WEBVTT - #693 Packers Unscripted: Staying alive 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:10.880 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:10.880 --> 0:00:14.280 Packers dot Com. I am like Spofford, joined as always 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:17.160 by my trusted colleague West and Hot Koitz. We're coming 0:00:17.160 --> 0:00:20.000 to you here from our studios at lambeau Field a 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:22.560 day later than usual West because of the Monday night 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:27.200 game and some I guess call it a tight schedule 0:00:27.280 --> 0:00:30.920 with regard to the studio in which we shoot the 0:00:30.960 --> 0:00:33.879 show here, so recording this on a Wednesday instead of 0:00:33.880 --> 0:00:35.760 on a Tuesday for our first show of the week. 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:40.279 But we're here to talk about a twelve victory by 0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:43.800 the Green Bay Packers over the Los Angeles Rams. And 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:45.920 the bottom line is the Packers are six and eight 0:00:46.200 --> 0:00:48.680 and they're still alive. They are and that was what 0:00:48.760 --> 0:00:51.519 you and I talked about all last week. You couldn't 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:54.600 look past the Rams. You had to win this football 0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:57.360 game to make the rest of this thing count. Green 0:00:57.400 --> 0:01:00.560 Bay came out and did that on Monday night. To 0:01:00.720 --> 0:01:03.800 my eye, you know, I know, as Aaron Rodgers talked about, 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:05.399 and as a lot of people mentioned, this is the 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:07.680 type of team they needed to beat. Right. If you're 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:10.520 gonna actually say you are a playoff team, you had 0:01:10.560 --> 0:01:13.360 to turn back a banged up and be leaguered l 0:01:13.400 --> 0:01:17.319 A Rams team. But it was how they played throughout 0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:19.200 the course of the game. I think that impressed me 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:23.280 the most because I thought offensively, they had an identity, 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:25.080 they had a game plan for how they wanted to 0:01:25.080 --> 0:01:28.880 attack l A. They executed it masterfully. Hundred and thirty 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:31.600 eight rushing yards Mike, and only one of those carries, 0:01:32.040 --> 0:01:34.200 uh the longest one was for fourteen yards. I don't 0:01:34.200 --> 0:01:37.120 even know how many double digit uh you know, yardage 0:01:37.120 --> 0:01:39.360 plays they had off runs, but they were consistent with 0:01:39.400 --> 0:01:43.480 it throughout the ballgame. Romeo Dobbs comes back, leads them 0:01:43.480 --> 0:01:47.960 in receiving, they got five sacks. Defensively, you look at 0:01:48.000 --> 0:01:49.920 how they were able to dictate the temple of this game. 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:54.160 Keishaw Nixon did Keishaw Nixon things on returns. The green 0:01:54.160 --> 0:01:56.440 Bay Packers are going to have to play better to 0:01:56.600 --> 0:02:00.640 beat the Miami Dolphins. But I thought coming off by 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:03.400 and coming off the win over Chicago, this was the 0:02:03.480 --> 0:02:05.960 type of encouraging performance green Bay needed to build up 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:08.320 some of that confidence going into South Beach. Yeah, like 0:02:08.360 --> 0:02:10.040 you said, there were a lot of things to like 0:02:10.160 --> 0:02:14.400 in this game. Um My, my list is is pretty long. Actually, 0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:17.680 I start with the way they ran the ball against 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:21.160 what has been a pretty good rushing defense even without 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:24.200 Aaron Donald and Donald did not play in this game 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:26.240 for the Rams, but when Donald has been out, the 0:02:26.400 --> 0:02:31.160 Rams have still been pretty stout against the run. But 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:36.839 Aaron Jones ninety yards rushing. A J. Dillon only ended 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:39.919 up with thirty six before leaving for a concussion evaluation, 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:42.600 which he ended up clearing. Actually, so it sounds like 0:02:42.680 --> 0:02:45.880 all is good with with Dylan and he'll beyond the 0:02:45.919 --> 0:02:49.120 practice field this week. But A J. Dillon with two 0:02:49.200 --> 0:02:53.520 rushing touchdowns, and as you said, it wasn't it was. 