WEBVTT - #579 Packers Unscripted: It's showtime 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:14.920 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:14.920 --> 0:00:18.480 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined as always 0:00:18.520 --> 0:00:21.439 by my partner in crime, West Hot Courts were coming 0:00:21.440 --> 0:00:25.640 to you here from socially distant locations at lambeau Field West. 0:00:25.680 --> 0:00:30.000 It's almost here. Saturday, three thirty pm Central time, kickoff 0:00:30.000 --> 0:00:33.640 at lambeau Field the NFC Divisional playoff between the Green 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:37.320 Bay Packers and the Los Angeles Rams. We might as 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:39.440 well get right into it. Keys to victory here for 0:00:39.520 --> 0:00:42.360 Green Bay. If you want to start offensive side defensive side, 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:44.440 I'll let you pick. But what's it going to take 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:48.239 for the Packers to come out victorious? First and foremost? 0:00:48.240 --> 0:00:50.360 Not getting caught up in the narrative. And what I 0:00:50.360 --> 0:00:52.720 mean by that is there's been a lot of consternation 0:00:52.800 --> 0:00:55.640 about Aaron Donald. What status, What is his status gonna be? 0:00:55.680 --> 0:00:57.320 What is he gonna look like? Is he gonna be 0:00:57.360 --> 0:00:59.720 the Aaron Donald that everybody's accustomed to see in the 0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:03.000 term inator that everyone's accustomed to seeing. And my my 0:01:03.080 --> 0:01:05.160 best advice for that is, don't pay attention to it. 0:01:05.200 --> 0:01:08.120 Aaron Donald is showing up on Saturday afternoon. He is 0:01:08.120 --> 0:01:10.360 going to be ready to play. And it was funny 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:13.280 this earlier this week, Mike someone mentioned inside Ringbox like, Hey, 0:01:13.319 --> 0:01:15.080 you know, with him having the rib injury, does that 0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:17.959 mean they should maybe gear their game plan towards him. Like, 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:20.399 if you ever find yourself in a position where you 0:01:20.400 --> 0:01:23.560 have to gear your game plan towards Aaron Donald, I 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:26.319 don't think it's a very good game plan. Your What 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:28.840 the Packers need to do is is you've said multiple times, 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:31.280 do what they do best and respect the opponent that 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:34.000 they're going to see. Be prepared for the league's top defense, 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:37.440 the league's top scoring defense. Be prepared for a unit 0:01:37.480 --> 0:01:40.080 that is going to challenge you, particularly in the in 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:43.000 the trenches and the line of scrimmage. If the Packers 0:01:43.040 --> 0:01:46.000 come out in respect Aaron Donald and understand the threat 0:01:46.040 --> 0:01:49.360 that he presents and down in the front, I feel 0:01:49.360 --> 0:01:51.640 like Green Bay will be able to find its magic, 0:01:51.680 --> 0:01:53.720 be able to, you know, figure out where its offense 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:56.240 needs to go to succeed and make those adjustments. And 0:01:56.240 --> 0:01:59.080 then whatever happens with Aaron Donald the rest of the way, 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:02.280 that's up for the the Los Angeles Rams to figure out. Yeah, 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:04.960 And that's where I keep coming back to with this game. 0:02:05.480 --> 0:02:08.360 And you said it is the do what you do best. 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:10.400 And when I look at I look at the offensive 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:12.600 side of the ball. For the Packers. There are three 0:02:12.639 --> 0:02:15.480 things the Packers have done really really well offensively to 0:02:15.600 --> 0:02:18.480 get to being the top scoring offense in the league. 0:02:18.720 --> 0:02:21.840 They've protected the football, They've converted on third down, and 0:02:21.880 --> 0:02:24.080 they've scored touchdowns when they're in the red zone or 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:27.760 the gold zone, whatever you want to call it. But okay, 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:31.600 here's the thing. Third down the Packers are like second 0:02:31.600 --> 0:02:35.280 in the league and third down conversions the conversion percentage, 0:02:35.440 --> 0:02:38.000 the Rams are third in the league. In third down defense. 0:02:38.240 --> 0:02:40.079 That might end up kind of being a wash as 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:42.680 you go through this game, because both the Packers offense 0:02:42.760 --> 0:02:46.600 Rams defense very very good. But in turnovers and in 0:02:46.720 --> 0:02:51.120 red zone play, the Packers have a distinct advantage. Green 0:02:51.160 --> 0:02:54.360 Bay was plus seven, I believe plus seven, yet in 0:02:54.800 --> 0:02:58.520 turnover margin through the regular season, the Rams were minus three. 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:02.200 Now to be minus in the turnover margin for a 0:03:02.240 --> 0:03:05.160 full regular season and still win ten games, that doesn't 0:03:05.200 --> 0:03:08.560 happen very often. But if the Packers continue to protect 0:03:08.560 --> 0:03:12.000 the ball, you can't discount how important it was for 0:03:12.000 --> 0:03:14.959 the Rams to win the turnover battle. In Seattle to 0:03:15.080 --> 0:03:18.040 zero last week and knock off the team that was 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:21.560 the division champ in their own division in the NFC West. 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:24.880 As far as the red zone goes, Packers number one 0:03:24.880 --> 0:03:28.240 in the league, and it's been even higher than that 0:03:28.320 --> 0:03:31.079 during this winning streak to close out the regular season. 0:03:31.320 --> 0:03:33.680 The Rams, they're not bad in the red zone defensively, 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:37.200 but twelveth in the league. That's a pretty big discrepancy there, 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:40.120 number one versus number twelve. As far as the Packers 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:43.160 offense versus the Rams defense, that's where green Bay has 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:45.320 an edge. You have to play to where you have 0:03:45.480 --> 0:03:48.120 your edge in the playoffs, and I think that's where 0:03:48.120 --> 0:03:50.480 this game can be decided for the Packers. Yeah, I 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:53.200 agree with you in the other aspect that I think 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:54.840 you have to look at with green Bay too, and 0:03:54.880 --> 0:03:57.560 the way that their offense is built is they've found 0:03:57.560 --> 0:04:01.200 ways to establish drives to shore and ball games and 0:04:01.240 --> 0:04:03.360 that's kind of been the blueprint for the Rams two 0:04:03.400 --> 0:04:04.800 in a lot of ways. I mean, they are number 0:04:04.840 --> 0:04:07.000 two to Green Bay's number one in time of possession. 0:04:07.520 --> 0:04:09.400 But last week, if I'm Matt la Fleur in this 0:04:09.520 --> 0:04:11.640 coaching staff and I'm looking at that footage from the 0:04:11.640 --> 0:04:14.600 Seattle game. I'm looking at and going, you know what, 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:17.960 the way the Rams played that for all the different 0:04:18.360 --> 0:04:21.000 problems that they had, the quarterback issues that they had, 0:04:21.839 --> 0:04:24.560 that was a pretty good blueprint. If you're looking at 0:04:24.560 --> 0:04:26.600 your Sean mcvain, you're saying, Okay, I want to make 0:04:26.600 --> 0:04:27.960 a run. We want to win a super Bowl with 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:31.280 this team. They kind of set that out when with 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:33.280 what they did against Seattle. And it's another reason why 0:04:33.279 --> 0:04:35.600 I think they have to be respected because, as you said, 0:04:35.600 --> 0:04:38.240 they won the turnover margin that was huge, But what 0:04:38.279 --> 0:04:40.640 did they do with that turnover margin? It was cam 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:43.719 akers then turning out all of these total yards, all 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:47.160 of this production, being able to extend drives and and 0:04:47.279 --> 0:04:51.200 find ways to control the clock. Yeah, you lost John Wolford, 0:04:51.200 --> 0:04:54.560 and John Wolford looked pretty good early on. Jared Goff 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:57.480 has been limited. How much that's the thumb, how much 0:04:57.520 --> 0:05:00.240 of that is golf, we don't know. But the fact 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:02.839 of the matter is is the packers. You talk about advantages, 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:07.720 decided advantages, distinct advantages, advantage advantages. One of the things 0:05:07.720 --> 0:05:10.520 that plays into that is Green Bay knows exactly who 0:05:10.560 --> 0:05:12.440 they are and what they need to do to win 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:14.640 They've done it all season long, Mike. To get to 0:05:14.760 --> 0:05:18.960 thirteen and three, they have probably most likely the National 0:05:18.960 --> 0:05:22.400 Football League's m v P at the most important position 0:05:22.400 --> 0:05:24.719 on the field where the Rams have some question marks 0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:27.880 going into this game, regardless of who they put out there. 0:05:27.920 --> 0:05:30.040 The fact that they haven't said it, the fact that 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:32.800 you know, we even have to ask about them saying it, 0:05:32.800 --> 0:05:35.599 it tells you that there are questions there. Green Bay 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:38.520 doesn't have those questions. They need to have the answers 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:41.039 on Saturday and show that the team that won the 0:05:41.160 --> 0:05:44.080 NFC regular season that was the top seed, they can 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:46.360 be the unit that goes out and carries that over 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:49.160 into the postseason. Yeah. Absolutely, And and I'm with you 0:05:49.200 --> 0:05:51.960 with the where you started the conversation about don't get 0:05:52.000 --> 0:05:54.039 caught up in the narrative. There are all kinds of 0:05:54.080 --> 0:05:57.960 potential distractions here, whether you're talking about Aaron Donald's injury, 0:05:58.000 --> 0:06:00.960 whether you're talking about Cooper Cups injury, whether you're talking 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:04.640 about the quarterback situation for the Rams, whether you're talking 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:07.800 about Jalen Ramsey and all his trash talking and what 0:06:07.880 --> 0:06:10.200 he might do to try to throw Davante Adams off 0:06:10.200 --> 0:06:13.200 his game. Don't get caught up in any of those distractions. 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:15.120 If you're the Green Bay Packers, you have to do 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:18.680 what you do and to switch things to the defensive 0:06:18.720 --> 0:06:20.160 side of the ball. I think you and I are 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:23.200 on the same page here. This all starts with clamping 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:26.479 down on cam Acres, the rookie running back, second round 0:06:26.480 --> 0:06:29.040 pick out of Florida State. He's been a revelation for 0:06:29.080 --> 0:06:32.640 that Rams offense. He was He's exactly what the Rams 0:06:32.680 --> 0:06:35.400 offense did not have last year. The year before, they 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:37.640 had Todd Gurley Offensive Player of the Year, they went 0:06:37.680 --> 0:06:40.359 to the Super Bowl. Last year, the Rams didn't have 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:43.640 this kind of a running game. And there's so much 0:06:43.680 --> 0:06:46.320 of this offense, particularly with a quarterback like Golf and 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:49.200 I think Wolford falls into the same category. The play 0:06:49.279 --> 0:06:51.880 action game is huge for these guys, and they are 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:55.680 very very effective as play action passers. I from what 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:57.599 I've seen of the Rams, and I've been saying this 0:06:57.640 --> 0:07:00.440 all week, I think Jared Goff, if he's a straight 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:03.120 drop back pastor I'm not saying he's a bad quarterback, 0:07:03.160 --> 0:07:06.039 but I think he becomes a very ordinary quarterback in 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:09.640 a straight drop back passing game. If you clamp down 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:11.840 on the run and take away the effectiveness of the 0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:14.559 play action and turn whoever's that quarterback for the Rams 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:17.200 and do a straight drop back passer without that play 0:07:17.240 --> 0:07:20.200 action game. I think that completely plays to Green Bays 0:07:20.280 --> 0:07:22.560 and fan Well, let's go back in the archives. Let's 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:25.160 go back to the multiple seasons of Packers Unscripted, the 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:27.840 West Hogkwitz, let's be real moment of the week. Let's 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:29.920 bring it back. Let's talk about it for a second. 0:07:30.200 --> 0:07:32.000 The let's be real moment of the week is there 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:36.160 was a reason why John Wolford fit what Sean McVeigh 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:38.480 wanted to do offensively and why they felt okay about 0:07:38.560 --> 0:07:41.119 him if they didn't have Jared Goff because he also 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:42.960 is a guy that has some mobility to him and 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:45.680 he can thrive in a play action type scheme. But 0:07:45.960 --> 0:07:48.840 everything that McVeigh does, and even to some extent, what 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:51.200 Green Bay does with wanting to establish the run, it 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:53.840 has to start in that first and second quarter. It 0:07:53.880 --> 0:07:56.560 has to begin with being able to sort of impose 0:07:56.640 --> 0:08:00.080 your will and allow your quarterback to adapt off that 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:03.200 that that's when Goff becomes dangerous. Jared Goff is at leven. 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:05.040 I think it's a hundred and eleven passer rating in 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:07.520 two games I believe against Green Bay. I mean, he 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:11.960 has had respectable performances and it's been built on explosive making, 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:16.320 taking advantage of explosive plays, opportunistic happenings in the game, 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:18.840 and also just being able to establish the run. Cam 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:21.800 Akers is a guy I've been I've loved since the draft. 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:23.600 He's been one of my favorite guys on the board. 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:25.760 I draft him my own fantasy football league and he 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:28.400 was there the entire season. I mean, I just felt 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:30.960 like when push came to shove, even though they worked 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:33.240 with Henderson for a while and obviously Malcolm Brown has 0:08:33.240 --> 0:08:35.720 been there for a few years, it felt like Acres 0:08:35.760 --> 0:08:37.679 is where this thing was trending. And when they finally, 0:08:38.000 --> 0:08:39.439 you know, kind of took the reins off and just 0:08:39.520 --> 0:08:42.240 let him go. You saw the impact he made. Now 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:44.760 that being said, he's not a wonder kind. I mean, 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:47.160 he's not this guy that's just gonna be uh, you know, 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:49.520 you can't stop him, you know, like we're looking at 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:51.680 with with Derrick Henry. Last month he was held the 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:54.080 thirty four care thirty four yards and twenty one carries. 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:57.559 There are answers for him, but the Seattle Seahawks did 0:08:57.600 --> 0:09:00.400 not have those in the wild card round, and it 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:02.880 bit them, man. I mean that was ultimately as much 0:09:02.880 --> 0:09:05.040 as the turnover has hurt, the fact that they couldn't 0:09:05.040 --> 0:09:07.360 solve the first and second downs and end up being 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:10.839 in multiple manageable situations. That's why the Rams were able 0:09:10.880 --> 0:09:12.760 to move the ball as wall as they did. Yeah, 0:09:12.760 --> 0:09:15.160 and when you look at the Packers right now defensively, 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:17.199 we've been talking about it for the last several weeks. 0:09:17.200 --> 0:09:20.360 The Packers run defense is in a very different place 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:22.880 than it was earlier in the season, in a very 0:09:22.920 --> 0:09:26.000 different place than it was in the postseason last year. 0:09:26.320 --> 0:09:29.120 We've talked about that fifty seven yard run by David 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:32.760 Montgomery on the Chicago Bears first handoff of the game 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:35.400 back in Week twelve, that Sunday night game at lambeau Field. 0:09:35.880 --> 0:09:38.600 That's what That's been a turning point for this Packers 0:09:38.640 --> 0:09:42.040 run defense because since that fifty seven yard run by Montgomery, 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:45.520 opposing running backs over the last six games have averaged 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:49.040 only three point nine yards per carry. Against Green Bay, 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:51.680 that's all that the opposing running backs have been able 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:56.000 to do in in essentially traditional run game situations. The 0:09:56.000 --> 0:09:59.000 Packers will take that any day of the week. And 0:09:59.240 --> 0:10:02.480 that's what it's going to take to try to take 0:10:02.520 --> 0:10:05.960 away this this uh, this play action game of the Rams. 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:08.440 And then to further the point I was making earlier 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:12.720 about the red zone, Okay, the um It's interesting you 0:10:12.760 --> 0:10:16.079 look at the statistics West, the Rams red zone offense 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:19.640 fifty seven point nine percent, the Packers red zone defense 0:10:19.880 --> 0:10:24.160 fifty seven point seven percent. That's almost identical in terms 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:27.320 in terms of those percentages. If the Packers can play 0:10:27.320 --> 0:10:29.319 to that now and and just to tell you those 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:32.680 percentages being identical, the Packers defensively eighth in the league, 0:10:32.880 --> 0:10:36.200 the Rams offensively nineteen in the league. The Packers have 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:39.400 an edge there, and and and the Packers red zone 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:42.240 defense has been better down the stretch these last three 0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:44.560 or four games than it was earlier in the season 0:10:44.559 --> 0:10:47.200 as well. So again that's another thing. I see both 0:10:47.240 --> 0:10:49.640 of these teams being able to move the ball between 0:10:49.640 --> 0:10:52.400 the twenty yard lines. I think both of these offenses 0:10:52.440 --> 0:10:55.840 the coach the coaches are creative that there's playmakers on 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:58.559 both sides, but when the ball gets inside the twenty 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:00.520 yard line, this game comes down to are you gonna 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:02.640 score touchdowns? Are you're gonna settle for field goals, and 0:11:02.679 --> 0:11:04.800 I think that's where the Packers have to win this game. Yeah, 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:06.160 and I don't want to get into the whole bend 0:11:06.240 --> 0:11:09.320 or brank Brand bend, but don't break easy for me 0:11:09.360 --> 0:11:12.320 to say, uh, mentality stuff. But I thought one of 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:14.760 the things that Dom Capers didn't get nearly enough credit 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:18.160 for was the fact that the Packers were exceedingly good 0:11:18.400 --> 0:11:20.840 in the red zone throughout his tenure. They were when 0:11:20.880 --> 0:11:23.240 they were at their best. It was when they route 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:25.720 rose up and answered in that area the field. The 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:29.319 problem ultimately became down the stretch, just too many explosive plays. Well, 0:11:29.320 --> 0:11:31.200 you look at what Petton has done this year. Mike 0:11:31.240 --> 0:11:33.520 Petton has done this year with his unit, Packers have 0:11:33.640 --> 0:11:37.040 not had very many explosive plays, especially with the deep 0:11:37.040 --> 0:11:39.959 passing game. They've been able to curtail that. And while 0:11:40.000 --> 0:11:41.959 there have been instances, mostly in the first half of 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:43.960 the season, where teams move the ball a little too much, 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:46.920 probably for green Bay's liking, green Bay in the last 0:11:46.920 --> 0:11:49.880 six seven weeks has really, as I've said before and 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:52.520 gotten some people making fun of me, batting down the hatches. 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:56.120 I'm gonna say it again in that area. Because here's 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:58.120 the thing, like we've seen it time and time again. 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:01.520 You can pull out multiple examples pass Packers games. There 0:12:01.600 --> 0:12:06.040 is a huge difference between three and seven seven and 0:12:06.880 --> 0:12:10.000 it changes the complexion of the game. Just look at 0:12:10.040 --> 0:12:12.400 that matchup against Chicago too, and in the fact that 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:14.720 the Bears weren't able to punch some of those in 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:17.560 and the way it changed things. So that's where this 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:19.800 comes back to me. For Green Bay being able to 0:12:19.840 --> 0:12:22.600 finish eighth in that category and also have that uptick 0:12:22.679 --> 0:12:25.160 the second half of the season, that bodes well. It 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:27.880 shows that guys are on their assignments. They're being able 0:12:27.920 --> 0:12:32.680 to have their containment, protect their edges. Chris Barnes is 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:35.800 crashing down into gaps, he's staying clean. The cornerbacks aren't 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:38.840 making foolish mistakes getting too handsy with with the receivers. 0:12:39.160 --> 0:12:41.640 They're all those type of things that play into playing 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:45.280 eleven man solid red zone defense, and the Packers need 0:12:45.320 --> 0:12:47.400 to be able to bring that against the Rams. Yeah, 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:49.640 and you mentioned like the Bears game for the Packers 0:12:49.720 --> 0:12:51.520 was a really good example. They did give up the 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:54.240 one deep ball over the top about a fifty plus 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:56.800 yard play or whatever. It was, but then the defense 0:12:56.960 --> 0:12:59.960 rose up and forced a field goal attempt. When defense 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:01.680 of lee We've talked about this a lot. When you 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:04.080 when you do give up an explosive play, when you 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:06.199 can recover from that and not let it lead to 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:09.600 a touchdown, you're fine. You know those those don't hurt 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:12.520 you as much, and you know that's a that's certainly 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:15.200 an area of the Packers have improved on in I 0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:17.800 thought as the year has gone along, the other thing, 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:19.440 I think you just have to be ready for and 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:21.560 this is where I think these last couple of games 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:24.040 have have been good for the Packers in terms of 0:13:24.480 --> 0:13:26.920 you have to be ready to handle momentum swings in 0:13:26.960 --> 0:13:29.800 these playoff games that things are gonna swing wildly back 0:13:29.840 --> 0:13:32.320 and forth. You look back at the Rams and the 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:35.000 Seahawks in the wild Card round last weekend, when Darius 0:13:35.000 --> 0:13:37.880 Williams got that pick six, which I believe was the 0:13:38.000 --> 0:13:40.679 rams fourth pick six of the season, if you can 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:43.559 believe that, I mean, that's really impressive. So again, we're 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:47.040 not stressing the turnover thing too much here as we 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:50.200 go into this, but it just felt like Seattle never 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:53.200 recovered from that momentum swing when the Rams got that 0:13:53.240 --> 0:13:55.720 pick six, took it to the house. It just felt 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:57.920 like the Rams were in control of the game the 0:13:58.000 --> 0:14:00.920 rest of the way. And these last couple of weeks 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:03.920 the Packers have gotten off to a fast start against Tennessee. 