WEBVTT - #512 Packers Unscripted: There for the taking 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:14.400 Hi everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:14.440 --> 0:00:17.320 I am Mike Spofford, joined by the one and only 0:00:17.800 --> 0:00:21.400 Wes Hodkowitz. Were coming to you here from our studios 0:00:21.480 --> 0:00:25.720 at lambeau Field West. It's almost here. The NFC Championship 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:30.120 Packers forty Niners. It will be Sunday at Levi's Stadium, 0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:33.760 five pm Central Time kick off, and this is our 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:37.880 final show of the week, so unless you want to 0:00:37.880 --> 0:00:41.320 do it on Saturday, but sure, yeah, but that means 0:00:41.680 --> 0:00:46.519 keys to victory. So what's it gonna We have We 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:49.840 have analyzed this matchup up one side and down the other. 0:00:49.920 --> 0:00:53.080 So what is it going to take? What is it 0:00:53.080 --> 0:00:55.840 going to take for the Packers to emerge victorious and 0:00:55.920 --> 0:00:58.440 be on their way to Miami for the Super Bowl. 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:00.640 So the fact of the matter is the Packers are 0:01:00.720 --> 0:01:03.320 underdogs heading into this thing. You're not gonna deny it. 0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:04.640 I'm not going to deny it. The people in the 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:06.360 locker room are not going to deny it. And honestly, 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:09.000 I think they've kind of relished that role um and 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:11.840 I've appreciated that that mantra that they've taken onto this 0:01:11.880 --> 0:01:13.880 thing because they are saying that the pressure is going 0:01:13.920 --> 0:01:16.280 to be on this fort to do what they did 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:17.920 the first time, to do it again, show that they 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:21.160 can do it again. The Packers only have to work up. 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:24.800 And I look at where that team was, where that 0:01:24.920 --> 0:01:27.480 roster was, for as good as their record at that 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:29.760 point of the season, still was at that you know, 0:01:30.040 --> 0:01:33.440 going into that that matchup. There are so many areas, 0:01:33.520 --> 0:01:35.640 specifically on the offensive side of the ball, where they 0:01:35.640 --> 0:01:38.800 are better. Right now, Davante Adams is where I would 0:01:38.840 --> 0:01:41.160 like to start. He is back in a groove again. 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:44.840 He had a historic performance a week ago. He's healthy, 0:01:45.280 --> 0:01:48.000 He's looking as good as ever with his route running. 0:01:48.880 --> 0:01:51.400 If there was ever an injury, and there's a lot 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:53.560 of them, trust me, I get it, it's a difficult game. 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:55.840 But if there was ever an injury that really is 0:01:55.840 --> 0:01:58.320 going to take the bite out of Davante Adams game, 0:01:58.360 --> 0:02:00.760 it's gonna be that turf toe. I mean so much. 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:02.440 You go back and you look at those plays that 0:02:02.480 --> 0:02:04.760 he had the forty yard touchdown, even the thirty two 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:07.200 yard or on you know, to convert on third down. 0:02:07.880 --> 0:02:10.840 So much that is just based on instantaneous footwork and 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:15.160 his ability to separate and then capitalize in those microscopic 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:19.720 gaps and opportunities with Aaron Rodgers when he has when 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:21.880 everything is an aligned for him, and when he's healthy, 0:02:22.240 --> 0:02:24.440 this is, in my opinion, one of the top receivers 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:26.520 in the National Football League, and last week he proved 0:02:26.560 --> 0:02:29.320 it despite all the attention he got, San Francisco is 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:31.080 going to do the same exact thing in this game. 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:34.560 And to top it all off, he's back home. He's 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:36.440 playing in front of friends and family. I think he 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:39.520 said he had already was a ten or eighteen tickets 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:43.399 he mentioned at the podium the other day. So being 0:02:43.440 --> 0:02:46.440 a kid that was from the Bay Area, grew up, 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:49.040 was friends with James Jones early on, you can tell 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:51.040 how much this game means to him. And on top 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:54.080 of all of that, Adams has played in two NFC 0:02:54.160 --> 0:02:56.560 title games before. I'm expecting a big performance out of 0:02:56.600 --> 0:02:58.360 him on Sunday. Yeah, I mean, you look at this 0:02:58.440 --> 0:03:01.320 from the forty nine perspective. If I think it's going 0:03:01.360 --> 0:03:04.760 to be the same approach the Seattle Seahawks took the targets. 