchdown of the game four plays later to make it 20-10 with 5:07 remaining in the third quarter.

Darnold's bounce back was impressive. The following possession, he went 5-for-5 for 55 yards, finishing with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Akers for a 27-10 lead with 51 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Darnold finished 33-of-43 passing for a career-best 377 yards with three touchdowns and a passer rating of 116.1.

He boosted his season touchdown pass total to 35, which is tied for second in franchise history (Kirk Cousins in 2020) and trails only the 39 thrown by Daunte Culpepper in 2004. It's also the most by a Viking in his first season with the team, topping 33 by Brett Favre in 2009.

2. Cashman in action

Minnesota native Blake Cashman relished his first Border Battle at U.S. Bank Stadium, racking up 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks of Jordan Love.

The Vikings limited Love to 19-of-30 passing for 185 yards with one touchdown for a passer rating of 91.7, which improved dramatically in the fourth quarter over the 66.3 rating Love had in the first half.

The Vikings also welcomed Ivan Pace, Jr., back to the middle of their defense, and he was involved on some blitzes and three tackles.

3. Takeaways streak continues

The Vikings were able to thwart a promising opening possession by the Packers when Jerry Tillery forced a fumble by Josh Jacobs that Camryn Bynum scooped at the Green Bay 38-yard line.

The Packers had gained at least 6 on four consecutive plays (including the fumble) and were starting to build momentum when Tillery knocked the ball away.

Minnesota is the only team in the NFL with at least one takeaway in all 16 games of 2024, tying a previous team record.

4. Off-night for kicking game

Will Reichard has been beyond solid in his rookie season. He entered the game having made 19 of 22 field goals and all 35 extra points.

Reichard nearly started his evening with a 57-yard attempt on Minnesota's second possession, but it hit the crossbar and bounced toward the field instead of through the uprights, denying Minnesota the first points of the contest.

Reichard also missed from 55 yards right before halftime, but the Packers were offsides, resulting in a 5-yard mark-off, a 50-yard field goal for Reichard and a 13-3 halftime lead for the Vikings.

In the fourth quarter, Reichard had a chance to put the Vikings at 30 points, but his attempt hit the left upright.