The Green Bay Packers surrendered 33 completions and 377 passing yards to quarterback Sam Darnold in Sunday’s 27-25 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium.

An undermanned Packers pass defense had few to no answers against a talented group of pass catchers and a quarterback who ran a top-flight system designed by Kevin O’Connell.

Jeff Hafley’s defense was without cornerback Jaire Alexander, safety Evan Williams and linebacker Quay Walker. Backup safety Zayne Anderson went for a concussion evaluation and never returned. Darnold brutally nibbled on the remains of the carcass.

According to Next Gen Stats, Darnold targeted an open receiver on a season-high 67.4 percent of his passes and completed 23 of 27 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns on passes between the numbers (or in the middle of the field). Time and time again, Darnold was able to get the ball over the second level of defense in big spots and to the receivers, who penetrated deep.

Four different Vikings pass catchers produced at least 60 yards and all four – Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor and TJ Hockenson – had a catch of at least 20 yards.

Running back Cam Akers scored a 9-yard touchdown on a screen pass and secured the victory with a tumbling 6-yard catch on third down with less than two minutes remaining. CJ Ham’s 13-yard catch to open the Vikings’ final drive helped kill the clock. Aaron Jones caught four of five targets.

The pass rush wasn’t enough. Darnold took just one sack and was hit a total of five times on 43 dropbacks. He consistently navigated the pocket to escape rushers and find completions.

“You have to put pressure on these guys when they fall behind so often,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “If not, it’s going to be a long day.”

A week ago, the Packers’ defense blasted rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler into oblivion in a narrow 34-0 victory. On Sunday in Minneapolis, the Packers’ defense was woken up by one of the NFL’s best passing games.

To survive the playoff battle, you have to face the top quarterbacks. The Packers must now get healthy in the defensive backfield and lick their wounds after being sliced ​​and diced in the penultimate game of the regular season.

The story originally appeared on Packers Wire