0:03:05.919 --> 0:03:08.280 As far as the Packers offense are concerned, are Aaron 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:13.120 Jones and Davante Adams? Can you limit can you put 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:16.440 the clamps on both of them? And the Seattle Seahawks 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:18.720 did a whale of a job against Aaron Jones after 0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:21.480 the initial twenty three yard run. It was really tough 0:03:21.520 --> 0:03:23.960 for the Packers to run the football but the but 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:29.120 the Seattle Seahawks didn't have an answer for Davante Adams. Conversely, 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:33.160 we talked about how the Minnesota Vikings needed to clamp 0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:35.880 down on San Francisco's running game and on George Kittle. 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:39.560 They were able to limit George Kittle significantly in that 0:03:39.640 --> 0:03:42.119 divisional game last week, but they could not handle San 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:44.560 Francisco's running game. The Packers are going into this, I 0:03:44.600 --> 0:03:47.840 would think with the same mentality. Those are the things 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:50.200 that you focus on. And that's not taking anything away 0:03:50.200 --> 0:03:53.720 from Emmanuel Sanders and Deebo Samuel. Same thing with regards 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:56.040 to the Packers, whether you're talking Jamal Williams or Jimmy 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:59.840 Graham or other complimentary parts on offense. But everybody knows 0:04:00.360 --> 0:04:02.920 the bread and butter of these teams in the running 0:04:02.960 --> 0:04:05.280 game and in the passing game. For San Francisco, obviously 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:07.920 it's multiple running backs. For the Packers, it's Aaron Jones. 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:12.040 It's a matter of can you put some limitations on 0:04:12.640 --> 0:04:15.000 both of those at the same time without making too 0:04:15.000 --> 0:04:17.760 many sacrifices and uh, and that's just what we have 0:04:17.839 --> 0:04:20.320 to see see how it plays out on Sunday. Yeah, 0:04:20.360 --> 0:04:22.920 we just have to learn. But you know, these past 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:25.919 six games, I think you've just seen the snowball for 0:04:26.000 --> 0:04:28.440 green Man in a positive way that you know, they've 0:04:28.440 --> 0:04:31.560 been able to rely on different facets of this offense 0:04:31.560 --> 0:04:34.320 to win. And last week it was Aaron Rodgers. Aaron 0:04:34.400 --> 0:04:36.479 Rodgers statistically, if if you look at some of the 0:04:36.480 --> 0:04:38.480 performances had in the postseason, you could put that one 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:40.800 up against any of them, because for the first time 0:04:40.839 --> 0:04:43.120 all season, the running game was not able to really 0:04:43.120 --> 0:04:45.359 get going and he was able to just sort of 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:48.400 carry the load from that point on. Um, whether it 0:04:48.480 --> 0:04:51.320 was just finding Adams, whether it was extending plays, it 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:53.320 just looked a lot like that old Aaron Rodgers and 0:04:53.360 --> 0:04:56.080 everybody likes to talk about. And you know, he's a 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:58.800 guy too that that understands the opportunity before him and 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:00.920 he wants to make the most of it. And San 0:05:00.960 --> 0:05:05.039 Francisco is going to be difficult, there's no doubt about it. 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:07.400 I Mean, they are favored for a reason, like I said, 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:10.960 and I think it's going to be capitalizing on mistakes, 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:12.960 whether it be a turnover or not, or whether it's 0:05:13.000 --> 0:05:15.120 just an early three and out for San Francisco. You 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:18.159 need to be able to maximize those possessions. The game, 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:20.760 the first one that Levi Stadium, really couldn't have started 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:23.279 any worse for Green. Look at the fumble in the 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:26.880 field position. It was kind of all downhill from there. 