Speaker 1: Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from
Speaker 1: Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined as always
Speaker 1: by my partner in Crime West and Hodkoitz. We're coming
Speaker 1: to you hear from our studios at lambeau Field West.
Speaker 1: Were just a couple of days away from hopping on
Speaker 1: another airplane to head to the Mile High City for
Speaker 1: Sunday afternoon, a three twenty five pm Central Time kickoff
Speaker 1: between the Packers and the Broncos. So let's take a
Speaker 1: look at this Denver Broncos squad. One in five is
Speaker 1: the record. Kind of hard to really make out where
Speaker 1: this team is going. They lost their first two games
Speaker 1: of the season by a total of three points, a
Speaker 1: couple of very close losses. Then you have the seventy
Speaker 1: points heard around the world by the Miami Dolphins and
Speaker 1: the game that everybody was talking about for so long,
Speaker 1: but most recently against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas
Speaker 1: City Chiefs. The Broncos stayed right in the game, lost
Speaker 1: a tough one on a Thursday night. Nineteen to eight
Speaker 1: was the final score. Certainly, Mahomes and company did not
Speaker 1: light up that Broncos defense. So where do you think
Speaker 1: things stand here for Denver heading into this matchup on Sunday, a.
Speaker 2: Game opponent, and I think that was one of the
Speaker 2: big things that Matt Lafleur drilled home. I'm sure with
Speaker 2: the team, but definitely with the media just talking about
Speaker 2: how you know, you have to look at what the
Speaker 2: Broncos have in terms of their arsenal of playmakers, and
Speaker 2: they're there on both sides of the ball. It hasn't
Speaker 2: equated to wins yet, and certainly that loss to the
Speaker 2: Dolphins is one that is going to be hard to escape,
Speaker 2: both statistically and narratively the rest of the season. Whoever
Speaker 2: the Broncos play, that's going to be a topic. Certainly.
Speaker 2: I think the Packers were tackling that the right way.
Speaker 2: But I'll tell you what, Mike, you know, looking specific
Speaker 2: at that defense, because the Broncos had some real difficulty
Speaker 2: against Kansas City in terms of Denver's offense, but defensively,
Speaker 2: that was a really game performance. And I think when
Speaker 2: you look at their defense, and we'll talk, we'll break
Speaker 2: down everything here in a second, but they were not
Speaker 2: intimidated by the threat of Patrick Mahomes. I don't think
Speaker 2: Patrick certan junior was intimidated at the perimeter weapons there.
Speaker 2: They looked at that like that was a team they
Speaker 2: should be competing with, and largely kept their football team
Speaker 2: in the game because of that performance. So Broncos, you know,
Speaker 2: they're not coming off a full by week like Green Bay,
Speaker 2: but they are coming off an extended mini by. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and I'm expecting, especially when you look at the injury report,
Speaker 2: the Packers are going to get Denver's best effort on Sunday.
Speaker 1: Yeah. These are the numbers as it relates to that
Speaker 1: Broncos defense. They've allowed over one thousand rushing yards through
Speaker 1: six games, eight rushing touchdowns, five point six yards per carry,
Speaker 1: which is just a frightening number if you're a Denver
Speaker 1: Broncos fan. Against the pass, seven twenty six point four
Speaker 1: percent completions by opposing quarterbacks and an opposing passer rating
Speaker 1: of one seventeen point eight. Those are some dreadful numbers.
Speaker 1: And here's the thing is, I've been trying to figure
Speaker 1: out because you know, they had a hard time stopping
Speaker 1: the Bears, they had a hard time stopping the Washington Commanders.
Speaker 1: They've given up not just the seventy points, but they've
Speaker 1: had they've had other games prior to the game against
Speaker 1: Kansas City, They've had some other games where they've really
Speaker 1: struggled against offenses that haven't exactly been lighting things up.
Speaker 1: And this is what I've been kind of trying to
Speaker 1: figure out. Okay, so was last week the Thursday night game?
Speaker 1: You know, it's a short week, it's a divisional opponent,
Speaker 1: like familiarity and all that. Those games can get kind
Speaker 1: of weird Thursday night divisional games, right, So how much
Speaker 1: do you really how much do you really put into that?
