WEBVTT - #550 Packers Unscripted: Frustrated Falcons 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:14.680 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted Social 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:17.680 Distancing Style from Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:22.599 joined as always by the one and only Western hod 0:00:22.640 --> 0:00:25.880 Kuits West. Week four in the NFL, here will be 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:30.120 the Packers against the Falcons on Monday Night Football at 0:00:30.240 --> 0:00:33.240 lambeau Field. The Packers are three and oh the offenses 0:00:33.360 --> 0:00:38.440 ride and high. The Atlanta Falcons though two blown fourth 0:00:38.520 --> 0:00:41.000 quarter leads the last two weeks. We started talking about 0:00:41.040 --> 0:00:43.279 that a little bit on our last show, So I'm 0:00:43.320 --> 0:00:46.320 just gonna start with this question. Are the Atlanta Falcons 0:00:46.400 --> 0:00:50.199 coming into lambeau Field a demoralized team or are they 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:54.800 coming in an angry, dangerous team. I mean, there's definitely 0:00:54.960 --> 0:00:57.000 dangerous when you look at the tools that they have 0:00:57.120 --> 0:00:59.800 offensively and the players that could potentially hurt them, There's 0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:02.400 no question that they're dangerous. But I don't think there's 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:05.200 any way you could potentially not be demoralized coming off 0:01:05.240 --> 0:01:09.360 of two really deflating losses like they had. You know, 0:01:09.440 --> 0:01:10.960 this is gonna be something where I think it's gonna 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:13.440 be a real challenge for dan Quinn and his guys 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:15.640 to come in here because it's not like they won 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:18.720 the opener and then they had to demoralizing losses. They 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:20.720 haven't won a game yet this year, and when you 0:01:20.840 --> 0:01:23.080 compound that with the season that they went through a 0:01:23.120 --> 0:01:26.039 year ago, a lot of consternation about whether or not 0:01:26.160 --> 0:01:28.840 Dan Quinn would be back to begin with. Uh, this 0:01:28.920 --> 0:01:30.640 is a really difficult spot for them to be in. 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:32.640 And they've, you know, as we've seen the last couple 0:01:32.640 --> 0:01:34.240 of days, been getting hit by the injury bug a 0:01:34.280 --> 0:01:38.160 little bit now too. Yeah, we've found out dark quiz 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:42.040 if I'm saying that correctly. Denard, one of their top cornerbacks, 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:44.800 has gone on injured reserve and he will not be available. 0:01:45.120 --> 0:01:48.440 And we'll be waiting to hear, i think, on Julio Jones, 0:01:48.600 --> 0:01:50.880 just as we are waiting to hear on Davante Adams 0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:53.880 again for the Green Bay Packers. We will see if 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:57.600 those top whiteouts are back from their injuries. But the 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:01.000 Atlanta Falcons do have one of the best wide receiver 0:02:01.160 --> 0:02:04.200 statistically in the league right now, and that is Calvin Ridley, 0:02:04.560 --> 0:02:08.200 the former Alabama product. Through three games, he has twenty 0:02:08.200 --> 0:02:11.760 one catches for three forty nine yards with four touchdowns. 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:15.160 That yardage total is second in the league to DeAndre Hopkins, 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:18.600 the touchdown the receiving touchdowns is tied for first in 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:21.480 the league. So even with Julio Jones not being at 0:02:21.480 --> 0:02:25.639 full strength and missing some time, Calvin Ridley is proving 0:02:25.680 --> 0:02:29.200 to be a pretty pretty big weapon for Matt Ryan. Yeah, 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:31.400 and this is where it factors into the danger component 0:02:31.440 --> 0:02:33.000 again when you look at what they could do on 0:02:33.040 --> 0:02:36.120 any given week with their passing weapons and certainly now 0:02:36.120 --> 0:02:38.160 with Todd Gurley being in their backfield trying to be 0:02:38.200 --> 0:02:40.320 the guy that that gets their run game going again, 0:02:40.680 --> 0:02:42.679 there's guys that can't hurt you. Ridley has been a 0:02:42.680 --> 0:02:44.920 guy have been excited about for a number of years now. 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:47.320 When they drafted him, I think at some point some 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:49.440 people thought that was sort of an embarrassment of riches 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:51.560 sort of move, but it makes a lot of sense. 