WEBVTT - #324 Packers Unscripted: Fit to be tied 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:20.880 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.920 --> 0:00:24.480 I am Mike Spofford, joined as always by Wes Hodkoits. 0:00:24.520 --> 0:00:27.240 We're coming to you here from our studios at lambeau 0:00:27.280 --> 0:00:30.280 Field and West. I'm not quite sure where to start 0:00:30.360 --> 0:00:33.199 here on a Monday after that game Sunday afternoon at 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:36.040 lambeau Field, but I will start by saying, you have 0:00:36.240 --> 0:00:38.880 permission to call me a liar because I said all 0:00:38.960 --> 0:00:41.760 last week only one team in the NFC North would 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:45.000 be two and oh at the end of week two 0:00:45.159 --> 0:00:50.120 and nobody the Packers and the Vikings one oh and 0:00:50.240 --> 0:00:56.400 one after a nine tie. And uh boy, I don't 0:00:56.400 --> 0:00:58.720 know that that was. That was some game. It was 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:02.520 some game in here's the tragedy in this, Mike. Uh 0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:06.640 this is a really good football game, especially through the 0:01:06.640 --> 0:01:08.759 first three quarters. I know for Packer fans that's easy 0:01:08.800 --> 0:01:13.360 to say, but just in terms of the overall mechanics 0:01:13.440 --> 0:01:15.760 of a football game, I thought it was just it 0:01:15.800 --> 0:01:20.440 was two bulls clashing horns, Aaron Rodgers playing through the knee. 0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:23.840 Everyone's taking pictures of the brace before the game, the 0:01:23.880 --> 0:01:27.160 way the Packers offensive blind blocked, particularly in the the 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:29.760 you know, the first three quarters of that you have 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:33.559 the Vikings Kirk Cousins having a hard time getting going early. 0:01:33.680 --> 0:01:35.880 Their defense is doing some good things, but yet the 0:01:35.880 --> 0:01:39.040 Packers are kind of getting yards against the run with them. 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:42.400 They're just so many elements to it. And what hurts 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:47.319 is it was in officiating. You know, I don't want 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:48.880 to call to ball under you take it for what 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:51.400 it is. Everyone has their own opinion, but this is 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:53.520 Mike where you said you're a liar. I have to 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:56.680 admit I was wrong, and at this time I haven't 0:01:57.120 --> 0:01:59.640 started working on Insider Inbox yet for Tuesday, but I'm 0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:02.800 gonna have to put in there I was wrong because 0:02:03.040 --> 0:02:07.840 I said during the preseason the rules emphasis emphasies are 0:02:07.840 --> 0:02:10.960 going to work their way out the referees hopefully we'll 0:02:11.040 --> 0:02:16.240 use common sense and we'll get past this. And it's 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:18.919 not working out that way. No, it's not. It's not. 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:23.160 And unfortunately, you know the game, it always has a 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:26.280 way of happening like this that you complicate the rules, 0:02:26.320 --> 0:02:30.640 you make things difficult on the officials, and certain calls 0:02:30.800 --> 0:02:33.800 are going to happen at the crucial moments with the 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:35.880 game on the line, the Packers think they have the 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:39.040 Game one, when Jayra Alexander makes a heck of a 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:41.240 play on the ball. Let's not forget about that. I 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:44.680 was a Willie Mays over the shoulder catch. Somebody put 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:47.280 him on the deep fly to center field. Yeah for real. 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:49.200 I mean I don't know how he made that catch. 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:50.600 And that's one of the things that it just it 0:02:50.639 --> 0:02:53.400 doesn't it's not a story. So the Packers think they 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:55.600 have the game one, but the flag is out on 0:02:55.680 --> 0:02:59.720 Clay Matthews and we find out after the game. Tony Currenti, 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:03.600 the referee, spoke with ESPNS Rob Dmowsky for a pool report, which, 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:06.520 for those who don't understand, that's where one reporter gets 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:09.040 to talk to an official and then his interview is 0:03:09.080 --> 0:03:12.160 dispersed to all the media so that it's not a 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:14.680 press conference with all sorts of reporters per se with 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:18.239 a referee. But he does answer some questions and then 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:23.440 his explanations get distributed. So from the pool report, the