Speaker 1: But at the end of the day, I kind of
Speaker 1: throw it all out the window because of something that
Speaker 1: Matt Lafleur said on Wednesday after practice, which is that
Speaker 1: this game is not about the Denver Broncos. This game
Speaker 1: is about the Green Bay Packers in them getting their
Speaker 1: own house in order. This is with where the Packers
Speaker 1: have been offensively, only scoring one field goal in the
Speaker 1: first half total I'm sorry, two field goals in the
Speaker 1: first half total of the last three games. It does
Speaker 1: not matter one with the opponent on the other side
Speaker 1: here after the Packers are coming off of this bye week,
Speaker 1: it's about It's about this offense figuring itself out and
Speaker 1: getting things going earlier in games like we talked about,
Speaker 1: and yes, the Broncos have some ugly numbers and all that,
Speaker 1: but quite frankly, just that just doesn't matter because the
Speaker 1: Packers have to get it figured out.
Speaker 2: The whole of Denver's defense I think has been the
Speaker 2: weak link there. I know that's a weird way to
Speaker 2: go about saying it, but I think it's the collective.
Speaker 2: I think they have just had too many holes in
Speaker 2: different areas that have allowed teams to have success. But
Speaker 2: Nick Benito is right up there in sacks in the
Speaker 2: NFL right now. He's really come on for them season.
Speaker 2: Justin Simmons is an All Pro Kareem Jackson has been
Speaker 2: doing this forever. Patrick stan Junior has been doing this
Speaker 2: at a high level now for three seasons. Also in
Speaker 2: All Pro, they have people who are more than willing
Speaker 2: to take the football away and pressure your quarterback. For
Speaker 2: the green Bay Packers. In addition to everything you said
Speaker 2: about how it is about what Green Bay is doing
Speaker 2: and about being efficient and about approving in the areas
Speaker 2: that they've struggled with in the first half of the season,
Speaker 2: first quarter of the season. But for me, it goes
Speaker 2: back to the little things that they started to do
Speaker 2: well against Vegas, running the football, committing themselves to the run.
Speaker 2: Whether or not Aaron Jones is out there on Sunday,
Speaker 2: the Packers are optimistic, hopeful that potentially he could be back.
Speaker 2: He was practicing this week again in a limited capacity.
Speaker 2: But as you said, Mike, five point six yards per carry,
Speaker 2: the boilerplate, the blueprint, the proto type is there for
Speaker 2: teams beating the Denver Broncos this season. It's being able
Speaker 2: to run the football. What did Kansas City largely struggle
Speaker 2: with in that game against the Broncos. They didn't really
Speaker 2: establish the run very well, and that created opportunities for
Speaker 2: the secondary to take the ball away from Patrick Mahomes.
Speaker 2: Even though he threw for three hundred yards, there were
Speaker 2: some interceptions there that kept the game closer than probably
Speaker 2: a lot of people thought it should have been. So yeah,
Speaker 2: I agree. I think it comes out with Green Bay
Speaker 2: being able to finally set the tone, being able to
Speaker 2: establish the run early, regardless of who's available in the background,
Speaker 2: and then ultimately protecting the football because if the Denver
Speaker 2: Broncos take the football away, you know, you've seen it
Speaker 2: so many times. What Russell Wilson. A very opportunistic bunch
Speaker 2: on that side of the ball are willing to do
Speaker 2: and they didn't give up last week. I mean they
Speaker 2: stayed with it right up until the very end, and
Speaker 2: ultimately we're finally able to find the touchdown, just not
Speaker 2: enough points to win. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Well, speaking of Russell Wilson, he of course is the
Speaker 1: leader at quarterback. The Packers have seen him many a
Speaker 1: time as the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks. Now it's
Speaker 1: for a different West Coast team. A couple of interesting
Speaker 1: statistics with regard to Wilson. For one, he's been sacked
Speaker 1: nineteen times in six games, which is a pretty high number.
Speaker 1: But on the flip side of it, in six games,
Speaker 1: he has one hundred and fifty rushing yards, And as
Speaker 1: I mentioned in our three Things video that we shot
Speaker 1: after practice on Wednesday, you look at Russell Wilson having
Speaker 1: one hundred and fifty rushing yards through six games is
Speaker 1: sort of is a hearkening back to the past almost.
Speaker 1: I mean that one hundred and fifty yards is more
Speaker 1: than half of his total from all of last season,
Speaker 1: and it's more than the total of rushing yards that
Speaker 1: he had two years ago. So Russell Wilson in terms
Speaker 1: of in terms of his mobility and getting out of
Speaker 1: the pocket and trying to provide that dual threat is
Speaker 1: looking a little bit more like the Russell Wilson of
Speaker 1: a few years ago, of a handful of years ago,
Speaker 1: rather than maybe the one whose first season in Denver
Speaker 1: didn't go so well.
Speaker 2: And I don't even think so much about that number
Speaker 2: in terms of the rushing yards. I think about the
Speaker 2: number he talked about back in August, which was fifteen
Speaker 2: fifteen pounds that he lost this offseason. I think you
Speaker 2: see it in his play style. I mean, I don't
Speaker 2: think it was him getting out of shape or anything.
Speaker 2: I think it was more about what he was trying
Speaker 2: to build himself into last year and realizing that, Okay,
Speaker 2: I probably need to get back to more of the
Speaker 2: fundamentals of the position, what I do well in order
Speaker 2: to thrive. And you mentioned the sack numbers. I think
Speaker 2: that probably goes along with that too. He's trying to
Speaker 2: extend plays more, He's trying to get outside of the pocket.
Speaker 2: The problem for Wilson has been the inadvert the inadvice
Speaker 2: throws in some of these interceptions, and I think it's
Speaker 2: it's been. When you are struggling the way that the
Speaker 2: Broncos are struggling right now, there is no margin for error.
Speaker 2: If you have an interception, it tends to bleed. If
Speaker 2: you give up seven hundred and seventy yards or whatever
Speaker 2: it was against the Miami Dolphins, it tends to bleed
Speaker 2: when you're giving up the explosive plays. Denver's trying to
Speaker 2: hang its hat on something right now, and I think
Speaker 2: the basic idea of what Sean Payton's trying to do
Speaker 2: with this offense is that the problem is they just
Speaker 2: haven't been consistent enough with the run. I mean, Wilson
Speaker 2: is like forty yards off of being their leading rusher
Speaker 2: right now. And then you know, Jerry Judy's been quiet
Speaker 2: so far this season. I think Courtland Sutton's had some
Speaker 2: pretty solid performances. But they're trying to bridge the gap
Speaker 2: between being a team that is in a rebuild mode
Speaker 2: but yet still having a franchise quarterback that they invested
Speaker 2: heavily into less than two years ago. But Green Bay
Speaker 2: seen it. They've seen Russell Wilson at his best, and
Speaker 2: they've also seen Russell Wilson at his worst. And I
Speaker 2: think for the Green Bay Packers, a team that desperately
Speaker 2: needs to get a victory here on the road in
Speaker 2: what is going to be a very passionate road environment
Speaker 2: from our experiences at Mile High. They have to find
Speaker 2: a way to contain Wilson. They have to find a
Speaker 2: way to turn the ball over.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I want to get a little bit more
Speaker 1: into the keys to victory, but I'll take care of
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Speaker 2: Can I say one last thing, yeah, before I get going,
Speaker 2: one thing to keep in mind. Russell Wilson right now
Speaker 2: fourth in the NFL and touchdown passes ninety nine passer rating,
Speaker 2: Like people want to kind of make a joke about
Speaker 2: the Broncos being at one and five right now. But
Speaker 2: they have been doing some things well. And that's one thing.
Speaker 1: Ye yeah, And I was I was gonna say as too.
Speaker 1: As much as we've talked about, you know, Packers need
Speaker 1: to start games better. You need to reduce that margin
Speaker 1: for air. You'd like to obviously be playing with a
Speaker 1: lead as opposed to playing from behind the way the
Speaker 1: Packers have been on a regular basis lately. You're not
Speaker 1: going to. All you have to do is look at
Speaker 1: that game a few weeks ago at Soldier Field, as
Speaker 1: down as the Broncos may be at one in five,
Speaker 1: and they didn't have a victory at all when they
Speaker 1: were in Chicago and they were down two touchdowns in
Speaker 1: the second half, and they came roaring back in the
Speaker 1: fourth quarter and took it to the Bears and stole
Speaker 1: one there from Chicago. So Packers are going to have
Speaker 1: to be prepared for a sixty minute fight here, regardless
Speaker 1: of regardless of the record, regardless of how the first
Speaker 1: fifty two and a half minutes of this game go.
Speaker 1: So that being said, anything else with regard to the
Speaker 1: keys to victory for the Packers that stands out to you.
Speaker 2: Winning the ground game is going to be the biggest
Speaker 2: thing here because as I talked about, you know, you
Speaker 2: look at what Green Bay has done, and again, I
Speaker 2: know there wasn't a big explosive run against the Las
Speaker 2: Vegas Raiders, but even John Runny and listen to some
Speaker 2: of these guys talk about in the locker room, the
Speaker 2: basic idea was there in terms of what they look
Speaker 2: to achieve. And you know, again it is more than
Speaker 2: just one player. But I think about you know, Rob
Speaker 2: Demovski wrote a lot of stories about, hey, we haven't
Speaker 2: seen Christian Watson and we haven't seen Romeo Dobbs together
Speaker 2: too much. We still have really not seen Christian Watson
Speaker 2: and Aaron Jones together too much. Too. A guy that
Speaker 2: can stretch a team horizontally and vertically right, and in
Speaker 2: those are the aspects that I think can really be
Speaker 2: successful for a game like this for Green Bay. Because
Speaker 2: one of the stories I wrote this week and was
Speaker 2: one of the big topics in the locker room on Wednesday,
Speaker 2: was you know, green Bay, it's funny the big narrative
Speaker 2: with Matt Lafleur and with Jordan Love, everybody's talking about
Speaker 2: third downs. They have to get better on third downs
Speaker 2: green Bay right now, is middle of the road. I
Speaker 2: think they're like twelve right now on third down offense.
Speaker 2: But the problem is the amount of third and long
Speaker 2: conversions they've had to make in order to achieve that,
Speaker 2: and there's been turnovers that have fallen into that as well.
Speaker 2: But when Green Bay can get themselves in third and short,
Speaker 2: they're winning. They're sustaining drives, and that's where I really
Speaker 2: think this game is going to be won and lost.
Speaker 2: How do you contain Williams and McLaughlin and Wilson in
Speaker 2: the run game that Denver presents, and how do you
Speaker 2: find a way to control the game on your side
Speaker 2: of things, whether it is Jones, Dylan, whoever carrying the football.
Speaker 2: That's really my biggest area for this one.
Speaker 1: Yeah, what sticks out to me, And I'll say it
Speaker 1: here on the show, I'm gonna say it probably when
Speaker 1: we shoot final thoughts tomorrow. I'll say it at the
Speaker 1: Pepperelli in Denver. And it goes back to Lafleur's comment
Speaker 1: about this game being about the Packers and not so
Speaker 1: much about the opponent, about the Broncos, and it comes
Speaker 1: down to the Packers offensively. I think playing clean football,
Speaker 1: they've reduced the penalties. The penalties were a big issue
Speaker 1: when they fell behind seventeen to nothing to the New
Speaker 1: Orleans Saints through three quarters. Over the last couple of games,
Speaker 1: the penalties have cleaned up a little bit, at least offensively.
Speaker 1: It'd be nice to see the penalties cleaned up on
Speaker 1: special teams as well. But clean football is also about
Speaker 1: avoiding the negative plays, you know, the sacks that have
Speaker 1: put them in some tough down and distant situations. We
Speaker 1: saw what happened a sack preseeds an interception in Vegas
Speaker 1: because you're in second and seven. The running plays that
Speaker 1: are called not every running play is going to work magnificently,
Speaker 1: but if a running play is called into a bad look,
Speaker 1: say can you get out of that with just a
Speaker 1: zero or a one yard gain as opposed to a
Speaker 1: three or four yard loss. Because second and nine doesn't
Speaker 1: take you out of the running game, second and thirteen
Speaker 1: or second and fourteen often does, and the defense is
Speaker 1: then dictating what you're going to do. So it's avoiding
Speaker 1: those it's avoiding those negative plays making the best out
Speaker 1: of some bad situations. As you said, then to get
Speaker 1: into the third down situations where the percentage of conversion
Speaker 1: goes up because because you know, when you're at third
Speaker 1: and three or less, the whole playbook is open. When
Speaker 1: you're at third and seven or more, the defense pretty
Speaker 1: much knows what you're going to do, unless you're in
Speaker 1: you know, sort of that four down territory area where
Speaker 1: they might have to play you a little more honestly,
Speaker 1: but but yeah, it's down in distance. Is what is
Speaker 1: something that Matt LeFleur focused on a lot on Wednesday
Speaker 1: that that has really been more than anything in the
Speaker 1: biggest downfall. And there are a lot of factors. Sometimes
Speaker 1: it's been the penalties, other times it's been negative runs,
Speaker 1: or it's been sacks. The Packers just have to clean
Speaker 1: up their game. They have to play clean football against
Speaker 1: a defense that for the most part, has struggled this year.
Speaker 1: And if they do that, I think they'll be in
Speaker 1: a position to win the ballgame.
Speaker 2: Two things. One that you can't allow the Broncos to
Speaker 2: pin their ears back because that's where Benito has been
Speaker 2: very successful and that's where justin Simmons is how many
Speaker 2: interceptions over the last five years, you know, just being
Speaker 2: an opportunistic on the back end and sure being that
Speaker 2: ballhawk over the top if you are. And I think
Speaker 2: that's one of the reasons why Kansas City got into
Speaker 2: a little bit of a problem there is that Mahomes
Speaker 2: was making some great throws in that game, but he
Speaker 2: was asking a receiving cord that I don't think would
Speaker 2: be confused with being the best in the National Football
Speaker 2: League right now, to make some big catches on third
Speaker 2: and long. So that's going to be a big piece
Speaker 2: of this thing. But the other aspect of it, because
Speaker 2: there's so much coaching that I've been doing so far,
Speaker 2: but the Packers do need to feel confident. They need
Speaker 2: to feel like, hey, we are a team that has
Speaker 2: given it. You know, we gave it right too the
Speaker 2: Chicago Bears in their stadium. We came back in some
Speaker 2: inadverse situations against the Saints to win there, and the
Speaker 2: Saints are now up to three and three. We've had
Speaker 2: moments where we've looked like a really good football team.
Speaker 2: Denver hasn't had as many of those moments. Denver is
Speaker 2: one in five. They are going to be, you know,
Speaker 2: dealing with, you know, some guys that are talented but
Speaker 2: are kind of banged up. The week after this, you
Speaker 2: have the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers need to be confident
Speaker 2: about where they're at right now, because three of the
Speaker 2: next four are at home. They have to travel again here.
Speaker 2: But you want to feel like you're a team that
Speaker 2: can go out there and expect to win a football game.
Speaker 2: And I think having that mentality is also going to
Speaker 2: be very important, understanding that, yeah, we have lost back
Speaker 2: to back games, but we still can be a team
Speaker 2: that can be messed with and feared in the National
Speaker 2: Football League.
Speaker 1: I think when you look at when you look at
Speaker 1: what's gone on with the Packers the last few weeks,
Speaker 1: I think one of the things that that's been so
Speaker 1: frustrating is you see how this team looks in the
Speaker 1: fourth quarter against New Orleans. You see how this team
Speaker 1: looks in the third quarter against Detroit when everything had
Speaker 1: gone against them the entire first half. It's twenty seven
Speaker 1: to three, and all of a sudden, you get to
Speaker 1: the fourth quarter and it's twenty seven to seventeen. You've
Speaker 1: given yourself a shot. The first half against Vegas on
Speaker 1: Monday night football was pretty ugly, but then the third
Speaker 1: quarter was some pretty darn good football. And you get
Speaker 1: into when you talk about what we've been talking about
Speaker 1: with offense. You see AJ Dillon carry five consecutive times
Speaker 1: from the twenty nine yard line all the way in
Speaker 1: and power the ball in there for a touchdown. And
Speaker 1: then what do they do on their first offensive play
Speaker 1: of the next series, play action rollout. It's a coverage
Speaker 1: bus because the Raiders are all worried about just getting
Speaker 1: the ball rammed down their throat by AJ Dillon and
Speaker 1: Christian Watson's wide opening gets a seventy seven yard game.
