There’s something counterintuitive about winning by 17 points and calling your offense conservative. But that’s exactly what happened on Sunday at Lambeau Field. The Green Bay Packers throttled the Minnesota Vikings 23-6, and both quarterback Jordan Love and head coach Matt LaFleur gave the same explanation for why they didn’t go for the throat: they didn’t need to.

Green Bay’s defense sacked Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy five times, intercepted twice, and held Minnesota to just 87 passing yards. No touchdowns allowed, only two field goals. When your defense plays like that, the offense becomes a caretaker, not a playmaker.

“It’s extremely hard (to be less aggressive), but I thought it was the best thing to do for our football team,” HC LaFleur said in his postgame presser.

The key takeaway: sometimes the smartest move is knowing when not to attack. Even Jordan Love didn’t sugarcoat it. When asked if the defense’s dominance changed his approach, he was blunt: “Definitely.” He explained that with a two-score lead and the defense balling out, you just play it safe, and the game’s in the bag.

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The numbers back it up. Love completed 14 of 21 passes for just 139 yards. But the biggest win for him was no turnovers. Running back Emanuel Wilson carried the ball 28 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first Packers RB to crack 100 yards this season. Green Bay controlled the ball for over 37 minutes, grinding Minnesota into dust.

“Defense playing the way they’re playing, balling out. You get a two-score lead, you got to be smart with it,” Love said. “You got to take care of the ball and not give them a way to easily get back into that game or give them great field position.”

The Vikings certainly made it easy to play conservatively. McCarthy looked overwhelmed facing Green Bay’s defense. While he sparked a passing game for 87 yards, his 5 sacks cost him 35 yards. Linebacker Micah Parsons wrecked the Vikings’ O-line with two sacks, and Green Bay’s secondary grabbed two fourth-quarter picks to ice it.

With the defense firing on all cylinders, the conservative mindset for the offense wasn’t just assumed. Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur actually talked about it on the sideline during the game.

Love and LaFleur: talking it through

When pressed on whether dialing back aggression was a real conversation or just understood, Jordan Love confirmed they discussed it.

“It’s definitely something we talk about on the side and just mention it,” Love said. “That mindset of having a little bit extra caution and not take some unneeded risk.”

Love admitted that the competitive fire never goes away: “guys all have that mindset, we want to go out there be aggressive every time.”

But the offense knew the most critical part of the job, and stayed true to that.

“You got to find ways to win these games, and that’s what was needed today,” Love concluded. 

The Packers’ quarterback didn’t force anything. He managed the game, protected the ball, and let the defense do its job. With this Week 12 victory, the Packers now improve to 7-3-1 and face a quick turnaround. Thanksgiving Day approaches with a clash at Ford Field against the Detroit Lions.

This win over the Vikings might not be one for the books offensively, but it revealed something valuable. Green Bay knows how to play complementary football, even if that means Matt LaFleur has to keep his most talented players in check. After all, sometimes the best plays are the ones you don’t make.