ruling, 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:29.120 according to Karente, was that Matthews lifted and planted Kirk 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:32.400 Cousins into the ground. Essentially, now there was because before 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:34.359 that there was all sorts of speculation was that the 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:36.800 body weight rule. Did he actually think that hit was 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:39.240 too late or you know, because it was to the midsection, 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:41.800 it didn't seem like it was late. So now after 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:43.640 you get the ruling, then you go back and look 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:46.800 at it. And this is the simplest way I can 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:50.680 put it. It looks to me like Cousins comes off 0:03:50.680 --> 0:03:53.760 the ground because of the momentum of his throw, like 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:56.240 trying to launch that deep ball is when his feet 0:03:56.280 --> 0:03:58.960 come off the ground. That happens to be when Matthews 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:02.680 hits him. So CURRENTI sees it as Matthews lifting and 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:05.520 throwing into the ground, which really is not what happened. 0:04:06.080 --> 0:04:08.760 So I'm simply going to say what I said an 0:04:08.760 --> 0:04:11.760 insider inbox this morning and answering all these questions from 0:04:12.080 --> 0:04:15.000 the fans. If the NFL is going to make the 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:17.640 rules this complicated, and they're going to protect players and 0:04:17.760 --> 0:04:22.120 especially protect quarterbacks, then they also need to protect the 0:04:22.200 --> 0:04:25.200 results of the games and let these controversial calls be 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:27.520 looked at on replay. I don't see how the league 0:04:27.520 --> 0:04:30.320 has any other choice to eventually, at some point, I 0:04:30.320 --> 0:04:32.960 don't know when, but to allow plays like that to 0:04:33.000 --> 0:04:36.080 be reviewed, because one look at the replay and it's like, hey, 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:39.120 Clay Matthews didn't do anything wrong. That play should have 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:43.760 stood as called. Yeah, I agree, and I understand there 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:46.640 is a time element to it. I understand that they 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:48.800 always want to pick up the speed of play, they 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:51.360 want to keep people interested. But at the end of 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:55.320 the day, this is about winning and losing coaches, players, 0:04:55.520 --> 0:04:58.720 It's about having a league that people believe the results 0:04:58.800 --> 0:05:01.880 are just and that the results are fair and they're 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.760 not just arbitrary. Right. But I mean, like this is 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:06.839 this is a big thing, Mike. Then they're at a 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:10.360 crossroads in this in my opinion, because now you're you're 0:05:10.400 --> 0:05:13.240 looking at I mean again, for for Mike McCarthy is 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:15.680 in his thirteenth year here, He's been through all the 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:18.120 highs and lows of this thing. There aren't there are 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:20.920 teams out there that aren't that well established. There's teams 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:23.400 that you know, coaches are trying to cement their system 0:05:23.400 --> 0:05:25.760 and trying to cement their foundation working with these players 0:05:25.800 --> 0:05:28.760 for the first time, and I don't know what they 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:30.840 tell him. On Monday morning during the film review, the 0:05:31.120 --> 0:05:34.160 only question to Mike McCarthy's credit, he he didn't want 0:05:34.160 --> 0:05:36.560 to make his postgame news conference about the comments he 0:05:36.600 --> 0:05:38.400 did say, though, when I believe it was. Dave Schrader 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:40.760 asked him from w B A Y, is there any 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:43.240 other way to coach? And he said, I don't believe so. 0:05:43.240 --> 0:05:45.560 So um in the two other elements I want to 0:05:45.560 --> 0:05:47.200 touch on other than the instant replay, because I think 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:48.919 you're right. If this is the route they're gonna go, 0:05:49.320 --> 0:05:51.120 there's ramifications of that, and this should be one of 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:54.159 the responses to it. I now fully I'm on board 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:56.680 with that, but I thought, and I tweeted this after 0:05:56.720 --> 0:05:58.960 the game. Kenny Clark and the story that I wrote 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:02.840 for our website had such a great articulated point that 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:07.480 wasn't emotional, but he just said, listen, we're coached too. 