WEBVTT - #810 Packers Unscripted: Bearing down

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<v Speaker 1>Hi, everybody.

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<v Speaker 2>Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com.

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<v Speaker 2>I am like Spofford, joined as always by my trust

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<v Speaker 2>and colleague Wes Hodkoitz. We're coming to you Hear from

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<v Speaker 2>our studios at Lambeaufield to preview Sunday's Packers Bears showdown.

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<v Speaker 2>It will be at Soldier Field in Chicago, a noon

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<v Speaker 2>Central time.

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<v Speaker 1>Kickoff and west.

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<v Speaker 2>Before we dive a little bit deeper into this four

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<v Speaker 2>and five Chicago Bears team, a quick.

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<v Speaker 1>Update on the.

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<v Speaker 2>Health department for the Packers. Quarterback Jordan Love, a full

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<v Speaker 2>participant in practice on Wednesday, took all of the reps.

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<v Speaker 2>That was certainly good news to hear. Jay r, Alexander,

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<v Speaker 2>Evan Williams, Josh Myers all back at practice on Wednesday

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<v Speaker 2>after missing the last game against the Lions before the bye.

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<v Speaker 2>Colby Wooden defensive lineman, second year pro. He was the

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<v Speaker 2>only player on the Packers current active roster who did

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<v Speaker 2>not practice on Wednesday. He has a shoulder injury. By

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<v Speaker 2>all accounts, at least so far, the bye week did

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<v Speaker 2>some good for the Packers as far as their injury report.

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<v Speaker 3>You missed the biggest one of all Michael Tucker Craft

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<v Speaker 3>no longer in the red non contact jersey Tucker Klaft

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<v Speaker 3>Craft will once again be unleashed on the Packers defense

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<v Speaker 3>in practices after having to take off him here the

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<v Speaker 3>last couple months. But you know, all joking aside, I

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<v Speaker 3>felt like it was a reason why I ended up

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<v Speaker 3>doing my Thursday morning story. I mean, this was what

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<v Speaker 3>everybody was waiting to see. You know, you saw Evan Williams,

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<v Speaker 3>you sat jyr Alexander, you sat Josh Myers going into

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<v Speaker 3>the Lions game. Jordan was dealing with what he was

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<v Speaker 3>dealing with. How are they going to look on the

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<v Speaker 3>other side of this thing? I thought Wednesday's practice obviously

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<v Speaker 3>was very positive. Nobody's making any promises. Evan Williams wasn't,

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<v Speaker 3>Josh Myers wasn't at his locker, But it does sound

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<v Speaker 3>like there's optimism there that all those guys are making

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<v Speaker 3>the progress you want to see. And even more than that, Michael,

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<v Speaker 3>I just look at a team that did so many

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<v Speaker 3>things well in the first half of the season despite

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<v Speaker 3>some not a huge rash of injuries, but like nagging

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<v Speaker 3>things at bad positions where you don't want to have

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<v Speaker 3>nagging things right when you think about the quarterback issues

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<v Speaker 3>green Bay went through, when you think about the secondary

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<v Speaker 3>and some of the things they've had to navigate to

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<v Speaker 3>getting back a guy like Evan Williams, with how well

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<v Speaker 3>he's played in the first half of the season, what

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<v Speaker 3>that could do for the Packers. We saw the domino

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<v Speaker 3>effect of Josh Myers not being out there, Elton Jenkins

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<v Speaker 3>having to move in, different communications set up up front.

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<v Speaker 3>I just feel like what we saw is Green Bay

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<v Speaker 3>getting closer to being healthy, which means them getting closer

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<v Speaker 3>to being comfortable within their assignments, and from there, hopefully

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<v Speaker 3>the Packers can continue to fly here in the second half.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and we'll see how things play out for the

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<v Speaker 2>rest of the week. Obviously, Thursday's practice is always a

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<v Speaker 2>big indicator because they put the pads on. It's really

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<v Speaker 2>more of the full contact practice the one time they

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<v Speaker 2>do that during the week. So we'll keep our eye

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<v Speaker 2>on that injury report as the week unfolds. The opponent

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<v Speaker 2>this week, the Chicago Bears. We talked about a little

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<v Speaker 2>bit on our last show. This is a team that

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<v Speaker 2>was one play away from being five and two and

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<v Speaker 2>feeling really, really good about itself. The Hail Mary goes

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<v Speaker 2>the wrong way for Chicago. In Washington, they lose to

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<v Speaker 2>the Commanders, and there's there's been some kind of what

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<v Speaker 2>you call it a hangover effect, whatever you want to say.

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<v Speaker 2>The last two Bears performances have just been complete duds.

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<v Speaker 2>They've gotten, you know, handled quite easily, to be brutally honest,

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<v Speaker 2>by the Arizona Cardinals and by a struggling New England

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<v Speaker 2>Patriots team that has now led to a change at

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<v Speaker 2>offensive coordinator. Shane Waldron is out and Thomas Brown is

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<v Speaker 2>in as offensive coordinator for Chicago. And you know, I'm

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<v Speaker 2>not sure exactly how much is going to change with

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<v Speaker 2>the with the Bears offense. I think you have to

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<v Speaker 2>be kind of ready for some unscouted looks. You have

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<v Speaker 2>to be ready for some tendency breakers. If I'm Thomas Brown,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm coming into this game against the Packers saying, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>our rookie quarterback is having his struggles, our pass protection

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<v Speaker 2>unit is having its struggles. As the Bears gave up

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<v Speaker 2>nine sacks to the New England Patriots. The running back

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<v Speaker 2>is the best friend in those situations, the running game.

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<v Speaker 2>I think the Packers have to be ready for a healthy,

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<v Speaker 2>healthy dose of DeAndre Swift coming at him in this game.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, one hundred percent. The tough thing was as I

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<v Speaker 3>was looking back at that game against New England and

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<v Speaker 3>where they came up short. Certainly the nine sacks jump

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<v Speaker 3>off the page and we're not going to sit here

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<v Speaker 3>and you can listen to Chicago media as far as

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<v Speaker 3>who's all the blame for that. But you know one

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<v Speaker 3>thing that I think has really hurt this team when

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<v Speaker 3>I look at them on paper is the fact that

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<v Speaker 3>Braxton Jones has been banged up. Darnell Wright has been

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<v Speaker 3>banged up. Those are your two bookends on the offensive line.

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<v Speaker 3>They've had a lot of change on the interior offensive

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<v Speaker 3>line there, and it just seems like they haven't been

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<v Speaker 3>able to get into much of a rhythm. And I

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<v Speaker 3>covered this on Insider inbox Er this week, where I

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<v Speaker 3>feel like, when you're building a team and you have

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<v Speaker 3>a new quarterback, a young quarterback, you have to build

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<v Speaker 3>from the inside out. And in no disrespect to Chicago

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<v Speaker 3>or what they're doing, but I mean they kind of

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<v Speaker 3>built from the outside in. It feels like, now that

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<v Speaker 3>being said, DeAndre Swift was a move they needed to make.

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<v Speaker 3>You're gonna lose David Montgomery. You're gonna lose some of

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<v Speaker 3>those proven assets in your backfield. You have to find

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<v Speaker 3>a way to be able to make up for that. Swift.