0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:54.200 They wanted to give Matt Ryan weapons. They want to 0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:58.000 be able to build upon the this offensive explosion that 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:00.440 they had three or four years ago. It's just been 0:03:00.480 --> 0:03:03.800 difficult finding the well rounded, you know, sort of structure 0:03:03.840 --> 0:03:07.680 to to win games consistently. But certainly Matt Ryan, Ridley, 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:09.640 and then Julio Jones if he's out there, all three 0:03:09.680 --> 0:03:11.280 of those guys can really hurt you if you're not 0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:14.200 paying attention to it. Yeah, we'll quickly hear. What's a 0:03:14.200 --> 0:03:17.880 little bit of sponsor business serious x M NFL Radio 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:21.720 Channel eight is the only radio outlet dedicated to the 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:25.799 National Football League seven days a week, three and sixty 0:03:25.800 --> 0:03:29.520 five days a year. Well, Matt Ryan also has what 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:33.640 I think the Falcons are trying to develop into sort 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:36.560 of a one to punch, a thunder and lightning type 0:03:36.600 --> 0:03:40.520 of combination in the backfield with Todd Gurley as the 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:43.160 main guy. And I'm drawing a blank on his first 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:45.520 name at the moment, but Hill is his last name. 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:48.440 He is sort of the smaller scat back who scored 0:03:48.480 --> 0:03:51.520 a big touchdown against the Chicago Bears last week. They're 0:03:51.520 --> 0:03:54.080 trying to, uh, you know, trying to develop this this 0:03:54.200 --> 0:03:56.800 two headed monster in the backfield to support Matt Ryan 0:03:56.840 --> 0:03:59.400 and and Hey West. The bottom line is this is 0:03:59.440 --> 0:04:02.200 the Falcons team that scored ninety points in three games. 0:04:02.440 --> 0:04:05.040 The only issues they've had on offense is that they 0:04:05.040 --> 0:04:07.400 can't score in the fourth quarter. Right, I had a 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:10.600 chance to either extend the lead or when the Cowboys 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:12.920 and the Bears both caught up and and you know 0:04:13.000 --> 0:04:16.120 they had they had an opportunity, certainly against the Bears. 0:04:16.400 --> 0:04:18.359 They had one last shot to go down the field 0:04:18.360 --> 0:04:20.120 and still try to win that game, and Matt Ryan 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:24.040 threw an interception. So in the first three quarters of games, 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:26.360 this Falcons team has moved the ball up and down 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:28.640 the field and scored a bunch of points. Yeah, Brian 0:04:28.720 --> 0:04:31.880 Hill is the running back that you're there too, Packers. 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:33.520 I think I've actually seen him a little bit too 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:35.400 in the past. I mean, yeah, he's more of a 0:04:35.440 --> 0:04:38.560 bowling ball type back. I mean, strong, powerful, and you know, 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:41.880 be able to compliment girly in that fashion. Gurley was 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:43.960 a big sort of risk I thought. I mean, his 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:46.320 last two years with the Rams, there's a lot of injuries, 0:04:46.320 --> 0:04:48.920 there's a lot of inconsistency, a lot of questions about 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:52.479 what his knees were doing, why they weren't playing him more. 0:04:53.040 --> 0:04:55.040 And here he is now with the Falcons. I think 0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:57.920 if you get back to what he does well, it 0:04:58.000 --> 0:05:00.240 meshes well with what the Falcons want to do as well. 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:02.400 And again it goes back to you know, this group 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:04.480 can put up a lot of points at any given moment. 0:05:04.920 --> 0:05:07.640 The question that I have though, is that you know, 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:10.719 when the Packers were playing them in two thousand and sixteen, 0:05:11.160 --> 0:05:13.600 you saw the offensive weapons there. I mean that's when 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:16.280 obviously DeVante Freeman was in his prime. They still had 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:19.400 Tevin Coleman, but defensively it looked like they were building 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:22.400 towards something. They basically had to press a reset there. 