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:09.680 Move your head to the side so you're not hitting 0:06:09.720 --> 0:06:14.680 him in the helmet, proceed through the player's body with 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:18.640 your feet and take them down with wrap up with 0:06:18.680 --> 0:06:21.880 the arms, and whatever happens, that's what happens. But the 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:24.560 game is moving so fast now that it's tough for 0:06:24.640 --> 0:06:27.200 referees the process that in his Clark said, He's like, 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:30.919 do we have to demonstrably twist our body in the sack? Now? 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:33.200 And I think you actually saw Sheldon Richardson do that, 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:36.039 but he was outside the pocket with Aaron Rodgers. When 0:06:36.080 --> 0:06:39.000 you're in the heat of battle, you're then putting the 0:06:39.040 --> 0:06:42.920 defensive player at a position where they're compromised. Mike Daniels 0:06:42.920 --> 0:06:45.240 talked about this too, the play where it appears like 0:06:45.279 --> 0:06:47.360 he lets up at the end of it with Mike 0:06:47.400 --> 0:06:49.880 Reamer's is blocking him. He said, one of the reasons 0:06:49.880 --> 0:06:52.080 why he didn't follow through is one, you're not sure 0:06:52.279 --> 0:06:54.320 Cousin is gonna get the ball out. In two if 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:57.039 he proceeds through the tech, you have a three pound 0:06:57.400 --> 0:06:59.960 guard that's gonna fall on top of you. Well, what's 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:03.000 the ref gonna do. It's a difficult position for them 0:07:03.000 --> 0:07:05.080 to be in. Yeah, and then and again this is 0:07:05.080 --> 0:07:07.320 where and I go back to what I've said about 0:07:07.320 --> 0:07:10.040 a lot of these calls over the last several years, 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:12.600 even going back to last season, I think what the 0:07:12.680 --> 0:07:15.320 league is asking the officials to do on the field 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:18.960 is unfair. These guys, these guys are big, they are fast, 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:22.080 they are strong. Things happen at full speed, and for 0:07:22.120 --> 0:07:24.640 these games to hinge on calls that are very very 0:07:24.640 --> 0:07:29.280 difficult to make at live speed that I think for 0:07:29.560 --> 0:07:32.400 to to avoid these types of controversies, and you're not 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:34.760 going to completely avoid them. I shouldn't say avoid, but 0:07:34.800 --> 0:07:38.040 to reduce. I think you can greatly reduce the number 0:07:38.040 --> 0:07:41.440 of controversies if you allow more things to be reviewed. Now, 0:07:41.480 --> 0:07:44.840 nobody wants four hour games, nobody wants everything to be 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:48.520 stopped by replay. But at some point, if player safety 0:07:48.560 --> 0:07:50.720 and all of this and protecting quarterbacks and everything is 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:53.080 going to be paramount, and I don't disagree with that, 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:56.360 then there has to be a tradeoff, and the tradeoff 0:07:56.400 --> 0:07:58.040 can't be well, you just have to live with these 0:07:58.040 --> 0:08:01.400 controversial calls. As as a fan of the game, I'm 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:04.720 not talking about this is sitting here wearing my Packers shirt. 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:06.920 As a fan of the game, I don't accept that 0:08:06.960 --> 0:08:09.360 as a trade off. The tradeoff needs to be the 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:13.720 results need to be just and fair and baseball Baseball 0:08:13.760 --> 0:08:17.160 postseason games are getting very difficult to watch. But as 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:19.720 I as I also said in Insider Inbox this morning, 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:22.200 there won't be any more Don Denking or moments that 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:26.200 decide a World Series championship because Baseball has decided replay 0:08:26.280 --> 0:08:29.520 is important enough that you can't have everybody talking about 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:31.920 what should have been The calls need to be right, 0:08:32.040 --> 0:08:35.240 as often as possible, and I think the NFL is 0:08:35.280 --> 0:08:37.320 eventually going to have to decide that that's what they 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:39.040 need to do. Yeah, And and then just you know, 0:08:39.160 --> 0:08:41.679 kind of sum up that point to Mike as we 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:44.040 proceed now going forward, I mean, I don't know how 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:46.520 they're going to go about this, handling this, you know, 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:49.480 day after day, game after game, A lot of questions 0:08:49.520 --> 0:08:52.400 are gonna have to answer. But I'll say this, Mike, 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:55.520 the NFL officials office in New York is as well 0:08:55.559 --> 0:08:58.320 positioned to handle something like that as they've ever been. 