A Vikings team that appeared left for dead two weeks ago is 5-5, is in control of its own destiny for a wild-card spot in the NFC’s seven-team playoff field, and has one of the hottest offense in the NFL.

Those facts would have seemed farcical two weeks ago, after back-to-back losses put the Vikings at 3-5. But an aggressive attack that got them a win on the road a week ago was even better on Sunday, with two scoring drives in the game’s final three minutes to give the Vikings a 34-31 win over the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Justin Jefferson had eight catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Kirk Cousins threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns, driving the Vikings in position for the game-winning field goal after the Packers (8-3) looked like they might steal a game the Vikings led by two touchdowns in the first half.

Aaron Rodgers hit Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 75-yard score a play after the Vikings regained the lead with 2:08 left, and Darnell Savage — who’d had an interception overturned by a roughing the passer call in the first half — undercut a corner route to Justin Jefferson for an apparent pick.

But a review showed the ball hit the ground as Savage was coming down, and Cousins found Dalvin Cook for 19 yards on a screen, before connecting with Adam Thielen for 26 when Rasul Douglas tried for an interception. Greg Joseph’s 29-yard field goal with no time left capped a wild win.

The Vikings preached aggression again this week after beating the Chargers last Sunday, and coach Mike Zimmer devised new defensive wrinkles that had players excited for how they could affect Rodgers.

Minnesota started the game with Camryn Bynum as part of a three-safety package with Harrison Smith in the slot, before putting Anthony Barr at middle linebacker on the game’s second play. Sheldon Richardson worked at defensive end, pressuring Rodgers on a third down before Mason Crosby’s field goal attempt clanked off the left upright in the second quarter.

For much of the first half, Rodgers — who hadn’t practiced much in the past two weeks because of COVID-19 and a toe injury — seemed out of sync with his receivers and affected by the Vikings’ coverage schemes, holding the ball and chasing throws downfield as the pass rush chased him down. Green Bay committed six penalties for 77 yards in the first half, with their linemen called for holding twice and illegal hands to the face once.

Cousins started looking toward Jefferson more frequently a week ago against the Chargers, and found him for two deep strikes in the first quarter: a crossing route that went for 43 yards and a shot off play action that went for 56 yards. The Vikings lost a challenge that Jefferson had reached the end zone before his knee hit the turf, but Dalvin Cook walked in untouched on the next play.

On the Vikings’ next drive, Savage mistimed a jump for a deep ball and was called for a 37-yard pass interference penalty on second down. Then, after Cousins threw behind Jefferson and Savage picked him off on third down, Kingsley Keke drew a roughing-the-passer penalty for a helmet-to-helmet hit on the quarterback. Cousins hit Adam Thielen for a touchdown against Kevin King three plays later.

As has become a near-weekly occurrence, though, the Vikings gave up a touchdown before halftime, when Rodgers rolled to his left and hit Josiah Deguara for a 25-yard score. Even though the Vikings answered with a 75-yard march to start the second half with a touchdown from Cousins to Jefferson (who’d lined up in the backfield), Rodgers directed a pair of scoring drives to give Green Bay a 24-23 lead, finding a wide-open Davante Adams for the go-ahead score.

The quarterback had tried to signal timeout, but wasn’t granted the stoppage since the ball had already been snapped when he put his hands up for the timeout. The confusion might have led the Vikings’ defense to think the play was over; in any case, Adams was wide open beyond Mackensie Alexander.

The Vikings had plenty of time to score and take the lead back, with Cousins hitting Jefferson on a 24-yard go ball and Cook dancing in for a two-point conversion.

It wasn’t the final score they’d need on a wild afternoon, but they showed they had the wherewithal to get what they had to have.