Speaker 1: That third quarter in Vegas was what you want to
Speaker 1: see from the Packers. But one or every game doesn't
Speaker 1: do it. It's gonna give you a chance to win.
Speaker 1: And they've had a chance to win all these last
Speaker 1: three games. Fortunately they were able to win one of them.
Speaker 1: But playing only one quarter like that every week is
Speaker 1: not gonna cut it. It's only gonna give you that chance.
Speaker 1: And then, and then can you squeeze through that thin
Speaker 1: margin for air to pull it out. You start playing
Speaker 1: two or two and a half quarters of that level
Speaker 1: of dominant football, which is not easy to do in
Speaker 1: this league. But if you start doing that, you start
Speaker 1: opening up that margin for air and giving yourselves more
Speaker 1: opportunities to win. And the Packers have seen it. They've done.
Speaker 1: They've had a good stretch of football in every game.
Speaker 1: They just have to expand that now.
Speaker 2: And I don't know if we'll end up coming back
Speaker 2: to this next Tuesday. If we do, feel free to
Speaker 2: remind me of this. But what happens in this game?
Speaker 2: Do the Packers start fast in the first quarter or
Speaker 2: the third? If they can start fast in the first quarter,
Speaker 2: I really like their chances in this game because Denver,
Speaker 2: for whatever reasons, has a really hard time getting out
Speaker 2: of the locker room after halftime this season. Yeah, they have,
Speaker 2: So that's going to be a big area here for
Speaker 2: Green Bay. Again. I don't want to keep hammering it,
Speaker 2: but when you think about some of those drives and
Speaker 2: the times they've been really successful, and Matt Lafleur as
Speaker 2: their head coach, it's been going out there, driving the
Speaker 2: ball downfield and putting up points right off the bat.
Speaker 2: That has to be a big staple for them in
Speaker 2: this one.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely, Well, Before we go, I want to take
Speaker 1: a look at some other games around the NFL that
Speaker 1: Packers fans may be interested in with regard to Week seven.
Speaker 1: The first one is the NFC North leader the Detroit
Speaker 1: Lions an interesting challenge here. They go on the road
Speaker 1: with their five to one record to face the Baltimore Ravens.
Speaker 1: And of course, what makes this interesting is because the
Speaker 1: Lions defense is playing really, really, really well. But anytime
Speaker 1: you go up against Lamar Jackson and a Baltimore Ravens offense,
Speaker 1: that's a different kind of ballgame. It's a different kind
Speaker 1: of defense you have to play. Will the Lions be
Speaker 1: up to that challenge. I think that's a very intriguing
Speaker 1: matchup with Baltimore playing at home.
Speaker 2: I love the way that Baltimore has built out this
Speaker 2: team this season too, because obviously they lost Dobbins there
Speaker 2: that that was a big hit right off the bat,
Speaker 2: but they seem to have found weapons that compliment Jackson
Speaker 2: on the perimeter, and that has been a big issue
Speaker 2: for them the last few years. Yeah, you have Mark Andrews,
Speaker 2: but I mean Zay Flowers has had some really strong
Speaker 2: performances for them so far this season, and he's a
Speaker 2: guy that has been there when he has yet been needed.
Speaker 2: And I think it's gonna be really interesting to see
Speaker 2: how Detroit handles a quarterback like Lamar who's going to
Speaker 2: not only threaten them downfield, but what he can do
Speaker 2: with his legs, and sometimes it will result in a
Speaker 2: scramble for yards. Sometimes it results in a scramble for
Speaker 2: a downfield opportunity. The integrity of the defense is going
Speaker 2: to be challenged in this one, and certainly for Detroit.
