GREEN BAY, Wis. – Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings continue to prove the skeptics wrong while maintaining early control of the NFC North race.

Darnold threw three touchdown passes and Jordan Addison scored twice as the undefeated Vikings built an early 28-point lead and beat the Green Bay Packers 31-29 on Sunday.

The Vikings, voted by many to finish last in the NFC North (4-0), are off to their best start since 2016, winning their first five games before falling to 8-8. They trailed by less than 3 1/2 minutes all season.

“At the end of the day, we believe in each other more than anyone believes in us,” Darnold said.

Minnesota spoiled the return of Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who returned after missing two games with a left medial ligament injury. He threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns, both career highs. But he also set a career high with three interceptions and 32 of 54.

“We battled the whole game and started making plays later, but too little, too late,” Love said.

Green Bay (2-2) got within 31-29 thanks to Dontayvion Wicks' second touchdown catch of the fourth quarter – a 17-yarder with 56 seconds left. Minnesota's Josh Oliver intercepted Daniel Whelan's ensuing onside kick – actually it was a dropkick – to secure the win.

Darnold was 20 of 28 for 275 yards with touchdown passes of 29 yards to Addison, 2 yards to Oliver and 14 yards to Justin Jefferson. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble.

Addison, who missed Minnesota's last two games with an ankle injury, also scored on a 7-yard run.

Former Packers running back Aaron Jones had 22 carries for 93 yards and four catches for 46 yards in his return to Lambeau Field. Jones spent seven seasons with Green Bay before being released in March and signing with the Vikings.

Jones had said he would do a “Lambeau jump” into the stands if he scored a touchdown. Jones never reached the end zone on Sunday, but still jumped into a group of Vikings fans in the stands on the way to the locker room.

“The last time we went down, the Packers defense said, 'Ah, we didn't let you jump here, Lambeau.' “We didn’t let you, Lambeau, jump into our house,” Jones said. “I'm like, 'Are you guys worried about Lambeau jumping? You should worry about the result.” I came here and got what I wanted. But I did my Lambeau jump, so I got two for one.”

Jayden Reed had seven receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown for the Packers.

The game included seven turnovers – four by Green Bay and three by Minnesota.

Minnesota took advantage of two interceptions by Love and two missed field goal attempts by Brayden Narveson to extend its lead to 28-0 in the first 25 minutes. It was the Vikings' highest-scoring first half since 2017, when they scored 28 points before halftime and beat Washington 38-30.

“It’s a humbling league at times,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “Thanks to them. They did more than us to win the game. We have to recover from this. We have to learn from it and get better.”

Minnesota scored on each of its first three possessions as Darnold picked apart a Green Bay secondary that was missing injured cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine. When the Packers finally forced a punt, Shaq Griffin delivered a 28-yard interception return, setting up another Vikings touchdown.

The Vikings led 28-7 and had a second-and-1 through the Green Bay 20 in the third quarter when Xavier McKinney picked off Darnold to become the first Packer to intercept a pass in each of his first four games with the team.

That helped Green Bay get back into the game.

Love threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Wicks and a 13-yarder to Tucker Kraft to cut Minnesota's lead to 28-22 with 10:16 left. Minnesota regrouped on its next possession and Jefferson set up Will Reichard's 33-yard kick with 6:50 left.

The Packers got one last chance after Minnesota's Jalen Nailor was unsuccessfully stopped on a fourth-and-1 at the Green Bay 4 with less than 2 1/2 minutes left. Love engineered a quick 96-yard drive to cut the lead to two.

But the Packers will continue to look to the surprising Vikings in the NFC North standings.

“I know what we have in this room is special,” said Byron Murphy, who had one of the Vikings’ three interceptions. “With all the noise outside, I keep saying, 'Stay away from the band.' Don't try to jump on it now. You can all stay over there, whatever you all do, but we're going to keep this thing going.'”

Injuries

Packers WR Christian Watson was carted off the field after injuring his ankle on the play that resulted in an interception. “I talked to Christian and he told me he thought it was just a sprain,” LaFleur said. … Packers DL Devonte Wyatt injured his ankle in the fourth quarter.

Next

Vikings: Take on the New York Jets at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Packers: Visit the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl