WEBVTT - #678 Packers Unscripted: Challenging times 0:00:00.520 --> 0:00:10.560 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:10.560 --> 0:00:13.520 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined by my 0:00:13.560 --> 0:00:16.320 trusted colleague Weston Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:19.959 our studios at lambeau Field and unfortunately West talking about 0:00:20.000 --> 0:00:25.000 another loss for the green Bay Packers Sunday at Lambo 0:00:25.760 --> 0:00:28.400 to ten to the New York Jets. And we can 0:00:28.440 --> 0:00:31.360 touch on a little bit in all three phases because 0:00:31.400 --> 0:00:33.400 there was a lot that went wrong in this game 0:00:33.440 --> 0:00:36.800 for green Bay, but starting on offense, because hearing from 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:40.640 Matt Lafleur both after the game and on Monday, a 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:43.519 lot of problems for the Packers up front with the 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:46.760 blocking the offensive line, and it sounds like things are 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:51.200 going to be examined in terms of potential personnel changes here. 0:00:51.240 --> 0:00:53.080 So we'll have to see how that shakes out. But 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:55.680 but things could be changing up front for green Bay's 0:00:55.720 --> 0:00:57.920 offense every once in a while, Mike and Insider in box, 0:00:57.920 --> 0:01:00.160 and also it'll seep into final thoughts, we'll tell talk 0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:02.640 about winning in the trenches, winning up front. That isn't 0:01:02.680 --> 0:01:05.600 just a convenient cliche, it's the truth. And the New 0:01:05.680 --> 0:01:07.800 York Giants I felt like in this game, and it's 0:01:07.840 --> 0:01:09.880 not just the Packers offensive line, it's both sides of 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:12.800 the ball. They were able to impose their will and 0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:15.840 they were the team that was better up front, and 0:01:15.920 --> 0:01:18.200 you saw how it impacted things right from the get go. 0:01:18.319 --> 0:01:21.560 I mean Quinnin Williams, for my money, probably the best 0:01:21.560 --> 0:01:24.319 player on the field on Sunday, especially the way he 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:27.560 penetrated both against the run. Packers were not able to 0:01:27.600 --> 0:01:30.280 get their concepts going in that regard and then being 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:33.920 among the guys that was pressuring Aaron Rodgers nine quarterback hits, 0:01:33.959 --> 0:01:37.319 three of those belonged to Williams. The Packers just weren't 0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:39.320 able to get into their stuff. That was one of 0:01:39.360 --> 0:01:42.399 the big messages that Matt Lafleur had as far as 0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:45.320 the game plan was concerned. I think when you hear 0:01:45.319 --> 0:01:48.600 Matt Lafleur discussed it for twenty five minutes, you understand 0:01:48.600 --> 0:01:50.560 what they were looking for and why they weren't able 0:01:50.600 --> 0:01:53.440 to get to certain things. But at the end of 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:56.520 the day, I think the most frustrating thing is the 0:01:56.560 --> 0:01:59.200 way the Packers finished in London is the way they 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:02.760 started back at lambeau Field, and ultimately it just wasn't 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:06.240 good enough. Yeah, And it's interesting because you know, up 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:08.720 through the first you know, five games of the season, 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:11.440 including coming back from the London game, we were talking about, 0:02:12.000 --> 0:02:14.440 you know, run pass ratio and how many touches this 0:02:14.480 --> 0:02:17.200 guy gets and that guy gets. This game was not 0:02:17.360 --> 0:02:20.800 about that at all, because the Packers were having so 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:23.760 much trouble upfront with the stunts and the twists, and 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:26.600 as you said, they just couldn't they couldn't get into 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:30.320 their stuff, and and uh, it didn't matter, it didn't 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:32.560 matter who was supposed to get the ball or whatever. 0:02:32.639 --> 0:02:36.800 The Jets up front, we're just wrecking anything that um 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:40.160 that Green Bay wanted to do. On the defensive side. 0:02:41.440 --> 0:02:44.560 This it felt to me, and you know me, I'm 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:47.200 a baseball fan, so I'm gonna use a baseball analogy here. 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:50.920 It felt to me like like a pictures duel because 0:02:50.919 --> 0:02:54.640 early on, both both of these defenses were having their way. 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:58.880 Nobody was getting anything done offensively, and you know, in 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:01.120 a pictures duel, if it gets to like the sixth 0:03:01.200 --> 0:03:04.800 or seventh inning and both pictures out there, you know, 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:07.600 are feel like they have to be perfect because their 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:10.359 offense is not doing anything against the other guy's picture. 