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:55.920 It was actually over a hundred and forty rushing yards 0:02:55.960 --> 0:02:58.200 until the neel downs at the end dropped them back 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:00.720 under a hundred and forty. But it wasn't a hundred 0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:03.480 and forty rushing yards with a fifty five yard you know, 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:07.280 explosive one in there. They they they pounded away and 0:03:07.280 --> 0:03:09.799 and the Rams made it tough at times. There were 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:11.960 some tackles for loss in there, some tackles at the 0:03:12.000 --> 0:03:15.400 line of scrimmage, some minus one and minus two's, but 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:17.600 there were times that you saw the holes were there, 0:03:17.800 --> 0:03:20.160 and Dylan would make the cut into the hole or 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:23.480 Aaron Jones would explode through the hole like he often does. 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:26.880 And to be able to on a fairly consistent basis 0:03:26.919 --> 0:03:30.400 get six and seven yard runs against a pretty good 0:03:30.440 --> 0:03:33.079 run defense, I thought was a was a tremendous sign. 0:03:34.080 --> 0:03:37.960 You mentioned the five sacks from the defense most on 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:42.280 the season, um and the Packers that only had one 0:03:42.360 --> 0:03:47.040 game this year with even three sacks during which Rashan 0:03:47.120 --> 0:03:49.480 Gary didn't get at least one of those. So the 0:03:49.480 --> 0:03:52.400 fact that you know to get five sacks and a 0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:56.040 season high without Gary was a good sign because that 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:59.800 pass rush needs to needs to move forward. And then 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:03.400 what more can we say about the special teams return 0:04:04.200 --> 0:04:08.360 return game dynamo in uh in Keyshawn Nixon. I tell 0:04:08.400 --> 0:04:11.160 you he had the there was the one called back 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:14.800 on the penalty that that was a disappointing call to 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:18.080 a lot of people. But he made an impact on 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:21.680 kickoff returns. He made an impact on the punt returns. 0:04:22.000 --> 0:04:25.479 The Packers are winning the field position battle in these 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:28.799 games that they're winning because of Nixon and that return unit. 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:33.520 I asked uh Aaron Jones after the game about Nixon 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:36.919 and how that changes the complexity and and sort of 0:04:36.960 --> 0:04:39.880 the composition of an offense when you are starting at 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:44.800 midfield or they're abouts and as Jones pointed out, what 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:47.240 you don't think about when you're at the fifty yard 0:04:47.240 --> 0:04:49.680 line is first and foremost, you get two first downs, 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:54.160 you're in field goal range two. You don't know. You know, 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:57.440 it's not easy to not turn over the football at 0:04:57.480 --> 0:05:00.000 this level. Packers have had one of the very best 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:03.200 doing it for fifteen years at the quarterback position. But 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:05.760 there's a lot of teams that they kind of have 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:08.240 a little bit of their you know, a nod in 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:12.240 their throat, trying to make sure they play clean football. 0:05:13.440 --> 0:05:15.760 The reason I say that is a lot of teams 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:18.039 the twenty five yard line to the fifty yard line, 0:05:18.520 --> 0:05:21.719 you're going through some shark infested waters. They're trying to 0:05:21.760 --> 0:05:23.800 make sure you maintain the possession of ball, let alone 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:27.840 get a scoring drive going. Having a returner like Nixon 0:05:27.920 --> 0:05:30.200 takes away all of that, and it gives you a 0:05:30.240 --> 0:05:33.320 little bit of a spark offensively in that you know 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:35.520 you're not starting off at your own thirteen yard line. 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:37.720 You know you're not having to dig yourself out of anything. 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:41.840 Uh second, right now in the NFL in kickoff return 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:49.159 yardage average, Kenny wanga Wu from Minnesota's tops at twenty 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:56.560 six yards per per return. He Shaw Nixon four. Wanga 0:05:56.600 --> 0:06:02.800 Woo has a touchdown return on his schedule yard or 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:05.880 on Thanksgiving Night. When you look at whatever it is 0:06:05.920 --> 0:06:09.159 now eight returns of more than thirty yards three, I 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:12.880 think of fifty in an area of the game that 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:16.159 has been largely eliminated the National Football League because of 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:21.160 how they've pushed back or pushed up the kickoffs. It's incredible. 