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:02.160 We've seen more stuff go to a centralized replay system. 0:09:02.200 --> 0:09:04.920 There's a possibility there for them to be able to 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:07.960 absorb that. The question is going to be what's the 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:10.720 trade off. Yeah, And as I'm looking at my colleague here, 0:09:10.760 --> 0:09:14.240 I'm realizing that Don Danking or reference from the Cardinals 0:09:14.360 --> 0:09:16.800 Royals World Series is before you were even born, right 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:19.080 over my head. So, okay, I know that one that 0:09:19.160 --> 0:09:21.600 happened though, with the kid grabbing the ball. I think 0:09:21.600 --> 0:09:23.640 at Yankee Stadium? Was it or was it that was 0:09:23.679 --> 0:09:27.160 Jeffrey Mayer? That was Yankees Orioles? Yeah, that was Richie Garcia. 0:09:27.240 --> 0:09:29.800 I got that one line. Yeah, that was yeah now, 0:09:29.880 --> 0:09:32.000 don Denking, or was before you were born, but you 0:09:32.000 --> 0:09:36.400 can google it. World Series call it first base changed 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:39.719 everything anyway at Homer Here in the stands West, we 0:09:39.760 --> 0:09:41.560 all know that Green Bay fans give it. They're all 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:43.400 and that takes a lot of energy. So grab a 0:09:43.400 --> 0:09:46.200 warm bowl of Campbell's Chunky Soup. It's meaty goodness fuels 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:49.360 the greatness of Packers fans everywhere. Try the delicious classic 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:52.440 chicken noodle soup. Just visit your local supermarket and ask 0:09:52.480 --> 0:09:55.360 for Campbell's Chunky Soup, the official sup partner of the 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:59.640 Green Bay Packers. Okay, controversy aside. I think what really 0:09:59.679 --> 0:10:03.120 sting is about this game for the Packers is as 0:10:03.200 --> 0:10:05.760 well as they played for such a large portion of 0:10:05.800 --> 0:10:09.400 the game and having numerous opportunities to put the game 0:10:09.440 --> 0:10:13.000 away and it didn't happen. Aaron Rodgers, I thought, played 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:16.080 a tremendous game on his bad left knee. Was definitely 0:10:16.080 --> 0:10:18.439 more mobile than he was in the second half against 0:10:18.480 --> 0:10:21.520 Chicago the previous week. That was a good sign um 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:24.360 he really the Packers really moved the ball pretty darn 0:10:24.400 --> 0:10:27.480 well overall against one of the league's best defense. Is 0:10:27.520 --> 0:10:31.400 what was the league's best defense a year ago. And uh, 0:10:31.480 --> 0:10:33.880 but it was just an inability to finish in the 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:36.960 red zone. Kicking too many field goals, you have an 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:39.319 opportunity to win the game at the end of regulation. 0:10:39.400 --> 0:10:41.960 Mason Crosby makes the first one, but the time out 0:10:42.400 --> 0:10:44.680 was called before the snap, and then he misses the 0:10:44.720 --> 0:10:48.400 second one. UM. The Vikings obviously blow two field goals 0:10:48.400 --> 0:10:51.320 in overtime. We know all about that as well. UM. 0:10:51.360 --> 0:10:53.960 Just a tough one to swallow, because it would be 0:10:54.040 --> 0:10:57.120 nice if we were talking about the Packers finding a 0:10:57.160 --> 0:10:59.880 way to put this game away and not worrying about 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:02.720 what happened with Matthew. The end result really didn't fit 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:06.960 what the overall storyline was, the narrative of that football game. 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:08.480 I think that's the tough part because one of the 0:11:08.480 --> 0:11:11.120 things I wrote on the Insider Inbox on Saturday was 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:14.160 that regardless of rather or not Rogers played, And as 0:11:14.160 --> 0:11:16.080 it turns out, Mike McCarthy said he ended up taking 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:19.000 most of the practice reps on Saturday, he was out there. 0:11:19.280 --> 0:11:21.960 But regardless, everybody needs to elevate their game. I thought 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:25.120 the offensive line, especially early on, played really well, given 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:28.200 him a manageable pocket. You saw Geronimo Allison. He had 0:11:28.240 --> 0:11:31.160 six catches for sixty four yards and he blocked that punt. 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:34.160 I mean watching that play, Mike, he put his hand 0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:35.880 out there, he put his body out there. He was 0:11:36.520 --> 0:11:40.959 everything to extend and Josh Jackson ends up grabbing the touchdown. 