WEBVTT - #820 Packers Unscripted: Miss in Minnesota 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:16.440 Hi, everybody. 0:00:16.480 --> 0:00:20.040 Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.079 --> 0:00:22.920 I am Mike Spofford, joined as always by my trust 0:00:22.960 --> 0:00:25.760 and colleague Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from 0:00:25.760 --> 0:00:29.639 our studios at lambeau Field to review the Packers Week 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:33.520 seventeen loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The final was twenty 0:00:33.520 --> 0:00:36.600 seven to twenty five at US Bank Stadium West. But 0:00:37.080 --> 0:00:40.600 you know, and I know that quite frankly, this game 0:00:40.640 --> 0:00:43.519 was not as close as the final score. The Packers 0:00:43.520 --> 0:00:45.080 made a run at it in the back half of 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:47.360 the fourth quarter. They did not give up in this game, 0:00:47.520 --> 0:00:50.440 but for a good portion of the game they were 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:54.440 down multiple scores and the Vikings were in control of 0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:57.400 the game. And I think Matt Lafleur said it best 0:00:57.480 --> 0:01:00.520 on Monday when he went to the podium and he 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:04.280 basically just accused the Packers of playing sloppy football. And 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:08.000 you play sloppy football against good teams, and it's going 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:09.680 to be really, really hard to win. And that's what 0:01:09.680 --> 0:01:11.039 the Packers found out on Sunday. 0:01:11.160 --> 0:01:13.120 Yeah, And to me, I mean, I just look at 0:01:13.160 --> 0:01:16.720 that beginning of it and I thought the approach was right. 0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:19.040 We saw what happened in when Detroit when they deferred 0:01:19.040 --> 0:01:20.880 on the kickoff. This time they decided to take it. 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:23.199 You try to take the crowd out of it. Almost 0:01:23.280 --> 0:01:25.679 maybe replicate these fast starts they had in back to 0:01:25.720 --> 0:01:27.840 back games where they really get two touchdowns off their 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:30.560 first two series, and honestly, they're moving the ball a 0:01:30.560 --> 0:01:34.279 little bit, but then Josh Jacobs has the fumble. Credit 0:01:34.319 --> 0:01:37.800 to the Packers defense, they actually keep the Vikings off 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:41.840 the board. They actually earn another punt on the next 0:01:41.840 --> 0:01:43.520 series as well. I can't remember if it was exactly 0:01:43.520 --> 0:01:45.080 three now, but they got off the field again in 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:49.480 this situation, and Green Bay plays pretty much a scoreless 0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:53.320 first quarter with Minnesota until the Brandon McManus pack the 0:01:53.360 --> 0:01:55.600 drive stalls in the red zone. McManus gets a twenty 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:57.840 two yarder and then after that it was off to 0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:00.360 the races. It just seemed like the Vikings were able 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:02.160 to get into a rhythm. I think the Packers took 0:02:02.160 --> 0:02:05.040 a pretty big hit with the Zane Anderson loss. You're 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:07.160 kind of expecting that he once again is going to 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:09.960 be back there. With Xavier McKinney, a veteran that has 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:11.679 been in this league for a number of years now, 0:02:11.880 --> 0:02:14.679 even if he hasn't played as much. A couple dominoes 0:02:14.680 --> 0:02:17.080 fell a couple different directions, a couple penalties went a 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:19.680 couple different ways, and obviously the offense didn't start fast 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:21.640 enough and the Green Bay Packers picked up their fourth 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:22.679 loss in the NFC Nord. 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:26.760 Yeah, there's certainly a lot of disappointment on both sides 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:29.280 of the ball with how this game went. Defensively, I 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:33.120 agree with you entirely on what happened with Zane Anderson. 0:02:33.160 --> 0:02:35.639 He gets injured on the kickoff right after the McManus 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:37.800 field goal, when the Packers are up three to nothing. 