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<v Speaker 3>To me, he's been okay this year. I thought last

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<v Speaker 3>year he was sensational. I thought he really It made

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<v Speaker 3>it look like both them and the Lions made the

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<v Speaker 3>right moves with how they did their running back situations.

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<v Speaker 3>But this year it's been a little bit harder running.

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<v Speaker 3>But that being said, he does have a fifty six

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<v Speaker 3>yard touchdown. He is the lead back. There is no

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<v Speaker 3>committee there. This is the guy, and he's been able

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<v Speaker 3>to stay healthy for the most part in that role

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<v Speaker 3>in Chicago. And when you're talking about as much as

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<v Speaker 3>everybody will talk and discuss about unscouted looks and trick

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<v Speaker 3>plays and all these other things, the number one thing

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<v Speaker 3>that I would imagine the Bears are thinking right now

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<v Speaker 3>is how can we make life easier on Caleb Williams.

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<v Speaker 3>And to your initial point, that goes back to the

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<v Speaker 3>wrong game and getting in favorable down in distance.

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<v Speaker 1>I think so too.

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<v Speaker 2>I think that's I think that's what this Bears offense

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<v Speaker 2>is going to start to focus on to really help

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<v Speaker 2>out Caleb Williams, the number one.

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<v Speaker 1>Overall draft pick.

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<v Speaker 2>As far as the passing game goes, he's certainly spread

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<v Speaker 2>the ball around quite a bit. Roma Duneesa, DJ morricle comet.

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<v Speaker 2>All these guys have produced. Nobody really stands out as

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<v Speaker 2>necessarily like the go to guy for Caleb Williams, which

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<v Speaker 2>I think is a good thing for a young quarterback.

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<v Speaker 2>But the Bears need to find something to hang their

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<v Speaker 2>hat on offensively, to really to be the foundation of

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<v Speaker 2>what they're going to do and who they're going to be.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think whatever that is going to be, I

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<v Speaker 2>think it's going to start this week against the Packers

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<v Speaker 2>because of this big if now at offensive coordinate, there's.

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<v Speaker 3>Just no explosiveness to the offense, is what my initial

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<v Speaker 3>thing has been. Again that's not a criticism, it's just

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<v Speaker 3>the facts. I mean, they just they have a bunch

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<v Speaker 3>of guys that have caught the ball. Nobody's had that

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<v Speaker 3>big game breaker. I think their longest catch of the

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<v Speaker 3>year is forty seven yards and it wasn't even a touchdown.

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<v Speaker 3>I mean, like, they haven't had those explosive type plays

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<v Speaker 3>that I think sometimes can really help boost a young

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<v Speaker 3>quarterbacks confidence and Because of that, they are what is it,

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<v Speaker 3>the thirty first ranked third down offense in the National

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<v Speaker 3>Football League. It's just been tough sledding offensively, trying to

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<v Speaker 3>find some consistency there. Now, that being said, I want

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<v Speaker 3>to make this clear because I know we'll transition here

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<v Speaker 3>shortly to the defense. But the Chicago Bears are four

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<v Speaker 3>and five. They lost threes in a row here now

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<v Speaker 3>coming out of the buy they are still undefeated this season.

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<v Speaker 3>When their offense scores over twenty points. Yeah, defensively they

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<v Speaker 3>can play with anybody in the league. It's just been

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<v Speaker 3>a grind trying to find ways to generate offense and

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<v Speaker 3>twenty three straight drives now whatever it is without a

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<v Speaker 3>touchdown or passing touchdown. I mean, there is a lot

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<v Speaker 3>of bad mojo feeling around this team right now. But

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<v Speaker 3>that being said, an opening driver, you go down the

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<v Speaker 3>field and you score, it changes everything, especially when you

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<v Speaker 3>make a change on the coaching staff. So my message

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<v Speaker 3>this week has been you got to treat this team

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<v Speaker 3>just like you treated the Detroit Lions. You have to

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<v Speaker 3>have your antennas up. You got to think about them

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<v Speaker 3>as not just an opponent, an obstruction from your seventh

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<v Speaker 3>win but you got to get NFC wins, You got

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<v Speaker 3>to get division wins, and it starts with the Chicago

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<v Speaker 3>Bears and keeping this winning street going under Matt Lafleur

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<v Speaker 3>at Soldier Field.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I think there's I think there's a perception out

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<v Speaker 2>there amongst Packer fans because the Bears are struggling so much,

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<v Speaker 2>especially on offense, they can't get things going with Caleb

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<v Speaker 2>Williams and all that, there's there's this perception that you

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<v Speaker 2>know that if the Packers, you know, they get themselves

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<v Speaker 2>healthier on offense, they get rolling, that that they can

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<v Speaker 2>go into that they can go into Soldier Field and

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<v Speaker 2>just and steamroll the Bears. Here, you look at this

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<v Speaker 2>Bears defense and that's simply not going to be the case.

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<v Speaker 2>I mentioned this an Insider Inbox. I mentioned it on

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<v Speaker 2>our Three Things video with Larry yesterday. This Bears defense

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<v Speaker 2>has allowed more than twenty one points only once all season,

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<v Speaker 2>and that was to the Arizona Cardinals the game right

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<v Speaker 2>after they hail Mary. This is a defense that's taken

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<v Speaker 2>the ball away sixteen times. They have eight interceptions, they

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<v Speaker 2>have eight fumble recoveries. That's only a few takeaways behind

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<v Speaker 2>the Packers. It's only a few takeaways off of the

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<v Speaker 2>league lead across the board. Two big things situationally where

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<v Speaker 2>this defense is really really tough. They are seventh in

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<v Speaker 2>the league in third down percentage allowed. I believe it's

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<v Speaker 2>around thirty three percent, only allowing third down conversions a

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<v Speaker 2>third of the time. And this is the best statistically,

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<v Speaker 2>the best defense in the league in the red zone

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<v Speaker 2>in terms of the low percentage of touchdowns allowed. And

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<v Speaker 2>that really becomes a very interesting thing in this matchup

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<v Speaker 2>because while the Bears are the top ranked team in

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<v Speaker 2>red zone defense, the Packers are near the bottom twenty

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<v Speaker 2>ninth in the league in red zone offense. So there's

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<v Speaker 2>a lot to look at here from situational and a

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<v Speaker 2>statistical matchup between the Packers offense and the Bears defense.

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<v Speaker 2>One significant injury, safety Jaikwon Brisker, has already been ruled

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<v Speaker 2>out for this week. He's in the concussion protocol in Chicago.

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<v Speaker 2>They've already said he's out this week.

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<v Speaker 1>He won't be playing.

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<v Speaker 2>That's a big loss because he's, you know, kind of

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<v Speaker 2>one of those free ranging safeties. He can play deep,

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<v Speaker 2>he can attack the line of scrimmage. He's all over

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<v Speaker 2>the field. He won't be out there, but this Bears

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<v Speaker 2>defense is not to be trifled with. These guys can play.

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<v Speaker 2>They've really there's really only been one game and that

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<v Speaker 2>was the game against the Cardinals. The final score I

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<v Speaker 2>believe was twenty nine to nine. That's really the only

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<v Speaker 2>game where the Bears defense did not give Chicago a

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<v Speaker 2>legitimate chance to win the football game.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, and you know a couple of things that go

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<v Speaker 3>into this one. I guess that means we'll probably see

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<v Speaker 3>Jonathan Owens on Sunday perhaps. Think as far as the

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<v Speaker 3>backup there, I know they have some younger guys as well.

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<v Speaker 3>But here's all I want to say about this, because

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<v Speaker 3>this came up this week because obviously Mattiberflu's he's been

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<v Speaker 3>under He's in the hot seat, people, he's under the microscope. Yep,

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<v Speaker 3>whatever idiom you want to use on that. I want

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<v Speaker 3>to say, the Chicago Bears are doing something right. Because yes, offensively,

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<v Speaker 3>it's not been what you wanted. But when you have

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<v Speaker 3>a defensive head coach and your team's not performing the

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<v Speaker 3>way you wanted to perform, I feel like you gain

0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:23.920
<v Speaker 3>nothing from letting that defensive coach go in the middle

0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:26.679
<v Speaker 3>of a season, if their unit, the area that they

0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:29.880
<v Speaker 3>specialize in, the area that they master in, if that

0:11:30.000 --> 0:11:33.480
<v Speaker 3>unit's performing. The Bears have done that this season. I mean,

0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:35.560
<v Speaker 3>you look at what the Jets are going through right now.

0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:37.600
<v Speaker 3>Not only did you lose your head coach, I felt

0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:40.320
<v Speaker 3>like they lost their defensive identity. They when they let

0:11:40.640 --> 0:11:44.080
<v Speaker 3>you know, Robert Salad go absolutely the Bears are committed

0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:45.760
<v Speaker 3>to a long term plan. Here. They're going to be

0:11:45.760 --> 0:11:47.679
<v Speaker 3>some strikes and some balls, and you're gonna have to

0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:51.720
<v Speaker 3>some swings and misses. But defensively, Matti Aberflu's coming here

0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:54.800
<v Speaker 3>from Indianapolis. It's been everything you would expect the defense

0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:56.680
<v Speaker 3>to be. They just haven't won enough and they haven't

0:11:56.679 --> 0:12:01.000
<v Speaker 3>done enough offensively. But that being said, the unit, why

0:12:01.040 --> 0:12:03.240
<v Speaker 3>they got off to their fast start, it was because

0:12:03.280 --> 0:12:06.160
<v Speaker 3>of defense and special teams. It was because they were

0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:08.960
<v Speaker 3>finding ways to win those close matchups. They lost that

0:12:09.040 --> 0:12:10.960
<v Speaker 3>the last few weeks, but that doesn't mean it can't

0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:14.120
<v Speaker 3>come back. So seeing and it's a very diverse group.

0:12:14.200 --> 0:12:16.720
<v Speaker 3>I think fourteen different guys that have a sack this season.

0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:19.320
<v Speaker 3>You talk about you know, Tremaine Edmonds in the middle

0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:23.640
<v Speaker 3>of that defense. They've always had really good linebacker played there, TJ.

0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:25.079
<v Speaker 1>Edwards, one of their team captains.

0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:29.439
<v Speaker 3>Yes, and the fact that you know Montes sweat that

0:12:29.559 --> 0:12:32.760
<v Speaker 3>all this conversation between him and the Packers in the

0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:35.079
<v Speaker 3>back and the fourth and the rivalry he's talking about,

0:12:35.960 --> 0:12:37.840
<v Speaker 3>it is what it is when the game gets played.

0:12:37.840 --> 0:12:40.360
<v Speaker 3>But you can tell these guys are motivated to play it.

0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:43.800
<v Speaker 3>So I just think it's it's a matchup where the

0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:45.840
<v Speaker 3>Green Bay Packers have to take the threat seriously. You

0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:47.079
<v Speaker 3>have to put points on the board, you have to

0:12:47.080 --> 0:12:49.880
<v Speaker 3>protect the football, you have to play clean. But more

0:12:49.920 --> 0:12:53.960
<v Speaker 3>than anything, the opportunities that are presented to make the

0:12:54.000 --> 0:12:57.080
<v Speaker 3>Bears question what they're doing. Those are the times where

0:12:57.080 --> 0:12:59.520
<v Speaker 3>you really have to pounce because they aren't going to

0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:01.439
<v Speaker 3>last their and if they get the wind in their

0:13:01.440 --> 0:13:03.720
<v Speaker 3>sales in this matchup, particularly early on at their home

0:13:03.760 --> 0:13:06.160
<v Speaker 3>stadium against the Green Bay Packers, a place team they

0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:09.680
<v Speaker 3>have not beat since the Mike McCarthy era, they they're

0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:10.720
<v Speaker 3>gonna be feeling themselves.

0:13:10.800 --> 0:13:13.360
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, And there's a there's a lot of curiosity with

0:13:13.600 --> 0:13:16.000
<v Speaker 2>regard to the fan base as well as the players

0:13:16.000 --> 0:13:18.800
<v Speaker 2>in the locker room as to just maybe what what

0:13:18.880 --> 0:13:21.960
<v Speaker 2>the offense can do with with the changeup at coordinator,

0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:25.520
<v Speaker 2>emphasizing some different things, some tendency breakers, you know, all

0:13:25.559 --> 0:13:28.040
<v Speaker 2>that kind of stuff. And as you say, especially when

0:13:28.040 --> 0:13:29.480
<v Speaker 2>you're playing at home, if you start to get the

0:13:29.520 --> 0:13:31.240
<v Speaker 2>win in your sales a little bit, it doesn't matter

0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:33.760
<v Speaker 2>who the opponent is on the other side, the Bears

0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:35.800
<v Speaker 2>are going to start feeling like that team that was

0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:37.560
<v Speaker 2>four and two and on the verge of being five

0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:40.640
<v Speaker 2>and two, not the team that has that you know,

0:13:40.679 --> 0:13:43.960
<v Speaker 2>has really struggled these last couple of weeks and seeing

0:13:44.000 --> 0:13:45.720
<v Speaker 2>their season start to slip away.

0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:47.040
<v Speaker 3>And I want to make sure I bring this back

0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:48.760
<v Speaker 3>full circle because the point I'm trying to make with

0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:52.080
<v Speaker 3>all my assessments here is Thomas Brown was the offensive

0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:55.360
<v Speaker 3>coordinator for Carolina Panthers last year. He was the guy

0:13:55.400 --> 0:13:56.439
<v Speaker 3>that had to go in there and they had to

0:13:56.480 --> 0:13:58.880
<v Speaker 3>try to devise a game plan for Bryce Young against

0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:01.240
<v Speaker 3>the Packers, and they nearly won the game. Young had

0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:03.840
<v Speaker 3>one of the best games of his career. To this point.

0:14:04.600 --> 0:14:08.199
<v Speaker 2>Carolina probably wins that game if Carolina gets the ball back,

0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:10.880
<v Speaker 2>you know, or just gets the ball back ten seconds sooner,

0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:14.080
<v Speaker 2>I mean literally another ten seconds on the clock, and

0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:16.360
<v Speaker 2>Bryce Young might have beaten the Packers in that game.