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:23.680 Keishaw Nixon is added, and as I talked with j 0:06:23.960 --> 0:06:26.000 Alexander about after the game, the fact he's doing this 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:29.520 while playing the nickel corner position. Um, there's no days 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:33.440 off for him. Right now. I'm blown away, Mike, because 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:36.640 the Packers have had talented returners twenty five point four 0:06:36.720 --> 0:06:38.920 yards per return. If that ended right now, that would 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:41.480 be the Packers best stat with a guy that's had 0:06:41.480 --> 0:06:44.440 at least twenty returns since Randall Cobb in two thousand twelve. 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:47.919 It's pretty astonishing what Keisha Nixon has been able to 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:50.480 do on his twenty returns in a very short amount 0:06:50.480 --> 0:06:52.960 of time. Yeah, absolutely, very impressive. And you mentioned that 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:55.880 he's playing nickel corner on defense and my what you 0:06:55.960 --> 0:06:58.840 might have missed piece with some video clips that's on 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:01.120 the website right now. I actually took a look at 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:04.880 how he's playing defensively at that nickel corner spot, and 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:09.720 he's he's a solid, a very solid, steady presence in 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:12.600 this defense for the Packers in the secondary. You can 0:07:12.680 --> 0:07:15.840 you can check out the video clips. I mean, what 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:18.600 the the impact that he's making in two phases of 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:23.080 the game is significant, and I thought this game essentially 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:27.600 was decided after halftime. It's ten to six at intermission. 0:07:28.440 --> 0:07:31.280 The Packers had deferred on the opening coin toss, so 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:33.680 they're getting the ball to start the second half. They 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:36.000 drive down the field and get a touchdown. A couple 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:39.880 of crucial defensive penalties on the Rams that helped that drive, 0:07:39.920 --> 0:07:43.080 but the Packers get a touchdown. It's so it's seventeen 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:45.400 to six. Then the defense gets a three and out 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:47.480 with the help of a holding call that put the 0:07:47.600 --> 0:07:51.880 Rams in a long yard situation. And then the field 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:55.880 position comes into play because Nixon returns the punt to midfield. 0:07:55.920 --> 0:07:58.760 There's also a face mask on the Rams that puts 0:07:58.800 --> 0:08:01.640 the ball on the law, so Angeles thirty five yard 0:08:01.720 --> 0:08:05.240 line and just uh, a handful of snaps later from 0:08:05.240 --> 0:08:07.400 the thirty five the Packers are in the end zone again. 0:08:07.440 --> 0:08:10.080 So you come out of the second half touchdown three 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:12.440 and out touchdown, and suddenly it's twenty four to six 0:08:12.480 --> 0:08:16.000 and the Packers for the most part, we're we're in 0:08:16.080 --> 0:08:20.160 command the rest of the game. UM. Shout out to 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:22.760 Preston Smith for his second sack of the game. That 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:26.000 was maybe the one moment uh. Later on, it's two 0:08:26.160 --> 0:08:28.840 to twelve and the Rams had crossed midfield on a 0:08:28.880 --> 0:08:31.679 past interference penalty and then Preston Smith kind of snuffed 0:08:31.680 --> 0:08:34.120 out that drive with his second sack of the game. 0:08:34.160 --> 0:08:37.360 But other than that moment um, you know, from twenty 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:40.400 four to six on, the Packers were in command of 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:42.960 this thing. And it was it was it was that 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:46.520 sequence of complimentary football, the offense doing good things, the 0:08:46.559 --> 0:08:49.280 defense getting a three and out, the special teams giving 0:08:49.280 --> 0:08:52.480 you the field position, the offense taking advantage. That's how 0:08:52.520 --> 0:08:55.319 you take control and win games in the NFL. And 0:08:55.480 --> 0:08:57.040 it's a lot gonna be a lot harder to do 0:08:57.679 --> 0:08:59.880 against the Miami Dolphins and a team that's right in 0:08:59.880 --> 0:09:02.520 the thick of the a f C wild Card chase. 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:05.320 But that's what you have to have, that type of 0:09:05.360 --> 0:09:08.920 stretch in a game where you take command of things. 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:12.360 And and the Packers need to do that again if 0:09:12.400 --> 0:09:14.480 they're going to continue this winning stream. Well, and I 0:09:14.520 --> 0:09:16.959 thought too. You know they tried to do the double 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:20.240 double before halftime. You know that all going to goes awry. 