0:02:38.400 --> 0:02:43.720 He leaves for concussion evaluation. And you wouldn't think, okay, 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:46.919 you lose Zane Anderson, who was just filling in at 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:49.600 safety anyway, right, You wouldn't think that that would be 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:53.800 a big issue. But when the Packers are down Jay 0:02:53.880 --> 0:02:57.359 or Alexander and Evan Williams in the secondary, and Javon 0:02:57.480 --> 0:03:00.440 Bullard had just come back from being out for two weeks, 0:03:00.919 --> 0:03:04.280 he was limited in practice with the ankle injury, and 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:07.760 you and I both suspect that the vast majority, if 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:10.120 not all, of his snaps, the limited snaps he did 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:13.360 get in practice were at the nickel position right because 0:03:13.400 --> 0:03:17.800 Anderson was going to be the other deep safety with McKinney. So, 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:21.000 as you said, the dominoes start to fall then because 0:03:21.120 --> 0:03:23.800 Bullard moves back to safety, which is a position he 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:29.760 hadn't practiced really at all on top of being out 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:33.520 for the last two games. And then Keyshawn Nixon then 0:03:33.680 --> 0:03:36.600 has to start bouncing between the slot corner and the 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:40.640 boundary corner based on what defensive package the Packers are in, 0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:45.040 and quite frankly that that domino effect in the secondary 0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:49.160 had a big impact on the defense. Sam Darnold ends 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:51.800 up thirty three for forty three, a career high three 0:03:51.880 --> 0:03:55.320 hundred and seventy seven yards, And it was a combination 0:03:55.440 --> 0:03:57.640 of a lot of things. There were times the coverage 0:03:57.680 --> 0:03:59.680 didn't hold up. There were a lot of times that 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:03.200 the pass rush just didn't affect Donald enough. It it 0:04:03.640 --> 0:04:07.960 became once the Vikings got going offensively, it sort of 0:04:08.000 --> 0:04:11.920 became this snowball that started to go downhill. And the 0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:15.560 fact that the Packers were really stifling Minnesota's running game 0:04:15.600 --> 0:04:19.159 to a great degree just didn't matter because they could 0:04:19.200 --> 0:04:22.680 not get Sam Donald out of his rhythm. 0:04:22.320 --> 0:04:24.600 One hundred percent and a couple of different things to 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:27.400 touch on here. One, I want to just very quickly 0:04:27.440 --> 0:04:31.040 mention this safety situation, because you laid it out perfectly 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:33.280 Sat Anderson. He's only been in there, he only had 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:35.720 started one game, right. But then you kind of think 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:38.640 about what Eric Wilson has done at inside linebacker when 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:41.280 you lose kway Walker at two different intervals of the season, 0:04:41.520 --> 0:04:42.960 and you have a guy that you can turn to 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:44.600 on the bench that has played eight years in the 0:04:44.640 --> 0:04:47.200 National Football League, has been a starter before, and can 0:04:47.240 --> 0:04:49.800 become the key communicator at the linebacker position and kind 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:53.000 of keep all the chess pieces lined up appropriately. It's 0:04:53.080 --> 0:04:54.680 kind of like that on the back end too, where 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:56.279 you're thinking you're going to go in with a certain 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:59.760 game plan. We saw Xavier McKinney blitzing from a free 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:02.680 Sat I think on the second series. Those are the 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:04.479 type of things that you can do when you have 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:06.919 some You have the reps, you have the camaraderie, you 0:05:06.920 --> 0:05:09.840 have the trust, and then suddenly Buller's being in addition 0:05:09.839 --> 0:05:11.640 to coming back from injury, now being forced to play 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:14.400 a position that he likely didn't practice. To your point 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:16.640 though about where things headed for Green Bay in the 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:20.520 first half. I agree with you. It seemed like early 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:23.040 on they were able to get some pressure on Darnold 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:26.320 nearly took him down on a couple different occasions. But 0:05:26.360 --> 0:05:29.520 then somewhere in that second quarter into the third quarter, 0:05:30.040 --> 0:05:32.160 there were too many times where he is standing back 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:34.800 there and there is nothing around him and he has 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:37.280 all that time to survey the field. I thought they 0:05:37.320 --> 0:05:40.520 were really smart. I liked with Kevin O'Connell drew up obviously. 