0:05:27.640 --> 0:05:30.320 If my biggest key to victory for that game was 0:05:30.320 --> 0:05:32.279 getting off to a fast start. They need to find 0:05:32.320 --> 0:05:34.200 that fast start this time. They need to protect the 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:36.400 football because if you don't get either of those things, 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:38.480 it's just really difficult to be a team that's is 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:41.560 disciplined and well rounded as San Francisco. Yeah. I mean, 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:44.400 if you want to try to find a path to victory, 0:05:44.480 --> 0:05:47.159 here in the statistics for the Packers, I'll lay out 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:51.880 some options for you, because if you look at the 0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:55.799 various rankings and offensive and defensive categories and everything across 0:05:55.839 --> 0:05:58.040 the board for the regular season. For the six team 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:02.200 games of the regular season, forty Niners have higher rankings 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:06.120 than the Packers in a vast majority of categories. And 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:08.280 that's why they are what they are. They got the 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:11.520 number one seed. They they are favored in this game 0:06:11.560 --> 0:06:14.600 for a reason. But here's a couple of them. West 0:06:14.680 --> 0:06:18.880 number one turnover margin, the Packers were plus twelve in 0:06:18.880 --> 0:06:22.480 the regular season. The forty Niners were plus four. So 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:25.200 the Packers have been better at taking the ball away 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:28.279 and at winning the turnover battle. So that's one thing 0:06:28.360 --> 0:06:30.359 that could be on your path to victory here. The 0:06:30.400 --> 0:06:34.160 other is in the red zone. On offense and defense, 0:06:35.120 --> 0:06:38.960 the Packers as far as touchdown percentages, the Packers were 0:06:39.000 --> 0:06:41.479 sixth in the league in red zone offense, eighth in 0:06:41.480 --> 0:06:43.680 the league in red zone defense, or it might have 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:46.040 been vice versa, but anyway, one was six and one 0:06:46.120 --> 0:06:49.120 was eight. The forty Niners red zone offense red zone 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:53.480 defense twenty one and two in the league. So, as 0:06:53.480 --> 0:06:56.080 I say, if you're looking for a path to victory, 0:06:56.520 --> 0:07:00.280 it's win the turnover battle and be the at our 0:07:00.320 --> 0:07:03.200 team in the red zone on both sides of the ball. 0:07:03.920 --> 0:07:07.719 And maybe that's maybe that's how the Packers can do this. 0:07:07.960 --> 0:07:11.440 As good as San Francisco is, and they're great, don't 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:13.880 get me wrong about that. I think Green Bay has 0:07:13.880 --> 0:07:15.920 more ways to win in the red zone when you 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:18.560 look at not only just the run game, and they've 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:21.440 been exemplary in that category in terms of being able 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:23.080 to punch the ball in once they are in that 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:26.280 gold areas they like to call it. But Aaron Rodgers 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:28.160 can pass it. I mean, he can scramble with it. 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:30.240 We even saw he could sneak it. I mean, there 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:33.080 are just so many different ways that I think this 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:36.160 offense can function inside that area. And it's not easy. Mike. 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:38.200 Remember there was a lot of years you and I 0:07:38.200 --> 0:07:41.200 would cover this team and drives with stall inside the 0:07:41.240 --> 0:07:44.720 twenty the NFC Championship game in two thousand fourteen. Drives 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:48.600 stalled inside, those are four points off the board. Those 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:50.800 are missed opportunities and things that can come back to 0:07:50.840 --> 0:07:53.560 haunt you. They have been able to finish drives and 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:58.160 defensively keep teams from getting inside their end zone without 0:07:58.400 --> 0:08:00.000 you know, in the second half of the season now 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:03.720 allowing the explosive play. All those things factor into this 0:08:04.200 --> 0:08:07.520 and for Green Bay right now, I think it's led 0:08:07.560 --> 0:08:10.640 them to have this feeling of confidence that you know, 0:08:10.760 --> 0:08:12.600 if if the chips are down, we're gonna be able 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:15.120 to respond to it. Yeah, well, most likely if you're 0:08:15.120 --> 0:08:17.440 the Packers. If you're going to win this game, you're 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:19.640 going to win it the way that you've won a 0:08:19.640 --> 0:08:22.640 lot of other games. Now that being said, the Packers 0:08:22.680 --> 0:08:24.680 of one games in a lot of different ways. But 0:08:25.040 --> 0:08:27.720 turnovers and red zone play have been a big part 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:29.560 of it. And then the other part that I've continued 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:32.680 to stress. I think, even going back to September, Marvin 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:35.319 could pull out the tapes of the of our shows. 