With Josh Freeman ruled out after suffering a concussion in the previous game, Christian Ponder reclaimed his spot as starting quarterback. Cordarrelle Patterson got the game off to a good start for the Vikings, returning the opening kickoff 109 yards for a touchdown to tie the NFL record. However, Aaron Rodgers responded for the Packers by leading his offense on a 14-play, 90-yard drive, culminating in an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson. The sides then exchanged field goals before Rodgers found Nelson again in the second quarter for a 76-yard touchdown. On the Vikings' next possession, they were forced to punt, but Micah Hyde was able to return the kick 93 yards for another Packers touchdown to make the score 24-10. A controversial pass interference call against Packers cornerback Tramon Williams late in the half set the Vikings up with a first down on the Packers' 14-yard line; two plays later, Adrian Peterson had the ball in the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown, which kept the Vikings in with a chance going into the second half. But the Packers offense remained unstoppable as Rodgers again led a long drive, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from Eddie Lacy after they had converted three times on third down and once on fourth down during the series. After another three-and-out for the Vikings, the Packers offense picked up four first downs in the space of five plays on the way to a 25-yard touchdown run for James Starks. The Vikings again went three-and-out on their next possession, but this time their defense was able to stop Green Bay at the goal line, limiting them to a 20-yard Mason Crosby field goal to make the score 41-17 with just over six minutes to play. Patterson again had a big return on the ensuing kickoff, taking it 51 yards to the Minnesota 42-yard line to set up a short field. Five plays later, Toby Gerhart narrowed the deficit to 17 points with a 13-yard touchdown run. Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson was penalized on the onside kick that followed for touching the ball before it had gone 10 yards, allowing the Packers to run down the clock before Crosby slotted another field goal, this time from 45 yards. Inside the two-minute warning, Ponder threw an incompletion on fourth down, only for Tramon Williams to again be penalized for pass interference against Patterson, allowing Ponder the opportunity for a 19-yard touchdown run two plays later. The Vikings were unable to recover the onside kick, and Green Bay knelt out the clock for a 44-31 win.. How many is the difference in the number of yards Hyde returned the kick for and the number of yard run by Gerhart?