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:42.240 You know when you have those type of weapons, with 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:45.440 Jalen Naylor also as a third option. How many times 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:47.680 you and I talked last week. I never even brought 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:50.400 up Naylor's name. He ends up catching the believe it 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:52.720 was a thirty one yard post that if with the 0:05:52.800 --> 0:05:56.960 touchdown that kind of got things rolling. Justin Jefferson didn't 0:05:56.960 --> 0:05:58.760 really hurt them for a majority of this game, but 0:05:58.800 --> 0:06:00.680 then heated up towards the end of it. It was 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:02.919 sort of like what you were discussing last week, where 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:04.839 he had a bunch of catches but not a lot 0:06:04.880 --> 0:06:07.599 of yards early on, and then Jordan Addison is just 0:06:07.760 --> 0:06:08.479 a difference maker. 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:09.280 Mattlefloor said it. 0:06:09.320 --> 0:06:11.480 I mean they have two bona fide Number one receivers 0:06:11.720 --> 0:06:13.240 and I thought both those guys played like it. And 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:15.720 then the last thing I will say, the Packers did 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:17.599 an excellent job against the run in this game. Aaron 0:06:17.680 --> 0:06:19.919 Jones really wasn't too much of a factor. The backs 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:22.080 behind him really didn't factor in that much. What I 0:06:22.120 --> 0:06:24.760 will say though, is Aaron Jones did a tremendous job 0:06:24.800 --> 0:06:28.480 in pass protection. They tried the Drin Cooper blitzes, they 0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:31.839 tried the stunts, the games, the twists, and Minnesota was 0:06:31.920 --> 0:06:33.440 really stood up well to it. I think that was 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:35.120 another thing that kind of contributed to the time that 0:06:35.160 --> 0:06:36.120 Donald had to work with. 0:06:36.279 --> 0:06:38.760 Yeah, and that's what I was kind of getting at with. 0:06:39.520 --> 0:06:42.839 You know, everything with the defense was the combination of 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:48.000 the Russian coverage. Because statistically Donald has forty three pass attempts, 0:06:48.040 --> 0:06:51.120 He's only sacked once, Carlbrooks got him late in the 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:55.160 first half. Only four quarterback hits by the Packers pass 0:06:55.240 --> 0:06:57.839 rush in forty three pass attups. That is certainly not 0:06:57.920 --> 0:07:00.279 good enough when you look at the film, and I 0:07:00.400 --> 0:07:02.640 you know, from our vantage point up in the corner 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:04.919 of the end zone at US Bank Stadium, you know, 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:07.400 not something that I noticed during the game, but when 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:11.520 you when you look at the film, the Vikings kept 0:07:11.680 --> 0:07:14.960 a running back and sometimes also a tight end in 0:07:14.960 --> 0:07:17.760 in pass protection. A lot of times at the snap yep, 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:20.800 they were they were in a max protect type of 0:07:20.880 --> 0:07:25.640 scenario where you've got six or seven guys in pass 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:29.840 protection at least initially before somebody might leak out. That's 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:32.120 gonna that's gonna make it really hard for a four 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:35.960 or even a five man rush to get home the problem. 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:41.600 The problem was that in those instances the pack the 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:44.720 Vikings then only have three or four guys out into 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:49.800 the pattern against at least six or seven pass defenders. 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:53.640 But Darnold was still finding holes and still getting completion. 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:57.240 So that's why I say I don't want to put 0:07:57.240 --> 0:07:59.280 it all on the pass rush because there was only 0:07:59.320 --> 0:08:03.160 one sack in forty three dropbacks. But by the same token, 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:05.200 you can't you know, it's not just all on the 0:08:05.240 --> 0:08:09.679 coverage because the Vikings didn't mass max protect every single time. 0:08:09.800 --> 0:08:12.960 And what really I saw happening a lot of times 0:08:12.960 --> 0:08:17.120 with the four man rush was one guy would get 0:08:17.120 --> 0:08:20.480 some penetration or get possibly an angle to try to 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:23.640 disrupt Donald. But when only one guy is getting there, 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:27.800 there's all these spaces for Donald to step into, step up, 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:31.080 step this way, step that way, because nobody else was 0:08:31.160 --> 0:08:33.880 winning the rush. If only one guy wins on his 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:36.359 