0:08:36.240 --> 0:08:39.079 It's what the Packers have done in the fourth quarters 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:42.680 of games to pull things out. Now, the Fortys have 0:08:42.720 --> 0:08:45.240 their share of fourth quarter wins this year's as well, 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:47.880 down to the wire battles, but the forty and Iers 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:50.560 also have lost more games in the fourth quarter. You 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:54.360 you look at the Packers thirteen and three of the 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:56.680 three losses, two of them the Packers were out of it. 0:08:56.720 --> 0:08:59.640 The fourth quarter didn't matter. The two West Coast trips, Okay, yes, 0:08:59.640 --> 0:09:01.559 one of them was against the forty Inns, the same 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:03.560 team they're going to play, but set that aside for 0:09:03.600 --> 0:09:09.400 a moment. Ers have lost three games this year right 0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:11.640 at the wire, so they've had what my point is, 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:15.280 they've had more ups and downs at crunch time. The Packers, 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:17.400 I think have have been one of the best crunch 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:19.920 time teams in all of football. So if you get 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:23.080 there and give yourself a shot, that's how you've won. 0:09:23.200 --> 0:09:25.320 So maybe you can win another one. Yeah. My favorite 0:09:25.320 --> 0:09:27.120 thing about this week is I think I'm actually starting 0:09:27.160 --> 0:09:30.720 to lose my voice now. I mean that's what us talking. Yeah, 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:33.520 that we've done at this point of the season. I mean, 0:09:33.679 --> 0:09:37.000 my goodness, I'm sorry we have done something. We have 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:39.600 done some longer shows this week. I actually saw this 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:41.640 like two days ago. It was with my son, and 0:09:41.720 --> 0:09:43.400 like my voice was starting to come out on me 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:46.439 when I was actually talking to We might actually get 0:09:46.480 --> 0:09:48.920 to the periscope on Sunday morning and I might not 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:51.400 have anything left to give you, but your points are 0:09:51.480 --> 0:09:55.040 valid and they're true. And the thing I saw the 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:57.520 most over this time. You can talk about Green Bay 0:09:57.520 --> 0:10:00.240 and where they need to get better, But since that 0:10:00.320 --> 0:10:03.160 game I've seen I don't want to call them holes 0:10:03.160 --> 0:10:04.959 because I still believed and you know this from the 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:08.479 very beginning, Mike. I remember Wayne Laervy asking me in September, 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:10.360 who I thought, you know, was the best team was 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:12.280 gonna be the biggest opponent here for Green Bay? And 0:10:12.320 --> 0:10:14.280 I've said since the beginning since that first month of 0:10:14.280 --> 0:10:16.680 the year. I felt like it was San Francisco because 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:19.680 how well they play in all three phases. And it 0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:21.520 seems like Robbie Gold has kind of figured out some 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:23.439 of the kicking issues that was, you know, kind of 0:10:23.520 --> 0:10:27.079 hurting him early in the season. But San Francisco, I thought, 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:29.880 in those games against the Rams, and the game against 0:10:30.280 --> 0:10:32.520 the Falcons, and and even some of these contests that 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:35.240 they've had with the Seattle I I've seen a team 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:37.880 that I believe is beatable. There are ways to do it, 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:41.720 but you have to play a full sixty minute game 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:45.280 with as many mistakes, you know, a few mistakes as possible. 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:47.920 And Aaron Rodgers talked about that. You you talked about 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:53.199 over communicating on defense offensively, Rogers feels like the gut check, 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:55.760 the reality check that they got out of that San 0:10:55.760 --> 0:10:58.120 Francisco game is something that has pushed them to this 0:10:58.200 --> 0:11:01.000 point that they were able to sort of iron out 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:03.560 some things because of things that went wrong in San 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:06.680 Francisco that first time, in Santa Clara that first time, 0:11:07.240 --> 0:11:10.360 So for them being in this matchup at this point 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:12.240 in time, and Roger stepped to the podium, the first 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:15.440 thing he said was, we're one of four teams left 0:11:15.440 --> 0:11:17.600 there twenty eight other