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:12.960 And then as soon as a mistake has made, suddenly 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:14.920 it's not just one run on the board, it's like 0:03:15.000 --> 0:03:17.680 three or four or five, and then a pictures duel 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.600 actually turns into a runaway, turns into a blowout. That's 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:24.840 what this game felt like, because three to three at halftime, 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:28.800 and then the Packers defense got a three and outright 0:03:28.800 --> 0:03:31.320 at the start of the third quarter. But then after 0:03:31.400 --> 0:03:34.880 that the play action rollout and the forty one yard 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:37.640 passed down the field to Corey Davis. That felt like 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:40.120 the one that that broke the damn It opened the 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:43.920 floodgates because from that moment on, the Packers defense that 0:03:44.040 --> 0:03:47.640 suddenly had allowed only three points through eight possessions for 0:03:47.680 --> 0:03:51.840 the Jets, then suddenly allowed two hundred yards over the 0:03:51.880 --> 0:03:55.120 next three possessions and couldn't get itself off the field, 0:03:55.360 --> 0:03:57.560 and the Jets offense that have been non existent in 0:03:57.560 --> 0:03:59.960 the third quarter up until that game only three point 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:02.760 downe the season, was able to find the end zone twice. 0:04:03.640 --> 0:04:06.400 It was a difficult situation for Green Bay because you 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:09.600 do sympathize with how it performed out of the gate. Again, 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:14.360 started fast, four three notes in their first five possessions 0:04:14.440 --> 0:04:17.200 under any metric that should be enough to allow your 0:04:17.240 --> 0:04:19.920 football team to be able to get out to a lead. 0:04:20.440 --> 0:04:23.240 But what hampered Green Bay in this game. Mike and 0:04:23.279 --> 0:04:26.040 I thought Adrian Amos did a phenomenal job of outlining 0:04:26.080 --> 0:04:29.360 this after the game. If you're not going to have takeaways, 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:32.280 and the Packers have again struggled to get takeaways, they 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.919 lost that battle again in this matchup. If you're not 0:04:34.960 --> 0:04:38.480 going to have takeaways, it's going to be difficult to 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:41.320 keep in a opposition off the board because the way 0:04:41.360 --> 0:04:44.400 this game is played, especially in this year, there's going 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:47.240 to be an explosive Now, how you react after that 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:51.040 is still something to be said. But ultimately it came 0:04:51.080 --> 0:04:54.120 down to three plays for the New York Jets. It 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:56.680 was at forty one yard pass the Davis. It was 0:04:56.720 --> 0:04:59.600 the twenty yard run for a touchdown by Barrios, which 0:04:59.600 --> 0:05:04.240 was the very next snap. And then also Breeze Hall, 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:07.120 who you and I spent two episodes last week talking 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:09.960 about how dynamic this young man is. He finally ended 0:05:10.040 --> 0:05:12.560 up breaking one, got the thirty four yard touchdown That 0:05:12.680 --> 0:05:16.039 was basically it. In addition to the fact the Packers 0:05:16.040 --> 0:05:19.000 had the punt block returned for a touchdown. But defensively, 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:22.000 that's all the Packers really conceded. But in a game 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:24.920 like this, when your offense isn't producing, we're not getting takeaways, 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:27.960 and you're not perfect in another phase, you're absolutely right 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:30.680 with the pitchers dual analogy, because the Packers blanked first 0:05:31.200 --> 0:05:34.240 and the Jets were able to pull out a big victory. Yeah, 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:39.640 and you mentioned the punt block for a touchdown. Very 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:42.800 disheartening to see the special team's breakdowns. There was a 0:05:42.839 --> 0:05:44.880 blocked field goal when the Packers were trying to get 0:05:44.880 --> 0:05:48.760 on the board early, then the block punt for a touchdown. Ultimately, 0:05:48.800 --> 0:05:51.880 that's you know, as we talked about with the playoff 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:54.880 game against the forty niners last year, that's ten points 0:05:55.360 --> 0:05:57.600 in a game that, in this case, the Packers lose 0:05:57.680 --> 0:06:01.640 by seventeen. So, even with withything that was going on 0:06:01.680 --> 0:06:05.840 offensively and defensively, the special teams that had had come 0:06:05.920 --> 0:06:09.120 so far, I think in a pretty short amount of time, frankly, 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:11.520 with what we had seen through the first five games 0:06:11.520 --> 0:06:15.800 on special teams, the first big breakdowns, the first big letdowns, 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:18.599 happened in that phase, and this was absolutely the game 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:21.160 you couldn't afford. I mean, that's Murphy's law, right, I mean, 0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:24.880 if something, when something can go wrong, it will and uh. 