rush and doesn't get a clean hit at the quarterback, 0:08:36.800 --> 0:08:38.439 all he has to do is take a step or 0:08:38.440 --> 0:08:40.920 two one way or another, and then he's still got 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:42.640 a throwing lane to get rid of the ball. So 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:46.840 it was just this combination of things where there weren't 0:08:46.960 --> 0:08:49.760 enough guys getting pressure on Donald, and then when the 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:53.360 Vikings were making sure there wouldn't be any pressure on Donald, 0:08:53.559 --> 0:08:55.960 the coverage wasn't holding up when the Packers should have 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:59.320 had the advantage in the back end. And you know, 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:03.320 yet the injury certainly happened, but the expectation is for 0:09:03.720 --> 0:09:05.559 the Packers to be able to play better than that. 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:08.560 And quite frankly, this was just Sam Donald's day. 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:10.880 Yeah, and to kind of work off of what we 0:09:10.880 --> 0:09:13.200 were talking with Carrington Valentine in the locker room afterwards, 0:09:13.240 --> 0:09:15.800 and Carrington, credit to him, did get a third quarter interception, 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:17.200 a second pick in three weeks. 0:09:17.280 --> 0:09:20.040 That was a huge play because you know, the Packers 0:09:20.040 --> 0:09:22.200 were down twenty to three at the time, They're looking 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:25.520 close to being dead in the water and Valentine gets 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.559 that interception. Fortunately Carl Brooks recovers the fumble. At the 0:09:28.600 --> 0:09:30.640 end of the return, the Packers take it in for 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:33.320 a touchdown, and not a lot has gone right, but 0:09:33.320 --> 0:09:35.959 it's a ten point game, and hope was not lost 0:09:36.000 --> 0:09:36.520 at that well. 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:38.360 And even as Xavier McKinney said afterwards when I was 0:09:38.360 --> 0:09:39.840 talking with them in the locker, I mean, those are 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:42.360 the plays they're gonna need, whether it's from Valentine or 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:43.920 other guys. They need to take the ball away. That's 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:46.560 the identity of this defense. That stuff that they're gonna 0:09:46.559 --> 0:09:49.040 need to build upon going into the postseason. But the 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:51.280 reason I bring up the Carrington bit is because, as 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:53.040 he mentioned, when he was being asked about some of 0:09:53.080 --> 0:09:55.080 the things that happened with the passing game, you know, 0:09:55.160 --> 0:09:58.240 he said, I mean their quarterback gets paid too, Like 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:01.600 Sam Donald is a very good courquarterback. And by the way, 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:03.480 the Packers, if they can make a postseason run here 0:10:03.520 --> 0:10:05.480 are going to face some very good quarterbacks. You have 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:07.720 to solve them. But I just want to say, and 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:09.760 I think I said this after the Week four Game two, 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:14.040 the search is over. Sam Donald is the quarterback of 0:10:14.080 --> 0:10:16.800 the Minnesota Vikings. I don't want to hear JJ McCarthy's 0:10:16.840 --> 0:10:18.320 name anymore. You want to keep him on ice for 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:20.040 three years, keep him on ice. You want to trade him, 0:10:20.040 --> 0:10:22.360 you can trade him. Do whatever you want. If you 0:10:22.440 --> 0:10:24.720 are foolish enough to let that guy out of the building, 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:27.240 it would be the biggest thing positively that you could 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:30.079 do for Detroit, Green Bay in Chicago. Sam Darnald, the 0:10:30.120 --> 0:10:32.000 way that he performed at the end of last season 0:10:32.040 --> 0:10:34.800 with San Francisco and what he's shown this year with Minnesota, 0:10:35.080 --> 0:10:35.720 that's your guy. 0:10:36.000 --> 0:10:36.160 Now. 0:10:36.200 --> 0:10:38.439 The Packers need to find some answers for him. As 0:10:38.440 --> 0:10:40.679 we talked about whether it was final thoughts some of 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:42.800 our other content last week, they didn't do a good 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:46.040 enough job pressure on. Matt Lefloor said that himself. But 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:48.319 Sam Donald made some big throws in this game, and 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:50.280 it's why this Minnesota Vikings were able to out last 0:10:50.280 --> 0:10:50.679 Greame Day. 