teams right now that have started 0:11:17.600 --> 0:11:22.120 their vacations, started their off season. I really truly believe 0:11:22.200 --> 0:11:25.080 that there is this why not us mentality in that 0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:27.720 locker room. And when you listen to the Smith's talk 0:11:27.720 --> 0:11:29.920 at the podium and Davante Adams, as I mentioned it 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:33.160 from the get go, there are so many players right 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:35.600 now in this locker room that have been through all 0:11:35.600 --> 0:11:37.720 these highs and lows, and they feel like they're reaching 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:40.840 their peak, and more so than any other team probably 0:11:40.840 --> 0:11:43.480 going back to two thousand and ten, I just feel 0:11:43.480 --> 0:11:45.640 like this is a team that has gotten better every 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:48.440 single week. The score might not have always reflected it, 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:51.920 but I think they found answers two things that had 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:56.319 been plaguing them previously. Yeah, well, here's here's one question 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:58.240 I'm gonna throw at you, and then we will move 0:11:58.240 --> 0:11:59.920 on and give a few thoughts about the a f 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:03.400 SE Championship game. What is one thing that has to 0:12:03.480 --> 0:12:06.880 happen in this game for the Packers to win? The 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:08.760 obvious answer is they need to get a turnover off 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:12.600 Jimmy Garoppolo because they play such high percentage and if 0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:15.240 you are the only time. I think he does have 0:12:15.320 --> 0:12:18.000 quite a few turnovers this year, but those can be 0:12:18.120 --> 0:12:20.720 brought out of him when they have to play from behind, 0:12:20.760 --> 0:12:23.360 when they have to make a big play. If they 0:12:23.600 --> 0:12:26.280 want the style of football San Francisco wants to do, 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:28.440 they're gonna want to use all the shot clocks, so 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:30.760 to speak. They're gonna want to run the football. They're 0:12:30.760 --> 0:12:32.960 gonna want to You're gonna see every once in a 0:12:32.960 --> 0:12:35.959 while a direct snap or not a direct snap, but 0:12:36.000 --> 0:12:37.800 like an end around it, like George Kittle. I mean, 0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:40.600 they'll do all of it. They want to play small, 0:12:40.640 --> 0:12:42.640 they want to put the ball in guy's hands in space, 0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:44.800 and they want to let them create after that. The 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:48.000 more you're forcing them to play down field, to play 0:12:48.000 --> 0:12:50.840 from behind, that's what gets them out of their comfort zone. 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:53.360 A takeaway here or there, and you know, getting ten 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:56.440 fourteen points off of that, that's essential. I feel in 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:58.560 this game they didn't get it the first time. In 0:12:58.600 --> 0:13:01.760 the real answer, Mike, the most obvious answer is the 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:05.040 offense can't go over thirteen on third down again. When 0:13:05.080 --> 0:13:07.520 they have the starters out there, they have to convert. 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:10.400 They have to. Matt Lafleur said, he doesn't believe that 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:12.079 you're gonna be able to just take what they did 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:14.720 last week against Seattle and just throw it right into 0:13:14.720 --> 0:13:17.120 this game plan and everything works perfect. You're gonna have 0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:19.280 to feel it out. But you have to be more 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:22.000 successful on third down in order to preserve this. Yeah, 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:24.120 And I will say on the defensive side of the 0:13:24.120 --> 0:13:26.200 ball as far as what needs to happen for the 0:13:26.240 --> 0:13:29.400 Packers to win this game, as I say, the defense 0:13:29.440 --> 0:13:32.000 has to limit the explosive plays. And I'm gonna put 0:13:32.000 --> 0:13:34.120 a number on it. When I say explosive, I'm talking 0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:37.360 twenty plus yard plays. I say the defense has to 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:40.080 limit the explosive plays to four or fewer to win 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:43.200 this game. Because I posted a story on our website 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:47.120 last night looking at you know what the Packers defense did, 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:49.240 talking about that meeting that they had after the first 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:51.280 San Francisco game, And when you look at the numbers, 