The Minnesota Vikings had a tall task in their Week 1 matchup with the Green Bay Packers. For years, Green Bay dominated the NFC North and this was Minnesota’s chance to set the tone early on and show that they are going to be there until the very end.

Week 1 could not have gone any better for the Vikings. They handled business at home, winning 23-7. Their defense stifled Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense, something that they have struggled to do in recent seasons. The Vikings took full advantage of the missed opportunities that the Packers had during the game.

On offense, Minnesota was dominant. The Packers came into the season with what they felt may be the best defense of the Rodgers era. It was a Super Bowl-worthy defense to many people, but they had no answer for the Vikings.

Kirk Cousins had an excellent game, completing 23-of-32 pass attempts for 277 yards and two touchdowns. Almost all of that production went to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who caught nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. There were times during the game when Jefferson was just running wide open, uncovered down the field for some of the easiest receptions of his career.

It was a tone-setting performance for the Vikings, who start the season 1-0 and are gaining confidence. If their defense can play to this level consistently, they are going to be a tough team to beat with how good their offense is.

Heading into their Week 1 matchup, ESPN analyst Ryan Clark believed the Vikings had the best offensive trio in the NFL with Jefferson, Adam Thielen and running back Dalvin Cook. Their performance in the first game of the season did nothing to dissuade that.

“I don’t think there is a better trio of skill players in the entire NFL.”

Thielen was quiet in Week 1 with three receptions for 36 yards as Jefferson was the star of the show, but his presence is one of the reasons that Jefferson gets open as frequently as he does. On the ground, Cook carried the ball 20 times for 90 yards, adding three receptions for 18 yards as well.

His backup at running back, Andrew Mattison, also ran the ball well, gaining 36 yards on eight carries. He has shown that he can step right into the starting role and produce as well when given the chance, giving Minnesota a deep, talented group of skill position players for Cousins to get the ball to.