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:23.680 Rogers gets sacked on the attempt at Hail Mary. Things 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:26.000 are just not going great. You're only up ten to 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:28.040 six at that point. You are getting the ball, but 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:30.080 you know, a lot of things can happen. We've seen 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:32.080 a lot of things happen this season and the and 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:34.640 the Packers. As I had mentioned last week, the Packers 0:09:34.679 --> 0:09:39.160 hadn't been great with production on that opening drive of 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:41.760 the second half. They've done it nine times. They had 0:09:41.800 --> 0:09:44.480 had only one touchdown and two field goals in nine 0:09:44.520 --> 0:09:48.800 tries before Monday night. They got their second touchdown, fourth time, 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:52.760 scoring out of ten tries, getting that first possession um 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:55.840 taking the opening kickoff of the second half, and uh 0:09:55.920 --> 0:09:57.840 and it worked to their advantage this time. I'm gonna 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:00.240 throw some stats at you. You're typically the stack, all right, 0:10:00.320 --> 0:10:04.280 I'm gonna throw stats at you. First drive twelve plays 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:08.080 fifty two yards, six minutes and fourteen seconds. Second scoring 0:10:08.200 --> 0:10:12.040 drive eleven place seventy four yards, six minutes and fifteen seconds. 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:14.760 Third scoring drive the one you illustrated out of the 0:10:14.800 --> 0:10:18.720 halftime eleven place sixty eight yards sixty eight I'm not 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:20.480 even talking about the fact they were able to run 0:10:20.480 --> 0:10:24.480 out the clock on the game last eight before the 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:28.080 nail down. There was a great stat that pr Maven. 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:30.320 Tom Fanning, who had never won credit but I'm gonna 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:32.800 give it to him anyway, came up with the first 0:10:32.840 --> 0:10:34.880 time the Packers have had and back to back games 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:38.200 in the same season three scoring drives of eleven or 0:10:38.200 --> 0:10:41.480 more plays in the same game this year. Before that, 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:44.840 it was two thousand and eight. As cool as it is, 0:10:44.920 --> 0:10:49.440 everyone loves seventy five yard touchdowns, there's gonna be defenses 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:51.560 like l A that are gonna make you go the 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:54.280 full length of the field. They're not gonna lapse. They 0:10:54.320 --> 0:10:56.559 have speedy guys in the secondary. They're gonna be able 0:10:56.600 --> 0:10:59.959 to catch up. The defensive front goes without saying, they're 0:11:00.040 --> 0:11:01.760 not going to give you the big play. They're gonna 0:11:01.760 --> 0:11:04.280 make you take your time and the Packers made it happen. 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:06.600 They made it happen with a J. Dillon on the field, 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:08.960 and when Dylan unfortunately had to get you know, cleared 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:11.560 for the concussion. They did it with Aaron Jones who 0:11:11.600 --> 0:11:13.840 was banged up, and they did it with Patrick Taylor 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:15.880 who had just been signed to the fifty three man 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:19.760 roster hours earlier. Aaron Rodgers makes a great throw to 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:23.480 Romeo Dobbs on the twenty three yard gained during that series. 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:26.760 The Packers were just so dang efficient in this game, 0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:28.760 and Mike, that's what you're gonna have to do now, 0:11:29.040 --> 0:11:32.880 going down to Miami, facing a playoff caliber opponent and 0:11:32.920 --> 0:11:34.680 being able to take care of business. It was a 0:11:34.720 --> 0:11:37.600 perfect complimentary performance in terms of everything we've asked for, 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:41.280 with the Packers defense holding its ground on the opening possession, 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:43.520 the Packers offense giving them a little bit of wicker 0:11:43.600 --> 0:11:46.120 room early on, and then l A having to play 0:11:46.120 --> 0:11:48.560 from behind from there. Well, the other thing we're seeing 0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:52.840 as this season has unfolded. You had mentioned Romeo Dobbs 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:56.800 was back from the ankle injury. You look across the board, 0:11:56.840 --> 0:12:00.160 both