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:07.120 Tennessee climbs back in, but then the Packers regained control 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:09.800 and finish it. Same thing kind of happened in Chicago. 0:14:10.440 --> 0:14:12.560 You have to be able to handle those momentum swings 0:14:12.600 --> 0:14:15.280 and snatch it back when when you have those opportunities. 0:14:15.320 --> 0:14:17.040 I think the Packers have done a good job of that. 0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:18.960 They have to continue to do a good job of 0:14:18.960 --> 0:14:21.320 that in the playoffs. Yeah, and and and this is such, 0:14:21.440 --> 0:14:23.080 this is gonna be a momentum game, Mike. I mean, 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:25.440 you've seen it already. That stat was brought out to 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:27.640 me and I haven't corroborated yet, so I hope I'm 0:14:27.680 --> 0:14:30.480 not spouting false knowledge. But that stat that when the 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:32.880 readers brought up about Sean McVeigh and his team's their 0:14:32.920 --> 0:14:35.640 record in the second half when they lead at halftime, 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:37.960 I think they threw it out at thirty seven to nothing. 0:14:38.520 --> 0:14:42.160 I don't know if that's factually true, but it is 0:14:42.280 --> 0:14:44.840 startling when you look at that type of production, and 0:14:44.880 --> 0:14:46.960 you follow the Rams enough the last few years, you 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:50.120 understand the way they play and why they've been successful 0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:52.400 with Sean McVeigh as their head coach, and that's played 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:54.600 into it. The fact that they can shorten games, the 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:57.480 fact that they can take the momentum and if they 0:14:57.520 --> 0:15:00.400 get it, they'll seize it, they'll hold on to it. 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:02.400 And they have veteran players now that have been in 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:05.240 this system for three or four years that understand what 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:08.480 their role is in those instances. Green Bay. I thought 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:10.440 that's where they've made the big jump this year, in 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:14.320 year two underneath Matt Lafleur. Last year, the construction was there, 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:17.840 the foundation had been built, but it was everybody still 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:21.240 settling into it, understanding what is being required of them. 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:24.600 This year they do Aaron Rodgers playing faster, the running 0:15:24.600 --> 0:15:27.320 backs seeing their lanes and and understanding the wide zone 0:15:27.360 --> 0:15:29.800 scheme and what the Packers are looking for there, and 0:15:29.840 --> 0:15:34.560 then ultimately the passing game with Davantae Adams doing Davantae 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:36.640 Adams things. And then you've got your Robert Tonnions of 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:39.520 the world stepping up and making huge contributions when I 0:15:39.560 --> 0:15:42.800 think expectations are rather modest for him going into the season. 0:15:43.360 --> 0:15:45.800 That's where this team to me is different than the 0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:48.160 thirteen and three team a year ago. And it's why 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:50.080 I feel like this game at lambeau Field, with green 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:53.160 Bay having a full week and a half extra time 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:56.320 to to get ready for this in the Rams, making 0:15:56.320 --> 0:15:59.720 a flight back to l A, practicing in l A 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:02.680 other and also coming out here on a short week 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:05.320 with dealing with the injuries that they are. Everything points 0:16:05.360 --> 0:16:08.360 to green Bay. But that doesn't matter if you don't 0:16:08.360 --> 0:16:10.760 show up on Saturday afternoon. Yeah, you've got to play 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.040 your game, absolutely you. You have to be able to 0:16:13.040 --> 0:16:15.080 do that well before we go. I do want to 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:18.080 get your thoughts West on the other divisional games. I've 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:21.120 always considered