0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:17.920
<v Speaker 3>And why did it happen? Why did it play out

0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:23.640
<v Speaker 3>that way? Because the Packers did not put Away Young

0:14:23.880 --> 0:14:27.320
<v Speaker 3>in that offense. Early on, they got they made some

0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:30.120
<v Speaker 3>explosive plays, they had some big plays late, and then

0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:32.240
<v Speaker 3>they almost came close to Vietnam. So though, those are

0:14:32.280 --> 0:14:33.560
<v Speaker 3>all the things you have to keep in mind. But yeah,

0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:36.000
<v Speaker 3>there's a lot of different traps and things you have

0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:38.520
<v Speaker 3>to be cognizant of in this matchup with the Chicago Bears.

0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:41.840
<v Speaker 3>But more than anything, getting back to your initial point,

0:14:42.240 --> 0:14:43.880
<v Speaker 3>the Bears have not scored a lot lately, they have

0:14:43.960 --> 0:14:46.160
<v Speaker 3>not had a lot of success. They had an absolute

0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:48.960
<v Speaker 3>awful way to lose a football game against Washington. Yep,

0:14:49.560 --> 0:14:51.000
<v Speaker 3>you have to make sure you keep them down.

0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:54.680
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, absolutely, a little bit of sponsor business here. West

0:14:54.680 --> 0:14:58.160
<v Speaker 2>Sirius XM NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up

0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.920
<v Speaker 2>to the minute NFL news. The true ball fanetics need

0:15:01.000 --> 0:15:04.240
<v Speaker 2>twenty four to seven, three sixty five And at Cousins Subs,

0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:07.080
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0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:09.720
<v Speaker 2>mac and Cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes, all paired

0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:12.440
<v Speaker 2>with your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. Cousin

0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:19.040
<v Speaker 2>subs fifty plus years of better all right, keys to victory.

0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:22.280
<v Speaker 2>We've are obviously suggested. Hint today, Oh I got plenty more?

0:15:22.560 --> 0:15:25.040
<v Speaker 2>What I have plenty more? Okay, we haven't even scratched

0:15:25.040 --> 0:15:26.080
<v Speaker 2>the surface yet, Brev.

0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:27.040
<v Speaker 1>All right, go ahead.

0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:28.440
<v Speaker 3>Oh you can continue talking if you want.

0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:30.280
<v Speaker 2>No, that's all right, I'll throw I'll toss it over

0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:31.840
<v Speaker 2>to you. What's at the top of your list.

0:15:31.880 --> 0:15:33.560
<v Speaker 3>Packers have to run the football in this game. They

0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:35.520
<v Speaker 3>have to run it well. When you look defensively at

0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:37.960
<v Speaker 3>what Chicago where they've struggled this season, it's been against

0:15:37.960 --> 0:15:40.320
<v Speaker 3>the run. Now again, there's a couple of chunk games

0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:41.680
<v Speaker 3>in there. I think that have added that up. But

0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:44.120
<v Speaker 3>it's not just the fact they're twenty fourth and rushing

0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:46.240
<v Speaker 3>defenses here. It's a fact they're twenty eighth in yards

0:15:46.280 --> 0:15:49.600
<v Speaker 3>per carry almost five yards per carry allowed this season.

0:15:49.400 --> 0:15:51.360
<v Speaker 2>Which means you can stay ahead of the sticks as

0:15:51.440 --> 0:15:54.800
<v Speaker 2>long as you're not committing penalties, right, bingo, what's its name?

0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:55.280
<v Speaker 1>Oh?

0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:57.920
<v Speaker 3>I mean that's the fact. I mean, when you are

0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:01.200
<v Speaker 3>able to control the line a scrimmage the way that

0:16:01.200 --> 0:16:04.840
<v Speaker 3>the Packers have when they've been successful this season, I

0:16:04.880 --> 0:16:06.840
<v Speaker 3>feel like the blueprint is there. So many people are

0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:08.840
<v Speaker 3>gonna make this about Jordan Love. He's a full participant,

0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:11.240
<v Speaker 3>He's getting all his practice reps. Everything's hunky dory in

0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:13.800
<v Speaker 3>that regard. Josh Jacobs is a third leading rusher in

0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:17.240
<v Speaker 3>the National Football League right now this season at this point.

0:16:17.720 --> 0:16:20.320
<v Speaker 3>Getting him going, getting manageable down in distance and then

0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:22.160
<v Speaker 3>executing when you get in the red zone, I think

0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:24.760
<v Speaker 3>is going to be absolutely paramount. In Michael, I don't

0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:26.200
<v Speaker 3>want to steal any of your stuff. I know you're

0:16:26.200 --> 0:16:28.440
<v Speaker 3>gonna have plenty of points here too. But the fact

0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:30.240
<v Speaker 3>of the matter is the Chicago Bears gave up nine

0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:32.440
<v Speaker 3>sacks last week. Yeah, Green Bay Packers have made some

0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:35.120
<v Speaker 3>significant changes with their defensive front. I'm very interested to

0:16:35.120 --> 0:16:37.040
<v Speaker 3>see exactly who the personnel is going to be in

0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:40.000
<v Speaker 3>those third down rush packages. Will we see more Aaron Moseby.

0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:42.480
<v Speaker 3>Could Brenton Cox Junior be involved in that? Where is

0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:45.120
<v Speaker 3>Rashaan Gary going to be? Hey, Eddrian Cooper is playing

0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:47.800
<v Speaker 3>really well, Maybe he gets involved in this thing, whatever

0:16:47.880 --> 0:16:51.280
<v Speaker 3>the case is. You know, Evan Williams talked about this

0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:55.200
<v Speaker 3>at his locker on Wednesday. You know, Caleb's gonna run

0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:56.400
<v Speaker 3>a little bit, you know, he's going to try to

0:16:56.400 --> 0:16:59.040
<v Speaker 3>extend place. But that's also an opportunity if you've plaster

0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:01.600
<v Speaker 3>to potentially make up play. Yeah, Packers have to be

0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:02.920
<v Speaker 3>able to execute in that regard.

0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:06.080
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, what rises And I certainly agree with all of

0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:09.879
<v Speaker 2>those as keys to Vic, Thank you, no disagreement there whatsoever.

0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:10.240
<v Speaker 1>For me?

0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:12.320
<v Speaker 2>What rises to the top of my list? I go

0:17:12.480 --> 0:17:17.199
<v Speaker 2>back to the situational discrepancy that we talked about before.

0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:19.679
<v Speaker 2>The Bears are the number one red zone defense in

0:17:19.720 --> 0:17:23.119
<v Speaker 2>the league. Statistically, the Packers are the twenty ninth ranked

0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:26.159
<v Speaker 2>red zone offense in the league. Pretty amazing, quite frankly,

0:17:26.200 --> 0:17:29.520
<v Speaker 2>that the Packers are ninth in the league in scoring yep,

0:17:29.680 --> 0:17:32.080
<v Speaker 2>yet twenty ninth in the league in red zone it

0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:35.679
<v Speaker 2>tells you how many opportunities the Packers have left out

0:17:35.760 --> 0:17:37.840
<v Speaker 2>there and how close, as we talked about on our

0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:41.600
<v Speaker 2>last show, how close the Packers are to seeing this

0:17:41.680 --> 0:17:46.080
<v Speaker 2>offense really hit full gear and hit full stride. I

0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:50.119
<v Speaker 2>think this game comes down to can the Packers finish drives?

