What it means: The season is only five weeks old, but the Packers (3-2) already have played half of their division games. Despite the fact that they still trail the first-place Detroit Lions (3-1) by a half game, this left them in good shape when you consider they have a 2-1 mark in the division and have only one more NFC North road game left. And that is against these same Vikings. Maybe the Nov. 23 game in Minneapolis will be, well, a game. And maybe they'll have a quarterback for that one. Christian Ponder, subbing for the injured Teddy Bridgewater, was completely ineffective, making this one easy for the Packers' defense.
Stock watch: Julius Peppers isn't just a pass-rusher, which is why the Packers thought the long-time defensive end could play outside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme. And he made them look wise in the second quarter, when he dropped into zone coverage, picked off a Ponder pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown that helped turn the game into a rout. That was Peppers' 10th career interception, making him the only player in NFL history with at least 100 sacks and 10 interceptions. It was one of three takeaways for the Packers' defense, which also got an interception from Jamari Lattimore and a forced fumble by Morgan Burnett that was recovered by Casey Hayward.
0-200 in a hurry: Aaron Rodgers' 11-yard touchdown pass to rookie Davante Adams in the second quarter was the 200th of his career. It came in his 99th regular-season game, making him the second-fastest in NFL history to reach that mark. Only Dan Marino, who did it in 89 games, reached 200 faster. Rodgers threw three touchdown passes on a relatively light night of work. He completed just 12 of 17 passes for 156 yards before giving way to Matt Flynn in the fourth quarter.
Game ball: The running game is alive, and so is Eddie Lacy. What was the 28th-ranked rushing offense in the NFL looked more like the unit that ranked seventh last season. Lacy, who came into the game averaging just 3.0 yards per carry and had only 161 yards in the first four games, was borderline dominant, especially in the first half, when he had consecutive gains of 18 and 29 yards, his two longest runs of the season. He posted his first 100-yard game -- 105 yards total on 13 carries with two touchdowns -- since Week 15 of last season at Dallas. He could have added to his total, but coach Mike McCarthy shut him down after his 10-yard touchdown run in the third quarter made it 42-0.
What's next: The Thursday game affords the Packers a mini bye before they return to work Monday in preparation for the Oct. 12 game at the Miami Dolphins.
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