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:54.160 Yeah. The one bright spot I would say on defense, 0:10:54.200 --> 0:10:56.800 as we saw a rookie linebacker Edger and Cooper play 0:10:56.880 --> 0:11:00.160 seventy one of seventy two snaps happening, which was a 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:04.400 major major increase in his workload. We talked about, you know, 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:08.160 edgerin Cooper is going to become an every down defender 0:11:08.280 --> 0:11:10.760 in this defense at some point. We don't know when. Well, 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:13.280 it was this it was this week the Packers went 0:11:13.320 --> 0:11:16.199 that direction. He was out there for all but one snap, 0:11:16.679 --> 0:11:19.880 and he was an impact player. Ten tackles, four of 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:21.920 them behind the line of scrimmage. He was an absolute 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:26.400 terror in the running game with regard to to shutting 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:30.160 down the Vikings running backs. As you mentioned, Aaron Jones 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:33.720 was as usual a stud in pass protection and was 0:11:33.720 --> 0:11:36.600 a big reason that Edgern Cooper was not involved in 0:11:36.640 --> 0:11:41.480 any of the pass rush stats whatsoever. Matt Lafleur said, 0:11:41.600 --> 0:11:43.640 you know, this is the first time Edgering Cooper, you know, 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:45.959 really played a full game. There were some ups and downs. 0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:48.320 There were certainly some plays that he would like to 0:11:48.320 --> 0:11:50.640 have back, probably some assignments he misster did and play 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:53.680 as well as he should have. But you certainly saw 0:11:53.720 --> 0:11:55.800 the impact that he can have over the course of 0:11:55.840 --> 0:11:58.600 a full game when he's out there. That is definitely 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:01.320 something that this is going to build on. And we 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:05.199 will see if he ends up getting paired with kway 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:08.079 Walker here potentially in the playoffs, if Walker can Beck 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:10.520 can get back from his injury. 0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:13.160 If Edrin Cooper is good, the hamstrings behind him. 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:14.160 It's go time. 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:17.520 Yeah, the Packers are playing for all these games matter. 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:19.680 Mattlinfloor said to himself their goal from here on out 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:22.079 is to win every game. And before Packer fans jump 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:23.280 on that and say, well it should have been that 0:12:23.320 --> 0:12:25.680 way from the beginning, no, he's looking at it as 0:12:26.000 --> 0:12:29.000 we are. Win every game where your season's over. You 0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:32.200 have to build momentum against Chicago. You can't go into 0:12:32.200 --> 0:12:34.400 the playoffs with a loss against Chicago, the first loss 0:12:34.400 --> 0:12:36.680 of the Mattlin Floor era. You can't go into whether 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:40.040 it's Philadelphia or Los Angeles or I think maybe potentially 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:40.800 Tampa Bay. 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:41.320 Yeh. 0:12:41.800 --> 0:12:44.640 You can't go through Anito scenarios and be flat, not 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:46.679 if you're expecting to win that game and then go 0:12:46.720 --> 0:12:49.560 on next week to face a team like Minnesota or Detroit. 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:52.880 So put all that out there, Edgerri and Cooper. 0:12:52.960 --> 0:12:56.319 I think defensively, this guy has become not only a playmaker, 0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:58.240 but one of the top guys on that side of 0:12:58.280 --> 0:13:00.240 the ball. He is one of the guys now that 0:13:00.320 --> 0:13:03.240 opposing offense is having to scheme up against and plan for. 0:13:04.040 --> 0:13:06.360 That's what you want, and that's what they're getting out 0:13:06.360 --> 0:13:08.800 of their rookie second round pick and it's exciting to see. 0:13:09.000 --> 0:13:09.240 Yeah. 0:13:09.240 --> 0:13:11.240 Well, on the offensive side of the ball, it was 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:16.240 a huh, it was a tough slog. The bottom line 0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:19.200 was through three and a half quarters, Jordan Love had 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:24.400 sixty four passing yards until those two touchdown drives late 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:27.040 in the fourth quarter, where he threw for one hundred 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:30.200 and twenty one yards. Packers scored the two touchdowns to 0:13:30.200 --> 0:13:33.080 get within two points. Have the chance to get the 0:13:33.080 --> 0:13:34.679 stop at the end and get the ball back one 0:13:34.679 --> 0:13:37.480 more time. That doesn't happen. But you mentioned the fumble 0:13:37.559 --> 0:13:40.240 by Josh Jacobs. There were some There were a couple 0:13:40.240 --> 0:13:45.360 of procedure penalties that took away some significant plays. There were, 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:48.000 you know, a couple of throws are off, a couple 0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:50.840 of passes that could have been caught might have been dropped. 