0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:53.879
<v Speaker 2>Because I think with Josh Jacobs, with the balance that

0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:57.480
<v Speaker 2>the Packers generally have on offense, they will be able

0:17:57.480 --> 0:18:01.240
<v Speaker 2>to move the football against the Chicago Bears. But when

0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:03.480
<v Speaker 2>they get into scoring territory, are they going to be

0:18:03.520 --> 0:18:06.200
<v Speaker 2>able to finish drives against the number one red zone

0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:07.840
<v Speaker 2>defense in the league and get the ball in the

0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:10.000
<v Speaker 2>end zone or are they going to be relegated kicking

0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:12.920
<v Speaker 2>field goals all day? Yep, if the Packers, and you're

0:18:12.960 --> 0:18:17.240
<v Speaker 2>not going to finish every single drive. But obviously you

0:18:17.280 --> 0:18:19.080
<v Speaker 2>know if you're in the red zone, if you're in

0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:22.639
<v Speaker 2>the red zone four times, there's a huge difference on

0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:25.000
<v Speaker 2>the scoreboard between going three for four in the red

0:18:25.080 --> 0:18:27.239
<v Speaker 2>zone and going one for four in the rest right,

0:18:28.320 --> 0:18:31.040
<v Speaker 2>and that really becomes the difference in where I think

0:18:31.080 --> 0:18:31.760
<v Speaker 2>this game gets.

0:18:31.920 --> 0:18:33.440
<v Speaker 3>It's funny too you mention that because if you want

0:18:33.440 --> 0:18:36.760
<v Speaker 3>to look at the glass, not that that was glass

0:18:36.760 --> 0:18:38.359
<v Speaker 3>half empty, but the other aspect of it, when you

0:18:38.400 --> 0:18:40.879
<v Speaker 3>talk about the discrepancy between these two teams, it is

0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:43.080
<v Speaker 3>the explosive plays. Now I don't have the true media

0:18:43.119 --> 0:18:44.880
<v Speaker 3>stats in front of me, but when you talk about

0:18:44.880 --> 0:18:46.760
<v Speaker 3>how many yards Green Based produced, how many points they

0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:49.440
<v Speaker 3>still produce, it's because the explosive plays they've had a

0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:51.880
<v Speaker 3>lot of times have also led to touchdowns, whether it's

0:18:51.880 --> 0:18:54.160
<v Speaker 3>that drive or whether it's the play itself. Yeah, they've

0:18:54.160 --> 0:18:56.480
<v Speaker 3>been able to extend for that, and that's where Chicago

0:18:56.560 --> 0:18:59.040
<v Speaker 3>has struggled this season. So bring it back to what

0:18:59.040 --> 0:19:00.679
<v Speaker 3>I was talking about with the defense and what they

0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:03.160
<v Speaker 3>have to do against the Bears, not allowing those plays

0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:05.440
<v Speaker 3>to rupture, playing well in front of them, and making

0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:07.959
<v Speaker 3>sure that you're making the tackles that you have to make. Certainly,

0:19:07.960 --> 0:19:09.760
<v Speaker 3>there's gonna be a lot of different factors and variables

0:19:09.760 --> 0:19:12.080
<v Speaker 3>that can played into this outcome and how they're gonna

0:19:12.080 --> 0:19:13.960
<v Speaker 3>win it. But there's a lot of things that Green

0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:16.960
<v Speaker 3>Bay does significantly better than the Chicago Bears. They need

0:19:17.040 --> 0:19:18.760
<v Speaker 3>to be able to carry that over into this matchup.

0:19:18.840 --> 0:19:21.359
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, absolutely, you need to you need to be you

0:19:21.440 --> 0:19:23.879
<v Speaker 2>need to be who you are and uh and the

0:19:23.920 --> 0:19:26.400
<v Speaker 2>Packers know they have the thing, they have the things

0:19:26.400 --> 0:19:29.240
<v Speaker 2>that they need to clean up and all that. But really,

0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:32.560
<v Speaker 2>as much as we've talked about the changing offensive coordinator

0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:35.240
<v Speaker 2>and how good this Bears defense can be and everything,

0:19:35.560 --> 0:19:37.680
<v Speaker 2>this this still just is It's one of those games

0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:40.520
<v Speaker 2>that strike strikes me where this is this is about what.

0:19:40.440 --> 0:19:41.200
<v Speaker 1>The Packers do.

0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:42.760
<v Speaker 3>One hundred percent of Bears do.

0:19:43.240 --> 0:19:46.720
<v Speaker 2>If the Packers bring their bring their a game and

0:19:46.800 --> 0:19:49.520
<v Speaker 2>play like it the Packers are the better team. They've

0:19:49.520 --> 0:19:51.800
<v Speaker 2>proven it over the long haul so far this season,

0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:53.800
<v Speaker 2>and if they do that, they should be able.

0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:54.320
<v Speaker 1>To win this game.

0:19:54.880 --> 0:20:00.080
<v Speaker 2>Looking around the league, Week eleven, elsewhere in the NFC NO,

0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:04.320
<v Speaker 2>Minnesota is at Tennessee. Jacksonville is at Detroit. So those

0:20:04.359 --> 0:20:07.400
<v Speaker 2>are a couple of NFC North versus AFC South matchups.

0:20:07.400 --> 0:20:09.560
<v Speaker 2>I'm not gonna be holding my breath on either one

0:20:09.600 --> 0:20:14.240
<v Speaker 2>of those. Quite frankly. Jacksonville playing with Mac Jones again

0:20:14.280 --> 0:20:17.720
<v Speaker 2>at quarterback. They couldn't do Diddley squad on offense against.

0:20:17.320 --> 0:20:19.560
<v Speaker 3>Diddley pooh, I think is the what's that is the

0:20:19.600 --> 0:20:22.760
<v Speaker 3>expression Diddley pooh oh? Okay, well, I forget Who's Diddley

0:20:22.800 --> 0:20:26.560
<v Speaker 3>squad is the one I grew up with. So I'm

0:20:26.680 --> 0:20:29.080
<v Speaker 3>just I'm not holding my breath on on either one

0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:30.919
<v Speaker 3>of those games. I mean, it will be interesting to

0:20:30.920 --> 0:20:34.679
<v Speaker 3>see Minnesota going on the road back to back weeks

0:20:34.720 --> 0:20:37.080
<v Speaker 3>now with all of you know, last week they went

0:20:37.119 --> 0:20:40.800
<v Speaker 3>to Jacksonville, couldn't score touchdown and Sam Darnold through three interceptions,

0:20:40.840 --> 0:20:45.560
<v Speaker 3>so well, their offense, you know, get something going more

0:20:45.560 --> 0:20:49.679
<v Speaker 3>in a positive direction against Tennessee or not, but it

0:20:49.800 --> 0:20:53.000
<v Speaker 3>is interesting though that if I believe it comes down

0:20:53.040 --> 0:20:58.120
<v Speaker 3>to if the Vikings and the Lions win these two games,

0:20:58.160 --> 0:21:01.480
<v Speaker 3>the NFC North, the NFC North versus AFC South will

0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:05.400
<v Speaker 3>be all done after this weekend, and if the Vikings

0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:07.800
<v Speaker 3>and the Lions win these games, the final tally will

0:21:07.800 --> 0:21:09.680
<v Speaker 3>be fourteen and two. Wow.