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:27.640 And what had been the most stable phase of the 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:30.760 game for Green Bay with Rich Pisaccia turning around these 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:33.599 special teams they had a bad day as well. Yeah 0:06:33.600 --> 0:06:36.720 they did. And here's the probably the most frustrating part 0:06:36.720 --> 0:06:39.279 of this thing. Offensively, Packers did not play well enough, 0:06:39.480 --> 0:06:41.599 no question about that. You can't get ten points. You 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:43.960 can't really only have two big drives. You have to 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:46.600 you have to do better than that, especially at this league, 0:06:46.640 --> 0:06:50.200 to to outdule the opponent. The maddening thing on defensive 0:06:50.240 --> 0:06:54.320 special teams is Adjustments were made, Improvements were made, but 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:57.880 it ultimately was big plays that erote it defensively. Just 0:06:58.080 --> 0:07:01.120 before we jump into special teams, JR. Alexander people calling 0:07:01.160 --> 0:07:03.320 for him to match a receiver. He matched Garrett Wilson 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:05.279 and this thing completely took Wilson out of the game. 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:08.280 The Packers wanted to do better against the run. They 0:07:08.320 --> 0:07:10.320 buy in large, did that in the first half before 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:12.880 some big runs in the second half. It looked like 0:07:12.880 --> 0:07:16.200 a more complete unit special teams. They get a punt 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:19.120 block earlier in the game. Eric Wilson, the recent signing 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:20.920 a guy that had a previous block when he was 0:07:20.920 --> 0:07:24.280 with Minnesota three or four years ago. He was able 0:07:24.360 --> 0:07:26.400 to come out make a play leads to a six 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:28.240 yard punt, So he doesn't get credit for it, but 0:07:28.280 --> 0:07:33.360 it's still gave green Bay the ball inside Jets territory. Well, 0:07:33.400 --> 0:07:36.600 what happens later on, they get the field goal blocked, 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:40.040 they get the punt blocked, those type of plays, Mike 0:07:40.280 --> 0:07:43.520 in that one play, one down sort of mentality of 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:47.760 special teams, it's too much, it hurts you too much, 0:07:47.800 --> 0:07:50.360 and it wipes out all the positivity that Green Bay 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:52.400 had had in that game, being able to keep the 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:55.920 Jets win the position battle. Again, as regards to the field, 0:07:56.720 --> 0:07:58.760 a big play like that that puts points on the 0:07:58.800 --> 0:08:02.200 board ultimately is just the same as an interception for 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:04.600 a touchdown. It's just it's it's it's a big play 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:08.520 that happens that ultimately turns the tide of a football game. Well, 0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:10.960 a few things to talk about personnel wise as far 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:12.840 as what we saw in this game and we may 0:08:13.120 --> 0:08:17.440 or may not see going forward. But Keyshawn Nixon is 0:08:17.600 --> 0:08:21.360 the new kickoff returner um for this special teams unit, 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:24.240 and he was darn close to break in one. Um, 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:26.840 he looked like maybe if he if he slips one 0:08:26.880 --> 0:08:29.480 more tackle, he could have been he could have been 0:08:29.560 --> 0:08:34.720 out the gate. Randall Cobb, unfortunately, Um sustained an ankle injury, 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:38.760 although it sounds like it is not as serious as 0:08:38.800 --> 0:08:42.720 maybe initially initially feared he's going to miss some time, 0:08:43.440 --> 0:08:46.320 but all indications are it's not a season ending ankle injury. 