Speaker 1: Hi, everybody, Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from
Speaker 1: Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined as always
Speaker 1: by my trusted colleague West and hot Cooitz for coming
Speaker 1: to you here from socially distant locations at lambeau Field
Speaker 1: and West. I say, as always, but I was the
Speaker 1: one actually missing the other day. Big props to Larry
Speaker 1: mccairn for filling in. It sounded like you guys had
Speaker 1: a pretty good time recapping that Chicago game. Oh, we
Speaker 1: most certainly had a good time. But Mike kind of
Speaker 1: like if you look at Chris Barnes and Christian Kirksey
Speaker 1: when you lose that Mike linebacker no pun intended, and
Speaker 1: I have to move into that seat. It's a different
Speaker 1: world sitting in that seat. I gotta give you a
Speaker 1: lot of credit for how you're able to orchestrate the
Speaker 1: whole thing. We're trying to get through it the best
Speaker 1: we could. I feel like we put a good show together.
Speaker 1: Larry obviously is a legend, was incredible to get some
Speaker 1: of his thoughts and but being after all these episodes
Speaker 1: that that incredible streak that you had of doing unscripted,
Speaker 1: it finally ended and I had to step into the
Speaker 1: driver's seat. I'm not saying the car didn't get a
Speaker 1: little dinged up, but it definitely got back to the house. Well,
Speaker 1: streaks are there to be broken, and uh, but I
Speaker 1: am back now and all is good. So so we
Speaker 1: will move forward before I do forget though. Our show
Speaker 1: brought to you by Serious x M, NFL Radio Channel eight,
Speaker 1: the only radio outlet dedicated to the National Football League
Speaker 1: seven days a week, three days a year. Well, as
Speaker 1: I said, you and Larry certainly recapped the regular season
Speaker 1: finale against the Bears, which got the Packers the number
Speaker 1: one seed. So I think we should just take this
Speaker 1: episode with the Packers on the playoff by and take
Speaker 1: a look at this wild card weekend that is coming
Speaker 1: up here in the NFL Super wild Card Weekend as
Speaker 1: the NFL is calling it now, because there are six
Speaker 1: games instead of just four. I'm not sure if the
Speaker 1: Super wild Card weekend carries over into future years when
Speaker 1: this is what it's going to be presumably all the
Speaker 1: time now, but that's a conversation for another day. The
Speaker 1: Packers are awaiting their opponent in the divisional round. It
Speaker 1: will be one of four teams Washington, Tampa Bay, the
Speaker 1: Los Angeles Rams, or the Chicago Bears. And here's here's
Speaker 1: the thing, West, I'm not sure how you mentally process things. Okay,
Speaker 1: this is how I have mentally processed. This is how
Speaker 1: I have mentally processed in the simplest uh structural way possible.
Speaker 1: How this is going to or how to understand this
Speaker 1: scenario for the Packers. The Packers will get the lowest
Speaker 1: remaining seed in the divisional round, so mentally I work
Speaker 1: from the bottom up. The lowest seed is the seven
Speaker 1: seeded Bears, so if they win, if they beat the Saints,
Speaker 1: that they come to lambeau Field. The six seeded team
Speaker 1: is the Los Angeles Rams, So if the Bears lose
Speaker 1: and the Rams win, the Rams come to lambeau Field.
Speaker 1: If the seven and the six both lose, the Bears
Speaker 1: and the Rams both go down, then the Packers get
Speaker 1: the winner of the four or five game, which is
Speaker 1: Washington versus Tampa Bay. Does that make sense? You got
Speaker 1: all that? It makes perfect sense? And it was funny
Speaker 1: trying to diagnose this as much of a difficult time
Speaker 1: as I had during paths of the playoffs, trying to
Speaker 1: figure out all the different versions of how this week
Speaker 1: could play out. It's been kind of interesting because what
Speaker 1: I've realized when you got past all the minutia is
Speaker 1: that really there could be four different, very cool matchups.
Speaker 1: I really don't think I wrote this an insider inbox.