0:11:41.000 --> 0:11:44.040 Gives him a huge jolt of energy. Early on, Jimmy 0:11:44.080 --> 0:11:47.880 Graham had an exceptional game, six catches for I believe 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:50.360 it was eighty five yards. Maybe you can make the arguments, 0:11:50.360 --> 0:11:54.800 should maybe make the argument should have been even more. 0:11:55.160 --> 0:11:57.160 That play gets called back due to probably a pretty 0:11:57.240 --> 0:11:59.839 questionable holding call as well, and then he goes and 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:02.319 makes that big catch near the sideline that actually set 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:05.599 it up for Mason Crosby to try the game winner. Crosby, 0:12:05.679 --> 0:12:07.960 he mentioned that was going down to his best game 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:11.000 in the regular season, and the narrative changes. Yeah, he's five, 0:12:11.040 --> 0:12:13.439 He's five for five, which ties his career high for 0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:16.040 made field goals in a game, goes out there for 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:18.800 the fifty two yard or and you know, after what 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:22.240 I thought was very similar to the Rogers to Jared 0:12:22.280 --> 0:12:25.080 Cook play in Dallas in the playoffs. You know where 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:27.240 where the time is running out, you just don't think 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:29.640 the Packers have enough time to get in field goal range. 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:32.560 Rogers makes a connection with the tight end along the sideline, 0:12:32.600 --> 0:12:36.600 big gainer. Then you're in position, and Crosby's having having 0:12:36.600 --> 0:12:38.480 the game of his life. And as I said, he 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:41.080 makes the first one, but it doesn't count. He plays 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:43.600 the exact same line with the wind blowing to the right, 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:45.800 and on the second one, the wind just didn't blow 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:47.439 it back in like it had with all his other 0:12:47.520 --> 0:12:50.480 kicks during the day, and uh um. And so the 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:53.120 game goes to overtime, and just just unfortunate because it 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:54.640 would have been it would have been really something to 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:56.280 see the Packers pull out. And as you and I 0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:58.920 were talking about before, and Danny Carlson going out there, 0:12:58.960 --> 0:13:01.480 Daniel Cardinal Sinex used me he was having trouble with 0:13:01.559 --> 0:13:04.760 that same end zone ball pushing right, three miss field goals, 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:07.760 kicking to that particular side of the stadium. Tough position 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:09.559 for both sides. And and I mean both of these 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:11.839 teams afterwards, and I wrote about it a lot of 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:14.880 mixed emotions because it's a big game. I mean, it's 0:13:14.960 --> 0:13:17.080 NFC North, it's one of the as I mentioned before, 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:19.040 two of the top teams I think in this conference 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:21.120 and for it to end this way, there is that 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:23.960 feeling of just sort of an unresolved outcome, and that's 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:27.520 sometimes tough to process. Yeah, it's unresolved in the rematch 0:13:27.520 --> 0:13:30.040 in Minneapolis is more than two months away. You're talking 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:33.719 about the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend before these teams are 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:36.240 going to uh meet again. But it's interesting. And I 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:38.680 don't want to get all back into the Matthews controversy 0:13:38.720 --> 0:13:41.440 because I think I think we've discussed that plenty. But 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:45.040 it's interesting to me how the perception of everything that 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:48.120 went on in this game changes with that one call, 0:13:48.280 --> 0:13:51.160 Because if you look at Kirk Cousins, and I take 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:54.400 nothing away from, you know, the way Kirk Cousins performed 0:13:54.440 --> 0:13:56.640 in this game and that fourth quarter rally and everything, 0:13:56.679 --> 0:13:59.640 but if the flag isn't out on Matthews and the 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:03.839 inner option with Alexander stands, and that basically ends the game. 0:14:04.679 --> 0:14:07.320 Kirk Cousins ends up with about two hundred and eighty 0:14:07.400 --> 0:14:09.559 yards passing because he had about a hundred and forty 0:14:09.679 --> 0:14:14.880 yards after the interception was nullified, has three touchdowns, two interceptions. 0:14:14.960 --> 0:14:17.760 Is passer rating is certainly under a hundred with the 0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:21.560 second interception, and all the headlines in Minnesota are They're wondering, 0:14:21.560 --> 0:14:23.600 why did we really get our money's worth work with 0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:26.040 Kirk Cousins. He throws two interceptions late in the fourth 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:28.400 quarter with the game on the line. Instead, what are 0:14:28.400 --> 0:14:31.160 the headlines in Minnesota? This is why the Vikings signed 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:34.840 Kirk Cousins because he ends up with four five yards, 0:14:34.840 --> 0:14:37.360 four touchdowns, twenty two points in the fourth quarter to 0:14:37.440 --> 0:14:40.560 pull a game into overtime that the Vikings seemingly were 0:14:40.560 --> 0:14:44.240 out of and um give the Vikings defense credit. They 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:46.880 stopped a lot of those opportunities where the Packers did 0:14:46.920 --> 0:14:49.200 have a chance to put it away, especially after Clinton 0:14:49.240 --> 0:14:52.840 Dix's deflected interception the balls at the thirteen yard line. 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:55.000 I said to you write when it happened because of 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:57.600 the clock in Minnesota's time outs, I was like, this 0:14:57.680 --> 0:14:59.920 game is not over. The Packers either need a touch 0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:01.960 down or a first down. They could add a first 0:15:01.960 --> 0:15:04.280 down at the three yard line. They need a touchdown 0:15:04.360 --> 0:15:05.840 or a first down to be able to put this 0:15:05.880 --> 0:15:07.640 game away. A field goal will not do it, and 0:15:07.680 --> 0:15:10.080 we'll give the Vikings another chance. And then that that's 0:15:10.280 --> 0:15:13.760 exactly what happened. The Vikings got one more chance, and 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:16.400 and uh, it's just it's interesting to me just how 0:15:16.440 --> 0:15:19.520 the how the narratives completely flipped because we'd be talking 0:15:19.560 --> 0:15:21.560 about the Packers being two and oh they just got 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:24.120 a leg up on the Vikings and you know everything else. 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:27.200 And but that's that's the way of this league. Sometimes 0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:29.200 you just have to shrug your shoulders and smile and 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:31.440 laugh a little bit because it's two games in. There's 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:33.280 four team more of these to go, and a lot 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:35.680 is going to happen between now and the new year, 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:37.440 right and one of the other things I think would 0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:38.960 have been a big storyline probably would have been a 0:15:38.960 --> 0:15:42.040 sidebar at least the notes lead to my my coverage 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:44.880 was the fact that that sub base defensive Packers turn 0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:47.720 to actually worked out pretty well early on. I think 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:49.640 there was a little bit of attrition there towards the 0:15:49.760 --> 0:15:53.400 end they lose Kevin King. That's a big one. Him 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:56.200 exiting that game with the groin injury. I think you've 0:15:56.200 --> 0:15:59.480 seen with him Jackers. Packers missed him in the fourth quarter, 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:02.040 there's no question. Literally right before he goes out, Mike, 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:04.680 he makes a picture perfect coverage. I believe it was 0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:07.400 on Stefon digs along the sideline. He's with them step 0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:09.760 for step on third down with no help over the top, 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:12.520 just showing you the kind of athlete he is. And 0:16:12.560 --> 0:16:14.640 the other side of that is with Devon House going in, 0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:19.000 they didn't really have another backup defensive back. After that, 0:16:19.320 --> 0:16:22.280 they moved over to their sub nickel package, so they 0:16:22.320 --> 0:16:24.800 started with Corey Tumor as the other inside linebacker. They 0:16:24.800 --> 0:16:29.880 shift over to Jermaine Whitehead with Josh Jones, um, Deonte Burton, 0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:32.760 and Raven Green all down. That was the Packers defense. 0:16:32.840 --> 0:16:35.080 When they went seven dbs or six dbs, they were 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:38.240 pretty much up if they were so It's just it is. 0:16:38.360 --> 0:16:41.320 It's tough how things changed because I thought we saw 0:16:41.360 --> 0:16:43.920 exactly what I was thinking we might see with Mike Petton, 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:46.640 and that we saw so many dbs early on, and 0:16:46.640 --> 0:16:48.960 then they shifted a lot of base, a lot of 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:51.440 sub base where you have Mohammed Wilkerson playing a five 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:54.600 technique defensive end without an outside backer on his shoulder. 