0:08:46.400 --> 0:08:48.720 So that could lead to, you know, we may see 0:08:48.720 --> 0:08:50.959 some more of a Marii Rodgers on offense, and we 0:08:51.000 --> 0:08:54.120 saw him late in the game essentially running a Randall 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:56.959 Cobb crossing route from the slot, makes a catch, moves 0:08:56.960 --> 0:08:59.640 the chains for a first down there. So we'll keep 0:08:59.679 --> 0:09:01.880 an eye that. And then as far as the offensive line, 0:09:02.200 --> 0:09:05.080 Jake Hanson had stepped in for Race Newman Newman, but 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:09.080 Hanson Hanson injures a bicep then has to leave. Newman 0:09:09.160 --> 0:09:12.880 goes back in. Lots of talk right now and speculation 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:15.320 as to whether Elton Jenkins is going to stay at 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:17.440 right tackle or if the Packers are going to move 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:19.640 him to a guard spot. And if they do move 0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:22.720 into a guard spot, then what is the domino effect there? 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:26.120 So UM lots of personnel things here to keep an 0:09:26.160 --> 0:09:28.319 eye on moving forward as the Packers head to the 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:31.560 nation's capital this weekend. First and foremost, I love Randall 0:09:31.600 --> 0:09:33.800 cop because I know you're not big on social media, 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:36.600 but he had probably the best one to combination I 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:38.480 think I've ever seen. I did, I did see it 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:42.679 Instagram story him and you feel terrible that the photos 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:44.920 look terrible, the videos look heartbreaking. I mean the guy's 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:47.240 crying putting the thing or thinking he broke his ankle. Yeah, 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:49.360 he thought he thought his career was over. As Aaron 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:52.079 Rodgers said after the game, in the moment, he thought 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:54.040 that was it. Yeah, and at thirty two years old, 0:09:54.080 --> 0:09:55.680 you just never can be sure, and you know how 0:09:55.760 --> 0:09:57.960 these things work. But then you see the second one, 0:09:58.000 --> 0:09:59.920 which you can go looking on Instagram yourself if you' 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:02.640 see it, but just need less say, a man dancing 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:05.000 with crutches in celebration the fact that he could be 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:07.559 back soon. That's huge for Green Bay's offense. They need 0:10:07.640 --> 0:10:10.439 him back. I think time has proven that Randall Cobb 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:13.480 is not going to play seventy snaps a game anymore. 0:10:13.520 --> 0:10:15.240 That much is certain. I know he would love to, 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:17.600 but that's not the Royal green Bay's asking of him. 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:20.160 But time and time again, Mike, it's not a coincidence 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:22.920 over the last year how we've seen Aaron Rodgers turned 0:10:22.960 --> 0:10:26.160 to him in those third down situations. There were positives 0:10:26.240 --> 0:10:29.120 to this thing for green Bay. Alan Lazard every week 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:31.439 looks more and more like a top flight receiver had 0:10:31.480 --> 0:10:33.640 a great back shoulder catch for a touchdown, which you 0:10:33.679 --> 0:10:35.559 would have loved to see that play in that series 0:10:35.600 --> 0:10:38.000 to start a game, to get yourself moving the football. 0:10:38.400 --> 0:10:41.800 Robert touny In set a new Packers record with ten receptions, 0:10:42.080 --> 0:10:44.840 being able to again be that third down target late 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:47.720 when the Packers a go to target, late when Randall 0:10:47.720 --> 0:10:51.440 Cobb wasn't available, but ultimately not being able to run 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:54.120 the ball well enough. Whatever phase you want to put 0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:58.040 that on, the blocking scheme, whatever, we it's not just 0:10:58.080 --> 0:11:00.160 about getting the ball in people's hands. It's about being 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:02.199 able to make use out of those yardage, and sixty 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:04.440 rushing yards just isn't going to get the job done. 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:07.480 What is the transition? What is the adjustment? I thought 0:11:07.559 --> 0:11:11.280 Joe Barry showed last week that you can reset the board, 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:14.760 you can do things differently offensively. How they go about 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:17.319 doing that that is the task at hand for Aaron Rodgers, 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:19.680 Matt Lafleur and these coaches trying to figure out what 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:23.840 the best foot forward will be. Yeah, and ultimately right now, 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:31.120 this is this is the biggest regular season challenge of 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:34.280 the Matt Lafleur era, not just because of back to 0:11:34.320 --> 0:11:36.800 back losses in a regular season for the first time, 