sides of the ball, the and and even been 0:12:00.440 --> 0:12:02.840 special teams to a certain extent to which I'll mention 0:12:04.520 --> 0:12:09.320 the draft class, this rookie draft class. Their fingerprints were 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:13.880 all over this victory. Romeo Dobbs and Christian Watson combined 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:17.280 for nine catches and a hundred and one yards. Quay 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:21.439 Walker gets a sack and a forced fumble, the first 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:23.559 full sack of his career. He had a half sack 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:26.000 earlier in the season. He gets a He gets a 0:12:26.040 --> 0:12:29.120 sack and a forced fumble, also has another tackle for loss. 0:12:29.480 --> 0:12:33.360 Davante Wyatt gets a half a sack, sharing one with 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:36.640 Justin Hollins. Zack Tom at left tackle is filling in 0:12:36.679 --> 0:12:39.160 for David Baktierra. We don't even mention his name. He 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:42.640 his name doesn't even really get brought up um all 0:12:42.760 --> 0:12:45.720 night long, except for, you know, being part of that 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:49.000 big pile that pushes a J. Dillon pushes a J. 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:51.080 Dillon into the end zone in the in the big 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:54.600 scrum there Kingsley Nigbari at edge rusher, who's getting obviously 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:57.280 a ton of playing time right now with with Rashawn 0:12:57.360 --> 0:12:59.400 Gary being out for the rest of the year. He 0:12:59.440 --> 0:13:03.079 gets a sack, almost almost an interception. Um oh and 0:13:03.240 --> 0:13:05.640 and kuay Walker broke up a couple of passes to 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:10.320 almost almost had a pick. Trek Carpenter, the seventh round pick, 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:14.240 is making tackles on special teams. I mean, this draft 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:17.520 class is all over the place, and the Packers are 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:21.240 gonna need absolutely everything that this rookie draft class has 0:13:21.679 --> 0:13:23.480 to try to make a run at this thing here 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:28.160 starting with uh a victory on on Christmas and Miami. 0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:30.040 You get this one, and then you know you're coming 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:32.880 back home for two games against division rivals that are 0:13:32.920 --> 0:13:36.079 indoor teams, coming to Lambeau in the cold, everything starts 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:39.000 to feel a little bit more realistic. Packers are gonna 0:13:39.040 --> 0:13:42.880 need everything this rookie draft class has on on Christmas 0:13:42.960 --> 0:13:45.720 Day in Miami, and the way they performed on Monday 0:13:45.800 --> 0:13:47.520 night was a great sign for what they might be 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:49.640 able to do. The other thing I really liked about 0:13:49.640 --> 0:13:52.120 this game, Now, certainly you want, you know, consistency for 0:13:52.160 --> 0:13:55.960 all four quarters, but it was how guys stepped up 0:13:56.000 --> 0:14:00.480 on almost specific series on plays. You look at Kingsley Nigbari, 0:14:00.559 --> 0:14:02.520 the play that he gets the first down sack on, 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:05.520 he also nearly has an interception on the third down 0:14:05.880 --> 0:14:08.120 on this attempted screen. At the very least he broke 0:14:08.160 --> 0:14:13.520 it up. Davante Wyatt gets the stop on first down 0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:16.440 in the fourth quarter, then combines with Justin Hollins on 0:14:16.480 --> 0:14:19.400 the sack, which you know Baker Mayfield runs right into 0:14:19.400 --> 0:14:23.240 their lap. But that's football. As Preston Smith said afterwards, 0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:25.680 you know, sometimes it isn't about the plays that you're making. 0:14:25.720 --> 0:14:28.840 It's about making those plays and then seeing what comes 0:14:28.840 --> 0:14:30.720 to you. I mean that was kind of Preston's things. 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:32.800 Preston's had some good rushes this year that he hasn't 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:36.040 statistically been rewarded for. But then you look at you know, 0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:38.360 his first sex. Someone's helping flush him to him. You know, 0:14:39.160 --> 0:14:42.120 that's what this defense needs to get out of this group, 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:44.480 and you know, so many of these guys have been 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:47.200 put in some really tough situations. You know, Kingsley and 0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:49.600 Ningbari wasn't even really the next guy up at the 0:14:49.640 --> 0:14:51.760 beginning of the season and now he's the starting outside 0:14:51.760 --> 0:14:55.840 linebacker with Preston Smith. Zack tom As I wrote last week, 0:14:55.880 --> 0:14:58.080 had only played in five games. I think that's the 0:14:58.120 --> 0:15:00.640 thing that people forget about. He has these three spot starts. 