Speaker 1: I don't think there's a bad game in the bunch
Speaker 1: from a pure football fandom perspective. They all have storylines,
Speaker 1: they all have history, and there's everything that makes it
Speaker 1: uh to be a compelling sort of scenario. The one
Speaker 1: thing that gets me though, is the fact that this
Speaker 1: is the first time the Green Bay Packers have been
Speaker 1: in a position like this where not necessarily that that
Speaker 1: you're getting the bottom of the barrel. All these teams
Speaker 1: could win, There's no question about that, but it really
Speaker 1: is waiting for everything to come to Green Bay as
Speaker 1: opposed to kind of chasing a little bit heading into
Speaker 1: the postseason. And that is the benefit of a thirteen
Speaker 1: and three season and obviously getting that number one seed
Speaker 1: in the NFC. Well, the tricky thing as far as
Speaker 1: figuring out whom the Packers will be facing. As I said,
Speaker 1: I start from the bottom up with the Bears being
Speaker 1: the seventh seed. But what gets tricky about it is
Speaker 1: that the Bears are playing last of the three NFC
Speaker 1: games over the weekend. So regardless of what happens in
Speaker 1: those two games on Saturday, which is Rams and Seahawks
Speaker 1: and Washington versus Tampa Bay, the Packers still won't know
Speaker 1: their opponent until that Bears Saints game is finished, because
Speaker 1: if the Bears win, then that is the opponent. If
Speaker 1: the Bears lose, then it's whichever one of those possibilities
Speaker 1: has still survived from Saturday into Sunday. So it will
Speaker 1: be a long weekend in terms of actually knowing which
Speaker 1: team the Packers will wind up playing. But looking at
Speaker 1: these three games in the NFC collectively, it feels like
Speaker 1: west that the Seattle Seahawks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and
Speaker 1: the New Orleans Saints are all considerable favorites in this game,
Speaker 1: in these games. But this is the NFL and this
Speaker 1: is the playoffs, and to think that all three of
Speaker 1: those games are just going to fall into place the
Speaker 1: way people expect, maybe it will happen that way, but
Speaker 1: you know what, there's a darn good chance that it won't.
Speaker 1: There's always every year there's something that's going to surprise you.
Speaker 1: And in real. Like I mentioned just a second ago,
Speaker 1: all of these teams have a chance to win because
Speaker 1: they're all here for a specific reason. You can even
Speaker 1: hate on Washington if you want, but the reality is
Speaker 1: they've had one of the best most consistent defenses in
Speaker 1: the National Football League all season. For all of the
Speaker 1: various issues they've had on the offensive side of the ball.
Speaker 1: That's why they immerse arged out of the NFC East.
Speaker 1: That's why they still have a puncher's chance. I feel
Speaker 1: in this game against Tampa Bay. The Rams game is
Speaker 1: interesting to me because there are so many questions for
Speaker 1: l A on their offensive side of the ball, whether
Speaker 1: it be injuries or the COVID nine team list. But defensively,
Speaker 1: you have Aaron Donald in Jalen Ramsey and that that
Speaker 1: unit going up against Russell Wilson, who, while it has
Speaker 1: been an effective, productive offense this season, has had some takeaways,
Speaker 1: has had some giveaways, and have found their way through
Speaker 1: some games after you know, kind of having some setbacks.
Speaker 1: So I think they're a you know, a live dog.
Speaker 1: You could say in this matchup, the toughest road to
Speaker 1: travel for anybody is going to be Chicago, because you're
Speaker 1: taking on a New Orleans Saints team that while they
Speaker 1: have had some COVID issues now themselves the last week,
Speaker 1: defensively they're a powerhouse. They're playing on their own turf.
Speaker 1: And offensively, not only do you have Drew Brees back,
Speaker 1: but you're seeing how they use Taysom Hill his multiple
Speaker 1: role again. Now that raises back in the lineup, that
Speaker 1: is going to be a really difficult puzzle for the
Speaker 1: Bears to solve in that two verse seven matchup. The
Speaker 1: first one, Yeah, I think, what when I look at
Speaker 1: it from the perspective of the favorites versus the underdogs,
Speaker 1: I am with you in the sense that I think
Speaker 1: we're on the same page here. What gives all of
Speaker 1: these underdogs a legitimate chance is not just because this
Speaker 1: is the NFL, but all three of these underdogs have
Speaker 1: legitimately good defenses. You mentioned the Rams, that combination of
Speaker 1: Aaron Donald in the pass rush and Jalen Ramsey as
Speaker 1: the number one cover corner to potentially take away one
Speaker 1: of your top receivers. And now, obviously the Rams and
Speaker 1: the Seahawks have already played a couple of times. Jalen
Speaker 1: Ramsey has seen plenty of DK metcalf over the course
Speaker 1: of the year. But it's an it's another matchup. It's
Speaker 1: going to be a star studded one in that respect. Washington.