0:05:22.800 --> 0:05:26.360 So if they give dan Quinn the whole season, I'm 0:05:26.440 --> 0:05:28.520 very curious to see what this year is going to 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:30.760 look like for the Falcons, where they're going to be 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:32.240 able to pick up their wins, and how they're going 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:35.080 to be about going to establishing their identity because at 0:05:35.120 --> 0:05:37.480 this point, as you said, this is a group that 0:05:37.520 --> 0:05:39.880 does put up points, but when it comes down to 0:05:39.920 --> 0:05:41.719 crunch time, they've not been able to close it out. 0:05:42.200 --> 0:05:44.080 We've said it so many times, Mike, It's something that 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:46.440 I think a lot of people overlook, but there is 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:49.320 something about knowing and learning how to win, and it 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:51.159 just seems like, as weird as that sounds for a 0:05:51.160 --> 0:05:53.839 team that was minutes away from a Super Bowl victory 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:56.120 three or four years ago, the Falcons have to get 0:05:56.120 --> 0:05:59.279 back to learning, you know, how to win again. Yeah, absolutely, 0:05:59.320 --> 0:06:02.520 And they're their biggest issues around the defensive side of 0:06:02.520 --> 0:06:05.360 the ball. Statistically, they rank near the bottom of the 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:09.480 league in past defense, in scoring defense. They they've really 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:12.000 had their struggles there. As I mentioned earlier, Denard, one 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:14.560 of their top corners now on I R won't be available. 0:06:15.080 --> 0:06:17.920 I think they're their toughest customers, so to speak, as 0:06:17.960 --> 0:06:20.960 far as defensively so far, has been Grady Jarrett in 0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:24.239 the middle of that defensive line. He's been a really, 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:26.719 really good run stuffer in this league for a while 0:06:27.400 --> 0:06:29.719 and teams haven't run the ball all that well against 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:33.120 the Falcons, though, I still wonder about their run defense, 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:35.760 just because they've had leads and in the second halves 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:38.240 of games opponents have been doing nothing but throw to 0:06:38.279 --> 0:06:41.120 try to catch up, which they've been successful doing. But 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:43.600 also on top of that, Grady jarreted isn't as an 0:06:43.640 --> 0:06:45.800 interior rusher. He has two and a half sacks and 0:06:45.880 --> 0:06:48.280 three games he's their leading sacker. They're not getting a 0:06:48.279 --> 0:06:51.080 lot of pressure from the edge. This is the This 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:53.200 is the guy that the that the Packers are going 0:06:53.240 --> 0:06:56.279 to have to account for um because he's he's trouble 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:58.280 in the middle of that d line. Yeah, he's been 0:06:58.320 --> 0:06:59.640 there for a number of years to be one of 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:01.479 the things when the Falcons were making their run that 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:04.120 I really liked, and some of those pieces are still there, 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:07.719 is how they built the interior of their defense. Everybody 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:09.840 at that point in time was always looking at outside 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:13.760 rushers and edge rushers and pressure and boundary corners, and 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:16.000 the Falcons are one of the teams that actually were 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:19.400 one of the first that really invested resources between the hashes, 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:21.440 and you still see that with Dion Jones was off 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:24.560 to a pretty decent start, though he's had some injuries. 0:07:24.720 --> 0:07:27.000 Kean O'Neill, who has dealt with some injuries as well, 0:07:27.240 --> 0:07:30.320 but Gary has been sort of that centerpiece, that focal 0:07:30.400 --> 0:07:33.360 point of that scheme for them so far. And dan Quinn, 0:07:33.360 --> 0:07:36.800 who by trade is a defensive coach, so a lot 0:07:36.840 --> 0:07:38.400 of things for them to be able to figure out. 0:07:38.440 --> 0:07:41.120 And again, it's so difficult when you're talking about a 0:07:41.120 --> 0:07:44.040 team that did have as many act The reason dan 0:07:44.080 --> 0:07:46.480 Quinn came back and says they had high expectations. They 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:49.320 felt like they could quickly turn this thing around, and 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:52.000 as they these past few weeks have proven, it's very 0:07:52.040 --> 0:07:54.000 difficult to win in the National Football League, and the 0:07:54.000 --> 0:07:55.720 Falcons are still trying to get on the other side 0:07:55.760 --> 0:07:57.920 of that. Yeah, well, we know the message from Matt 0:07:58.000 --> 0:08:00.200 Lafleur to the Green May Packers is this is not 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:02.880 an oh and three Falcons team that the film shows that. 0:08:02.960 --> 0:08:05.800 This team is, you know, a whisker away from being 0:08:05.800 --> 0:08:08.800 two and one and being considered a major contender in 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:12.640 the NFC. So that's how, certainly how the Packers are 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:14.400 looking at things. I'm gonna put you on the spot 0:08:14.440 --> 0:08:18.000 here quickly, West, Okay, I looked it up right before 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:20.920 we turned on the cameras. Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers 0:08:20.920 --> 0:08:24.400 have gone head to head, including playoff games, nine times. 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:28.480 What's your what's your guests as to the win loss 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:31.000 between the two quarterbacks when they've gone head to head. 0:08:31.600 --> 0:08:36.280 I'm gonna goes six and three Rodgers. No, it's actually 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:40.720 five and four in favor of Matt Ryan. I guess 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:43.800 Rogers has just had some more memorable ones. Yeah, and 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:46.520 they've and they've split the two playoff meetings, the Packers 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:50.400 obviously winning the divisional round down in Atlanta, but then 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:54.800 Matt Ryan taking the two thousand sixteen NFC championship um 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:57.319 also down there in Atlanta. It's kind of weird, you 0:08:57.360 --> 0:08:59.760 sort of forget that they've basically been starting quarterbacks in 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:02.360 the for the same amount of time. Rogers obviously had 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:05.559 the three more years on Ryan, but I mean Ryan 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:07.959 from pretty much go was thrown in there. I think 0:09:07.960 --> 0:09:09.319 he might have set out a couple of games his 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:12.000 rookie year. But yeah, they've kind of followed the same 0:09:12.040 --> 0:09:14.160 path in terms of their NFL careers. And here we 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:15.640 are now with both of them now and what you're 0:09:15.720 --> 0:09:19.200 thirteen and starting quarterbacks. Yeah, it's it's it's real. It's 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:21.920 really something. Um. I want to get to some of 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:23.920 the other games that will be going on around the 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:26.199 league in Week four that we want to look at. 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:30.280 But first, some more sponsor business gear up for game day, folks. 0:09:30.320 --> 0:09:34.040 Open a Packers checking account from Associated Bank and score 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:37.280 a fifty dollar Packers Pro Shop gift card. Learn more 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:42.200 at Associated bank dot com. Backslash Packers all right, Well, 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:45.240 with the Packers playing on Monday night, obviously, lots of 0:09:45.280 --> 0:09:48.080 Packer fans can spend their Sunday checking out what else 0:09:48.160 --> 0:09:52.120 is going on in the NFC North as of right now, obviously, 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:54.480 the Packers are three and oh, the Chicago Bears are three, 0:09:54.520 --> 0:09:56.280 and oh, the Detroit Lions are one and two, the 0:09:56.280 --> 0:09:58.480 Minnesota Vikings are oh and three, And it's going to 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:02.280 be an interesting weekend in the division because the Indianapolis 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:06.480 Colts we'll be taking on the Chicago Bears. And the 0:10:06.520 --> 0:10:09.720 Colts they ran all up and down the field against 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:12.160 the Minnesota Vikings a couple of weeks ago, and now 0:10:12.200 --> 0:10:14.160 they are going to and obviously that's a team the 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:16.959 Packers will face later on this season. Now they get 0:10:17.000 --> 0:10:19.880 their shot at the Chicago Bears. With the Bears at 0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:21.920 three and oh and looking to move to four no 0:10:22.120 --> 0:10:24.600 and jump in front of the Packers in the division 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:27.079 standings before Monday night's game. Yeah, I mean, one of 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:29.920 two things is gonna happen, most likely, assuming there isn't 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:31.960 another tie this week, and that's either the Bears are 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:33.400 gonna be four and no or the Colts are gonna 0:10:33.400 --> 0:10:34.680 be off to a three and one start to the 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:38.600 Philip Rivers era and Frank Reich getting that going