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:05.840 He sat the other eight games before last week. It's 0:15:05.920 --> 0:15:10.160 these guys being ready for the moment. And that's ultimately 0:15:10.200 --> 0:15:12.200 going to take you far in this league, because if 0:15:12.240 --> 0:15:15.480 you can be ready in adverse moments, you're going to 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:17.600 be ready for the ones that you're prepared for too. 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:20.760 And um, it's exciting to see. Certainly, you know, you 0:15:20.800 --> 0:15:24.440 look at Kuaywalker hundred tackles on the season. You know, 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:29.080 Christian Watson has been a completely dynamic and and causing 0:15:29.120 --> 0:15:32.040 defensive past interference penalties and blocking on the Aaron Jones 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:35.120 touchdown round and catching passes. But it's when you're getting 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:37.840 contributions from the fifth round picks, from the fourth round 0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:40.880 picks and you're getting those immediate returns. Doesn't get any 0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:43.440 better for that than that for a football team. Yeah, 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:48.080 this uh, this this draft class showing all kinds of promise. 0:15:48.120 --> 0:15:51.880 I want to get to. Um, what was a crazy 0:15:52.360 --> 0:15:54.880 weekend in the NFL. After a little bit of sponsor 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:58.800 business here West Serious x M NFL Radio delivers hard 0:15:58.880 --> 0:16:02.040 hitting analysis and to the minute NFL news that true 0:16:02.040 --> 0:16:06.640 football fanatics and seven three and at cousin subs. We 0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:09.200 have something for everyone, like our Wisconsin Cheese cards, mac 0:16:09.240 --> 0:16:12.120 and cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes, all paired with 0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:14.920 your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. Cousin Subs 0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:19.400 fifty years of better. Alright, West, I don't know where 0:16:19.440 --> 0:16:21.640 you want to start with regard to everything that happened 0:16:21.640 --> 0:16:24.920 in the NFL prior to the Packers and Rams on 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:28.960 Monday night. You have the crazy comeback by Minnesota. You 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:33.360 have the absolute madness of a final play in Patriots Raiders. 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:39.920 You have just absolutely brutal clock mismanagement by the New 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:44.120 York Jets against the Detroit Lions. And then you have 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:49.360 the officials inserting themselves and then not inserting themselves on 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:53.000 the final drive of the Washington New York Giants game 0:16:53.480 --> 0:16:56.200 on Sunday night. It was a it was a nutty 0:16:56.280 --> 0:17:01.280 weekend of of NFL football. So I'll let you go 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:03.120 where you want to go. Let's let's start off with 0:17:03.160 --> 0:17:05.120 the things that had packed the Packers the most first, 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:07.439 and it was the Giants Washington game. In terms of 0:17:07.440 --> 0:17:11.880 this this wild card chase, I feel terrible for Ron 0:17:11.960 --> 0:17:15.240 Rivera in that football team. I feel terrible for Taylor Heineke. 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:20.159 I feel terrible, you know, for those receivers. One of 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:22.560 the more peculiar in a season in which I think 0:17:22.640 --> 0:17:28.480 officiation officiating this league has been really poor. UM, I mean, 0:17:29.680 --> 0:17:33.000 what can you say about how that game ended? Um? 0:17:33.080 --> 0:17:37.480 And then reading the pool report afterwards, it's just I 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:40.320 don't even one of the things I really liked. And 0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:42.879 I've said this numerous times when Dean Blandino was the 0:17:42.880 --> 0:17:45.040 head officiate in the NFL was even if his guys 0:17:45.080 --> 0:17:47.160 got it wrong, and it's a it. We're all human 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:49.440 in this game is moving at a thousand miles pro 0:17:49.480 --> 0:17:52.200 where I get it, But Dean Billandino would almost put 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:56.480 out a statement every week commenting on the officiating. And 0:17:57.119 --> 0:17:59.840 since he left, and there's been numerous people in charge 0:17:59.880 --> 0:18:02.639 of the thing now, I feel like we're missing the 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:07.439 accountability piece. And reading that poor report, I don't know 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:11.120 what was more infuriating the way that game ended. Terry 0:18:11.200 --> 0:18:16.400 McLaurin checking to see if he's on sides on the 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:19.400 line on the line of scrimmage right, and then God 0:18:19.440 --> 0:18:22.919 only knows what happened in that interaction, and then for 0:18:23.320 --> 0:18:26.680 the receiver to just be completely manhandled on the play. 