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:56.479 statistically through October and November, the Packers defense was allowing 0:13:57.360 --> 0:14:01.800 about five explosive plays, five twenty plus yard plays per 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:05.840 game on average, and one of those on average was 0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:08.679 finding the end zone. It was an explosive play touchdown 0:14:09.400 --> 0:14:12.520 about one per game over a seven game span. Then 0:14:12.559 --> 0:14:15.040 you look at the last five games of the regular season, 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:18.800 they reduced the number of explosive plays allowed the twenty 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:22.040 plus plays to about three per game, and only one 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:25.160 over that entire five game stretch to end the regular 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:28.560 season found the end zone. Last week against Seattle, the 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:32.160 Seahawks had four twenty plus explosives. One of those was 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:34.320 a scrambled by Russell Wilson. So I don't know if 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:36.640 you necessarily have to worry about that as much with 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:40.840 Jimmy Garoppolo, but none of those twenty plus explosives found 0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:43.680 the end zone. So to me, it's kind of if 0:14:43.720 --> 0:14:46.280 you keep those explosives at four lesson if none of 0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:48.880 those big plays find the end zone. Going back to 0:14:48.880 --> 0:14:51.080 what I said about the red zone and the way 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:53.360 the Packers have defended in the red zone this year, 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:56.280 I think that's kind of a statistic that could be 0:14:56.520 --> 0:14:59.040 a telltale sign of how this game unfold. Yeah, and 0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:01.920 as I wrote last to uh, when you look at 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:04.320 the secondary, in these cornerbacks that have played together for 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:07.680 an entire season, you're seeing the maturation of so many 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:10.000 of them. That Gyre Alexander play, I think that was 0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:12.480 that Minnesota Detroit where you ended up tripped the receiver 0:15:12.560 --> 0:15:15.160 got past, somebody tripped him up to cause the defensive 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:18.240 pastor that was Detroit. If you're much receiver, that was 0:15:18.640 --> 0:15:22.160 uh Lacy. I believe Nick Lacey. But be that as 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:24.000 it may, that would have been a that would have 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:26.760 been six right there, because it's just the past look 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:28.880 like it was online. It looked like he had the 0:15:28.920 --> 0:15:31.720 separation after or started to stumble, what are you gonna do? 0:15:31.920 --> 0:15:33.600 You're gonna snatch the guy up? You live to play 0:15:33.600 --> 0:15:35.480 another down and end up being what a fifty six 0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:37.840 yard Matt Prator field goal. Prador had to hit a 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:40.520 bomb on that one. So there's an understanding there that 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:42.760 if you don't give up those seventy five or eight 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:46.600 yard touchdowns that sometimes haunted them last season, that you're 0:15:46.640 --> 0:15:49.160 making yourself. You know, you're making your job a lot easier, 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:53.040 making them work harder. And this game, I think is 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:55.000 really going to come down to protecting the football, the 0:15:55.040 --> 0:15:58.640 explosive plays and just overall offensive efficiency. Packers know what 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:01.480 they're dealing with, They know what the crowd is gonna 0:16:01.520 --> 0:16:04.240 be like, They understand that the forty nine there's there's 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:07.200 an insatiable hunger here for this team to get back 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:09.560 to a super Bowl after everything, how it ended, you know, 0:16:09.640 --> 0:16:12.880 six seven years ago, the last time they had that opportunity. 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:16.480 Everything's on the line for them, and it's just exciting. 