NFL: Green Bay Packers take advantage of depleted Minnesota Vikings

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers took full advantage of the depleted Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, cruising to a 24-10 victory in the first round of the NFL play-offs.

Rodgers connected with 10 different receivers – matching an NFL post-season record – as he threw for 274 yards and one touchdown.

John Kuhn rushed for a touchdown and caught a scoring pass for Green Bay, who now face the San Francisco 49ers next weekend in the NFC divisional play-offs.

Already the underdogs, the Vikings went into their contest without starting quarterback Christian Ponder, who was inactive with a right elbow injury.

Ponder was hurt last Sunday in the Vikings’ 37-34 win over the Packers in the teams’ regular-season finale. He tested his arm in pre-game warm-ups, but was declared inactive.

Backup Joe Webb, who had taken just three snaps all season, got the start in place of Ponder. He threw a 50-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but was sacked three times and never got the offense clicking.

Star Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson – who gained more than 400 total yards against the Packers in two regular-season games – was held to 99 yards.

“Our defence played at a championship level, which you have to have in the postseason. Offensively, we’ve got some stuff to work on,” Rodgers told NBC.

“We doubled up at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half to make it a three-score game, but we have got to help our defence more and close out a team like that.

“They are a good defence but we kind of cut it off there in the third quarter. We couldn’t get anything going. We have got to put a team away, especially at home.”