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:30.479 It was strange. The whole thing was strange. And then 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:37.919 the conversation afterwards with the reporter UM felt weird and 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:41.720 surly and Curt. I just if you're if you're the 0:18:41.720 --> 0:18:44.439 Washington Commanders and you're they're there fans, I mean, like, 0:18:44.600 --> 0:18:46.080 I just don't know how you come out of that 0:18:46.200 --> 0:18:49.000 not feeling like you just got completely jobbed out of that, 0:18:49.840 --> 0:18:52.920 or at least at least to the extent that that 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:57.719 you know, not that anybody necessarily wanted to see the 0:18:57.760 --> 0:19:01.680 Giants and Commanders tie again in the rematch, but that 0:19:01.720 --> 0:19:04.480 game looked like it had overtime written all over it, right, 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:07.679 that it shouldn't have necessarily been decided in regulation that 0:19:07.720 --> 0:19:10.159 you go get the touchdown to the two points, you 0:19:10.200 --> 0:19:14.280 go to overtime tied at and decide what had been 0:19:14.640 --> 0:19:18.680 a pretty well played, entertaining football game and a very 0:19:18.760 --> 0:19:23.359 impactful game as far as the playoff chase. Decided in overtime, 0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:25.800 and see what happens with those two teams having already 0:19:25.800 --> 0:19:29.119 played an overtime earlier this year. And yeah, from that standpoint, 0:19:29.200 --> 0:19:32.120 Washington was robbed at that opportunity. The Giants are one 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:35.119 went away from clinching a playoff spot, and they didn't 0:19:35.160 --> 0:19:40.720 beat Washington this season. In this rematch, the officials beat 0:19:40.760 --> 0:19:47.520 the Commanders. Yeah that's a shame. Yeah, it is Um, 0:19:47.680 --> 0:19:50.320 the thing is, where do we go from here? Well, 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:52.080 the thing is, and I don't I don't want to 0:19:52.080 --> 0:19:53.640 make it. I don't want to make it all about 0:19:53.680 --> 0:19:58.119 the officiating. But um, you know, quite frankly, the fact 0:19:58.119 --> 0:20:01.800 that Minnesota pulled off the comeback from thirty three to 0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:04.480 nothing to win thirty nine to thirty six and overtime 0:20:05.040 --> 0:20:11.359 in some ways overshadowed another horribly officiated game because the 0:20:11.480 --> 0:20:17.040 Vikings had opportunities taken away from them by just some 0:20:17.200 --> 0:20:20.720 really really bad calls, and by the same token during 0:20:20.760 --> 0:20:26.240 the comeback, Minnesota keeps, in my opinion, kept getting free 0:20:26.240 --> 0:20:31.640 fifteen yards for supposed unnecessary roughness hits that you look 0:20:31.680 --> 0:20:34.200 at the replay and you kind of go, oh, that's 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:38.159 that's fifty. Like everything's happening fast, because Minnesota is in 0:20:38.200 --> 0:20:39.760 a hurry, and you know, they got to score a 0:20:39.760 --> 0:20:42.120 bunch of points, and it was like they're marching down 0:20:42.160 --> 0:20:45.720 the field getting free fifteen yards here and there, and 0:20:45.720 --> 0:20:47.560 and you get you get one look at the replay 0:20:47.560 --> 0:20:49.440 and you go, wait a minute, like, you know, the 0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:53.880 Colts are not playing well here, but Minnesota is getting 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:56.320 Minnesota is getting a bunch of yardage that it doesn't 0:20:56.320 --> 0:21:00.520 seem like, you know, is uh is legit. So it 0:21:00.680 --> 0:21:04.639 was that that started things and uh and I you know, 0:21:05.160 --> 0:21:07.480 I hate that the officiating is such a is such 0:21:07.520 --> 0:21:10.800 a story in the NFL. But um, but it is. 0:21:11.000 --> 0:21:13.480 It's not getting better. That's the problem. We've been talking 0:21:13.480 --> 0:21:15.960 about this for three years. It's it's not it's it's 0:21:16.000 --> 0:21:18.800 not every year. It's not getting better. The rule book 0:21:18.840 --> 0:21:22.840 keeps getting thicker. The rule book keeps getting thicker. And uh. 0:21:23.080 --> 0:21:26.400 And I'll say this, I've I've said this before an 0:21:26.400 --> 0:21:28.560 insider inbox, I've said it to you, and we've had 0:21:28.560 --> 0:21:33.240 conversations as an as annoying and frustrating as it gets 0:21:33.280 --> 0:21:35.639 to see some of the things that happened on the field. 0:21:36.400 --> 0:21:40.119 Big picture, I don't blame those officials on the field. 0:21:40.280 --> 0:21:44.000 I think the NFL has given them way too many rules, 0:21:44.200 --> 0:21:47.520 way too much to manage. And when you have that 0:21:47.600 --> 0:21:50.640 much stuff that you've got to try to pay attention 0:21:50.680 --> 0:21:54.280 to and officiate and get the calls right. That's how 0:21:55.200 --> 0:21:57.920