0:11:36.880 --> 0:11:40.440 but how the Packers have looked quite frankly on both 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:43.560 sides of the ball the last six quarters um and 0:11:43.600 --> 0:11:46.560 then also with with with the special teams breakdowns popping up. 0:11:47.040 --> 0:11:50.040 This team has a This team has a major, major 0:11:50.120 --> 0:11:51.880 challenge in front of it. And I mean, obviously in 0:11:51.880 --> 0:11:55.320 the past they've dealt with injuries to David baktr and 0:11:55.360 --> 0:11:58.559 Elton Jenkins and Aaron Rodgers missing a game with COVID 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:01.800 and you know all of at this is this is 0:12:01.840 --> 0:12:04.480 bigger right now, This is a bigger challenge than all 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:07.200 that in terms in terms of, uh, the challenge for 0:12:07.240 --> 0:12:09.840 the leadership of the team, both coaching wise and player 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:13.400 wise in the locker room. And uh, this is this 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:16.040 is a team that's gotta that's got to fight its 0:12:16.080 --> 0:12:18.120 way out of a hole here. And this is a 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:20.400 place that that Matt Lafleur as head coach of the 0:12:20.400 --> 0:12:22.760 Green Bay Packers has not been in before. So it's 0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:26.160 going to be very interesting to see what the response 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:30.120 is because right now, as you said it, I said 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:33.280 it in Insider inbox. What matters now is the response 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:35.720 you got, you got. The Packers have gotten knocked down 0:12:36.400 --> 0:12:39.080 and then they were knocked down again a second week 0:12:39.120 --> 0:12:41.480 in a row. What's the response? What are you going 0:12:41.520 --> 0:12:45.800 to do? And um, this team has the veteran leaders. 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:48.200 They believe in the players in the locker room, they 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:50.960 certainly believe in the coaching staff. What are they going 0:12:51.000 --> 0:12:52.840 to do? How are they going to pull it back together? 0:12:52.920 --> 0:12:56.679 Because three and three not what anybody expected, not where 0:12:56.720 --> 0:12:59.000 this team expected to be six games into the season. 0:12:59.040 --> 0:13:01.640 And that's why I really the appreciated many of the 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:04.760 veterans who talked after the game their perspective on things, 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:07.920 because there is several of these rookies, first year player, 0:13:08.040 --> 0:13:10.480 not rookies, but first, second, third year players, players have 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:12.520 only been here during the Mattin floor area, maybe had 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:15.400 successful college careers that don't know what it's like to 0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:19.079 lose off the bat. Adrian Imus was discussing this as well, 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:21.679 mentioned that yes, here, we've started eighting one a lot, 0:13:21.720 --> 0:13:24.839 we've started eating two a lot. But there's teams in 0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:27.000 the National Football League that have to start three and three. 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:29.680 Al Lazart said, do you look at the Rams last 0:13:29.720 --> 0:13:32.520 year starting three and three before ultimately getting their stuff 0:13:32.520 --> 0:13:35.840 together and making the run. David Bactieri played on a 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:39.040 one win Colorado team. Uh, Mercedes Lewis did it for 0:13:39.120 --> 0:13:41.439 years with the Jacksonville Jaguars and then trying to find 0:13:41.480 --> 0:13:45.120 themselves and and win football games. It's not easy to 0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:47.080 win in this league, and that's why Matt Lafleur has 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:48.920 said for three and a half years not to take 0:13:48.960 --> 0:13:52.280 that for granted. The challenge for Green Bay is because 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:54.719 they have faced adversity in the regular season before. As 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:56.720 you outlined, is they're having to do it in the 0:13:56.760 --> 0:14:00.200 first and second quarter of the season. It's early. You 0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:02.439 don't have a bunch of pelts on the wall already. 