um 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:40.800 and they've dealt with some adversity themselves here in the 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:43.160 early part of the season's Jonathan Taylor's had to become 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:46.400 their bell cow back. But let's talk about the Bears 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:48.360 a little bit. I mean, so many times and I 0:10:48.400 --> 0:10:50.280 can't even tell you, Mike, the last time I can 0:10:50.320 --> 0:10:53.280 ever recall an NFL history where a team has made 0:10:53.280 --> 0:10:55.920 a quarterback change and started the season three and oh. 0:10:56.000 --> 0:10:59.440 It just doesn't happen that often. But Mattnege saw something 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:02.080 that he wanted to make the change. And as they've 0:11:02.080 --> 0:11:05.400 always said, if you make a change, that's your quarterback. 0:11:05.440 --> 0:11:07.520 Now you're not you can't be playing this game where 0:11:07.520 --> 0:11:09.560 you go back to, you know, Mitchell Dubiski in the 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:12.480 second half against the Colts. You've got to give Nick 0:11:12.520 --> 0:11:15.160 Foles a chance now to take this offense and run 0:11:15.200 --> 0:11:17.680 with it. The Bears, this is a big year for them, 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:19.280 and the fact that they are off to three and 0:11:19.320 --> 0:11:22.200 o now, however they got there, you can't take that 0:11:22.280 --> 0:11:25.320 for granted. Yeah, absolutely, the Bears. The Bears have been 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:28.160 a team that has won games in the clutch. I 0:11:28.160 --> 0:11:31.240 mean that, that's the bottom line. They should have lost 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:33.199 in Week one at Detroit. We all know that the 0:11:33.240 --> 0:11:36.720 winning touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford was in DeAndre Swift's 0:11:36.720 --> 0:11:38.600 hands in the end zone with six seconds left, and 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:40.480 he dropped it. So the Bears escaped with a win. 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:43.640 The New York Giants come trying to come back from 0:11:43.679 --> 0:11:45.400 seventeen to nothing. They get it all the way to 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:47.600 seventeen to thirteen there in the red zone on the 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:50.240 final possession, Bears hold them out of the end zone, 0:11:50.400 --> 0:11:52.000 get the victory there to go to two and oh. 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:55.120 And then as you mentioned the quarterback change, Nick Foles 0:11:55.120 --> 0:11:58.240 comes off the bench leads them back from sixteen points 0:11:58.280 --> 0:12:00.920 down in the fourth quarter. They come back and beat 0:12:00.960 --> 0:12:04.199 Atlanta on the road, and as I mentioned before, also 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:07.880 getting the interception of Matt Ryan on Atlanta's last ditch 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:10.960 effort going the other way. So the Chicago Bears. The 0:12:11.000 --> 0:12:13.800 Chicago Bears are three and oh. I honest, I personally 0:12:14.240 --> 0:12:16.800 think they now have a better quarterback in place. With 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:18.960 making the switch to Folds, I think they become a 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:22.360 much more dangerous team. And but this is going to 0:12:22.400 --> 0:12:25.280 be an interesting test for them against the Colts. Another 0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:28.959 interesting one in the North, New Orleans at Detroit. Now, 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:32.960 both of these teams are one and two, New Orleans 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:38.880 having obviously just lost to the Packers. The um Detroit 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:42.280 Lions were oh and two, but got a huge boost 0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:45.600 last week going out to Arizona, beating the previously two 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:49.080 and oh Arizona Cardinals with a last second field goal 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:52.160 in a bit of a surprise the Detroit Lions here West, 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:54.040 this is this is a game. This is a game 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:57.160 the Lions can say, you know, to the Bears and 0:12:57.200 --> 0:12:59.120 the Packers on top of the division right now, Hey, 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:01.040 we're gonna be right there with you. Yeah. And I 0:13:01.040 --> 0:13:02.840 don't want to get too far ahead of myself because 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:04.640 I'm guessing you're gonna ask me about the vikings to 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:06.719 trying to you know, get their first win against the 0:13:06.760 --> 0:13:10.040 own three Houston Texans. But this is why Week three 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:12.320 is always