0:21:10.480 --> 0:21:15.199
<v Speaker 2>The only to this point, the only AFC South versus

0:21:15.240 --> 0:21:20.680
<v Speaker 2>AFC South beating the NFC North is that both Houston

0:21:20.800 --> 0:21:24.240
<v Speaker 2>and Indianapolis beat Chicago and Tennessee should have too, and

0:21:24.320 --> 0:21:27.720
<v Speaker 2>Tennessee should have beaten Chicago. Dude, you know what's hilarious

0:21:27.760 --> 0:21:30.000
<v Speaker 2>about that now that you think, yeah, possibly fourteen and

0:21:30.080 --> 0:21:33.320
<v Speaker 2>two if the favored teams, the Vikings and the Lions

0:21:33.320 --> 0:21:33.920
<v Speaker 2>win this week.

0:21:34.000 --> 0:21:36.960
<v Speaker 3>So you're telling me the NFC North is done with

0:21:37.000 --> 0:21:39.560
<v Speaker 3>the season series at the AFC South this week after

0:21:39.600 --> 0:21:41.800
<v Speaker 3>this weekend, and this is the first time the Bears

0:21:41.800 --> 0:21:46.320
<v Speaker 3>are playing an NFC North opponent, correct? Yeah? Is this?

0:21:46.560 --> 0:21:48.359
<v Speaker 3>They did a number on that schedule that the.

0:21:48.359 --> 0:21:51.720
<v Speaker 2>Schedule this year is just it's it's bizarre. It's bizarre

0:21:51.760 --> 0:21:55.520
<v Speaker 2>in a in a number of ways. But aside, huh

0:21:55.560 --> 0:21:59.480
<v Speaker 2>from that, the other this is a really really interesting

0:21:59.800 --> 0:22:04.080
<v Speaker 2>win this week eleven schedule in the NFL because it

0:22:04.160 --> 0:22:07.080
<v Speaker 2>is the first time from what I read, it is

0:22:07.160 --> 0:22:10.040
<v Speaker 2>the first time since the league merger that in Week

0:22:10.080 --> 0:22:14.679
<v Speaker 2>eleven there are three games where all six of the

0:22:14.760 --> 0:22:18.520
<v Speaker 2>teams have seven or more wins in Week eleven playing

0:22:18.600 --> 0:22:21.639
<v Speaker 2>each other. And it starts tonight, starts on Thursday Night

0:22:21.640 --> 0:22:25.760
<v Speaker 2>Football with Washington at Philadelphia, and then continues on Sunday

0:22:25.840 --> 0:22:29.879
<v Speaker 2>with Baltimore at Pittsburgh and Kansas City at Buffalo. So

0:22:29.960 --> 0:22:33.960
<v Speaker 2>these are some major, major mid season matchups here. And

0:22:34.000 --> 0:22:35.800
<v Speaker 2>of course Packers fans are going to have, you know,

0:22:35.840 --> 0:22:38.479
<v Speaker 2>their eye on Packers Bears, and that's where our attention

0:22:38.600 --> 0:22:43.240
<v Speaker 2>will be. But this is quite the slate of games

0:22:43.280 --> 0:22:45.159
<v Speaker 2>for one week in the NFL, well.

0:22:45.000 --> 0:22:47.320
<v Speaker 3>In Washington, Philly. Man, you were talking about it last

0:22:47.320 --> 0:22:49.880
<v Speaker 3>week on the show. I mean the fact that we've

0:22:49.920 --> 0:22:53.359
<v Speaker 3>got these really pivotal, critical division matchups here on Thursday

0:22:53.400 --> 0:22:55.600
<v Speaker 3>Night Football. One, it's obviously I agree with you, it's

0:22:55.600 --> 0:22:57.800
<v Speaker 3>the way to go. But two, it really raises the

0:22:57.840 --> 0:23:01.640
<v Speaker 3>stakes because you're looking at Washington now where hey, dude,

0:23:01.640 --> 0:23:04.320
<v Speaker 3>there's seven and three. I will not disrespect that record. Obviously,

0:23:04.359 --> 0:23:06.280
<v Speaker 3>I've sat up here before and I've talked about Jayden

0:23:06.320 --> 0:23:07.199
<v Speaker 3>Daniels and everything, that.

0:23:07.520 --> 0:23:09.919
<v Speaker 2>They were an eyelash from being eight and two because

0:23:09.920 --> 0:23:11.680
<v Speaker 2>they were right there with a chance to beat the

0:23:11.720 --> 0:23:12.680
<v Speaker 2>Steelers last week.

0:23:12.760 --> 0:23:14.840
<v Speaker 3>They absolutely were. But the part of it that I

0:23:14.840 --> 0:23:16.880
<v Speaker 3>thought was really interesting when I was breaking it down,

0:23:16.920 --> 0:23:21.040
<v Speaker 3>because you know, I'm sophisticated, I have NFL gsis and everything.

0:23:22.040 --> 0:23:24.600
<v Speaker 3>The strength of victory for Washington is one of the

0:23:24.600 --> 0:23:27.000
<v Speaker 3>worst of the National Football League. It's three thirty eight.

0:23:28.160 --> 0:23:30.560
<v Speaker 3>I guess it's yeah, no, it only twenty three wins

0:23:30.600 --> 0:23:33.280
<v Speaker 3>against the opponent that their opponents have won. This is

0:23:33.320 --> 0:23:35.640
<v Speaker 3>a big moment for Washington to show that they can

0:23:35.680 --> 0:23:38.240
<v Speaker 3>play with one of the upper echelon teams and credit

0:23:38.280 --> 0:23:41.120
<v Speaker 3>to Philadelphia the way that they've kind of been able

0:23:41.119 --> 0:23:44.920
<v Speaker 3>to pull themselves back together, pull itself back together after

0:23:44.960 --> 0:23:49.040
<v Speaker 3>how last year unfolded. They're proving once again that they

0:23:49.080 --> 0:23:51.960
<v Speaker 3>are still not to be trifled with and that NFC

0:23:52.040 --> 0:23:54.840
<v Speaker 3>East and absolutely the part that I didn't know all

0:23:54.840 --> 0:23:56.240
<v Speaker 3>the ins and outs of it when you were explaining

0:23:56.280 --> 0:23:57.959
<v Speaker 3>some of those statistics with the seven and eight win

0:23:58.000 --> 0:23:59.760
<v Speaker 3>teams playing each other. When I first looked at this

0:23:59.760 --> 0:24:02.119
<v Speaker 3>sc this week, what I thought was most interesting is

0:24:03.000 --> 0:24:05.800
<v Speaker 3>how much teams are paired against each other a similar record.

0:24:06.119 --> 0:24:11.200
<v Speaker 3>Really Detroit and in Jacksonville's the only like really huge difference.