0:14:02.480 --> 0:14:04.640 You don't have the confidence built up that, oh, we've 0:14:04.679 --> 0:14:08.000 beaten six or seven teams already, will rally, we'll get 0:14:08.040 --> 0:14:11.640 we'll get this one back. The key is, though, understanding 0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:16.080 that Packers could win eleventh straight and finished fourteen and 0:14:16.160 --> 0:14:19.120 three on the season, they could lose eleven straight and 0:14:19.200 --> 0:14:22.240 finish thirteen and three and fourteen on the season. Your 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:25.360 season is what you make it at this point, it 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:28.920 doesn't matter what's happened. Every single week is a battle 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:31.320 for that w The Jets won it last week, the 0:14:31.640 --> 0:14:34.040 Giants came back and took it the week before. The 0:14:34.080 --> 0:14:36.600 Washington Commanders are a team now with Taylor Heineke, and 0:14:36.600 --> 0:14:39.040 we'll talk about this on Thursday. They're going to be 0:14:39.160 --> 0:14:41.920 hungry to try turning around their fortunes now that Brian 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:43.840 Robinson's back, now that they have some more of their 0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:46.640 pieces back. The Green Bay Packers have to go to 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:51.520 FedEx Field on Sunday with a mindset in iron clad 0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:54.680 will that this is going to be our statement game, 0:14:55.080 --> 0:14:57.160 not a must win game. I will never say there's 0:14:57.160 --> 0:14:59.520 a must win game before December, but they need to 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:01.960 make a stay eatement here that we are much better 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:04.400 than the three and three record that we currently It 0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:06.600 says we are, Yeah, there's no question about it, and 0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:09.840 it's the It's the first of three straight road games 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:13.440 as well. Before the Packers um do get back home. 0:15:13.520 --> 0:15:15.880 A little bit of sponsored business here. West Serious x 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:18.800 M NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:23.800 them in NFL News that true football fanatics need seven, three, six, 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:26.520 and at Cousin Subs, we have something for everyone like 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:29.600 our Wisconsin Cheese Kurds, mac and cheese, golden fries, and 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:32.360 creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite sub or sub 0:15:32.360 --> 0:15:37.680 in a bowl. Cousin Subs fifty years of better. All right, Well, 0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:42.400 the Packers are three and three, and it's really interesting 0:15:42.440 --> 0:15:44.760 when you look at the NFC. No. Three and three 0:15:44.800 --> 0:15:47.000 is not where the Packers want to be four and two. 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:49.480 If they had taken care of business at home against 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:52.800 the Jets, would have certainly felt a lot better. But 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:56.720 two of the four divisions in the NFC, three and 0:15:56.800 --> 0:16:00.920 three is in first place. So because of that, there 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:04.400 are actually only four teams in the NFC that are 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:07.200 better than three and three. Three of them are in 0:16:07.240 --> 0:16:09.480 the NFC East, with the Eagles at six and oh, 0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:11.480 the Giants at five and one, and the Cowboys at 0:16:11.480 --> 0:16:14.760 four and two, and then obviously the Minnesota Vikings on 0:16:14.800 --> 0:16:16.640 top of the NFC North at five and one. The 0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:20.520 Packers now two games back, two games back in the 0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:24.560 division six games into the season. Um certainly the biggest, 0:16:25.080 --> 0:16:28.160 the biggest division deficit the Packers have faced in the 0:16:28.440 --> 0:16:31.840 in the Matt Lafleur era. But as you said, eleven 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:36.760 games to go, the season is just you know, even 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:43.520 getting close to to the midpoint here. But um, as 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:47.640 Aaron Rodgers said after the loss in London to the Giants, 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:52.720 there's you know, there there are games games that there's 0:16:52.760 --> 0:16:55.080 only so many you can let get away, right And 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:58.120 now that the Packers are three and three, heading on 0:16:58.200 --> 0:17:01.320 a stretch of three consecutive road game games, they've kind of, 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:03.800 you know, they've kind of run out of those ones 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:08.320 that you let get away because because otherwise Minnesota, you know, 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:10.399 you're going to be chasing them for a while. Here 0:17:10.440 --> 0:17:12.960 now here, here's again something that's going to be kind 0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:15.280 of a I don't want to say frustrating win, but 0:17:15.280 --> 0:17:17.920 I'm gonna use the effort again. Frustrating is. And it's 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:19.639 the reason why you can never look at a schedule 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:22.280 in April or June and say, well, these are the wins, 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:24.800 these are the losses and figure it out from their 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:28.240 Green Bay right now behind. I think just Detroit in 0:17:28.359 --> 0:17:31.159 terms of the strength of schedule, in terms of the 0:17:31.200 --> 0:17:33.680 toughest competition they face, based on the wins and losses. 