Speaker 2: It's another one of those litmus tests, one of those
Speaker 2: measuring sticks to see. Okay, we've beaten some teams so
Speaker 2: far this season, and we've beaten some good teams so
Speaker 2: far this season. But when you take on one of
Speaker 2: the more consistent veteran Leyden squads in the National Football
Speaker 2: League and uncommon opponent at that, yeah, can you rise
Speaker 2: to that occasion and meet that challenge?
Speaker 1: Yeah? I think that's a I think that's a really
Speaker 1: intriguing one. Another one Packers fans might want to keep
Speaker 1: an eye on, just because they are two opponents that
Speaker 1: the Packers will be playing within the next month. The
Speaker 1: Pittsburgh Steelers are at the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams,
Speaker 1: I think playing better football than a lot of people
Speaker 1: thought they would coming off of a rough season in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty two, and the Steelers with a scary defense
Speaker 1: quite frankly that you wonder if they can ever find
Speaker 1: some sort of consistency and reliability, you know, production wise.
Speaker 1: On offense, the Pittsburgh Steelers could become a much more
Speaker 1: serious threat with that defense they have. Those are two
Speaker 1: teams the Packers are going to see here in the
Speaker 1: very near future.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I get the thing I love most right now
Speaker 2: watching this is the Rams. Doesn't matter what year it is,
Speaker 2: the storyline is always the same. They have no running game. No,
Speaker 2: there's no running thread. Darryl Henderson just got signed again
Speaker 2: for I think the third time with the Rams. But
Speaker 2: they're just so darn opportunistic and they have a really
Speaker 2: good quarterback there is that is good at managing those situations.
Speaker 2: And defensively, maybe they're not the same lockdown unit they
Speaker 2: were a few years ago, but they've been able to
Speaker 2: keep them in games and win games when it is needed.
Speaker 2: I love what Pittsburgh does. I know it's maddening for
Speaker 2: some of their fans, but this is a transitionary phase
Speaker 2: for them still much like what the Packers are going through.
Speaker 2: They're switching to a young quarterback, they have young weapons
Speaker 2: around him. But I think George Pickens is a good
Speaker 2: I think he's gonna be a really good receiver in
Speaker 2: this league. And defensively, yeah, it's probably one of the
Speaker 2: better defense in the league and they have arguably the
Speaker 2: best defensive player on their team, and that will be
Speaker 2: interesting to see how that Pittsburgh defense handles a Rams
Speaker 2: offense that has kind of been all over the place
Speaker 2: this year in terms of catches, big plays, drop passes,
Speaker 2: and seeing what exactly unfolds.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, the biggest game I think that all NFL
Speaker 1: fans will have their eyes on is Miami and that
Speaker 1: high flying to a tago Aloa offense against the Philadelphia Eagles,
Speaker 1: who now unexpectedly are five and one. I think everybody
Speaker 1: was thinking that the Eagles would still be undefeated coming
Speaker 1: into this home matchup with Miami. But really interesting cross
Speaker 1: conference game here. You have a team that a lot
Speaker 1: of people are pegging in the AFC that is going
Speaker 1: to make a serious run this year, and then the
Speaker 1: Eagles of course being the defending NFC champs and a
Speaker 1: solid five and one record.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Miami has taken and Mike McDaniel, they have taken
Speaker 2: the Kyle Shanahan offense, I think sort of enhanced it
Speaker 2: even further, and with such unique weapons that they have
Speaker 2: right now, I give so much credit to the Dolphins
Speaker 2: for how they've They've maximized that even though they've had
Speaker 2: some injuries, they still much like Shanahan, whether it's Rhem
Speaker 2: Moster becoming re established now in this offense, or just
Speaker 2: the threat that Tyreek Hill presents, they build game plans
Speaker 2: to win. But ultimately, I think this game comes down
Speaker 2: to Jalen Hurts versus Big Fangio. And see, you know,
Speaker 2: it's been a rough year so far for these Fangio defenses.