this, you know, maybe the best weekend of 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:23.640 NFL football of the entire year, when you're down to 0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:26.760 the final eight four in each conference. The other one 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:29.680 in the NFC, of course, is the NFC South Showdown 0:16:29.720 --> 0:16:33.640 Showdown number three of this season between Tom Brady's Buccaneers 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:37.760 and Drew Brees Saints. What are your thoughts on this one. 0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:42.280 It's funny when everybody was talking about Brady moving over 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:44.200 to the NFC. I think these are the type of 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:47.160 matchups that people started salivating over right away, right, I 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:51.200 mean they wanted to be able to see primetime Aaron Rodgers, 0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:55.560 Tom Brady, Drew Brees. Those type of matchups happened before 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:57.920 the Super Bowl because everybody's gonna watch the Super Bowl, 0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:00.320 and then as it brought out, and when I were 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:02.920 discussing this over the weekend, as we were setting our 0:17:02.960 --> 0:17:04.800 schedules and trying to figure out, Okay, when where the 0:17:04.840 --> 0:17:07.240 Packers are gonna play. When you knew it was gonna 0:17:07.280 --> 0:17:10.159 be Brady versus Brees, that things going in primetime, You 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:12.920 and I had a ticket book towards an afternoon football 0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:15.920 game on Saturday, and and here we are Low and Behold, 0:17:15.960 --> 0:17:19.120 and both of these teams, though they just didn't dominate 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:21.720 all year, they had to kind of work through some things. 0:17:21.760 --> 0:17:24.159 They have had their moments, and this is sort of 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:26.760 in a lot of ways, like that rubber match between 0:17:26.760 --> 0:17:31.399 the two understanding Okay, who's one who's lost. Certainly the 0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:33.800 Tampa Bay Buccaneers have something to prove in this game. 0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:37.440 But at the same time, I just look at New 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:41.480 Orleans and this is what it's all about. Everybody knows 0:17:41.480 --> 0:17:44.000 what their salary cap situation is like for next season, 0:17:44.080 --> 0:17:47.439 it's not pretty. Uh. They invested heavily into winning a 0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:51.359 Super Bowl this year, they got healthy breezes back, Michael 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:54.439 Thomas is back in their defense, has been able to 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:58.080 maintain uh an air of dominance here that I think 0:17:58.600 --> 0:18:00.439 some people were wondering a couple of ago if they 0:18:00.480 --> 0:18:02.000 were going to be able to do that. So it's 0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:04.680 a great matchup in that regard. And then certainly from 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:06.639 Tom Brady's perspective, do you look at the way he's 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:08.080 played over the last month and a half as he 0:18:08.160 --> 0:18:11.600 settled in the Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich is scheme. Um, 0:18:11.640 --> 0:18:14.680 it's gonna be fireworks. It's gonna be an absolute banger 0:18:14.760 --> 0:18:17.560 of a game that I hope you and I on 0:18:17.640 --> 0:18:19.520 Sunday afternoon are going to be eager to watch for, 0:18:19.880 --> 0:18:23.639 you know, packers ramifications. Yeah, you just this. This is 0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:26.520 a heck of a matchup, and and you just wonder here, 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:28.960 here's the one thing I'll say with regard to the Saints, 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:31.439 because you're right, they've they've gone all in. They know 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:34.040 that Drew Brees is nearing the end, possibly at the 0:18:34.119 --> 0:18:36.720 at the very end here if he if he retires 0:18:36.720 --> 0:18:39.960 in the offseason. You wonder what the psyche of this 0:18:40.119 --> 0:18:42.399 Saints team is going to be if they are in 0:18:42.440 --> 0:18:46.399 a close game down the stretch. Because they lost the 0:18:46.440 --> 0:18:50.400 Minneapolis Miracle, you know, they lost on the bad call 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:53.320 to the Rams in the NFC Championship game that one year, 0:18:53.520 --> 0:18:57.000 they lost in overtime to the Vikings. Again last year 0:18:57.359 --> 0:19:00.399 in the wild card round. They've they've got some night marriage, 0:19:00.400 --> 0:19:03.520 they've got some demons to exercise here and uh and 0:19:03.640 --> 0:19:05.639 to do it against the division rival and with a 0:19:06.160 --> 0:19:09.600 with a matchup like Drew Brees against Tom Brady. Um, yeah, 0:19:09.600 --> 0:19:13.000