0:24:11.240 --> 0:24:13.359
<v Speaker 3>I mean when you look at Kansas City Buffalo, but

0:24:13.400 --> 0:24:15.640
<v Speaker 3>even there's like five and four playing four and five teams.

0:24:15.680 --> 0:24:17.720
<v Speaker 3>I mean there's a lot on the line in terms

0:24:17.760 --> 0:24:20.200
<v Speaker 3>of stakes for a week eleven matchup, and certainly Green

0:24:20.240 --> 0:24:22.240
<v Speaker 3>Bay is a part of that. You're trying to, you know,

0:24:22.280 --> 0:24:25.560
<v Speaker 3>extend themselves out from the Bears and also keep themselves

0:24:25.560 --> 0:24:28.560
<v Speaker 3>in contention there with their other two NFC North adversaries.

0:24:28.680 --> 0:24:31.560
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, well in those in those big matchups with teams

0:24:31.560 --> 0:24:34.000
<v Speaker 2>with seven plus wins. Two of those our division games

0:24:34.119 --> 0:24:37.560
<v Speaker 2>Washington at Philadelphia in the NFC East, Baltimore at Pittsburgh

0:24:37.600 --> 0:24:40.880
<v Speaker 2>in the AFC North. That's one that'll have a lot

0:24:40.880 --> 0:24:43.000
<v Speaker 2>of eyes on it. You know, Russell Wilson has taken

0:24:43.000 --> 0:24:46.119
<v Speaker 2>over at quarterback for the Steelers and and you know

0:24:46.800 --> 0:24:50.960
<v Speaker 2>that team keeps winning and then a lot of eyes

0:24:51.000 --> 0:24:53.560
<v Speaker 2>I believe it's I'm assuming it's you know, kind of

0:24:53.560 --> 0:24:57.880
<v Speaker 2>the game in the national window the Kansas City, Kansas

0:24:57.880 --> 0:25:01.439
<v Speaker 2>City is at Buffalo. What do you think do you

0:25:01.480 --> 0:25:05.280
<v Speaker 2>think Kansas City stays undefeated or do the Bills hand

0:25:05.320 --> 0:25:07.640
<v Speaker 2>the Chiefs their first loss. The Kansas City has been

0:25:08.000 --> 0:25:10.440
<v Speaker 2>they've been riding right out of the edge. And not

0:25:10.600 --> 0:25:13.359
<v Speaker 2>just block field goal last week, but we've seen in

0:25:13.400 --> 0:25:15.680
<v Speaker 2>other games, you know they I mean, it was overtime

0:25:15.720 --> 0:25:18.600
<v Speaker 2>against Tampa Bay on Monday Night Football the week before.

0:25:18.840 --> 0:25:21.119
<v Speaker 2>They've had other games earlier in the season that just

0:25:21.160 --> 0:25:24.119
<v Speaker 2>that came right down to the end. And no apologies,

0:25:24.200 --> 0:25:27.040
<v Speaker 2>Kansas City is finding ways to win, and you take

0:25:27.080 --> 0:25:29.119
<v Speaker 2>nothing away from him, but they have been on the

0:25:29.240 --> 0:25:31.959
<v Speaker 2>edge and you have to feel like one of these teams,

0:25:31.960 --> 0:25:34.040
<v Speaker 2>and maybe it's Buffalo this weekend, is finally going to

0:25:34.160 --> 0:25:34.560
<v Speaker 2>knock them all.

0:25:34.600 --> 0:25:36.960
<v Speaker 3>They're on the edge of glory. And I'll tell you

0:25:37.000 --> 0:25:40.160
<v Speaker 3>what I think Buffalo wins. That's my pick for this one. Okay,

0:25:40.520 --> 0:25:42.760
<v Speaker 3>not that I often offer predictions, but that is what

0:25:42.800 --> 0:25:44.800
<v Speaker 3>I'm thinking. But here's the thing that's funny about it. It

0:25:44.720 --> 0:25:47.720
<v Speaker 3>doesn't matter. Kansas City is the closest thing. I've said

0:25:47.760 --> 0:25:49.200
<v Speaker 3>this for a while now. They're the closest thing to

0:25:49.240 --> 0:25:52.240
<v Speaker 3>an NCAA basketball team where it's like the regular season

0:25:52.280 --> 0:25:54.679
<v Speaker 3>is the regular season. Yeah, they'll win the you know

0:25:54.840 --> 0:25:58.280
<v Speaker 3>SEC or whatever the ACC and then it's all about

0:25:58.280 --> 0:26:01.000
<v Speaker 3>how good are you entering the tournament? Last year was

0:26:01.040 --> 0:26:03.440
<v Speaker 3>another example of that. You know, Packers ended up beating

0:26:03.480 --> 0:26:06.200
<v Speaker 3>them in December here at Lambeufield, but they just kept building.

0:26:06.480 --> 0:26:09.560
<v Speaker 3>That's what New England did during its dynasty, and that's

0:26:09.560 --> 0:26:10.760
<v Speaker 3>what Kansas City is doing.

0:26:10.840 --> 0:26:13.920
<v Speaker 2>And I think what and not to go on too

0:26:13.960 --> 0:26:16.440
<v Speaker 2>much of a tangent in the AFC, but I think

0:26:16.480 --> 0:26:21.960
<v Speaker 2>what was most impressive about Kansas City's run to the championship,

0:26:22.119 --> 0:26:25.240
<v Speaker 2>to the Super Bowl Championship last year is that they

0:26:25.280 --> 0:26:25.720
<v Speaker 2>weren't just.

0:26:25.680 --> 0:26:26.800
<v Speaker 1>Playing at Arrowhead. No.

0:26:26.920 --> 0:26:29.960
<v Speaker 2>In the playoffs, they had to go to Buffalo, they

0:26:30.040 --> 0:26:33.960
<v Speaker 2>had to go to Baltimore. They were winning those playoff

0:26:34.000 --> 0:26:35.800
<v Speaker 2>games on the road in order to get there. And

0:26:35.800 --> 0:26:38.680
<v Speaker 2>again that's where it sort of does become like they're

0:26:38.720 --> 0:26:41.359
<v Speaker 2>the NCAA tournament team where it doesn't matter if they

0:26:41.440 --> 0:26:43.320
<v Speaker 2>end up with a one seed or a four seed

0:26:43.400 --> 0:26:45.680
<v Speaker 2>or a six seed or whatever. They're going to be

0:26:45.720 --> 0:26:48.160
<v Speaker 2>formidable in the postseason because they've been there and they've

0:26:48.160 --> 0:26:50.800
<v Speaker 2>won those kinds of games in any condition, in any location,

0:26:51.400 --> 0:26:53.800
<v Speaker 2>And you're right, and they're for all the attention that's

0:26:53.840 --> 0:26:56.400
<v Speaker 2>going to be on this Buffalo Kansas City matchup, it's

0:26:56.440 --> 0:26:59.600
<v Speaker 2>probably just a preview of another matchup coming up in January.

0:27:00.160 --> 0:27:02.199
<v Speaker 2>To question of then where is that game going to be?

0:27:02.320 --> 0:27:05.000
<v Speaker 3>Which is That's the only question that Josh Allen and

0:27:05.040 --> 0:27:08.520
<v Speaker 3>Sean McDermott they have to answer, is that is that question?