Speaker 2: You know, you've seen some of the stats out there
Speaker 2: that those football syndicates and yeah, you know, analytic departments
Speaker 2: have been putting out and Jalen Hurts is coming off
Speaker 2: the three interception games. So that contrast is gonna be
Speaker 2: really interesting to watch because I really feel like Jalen
Speaker 2: Hurts is not gonna have another down performance. But then
Speaker 2: seeing if this ends up ultimately turning into a shootout
Speaker 2: should be a lot of fun to loll.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it will be a lot of fun.
Speaker 1: One last one to mention quickly, the Packers' next opponent
Speaker 1: will be coming to Lambeufield as the Minnesota Vikings. Everybody
Speaker 1: can get a look at them on Monday night, they
Speaker 1: will be at home against the San Francisco forty nine ers.
Speaker 1: The Niners waiting to see if they're going to get
Speaker 1: Deebo Samuel Christian McCaffrey back from those injuries from a
Speaker 1: week ago, and Minnesota quite frankly west. They've got to
Speaker 1: try to figure out what to do offensively without Justin
Speaker 1: Jefferson because the debut of the Justin Jefferson less offense
Speaker 1: in Chicago was not a good one. They only scored
Speaker 1: one touchdown. They probably don't beat the Bears if not
Speaker 1: for a defensive score by Jordan Hicks, which got him
Speaker 1: the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. The Vikings only
Speaker 1: put up nineteen points without Justin Jefferson and seven of
Speaker 1: those are by their defense.
Speaker 2: Vikings have a lot of bodies, but just not a
Speaker 2: lot of production right now. Now. TJ. Hockinson is probably
Speaker 2: gonna have to be the face of that offense moving forward.
Speaker 2: They've talked about kJ Osborne taking on more of a
Speaker 2: role in Alexander Madison. Obviously they added Cam Akers as well,
Speaker 2: but it comes down to Hawkinson and if he can
Speaker 2: be a guy that can become a difference making tight
Speaker 2: end on him down nine and down out. Basis Kirk
Speaker 2: Cousins is a good football player. Man. I was watching
Speaker 2: that game against the Bears, and there were some moments
Speaker 2: there where receivers weren't exactly picking him up. And you
Speaker 2: know he makes mistakes, but I mean he does he'll
Speaker 2: keep you in a football game. But this is a
Speaker 2: mountain of a challenge of that San Francisco defense and
Speaker 2: debo if he can. He's day to day right now
Speaker 2: with his shoulder. I don't know where things stand with McCaffrey.
Speaker 2: But for San Francisco, they're trying to show that they
Speaker 2: can just bounce back from this and keep on rolling.
Speaker 2: But Minnesota, these are the type of games they're ultimately
Speaker 2: going to have to win. Seeing these division returning division
Speaker 2: winners from last year. If they're going to be able
Speaker 2: to salvage this season.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think if you're the Packers, and I know
Speaker 1: it's one game at a time, and I know that
Speaker 1: as well as anybody, but you look at the Packers
Speaker 1: are coming off of their bye week, They've had a
Speaker 1: chance to reset and regroup. You're going on the road
Speaker 1: to play a team that has been struggling, and then
Speaker 1: you're going to come back home to play a team
Speaker 1: that will be on a short week playing on the
Speaker 1: Monday night, and then that is banged up without Justin Jefferson,
Speaker 1: without Marcus Davenport on their defense. An opportunity here for
Speaker 1: the Packers to get things turned around in the other
Speaker 1: direction over the next ten days or so, and they
Speaker 1: have to take advantage of it.
Speaker 2: It's as favorable as it's going to get, yes, because
Speaker 2: Pittsburgh is going to be a knockdown, drag out war.
Speaker 2: I think the two LA teams are both going to
Speaker 2: be opponents next month. The Packers have to be able
Speaker 2: to take your business here against Denver and then you
Speaker 2: look at what comes after it. But Denver's reeling and
Speaker 2: the Packers somewhat reeling too. But this is a great opportunity,
Speaker 2: as you said, to kind of get back on track.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think so. With that, we'll call it a
Speaker 1: wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to
Speaker 1: follow all of our coverage of the team and everything
Speaker 1: from Sunday's game in Denver. We'll have it for you
Speaker 1: on Packers dot Com. For Wes, I'm Mike. Thank you
Speaker 1: for tuning in everybody. We will see you next time.