Speaker 1: I mean, look at when does Tom Brady lose in
Speaker 1: the playoffs when the pass rush gets to him and
Speaker 1: Rex his offense right, Washington has a pass rush. Now.
Speaker 1: They have a lot of other limitations offensively that you
Speaker 1: know Alex Smith for the tremendous comeback season that he
Speaker 1: has had, Washington is somewhat limited an offense. They're not explosive,
Speaker 1: they aren't going to scare anybody, but that pass rush
Speaker 1: can keep any team, any Washington team in a game
Speaker 1: um against against the potentially high powered offense. And then
Speaker 1: the Bears. We all know about the Bears defense now.
Speaker 1: They are banged up a little bit here going into
Speaker 1: this game with New Orleans. When they played the Packers
Speaker 1: last week, two of their top three cornerbacks were out
Speaker 1: and then they lost Roquan Smith, the star young inside linebacker,
Speaker 1: during the game. We don't know how healthy the Bears
Speaker 1: defense is going to be going down to New Orleans.
Speaker 1: I think that's a big thing to watch because if
Speaker 1: I recall West, the Bears in the Saints played during
Speaker 1: the regular season and it was an overtime affair. Certainly
Speaker 1: New Orleans offense did not overwhelm Chicago's defense in any
Speaker 1: respect in that ballgame. No, they didn't. As you pointed
Speaker 1: out my defense. Yes, that is where the tone is
Speaker 1: going to be set. But realistically, and all three of
Speaker 1: those games, the other aspect I look at is can
Speaker 1: you get your running game to help your quarterback? Can
Speaker 1: you have David Montgomery come out and be successful against
Speaker 1: one of the best defenses in the National Football League?
Speaker 1: Cam Akers is back. Can he get back into a
Speaker 1: groove and maybe take that those reins and be able to,
Speaker 1: you know, get the run game going again for the
Speaker 1: Rams with all the issues that they have at quarterback
Speaker 1: right now, with injuries and most importantly Mike, I don't
Speaker 1: have specific statistics. I don't have anything I can cite
Speaker 1: for you, but this Washington team is different when Antonio
Speaker 1: Gibson is healthy and he's on the field. You saw
Speaker 1: what happened when he left. They still won some games,
Speaker 1: but it was a lot more difficult. That defense and
Speaker 1: that running game gives them a chance in this game
Speaker 1: against Tampa. All that being said, I think if you're
Speaker 1: the head coach of any of these three teams that
Speaker 1: are favored this weekend, you tell your guys to do
Speaker 1: what you do, take care of what you take care of,
Speaker 1: and are gonna be able to come up victorious because
Speaker 1: pound for pound the teams again that our favorite in
Speaker 1: this even though Tampa obviously has the lower seed than Washington,
Speaker 1: they're there for a reason and they were able to
Speaker 1: do that for a reason. I think that's why these
Speaker 1: games are all going to be somewhat close. But everything
Speaker 1: being equal, as you said, things can change, but you
Speaker 1: do see the path to victory there for these teams
Speaker 1: that have the decided advantage. Yeah, well, it is the playoffs,
Speaker 1: and you just never know exactly how things are going
Speaker 1: to unfold, whether you're talking about ten years ago a
Speaker 1: six seeded Packers team that runs it all the way
Speaker 1: to the Super Bowl Championship, or last year a nine
Speaker 1: and seven Tennessee team that gets into the playoffs and
Speaker 1: suddenly makes a run knocks out the number one seed.
Speaker 1: Baltimore actually has a lead in the a f C
Speaker 1: Championship game over Kansas City before their hot streak kind
Speaker 1: of ran out on them. So you just never know
Speaker 1: how these things are gonna go. The flip side of
Speaker 1: it is, sometimes things fall as a spected. Last year
Speaker 1: in the NFC, the one and the two seeds were
Speaker 1: San Francisco and Green Bay, and they ended up facing
Speaker 1: each other for the NFC title. So, uh, sometimes it
Speaker 1: falls the way you might think, and other times you
Speaker 1: just have no idea. The other storyline to watch two.