0:27:08.600 --> 0:27:11.959
<v Speaker 3>Because Kansas City has been the final boss, it's been

0:27:11.960 --> 0:27:14.640
<v Speaker 3>the final boss for the entire league, but definitely Buffalo

0:27:14.680 --> 0:27:17.359
<v Speaker 3>because Buffalo. We were talking beforehand about how Houston and

0:27:17.400 --> 0:27:20.880
<v Speaker 3>the bumfill era would run into Pittsburgh and Buffalo keeps

0:27:20.920 --> 0:27:23.920
<v Speaker 3>running into Kansas City and it just cannot get through it.

0:27:24.480 --> 0:27:27.320
<v Speaker 3>Now that being said, for them being nine to zero,

0:27:27.359 --> 0:27:30.439
<v Speaker 3>the Chiefs still have a lot of issues when you

0:27:30.520 --> 0:27:33.600
<v Speaker 3>look at they have been dinged up everywhere on the offense.

0:27:33.680 --> 0:27:35.719
<v Speaker 3>I mean, now they brought in DeAndre Hopkins and they

0:27:35.840 --> 0:27:38.960
<v Speaker 3>made moves to try to augment that. But this is

0:27:39.000 --> 0:27:42.360
<v Speaker 3>another example I feel like of proving why Patrick Mahomes

0:27:42.359 --> 0:27:45.040
<v Speaker 3>is a perennial MVP contender because he is lifting that

0:27:45.080 --> 0:27:47.560
<v Speaker 3>football team up with the way he's playing, in addition

0:27:47.600 --> 0:27:51.800
<v Speaker 3>to a very talented defense. But for me, for that reason, yes,

0:27:52.119 --> 0:27:54.520
<v Speaker 3>the eyes will be on that game, and certainly it's

0:27:54.520 --> 0:27:58.040
<v Speaker 3>for the right reasons, but I think Baltimore and Pittsburgh's

0:27:58.040 --> 0:28:01.240
<v Speaker 3>probably the one I have my my most interest in

0:28:01.359 --> 0:28:05.600
<v Speaker 3>because Mike Tomlin's doing what he does and Russell Wilson

0:28:05.680 --> 0:28:08.760
<v Speaker 3>is resuscitating his career after people like myself question whether

0:28:08.840 --> 0:28:10.560
<v Speaker 3>or not there was anything left in the gas tank.

0:28:12.760 --> 0:28:15.359
<v Speaker 3>The Baltimore Ravens have a lot of issues now on defense,

0:28:15.400 --> 0:28:18.600
<v Speaker 3>but they still got Lamar Jackson, So it's like seeing

0:28:18.640 --> 0:28:21.080
<v Speaker 3>how all that interacts. That's what's fun about this time

0:28:21.080 --> 0:28:22.760
<v Speaker 3>of the year, because, yeah, all these teams are going

0:28:22.800 --> 0:28:25.639
<v Speaker 3>to be in the playoffs, but these are where you

0:28:25.680 --> 0:28:27.920
<v Speaker 3>kind of put your your flag in the ground and say,

0:28:28.840 --> 0:28:30.720
<v Speaker 3>I should be the one that's out front of this thing.

0:28:30.640 --> 0:28:33.480
<v Speaker 2>Right And when you're talking these divisional matchups, that not

0:28:33.520 --> 0:28:35.879
<v Speaker 2>to say that anything's going to be decided in week eleven,

0:28:35.920 --> 0:28:37.480
<v Speaker 2>but a game that is going to have a big

0:28:37.520 --> 0:28:41.320
<v Speaker 2>influence on who wins a division versus who You're talking

0:28:41.320 --> 0:28:44.280
<v Speaker 2>about the difference between maybe a one or two seed

0:28:44.400 --> 0:28:47.160
<v Speaker 2>and being a five seed, right, because that's just how

0:28:47.200 --> 0:28:49.320
<v Speaker 2>the that's how the numbers break down, and how the

0:28:49.360 --> 0:28:52.000
<v Speaker 2>structure of the playoffs breaks down with the four division

0:28:52.080 --> 0:28:53.520
<v Speaker 2>champions being one through four.

0:28:53.400 --> 0:28:55.160
<v Speaker 3>And that's what the longer I cover this league, the

0:28:55.160 --> 0:28:56.640
<v Speaker 3>more you'll see it am I writing, the more you'll

0:28:56.680 --> 0:28:59.080
<v Speaker 3>hear me say it on the show, whether it's September

0:28:59.160 --> 0:29:01.520
<v Speaker 3>or December. Now in January, you have to keep stacking

0:29:01.600 --> 0:29:04.200
<v Speaker 3>those wins, because how often is it? Mike. We'll be

0:29:04.200 --> 0:29:06.160
<v Speaker 3>doing the same thing here with the Packers in week

0:29:06.360 --> 0:29:10.440
<v Speaker 3>seventeen and eighteen, hopefully talking about okay, playoff positioning, getting

0:29:10.520 --> 0:29:13.880
<v Speaker 3>in seeding, buys, all this type of stuff, and it

0:29:13.920 --> 0:29:15.520
<v Speaker 3>all comes back to these games that you play in

0:29:15.560 --> 0:29:17.520
<v Speaker 3>week eleven. Yep, that at the time feel like you're

0:29:17.560 --> 0:29:19.640
<v Speaker 3>just trying to get one win, but in reality have

0:29:19.680 --> 0:29:21.640
<v Speaker 3>a much much more important purpose.

0:29:21.720 --> 0:29:24.520
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Absolutely, well, it should be a good one in Chicago.

0:29:24.200 --> 0:29:25.800
<v Speaker 3>And the yeah, good one in Green Bay.

0:29:25.800 --> 0:29:29.720
<v Speaker 2>Two before we go April, the countdown to the twenty

0:29:29.800 --> 0:29:33.360
<v Speaker 2>twenty five NFL Draft in Green Bay has begun. Mark

0:29:33.400 --> 0:29:36.680
<v Speaker 2>your calendars for April twenty four through April twenty six

0:29:36.800 --> 0:29:39.920
<v Speaker 2>of twenty twenty five, and visit green Bay dot com

0:29:39.920 --> 0:29:44.240
<v Speaker 2>slash Draft twenty five for more information. With that, we'll

0:29:44.240 --> 0:29:46.400
<v Speaker 2>call it a rap on this edition of Packers Unscripted.

0:29:46.440 --> 0:29:48.520
<v Speaker 2>Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the

0:29:48.560 --> 0:29:51.960
<v Speaker 2>team and everything from Sunday's big game against the Bears

0:29:52.280 --> 0:29:53.120
<v Speaker 2>at Soldier Field.

0:29:53.200 --> 0:29:54.800
<v Speaker 1>Wes and I will be there. We will have it.

0:29:54.760 --> 0:29:57.080
<v Speaker 2>All for you on packers dot com.

0:29:57.120 --> 0:29:59.400
<v Speaker 1>For Wes, I'm Mike. Thank you for tuning in. Everybody.

0:29:59.480 --> 0:30:00.880
<v Speaker 1>We will see you next time.