so compelling to me, because this is where 0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:14.720 the narratives really get to be told for how this 0:13:14.760 --> 0:13:17.160 season is going to go. New Orleans Saints. Man, this 0:13:17.240 --> 0:13:19.839 is a critical game for them at this point. Again, 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:23.199 we're talking about high expectations just a second ago with 0:13:23.320 --> 0:13:25.280 you know, the Bears and some of the things that 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:27.640 they're dealing with. Right now. The Saints feel like they're 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:30.079 a super Bowl contender. So now you're having to go back, 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:32.920 you know, on the road here against the Detroit team 0:13:32.960 --> 0:13:36.280 that's coming off a huge moral victory, uh in beating 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.640 a really stout, offensively driven you know how I've talked 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:42.680 about the Cardinals so far, uh team and winning that game. 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:46.040 It's a pivotal contest, not only for the division ramifications 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:48.320 for the Packers, but seeing how this NFC is going 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:51.080 to shuffle out as a whole as a conference. So yeah, 0:13:51.080 --> 0:13:54.319 I mean Matthew Stafford, I mean, Joe Lombardi knows him 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:56.400 over on the Packer here on the same side of things. 0:13:56.440 --> 0:13:58.480 I mean, they know how dangerous this guy can be. 0:13:58.520 --> 0:14:01.960 And certainly Adrian Peterson appears to be the guy. They've 0:14:02.000 --> 0:14:04.840 put all these resources into running back. But they're going 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:06.760 with Peterson quite a bit and seeing if they can 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:09.560 ride him to a second victory. Now, isn't that something 0:14:09.600 --> 0:14:12.120 For all of the turnover that the Lions have had 0:14:12.120 --> 0:14:14.320 in their backfield over the last seven eight years? They 0:14:14.400 --> 0:14:17.280 draft guys, you know, all going back to job at best, 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:20.320 and he has the concussions, and then more recently carry 0:14:20.320 --> 0:14:22.520 On Johnson. You think he's gonna be the guy? And 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:25.320 now who is the guy in the backfield behind Matthew Stafford. 0:14:25.320 --> 0:14:27.600 It's Adrian Peterson. As you said, I think they're gonna 0:14:27.720 --> 0:14:30.840 They're gonna ride him to be that balance with Matthew 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:33.680 Stafford's passing game, and see where it takes him. Well, 0:14:33.720 --> 0:14:35.160 you brought it up west, the other one in the 0:14:35.280 --> 0:14:37.920 NFC North to oh and three teams. I don't think 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:40.720 anybody would have thought either team would be oh and three. 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:43.880 The Minnesota Vikings in the Houston Texans. Houston has had 0:14:43.960 --> 0:14:47.080 an absolutely brutal schedule to start the season, so I 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:49.120 cut them a little bit of slack there, but still 0:14:49.800 --> 0:14:52.080 that's a playoff team from a year ago that nobody, 0:14:52.200 --> 0:14:54.160 nobody really would think they're oh and three. And the 0:14:54.160 --> 0:14:59.480 Minnesota Vikings, I've I've never seen a Mike Zimmer defense 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:02.600 strong goal like the Minnesota Vikings are struggling on the 0:15:02.640 --> 0:15:04.760 defensive side of the ball right now. Both of these 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:08.280 teams desperately need a victory. Yeah, desperately. I mean there's 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:10.640 no other way to put it. Bill O'Brien's guys, As 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:12.480 you said, I mean, yeah, they've had a tough schedule, 0:15:12.480 --> 0:15:15.720 But the problem is if you lose those games and 0:15:15.760 --> 0:15:18.520 you're already three games in the whole, it's difficult to 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:20.200 pull yourself out of that, not only in the win 0:15:20.280 --> 0:15:22.600 lost column, but just trying to convince yourself that you know, 0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:24.520 you are a good football team. So this is gonna 0:15:24.520 --> 0:15:27.080 be a big challenge for them, especially with the contract 0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:28.920 that they gave to Shaun Watson and the moves that 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:31.520 they made. They didn't make those moves thinking that they 0:15:31.560 --> 0:15:33.160 were going to start the season oh and three. Bill 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:35.440 O'Brien felt like those are the moves they need to 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:38.000 kind of push them