0:13:50.880 --> 0:13:56.120 I think the biggest one the fourth down when the 0:13:56.160 --> 0:13:58.400 Packers were in field goal range in the second quarter. 0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:00.320 I believe it was fourth and three, fourth and too, 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:03.960 something like that. Matt Lafleur decides to play it aggressively, 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:05.839 just said he had a gut feeling on the play 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:07.640 that he had called. They decided to go for it. 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:09.360 A field goal would have made it seven to six. 0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:13.720 They're going to play for the touchdown there, and unfortunately, 0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:16.480 you know, Jordan loves throws a little bit off. Jaden 0:14:16.559 --> 0:14:19.240 Reid gets his hands on it, trying to dive for it, 0:14:19.280 --> 0:14:21.840 but can't bring it in. A throw that could have 0:14:21.880 --> 0:14:23.640 been better, a ball that still could have been caught. 0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:26.080 The bottom line is the play was there and it 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:29.720 wasn't made. And yeah, you can parse the decision and 0:14:29.760 --> 0:14:32.560 everything all that you want, but that was sort of 0:14:32.560 --> 0:14:35.160 a microcosm in a lot of ways to me of 0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:37.520 the first three plus quarters of this game is that 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:41.560 there were plays to be made against this Vikings defense, yep, 0:14:41.560 --> 0:14:44.600 and the Packers didn't make them. And that was the 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:46.120 consummate example of it right. 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:47.880 There, And the thing that probably is the most frustrating 0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:50.600 all Green Bay ran the ball well against the second 0:14:50.640 --> 0:14:52.680 ranked run defense in the National Football League. They did 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:55.240 not particularly run the ball well in that first matchup, 0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:57.400 although to be fair to them, they fell behind big early. 0:14:57.520 --> 0:15:00.000 I felt like they controlled the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately, 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:02.680 the Josh Jacobs fumble kind of set the tone for 0:15:02.720 --> 0:15:05.160 some stuff. Jacobs himself said afterwards, it's gonna be hard 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:07.720 for me to sleep tonight. He prides himself on being 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:09.800 able to start when they get off to fast starts. 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:12.760 Josh Jacobs wears that as a badge of honor. You 0:15:12.800 --> 0:15:15.000 look at the yards from scrimmage he's put together this year. 0:15:15.000 --> 0:15:16.920 I think it's what now, four hundred yards games from 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:20.200 scrimmage in the first half this season. He wanted to 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:21.840 do that again in Minnesota. He wanted to take the 0:15:21.840 --> 0:15:23.280 crowd out. If they weren't able to do it. It 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:25.760 was more than Josh Jacobs though, as you said, the 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:29.560 situation there on the fourth down, Love could throw a 0:15:29.560 --> 0:15:31.800 better ball, Reid could catch it. Somebody needs to make 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:34.520 a play, right, That's the name of the game. Who 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:37.080 is making your plays? And Green Bay just didn't have 0:15:37.200 --> 0:15:39.680 enough of that in this I love the scheme. I 0:15:39.760 --> 0:15:42.840 love the defense that Minnesota has put together. It's multiple, 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:45.120 it's versatile, there's a lot of names, there's a lot 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:47.240 of veterans. I think this is the second oldest team 0:15:47.240 --> 0:15:49.600 in the National Football League entering the season, behind Miami. 0:15:50.280 --> 0:15:53.120 But they play still very fast, very smart, and I 0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:56.240 think Brian Flores mixed up his stuff too, that it 0:15:56.560 --> 0:15:59.280 wasn't the same carbon copy game plan as that first 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:02.200 one where they were really teasing the safeties, blitzing and 0:16:02.480 --> 0:16:04.880 getting guys eight nine guys on the line of scrimmage. 