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:58.600 They made the right adjustments to to compensate for Delvin Coke, 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:01.560 who only had thirty eight rushing yards. It's just that 0:17:01.680 --> 0:17:03.800 at the end of the day, I think with the 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:06.320 weather conditions and everything else that happened, and obviously trying 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:10.240 to fight back from the the callback interception. Um, those 0:17:10.240 --> 0:17:11.760 are a lot of plays and it was pretty hot 0:17:11.760 --> 0:17:14.760 for September Day. Agree in Green Bay. I think the guys, 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:17.400 when you look at that defense, played exceptional. I mean 0:17:17.400 --> 0:17:19.240 in terms of giving it their full effort the whole way. 0:17:19.280 --> 0:17:22.240 But I mean it's that's they basically played five quarters. Yeah, 0:17:22.240 --> 0:17:24.320 that defense was clearly out of gas at the end 0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:26.760 of the game. I thought Minnesota's defense was was just 0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:29.280 as out of gas and in that respect, and you 0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:32.560 know when I laid out all of the missed opportunities 0:17:32.600 --> 0:17:36.080 for the Packers in my editorial after the game, whether 0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:38.720 you want to look at the overtime possession second and 0:17:38.800 --> 0:17:42.120 one from the thirty seven yard line, Rogers thinks he's 0:17:42.160 --> 0:17:44.159 got a great call with the read kind of the 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:47.520 read option keep, but Jamal Williams is kind of trying 0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:49.600 to grab the ball, doesn't know Rogers wants to pull 0:17:49.600 --> 0:17:53.359 it back. It causes a fumble. Rogers recovers it, fortunately, 0:17:53.359 --> 0:17:55.680 but you lose three yards. So you go from second 0:17:55.680 --> 0:17:57.720 and one to third and four. Now you're kind of 0:17:57.760 --> 0:17:59.720 out of fuel. Goal range, you need to get something 0:17:59.760 --> 0:18:02.800 bad to give Mason Crosby another shot. You end up 0:18:02.800 --> 0:18:04.760 taking a sack on third down and you have to punt, 0:18:04.800 --> 0:18:07.160 which then leads to the Vikings getting their one last 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:09.520 shot at the field goal, which then was missed. But 0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:13.000 the missed opportunities also started in the third quarter with 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:16.679 the Packers up seventeen to seven. They think they have 0:18:16.800 --> 0:18:19.600 the touchdown to Jimmy Graham to put them up three scores, 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:22.720 which really was going to put the pressure on Minnesota. 0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:27.080 You make this a three score deficit for them, but 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:29.840 the holding call on Lane Taylor calls that back and 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:31.720 then the Packers end up kicking a field goals, so 0:18:31.760 --> 0:18:34.720 instead of twenty four to seven, seventeen points, it's twenty 0:18:34.960 --> 0:18:38.840 seven thirteen points, just two touchdowns. The Packers never got 0:18:38.880 --> 0:18:41.560 that three score lead, and uh and then in the 0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:44.080 fourth quarter never got it back to that to score 0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:47.040 advantage because they kept kicking field goals while the Vikings 0:18:47.040 --> 0:18:49.840 were scoring touchdowns. Just a lot of a lot of 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:52.560 missed opportunities. And I asked Aaron Rodgers in his postgame 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:55.760 press conference, Okay, all of those field goal drives, you know, 0:18:55.880 --> 0:18:57.680 was there any one of those where you walked off 0:18:57.680 --> 0:18:59.879 the field and just said, man, that really really should 0:18:59.880 --> 0:19:01.919 have in a touchdown. And he just said every single 0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:04.120 one of them, you know, he just he he felt 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:06.879 like he felt like the Packers kind of gave this 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:09.720 one away because they couldn't finish drives. And as I said, 0:19:09.720 --> 0:19:12.879 Minnesota's defense, you know, they are who they are, and 0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:14.960 they have the rankings they have for a reason. But 0:19:15.040 --> 0:19:18.000 the Packers had their chance. The positive thing and again 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:20.320 trying to pull silver lining from this was the Packers 0:19:20.359 --> 0:19:23.000 locker room afterwards. As much as guys were disappointed about 0:19:23.000 --> 0:19:25.280 the outcome, I didn't really see anybody that was demoralized. 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:27.680 I mean, Joyr Alexander was kind of almost laughing off 0:19:27.680 --> 0:19:29.680 the fact that he got his interception called back. I mean, 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:32.360 just the amount of confidence that he has that, yeah, 0:19:32.359 --> 0:19:35.040