forward to being more than just 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:41.160 a playoff team, to be a real legitimate contender. As 0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:43.440 far as the Vikings are concerned, Mike, it's just really 0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:45.760 difficult to put your finger on exactly what has gone 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:48.200 wrong there. I mean, certainly the defense has been an issue, 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:50.000 but defense has been an issue in a lot of 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:53.280 places here the first three weeks this season offensive football, 0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:55.400 I mean, there's gonna be so many records set right now. 0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:58.520 If they're gonna keep this trajectory, and if officials are gonna, 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:01.760 you know, officiate the games that they have so far, uh, 0:16:01.880 --> 0:16:04.680 this is gonna be very bizarre. But I mean when 0:16:04.680 --> 0:16:06.520 you go back and you look at the last seven years, 0:16:06.520 --> 0:16:08.720 however long now Zimmer has been in Minnesota, I think 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:13.080 their worrist ranked defense finished maybe overall. I mean, they 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:16.760 they've just been so consistent. But the young secondary that 0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:20.280 we talked about before Week one that's been an issue 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:22.240 for them so far in in some ways, I think 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:24.560 that's to be expected. Yeah, and last week was a 0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:27.280 real gut punch, frankly for the Minnesota Vikings. They were 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:29.320 playing at home, They had a two score lead in 0:16:29.320 --> 0:16:32.200 the second half on the Tennessee Titans. Dalvin Cook was 0:16:32.240 --> 0:16:35.080 having a big game, their rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson 0:16:35.200 --> 0:16:37.760 was having a big game. Things were really looking up. 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:41.960 And then that defense just couldn't hold hold off the Titans. 0:16:42.160 --> 0:16:45.920 And uh, and Stephen Gustkowski drills a couple of monstrously 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:49.840 long field goals and Tennessee escapes Minneapolis with a with 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:52.200 a thirty one to thirty victory to drop the Vikings 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:54.840 to oh and three. This is uh, this is a 0:16:54.840 --> 0:16:57.920 gut chet game for Minnesota, no question about it, you know, 0:16:58.040 --> 0:17:00.160 with with the way they lost last week and what 0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:02.920 they're facing trying to avoid oh and four. Yeah, and 0:17:02.960 --> 0:17:04.560 to roll it forward though, Mike, I mean, this is 0:17:04.560 --> 0:17:06.960 why this game Monday night is so pivotal for the Packers. 0:17:06.960 --> 0:17:08.720 I mean, this is an opportunity to start the season 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:10.400 four and o and then go into your bye week. 0:17:10.880 --> 0:17:12.680 I think it's a pretty early bye week. I think 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:15.040 the Packers probably still, if they were being honest, probably 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:16.560 would like it a few more weeks down the line. 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:18.080 But it's what's in front of you, and you have 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:20.480 Davante Adams banged up and Kenny Clark, you have to 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:22.760 make the most of it. We'll see what happens here. 0:17:22.760 --> 0:17:25.640 But I mean the Bears, Lions, and Vikings are all 0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:27.640 in for some ball games this weekend. If the Green 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:30.320 Bay Packers can pull another game out, they're sitting okay, 0:17:30.359 --> 0:17:33.040 going as you always say, the end of the first 0:17:33.080 --> 0:17:35.720 quarter pole of the season. Yes, the quarter We will 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:38.600 hit the quarter pole at at the end of Monday 0:17:38.720 --> 0:17:42.000 Nights game. Well, it should be a fun spectator Sunday 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:45.000 for NFC North football fans. And with that we will 0:17:45.040 --> 0:17:46.760 call it a wrap on this edition of Packers on 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:49.000 Script and be sure to follow all of our coverage 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:51.280 of the team leading up to the big Monday night 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:54.480 showdown on Packers dot com. For Wes, I am Mike. 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:56.960 Thank you for tuning, and everybody, see you next time.