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:18.280 And I think you can feel the energy in that 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:20.160 locker room. And now I was just spending time down 0:16:20.160 --> 0:16:23.080 there yesterday, how loose this team is, how geared up 0:16:23.120 --> 0:16:26.760 these guys are, because these opportunities, as Davante Adams said 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:29.080 at the podium, they're they're rare and you have to 0:16:29.120 --> 0:16:31.880 appreciate them. And you know, there's gonna be a guy 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:33.920 or two. You ask me that original question, what has 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:35.880 to happen. The other thing needs to happen is there 0:16:35.920 --> 0:16:38.160 needs to be an Allen Lazard stepping up. There needs 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:41.120 to be, you know, a Tyler Irvin explosive play. There 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:44.320 needs to be a Tyler Lancaster fumble recovery. It's gonna 0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:47.320 take not just sa Darius Smith and Preston Smith and 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:48.960 all the name players that you put up on the 0:16:48.960 --> 0:16:52.920 billboards and the programs. It's gonna take the joes and 0:16:52.960 --> 0:16:55.400 the bills on this roster to to be able to 0:16:55.440 --> 0:16:57.640 finish this thing out. It's gonna be an exciting football game. 0:16:57.680 --> 0:16:58.960 I can't wait to watch it. Yeah, I mean, I 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:01.280 agree with you with ares the vibe in the Packers 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:03.320 locker room. There's a looseness to it. I said from 0:17:03.320 --> 0:17:05.280 the beginning of the week. I feel like the Packers 0:17:05.359 --> 0:17:08.359 just have the right perspective on this going into it. 0:17:08.400 --> 0:17:10.479 As far as what happened in Week twelve, where they 0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:12.720 are now as a team, I think they're in a 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:14.840 good place here going into it, and that's a that's 0:17:14.840 --> 0:17:17.160 at least a good place to start before we go 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:22.360 a f C Championship. Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs. Interestingly, here, 0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:24.720 the Tennessee Titans have been to one Super Bowl in 0:17:24.760 --> 0:17:29.240 their history. It was exactly twenty years ago season. That's 0:17:29.280 --> 0:17:32.800 crazy that that moment was years ago. But Kevin Dice 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:36.480 Ken Dyson right, the Mike Jones I believe was the 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:40.040 linebacker for the Rams who made the tackle. The Kansas 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:42.840 City Chiefs have not been to a Super Bowl West 0:17:42.880 --> 0:17:46.720 in fifty years. Super Bowl four when they beat the 0:17:46.720 --> 0:17:49.640 Minnesota Vikings, and obviously everyone knows they lost in Super 0:17:49.680 --> 0:17:52.000 Bowl One to the Green Bay Packers. Those are Kansas 0:17:52.040 --> 0:17:56.200 City's two Super Bowl appearances. Andy Reid trying to get 0:17:56.240 --> 0:17:58.600 the Kansas City Chiefs back to the Super Bowl for 0:17:58.640 --> 0:18:01.959 the first time in half a century. So the Titans 0:18:01.960 --> 0:18:04.000 have been the road warriors, the six seed. They want 0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:06.280 at New England, they want at Baltimore. Now they're going 0:18:06.320 --> 0:18:11.119 to Kansas City. The Chiefs the team that was in 0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:13.800 this exact position a year ago, hosting the a f 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:17.600 C Championship Game and lost a very difficult overtime game 0:18:17.640 --> 0:18:20.000 to the New England Patriots. So what are your thoughts 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:21.840 on how this one plays out? I I don't know 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:24.080 who wins the Super Bowl right now, whether it's Green 0:18:24.119 --> 0:18:28.560 Bay San Francisco advancing, but this is Kansas City's time, 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:30.800 I feel like in the a f C. Yeah, it 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:33.160 does feel like that, doesn't it. Tennessee is a great 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:36.040 story and and they certainly can win this football game. 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:40.080 Yeah you yeah. I personally picked them to beat the Patriots. 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:43.880 I did not think that that magic would sustain for Baltimore, 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:46.879 just based on how that defense had played this year. 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:50.159 But it did, and they upset them, and here they 0:18:50.160 --> 0:18:52.560 are with Derrick Henry is the hottest running back right 0:18:52.600 --> 0:18:55.560 now in the NFL, arguably the hottest player right now 0:18:55.600 --> 0:18:58.600 in the NFL, the hottest running back. Hottest running back 0:18:58.640 --> 0:19:03.120 we've seen in an NFL postseason in a while, James Starks. Yeah, 0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:06.920 but you know, yeah, you know, you know what I'm saying. 0:19:07.000 --> 0:19:09.560 I mean, somebody that is just getting all the headlines 0:19:09.600 --> 0:19:13.359 where everybody is like, can anybody stop? This key is 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:16.119 a mack truck, that is, and all he has in 0:19:16.119 --> 0:19:19.440 front of him is road close signs and crashing through 0:19:19.880 --> 0:19:22.760