0:17:33.760 --> 0:17:38.159 Packers have lost now to basically three winning clubs, a 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:41.399 four win team, and to five win teams. That's the fact. 0:17:41.680 --> 0:17:44.800 But in order to make a stance that you are 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:48.119 a playoff team, you're a division champion caliber team, you 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:49.920 have to win those games. You have to be able 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:52.440 to defend lambeau Field, you have to be able to 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:55.560 go into other teams field like they did against Tampa 0:17:55.680 --> 0:17:57.639 and show that we're not going to be pushed around. 0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:00.680 The challenge for them now is they're going to take 0:18:00.720 --> 0:18:05.080 on a washing team that has basically no expectations. When 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:07.199 you talk about all these teams and how tight things are, 0:18:07.400 --> 0:18:09.399 it's not the case right now with the Commanders. I 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:11.680 think everybody and their mother is leaving the Commanders for 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:14.920 dead at this point. That's a tough, dangerous opponent to face. 0:18:15.560 --> 0:18:17.720 We've seen before how that can go. When you're facing 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:20.479 a team that has literally nothing to lose and you 0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:22.720 have a head coach that's wanting to prove that you know, 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:25.119 this is still the show that I'm running, this is 0:18:25.160 --> 0:18:28.280 the program we're building, and we can be better. So 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:31.919 that's where the danger comes in this weekend. There is 0:18:32.040 --> 0:18:33.760 nothing wrong with losing to the Jets. I think the 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:35.600 Jets are going to be a good team. There's nothing 0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:38.399 wrong with what Brian Dabble is doing in with the 0:18:38.440 --> 0:18:41.560 New York Giants. You give them his coaching staff, Daniel 0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:43.840 Jones credit for coming back see Kwon Barkley. I think 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:45.399 right now, as it stands, as an m v P 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:49.720 type candidate. All that being said, you're three and three still, 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:53.000 and now you go up against the Washington Commanders, then 0:18:53.040 --> 0:18:54.879 you have to travel the Buffalo, then you have to 0:18:54.880 --> 0:18:56.520 go against the Detroit Lions, who have one of the 0:18:56.600 --> 0:18:59.280 top highest scoring offenses in the league. You can't worry 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:01.760 about those next two games yet. But the sense of 0:19:01.920 --> 0:19:05.480 urgency that has to accompany this team right now, it's 0:19:05.520 --> 0:19:08.359 it's critical because this is because you're still seven weeks 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:11.400 away from a bye. You have to be able to perform. Yeah, 0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:14.639 and it was interesting. It was interesting choice of words 0:19:14.680 --> 0:19:18.239 by Matt Lafleur after the game on Sunday because he 0:19:18.280 --> 0:19:21.840 didn't just say that we need to improve, which is 0:19:21.880 --> 0:19:26.639 the obvious. It's that the Packers need to have a 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:30.120 sense of urgency to improve there, and and that that 0:19:30.200 --> 0:19:33.880 qualifier there is important because everybody who takes the practice 0:19:33.880 --> 0:19:37.880 field on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday this week. They know that 0:19:37.880 --> 0:19:40.720 that the team needs to improve, that things need to 0:19:40.760 --> 0:19:43.320 get better. But are you going to take the practice 0:19:43.359 --> 0:19:46.000 field just saying Okay, we're gonna work on getting better, 0:19:46.080 --> 0:19:48.840 or take the practice field with a sense of urgency 0:19:48.960 --> 0:19:51.440 that it's like, hey, we've only got a couple of 0:19:51.520 --> 0:19:55.199 days to get something straightened out and and you know, 0:19:55.800 --> 0:19:57.800 improve ourselves to the point where we can go on 0:19:57.840 --> 0:20:00.800 the road and win a football game. This is and 0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:03.359 and I said this in in the Monday Insider. I 0:20:03.400 --> 0:20:06.320 think I said it in Monday's Insider inbox. Maybe I didn't. 0:20:06.359 --> 0:20:07.919 I don't know it was in my head if I 0:20:07.920 --> 0:20:12.560 didn't actually write it. This feels like this is the 0:20:12.640 --> 0:20:15.320