0:16:04.880 --> 0:16:06.960 They played two shell a lot more in this game, 0:16:07.240 --> 0:16:10.040 naturally from the base look, and Green Bay had a 0:16:10.120 --> 0:16:13.840 hard time answering it. Losing Christian Watson was a big deal. 0:16:13.960 --> 0:16:15.800 I think you and I both agreed going into this 0:16:15.880 --> 0:16:17.640 that was gonna be a big deal because it's not 0:16:17.680 --> 0:16:19.280 just what he does catching the ball, it's how he 0:16:19.320 --> 0:16:22.400 sets other things up. But if you don't have Christian Watson, 0:16:22.640 --> 0:16:25.640 somebody else needs to become that playmaker. Last year in Minnesota, 0:16:25.640 --> 0:16:28.000 it was boul Melton one hundred and five receiving yards, 0:16:28.000 --> 0:16:30.080 a touchdown, first one hundred yard game of the season, 0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:33.680 and that in that instant for the Packers' receivers that 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:36.680 kind of got them going throughout the playoffs. Who's going 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:39.280 to be that guy that takes that baton in this game? 0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:41.320 It just didn't happen. I will give I will say this, 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:43.160 I won't say, well, it didn't happen. I thought Tucker 0:16:43.200 --> 0:16:45.360 Craft gave some really good reps. I thought when the 0:16:45.400 --> 0:16:48.120 offense was firing, when it looked explosive, Tucker Craft had 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:50.120 a hand in that, but there just wasn't enough of it. 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.200 I think partly what we're seeing here, and I've you know, 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:57.080 I remember having you know, when I've done off season 0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:00.320 interviews for your book stories and things like that that 0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:02.360 I've talked to Matt Lafuer, even going back to times 0:17:02.400 --> 0:17:04.520 that I talked with Mike McCarthy when he was here. 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:09.959 Matt Lafuer's comment after the game that the Vikings played 0:17:10.280 --> 0:17:13.080 way more man to man coverage than the Packers anticipated. 0:17:13.600 --> 0:17:16.000 It brought me back to comments that I've heard in 0:17:16.040 --> 0:17:21.160 the past when Aaron Rodgers was here, that teams would 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:25.479 break their own profile on defense to shake things up 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:29.439 against against a good quarterback like Jordan Love. The Detroit 0:17:29.480 --> 0:17:31.720 Lions didn't do that. The Detroit Lions. They line up 0:17:31.760 --> 0:17:34.359 and play man's and that's what they do. That's what 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:37.600 that's what they're doing. That's that's Dan Campbell's philosophy, that's 0:17:37.600 --> 0:17:40.399 how Aaron Glenn calls it. But the Vikings threw a 0:17:40.480 --> 0:17:43.680 change up at the Packers. They threw more man coverage 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:46.639 at Green Bay than had been their profile, and the 0:17:46.680 --> 0:17:50.200 Packers struggled to adjust to it. And that's something that 0:17:51.680 --> 0:17:54.240 you know, those adjustments in a lot of ways became 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:58.159 seamless when you know your four time MVP Aaron Rodgers, 0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:00.480 he can make that adjustment by the middle of the 0:18:00.480 --> 0:18:02.680 first quarter. Certainly by the end of the first quarter, 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:05.200 he's going to get a beat on things. Jordan Love 0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:06.960 is still in his second year as a starter. A 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:09.640 change up like that gets thrown at the offense and 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:12.520 you've got still a bunch of young receivers and whatnot. 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:15.000 I'm not trying to make excuses for the Packers. I'm 0:18:15.040 --> 0:18:18.639 trying to explain, quite frankly, when a defense does that 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:22.480 and changes its profile, it's a measure of respect for 0:18:22.600 --> 0:18:26.479 what they believe you might be able to do against them, 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:29.399 and they feel like they have to change things in 0:18:29.520 --> 0:18:32.760 order to disrupt you. Credit to Brian Flores and the Vikings. 0:18:32.800 --> 0:18:36.439 It worked because the Packers did not adjust well to 0:18:36.600 --> 0:18:39.399 what they had planned for coming into the game, and 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:41.320 it wasn't until very late in the game when the 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:43.760 Vikings had a three score lead. They're certainly playing the 0:18:43.800 --> 0:18:46.639 clock more so than they're playing the opponent. And then 0:18:46.960 --> 0:18:51.520 Jordan Love got into a rhythm and that relaxed approach 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:53.960 in some ways almost bit the Vikings because if they 0:18:54.000 --> 0:18:56.959