GREEN BAY, Wis. – Three Minnesota possessions resulting in three quick touchdowns created a deficit too big for the Green Bay Packers to overcome.

The Vikings (4-0) extended the lead to 28-0 and held on for a 31-29 victory in the NFC North matchup.

“A lot went wrong, obviously, when they score on their first three possessions,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “It’s tough, because I thought early on, we had some opportunities.”

After winning consecutive games behind backup quarterback Malik Willis, the Packers (2-2) welcomed the return of Jordan Love with a lackluster start on both sides of the ball.

After their first three possessions and a three-touchdown lead, the Vikings had a 168-59 edge in total yards, averaging 8.0 yards per play with 13 first downs. Sam Darnold completed 9 of 10 passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns on the first three series.

The Packers also had five penalties for 39 yards on Minnesota’s first three possessions, including three for Vikings’ first downs.

In Green Bay’s 30-14 victory at Tennessee the previous week, the Packers defense allowed 4.5 yards per play.

“This is a humbling league at times,” LaFleur said. “Credit to them, they did more than we did to win the game. So, we’ve got to bounce back from it, we’ve got to learn from it and get better.”

Green Bay’s lone score in a 28-7 first half dominated by Minnesota was set up by a muffed punt recovered at the Vikings’ 3-yard line. Even then, the Packers made it difficult with a 15-yard penalty. Love put the Packers on the board with a 15-yard scoring pass to Jayden Reed with 20 seconds left in the half.

A pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Love brought Green Bay within 28-22 with 10:16 left. Vikings kicker Will Reichard hit a 33-yard field goal to make it 31-22, and Love was intercepted in the end zone on the Packers ensuing possession.

The Packers forced a three-and-out, but then tight end Tucker Kraft fumbled after a reception, recovered by Minnesota at the Green Bay 42-yard line with 4:27 left.

After taking over on downs at the Packers’ 4, Love engineered a five-play 96-yard drive, capped by a 17-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks with 56 seconds left.

“It’s easy just crawl in a hole and give up, being down 28-0, but the guys battled,” defensive tackle Kenny Clark said. “We did a lot of good things, some great things, but just for the most part we’ve got to just start faster, especially against a really good team, a well-coached team that’s going to score points.”

Love, who missed the previous two games with an injured left medial collateral ligament, completed 32 of 54 passes for 389 yards with four touchdowns, but also three interceptions.

“I think we made some pretty good adjustments throughout the game and in the second half to take advantage of what they were doing, better,” Love said. “It just came down to making plays in the second half and I think we did a really good job of that.

“I think we fought the whole game and started making plays later, but it was too little, too late. … We didn’t do enough early on.”

Rookie kicker Brayden Narveson, signed before the start of the regular season, missed a 37-yard field goal attempt on the Packers’ first possession, then missed a 49-yarder after the Vikings went up 21-0. He has four misses already this season.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in Brayden,” LaFleur said. “I know it’s tough, we all want the result. I think he’s a young guy. A lot of times with young kickers you go through this. I know he’s disappointed, but I’ve still got a lot of belief in him.”

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