Speaker 1: As much as people always like to get on these
Speaker 1: teams that have losing records entering the postseason, they actually
Speaker 1: have a pretty good return on investment here the last
Speaker 1: few seasons, whether it was Carolina winning a playoff game
Speaker 1: at seven eight and one six years ago, where you
Speaker 1: go back to John Schnyder and Pete Carroll right at
Speaker 1: the beginning of this thing being I think sex six
Speaker 1: and nine are seven and nine in winning a playoff
Speaker 1: game back and I want to say, was that two
Speaker 1: thousand nine or two thousand and ten. It has happened before,
Speaker 1: and they can you know that that if you don't
Speaker 1: take those teams seriously when they're playing on their home turf, uh,
Speaker 1: that that that can come up not looking so well
Speaker 1: for you. Yeah, well, we will see how things unfold
Speaker 1: and exactly which opponent will be coming to lambeau Field
Speaker 1: next week, and we also don't know yet the official
Speaker 1: day and time of that divisional round game. It will
Speaker 1: be either Saturday or Sunday. I'm guessing just based on
Speaker 1: the whole TV thing and all that, that the Packers
Speaker 1: will either get the Saturday night prime time slot or
Speaker 1: the late Sunday afternoon one on divisional weekend. But again
Speaker 1: we will have to see. That has not been announced yet.
Speaker 1: I do want enough Saturday night games, by the way,
Speaker 1: we can put that thing on Sunday. I'll be just
Speaker 1: we've had We've had enough night games this year. I
Speaker 1: think it's been six primetime games out of sixteen for
Speaker 1: the Packers. So yeah, those are certainly more challenging for
Speaker 1: us from a work perspective, but we will roll with
Speaker 1: whatever punches are thrown at us. Yeah, I do want
Speaker 1: to get your thoughts on the the a f C games,
Speaker 1: because while I started talking about the NFC matchups looking
Speaker 1: at three teams that look like rather significant favorites or
Speaker 1: clear favorites that you would think would win those games.
Speaker 1: When I look at Indie against Buffalo, Baltimore against Tennessee,
Speaker 1: and Cleveland against Pittsburgh, it feels like all three of
Speaker 1: those games are absolute tossups, coin flips. They could you know,
Speaker 1: like there there. It doesn't feel like anyone in the
Speaker 1: a f C other than Kansas City, which has the
Speaker 1: buy in the number one. Other than it feels like
Speaker 1: no one in the a f C is really a favorite.
Speaker 1: And even though Kansas City is favored and rightfully so,
Speaker 1: a dominant season that they had really on both sides
Speaker 1: of the ball. All four you know, these four teams
Speaker 1: that you mentioned right off the bat, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Tennessee
Speaker 1: and Baltimore. If you flash forward to a month from
Speaker 1: now and you just put me in a box and
Speaker 1: pull me back out and say one of those teams
Speaker 1: is in the Super Bowl, I believe you they both.
Speaker 1: They all four of those teams have stood up at
Speaker 1: times and have really looked good. And I think you're
Speaker 1: seeing Baltimore start to a little look a little bit
Speaker 1: more like itself. Obviously a two thousand yard rusher Derrick
Speaker 1: Henry in the month of January. You cannot count out
Speaker 1: the Titans, just asked last season, But the one I
Speaker 1: have my eye on the most is Josh Allen and Buffalo.
Speaker 1: And I made this point in Insider inbox too. They've
Speaker 1: arrived now they don't have to talk about that lengthy
Speaker 1: playoff drought that they they're back and they've been back. Now,
Speaker 1: can you actually start to win? Can you start to
Speaker 1: make an imprint? Because the moves they made last offseason,
Speaker 1: Mike Stefon Diggs and some of these transactions that came along,
Speaker 1: they didn't make them because oh yeah, we want to
Speaker 1: be able to just get back to the playoffs. They
Speaker 1: wanted to win, they wanted to win a super Bowl.
Speaker 1: They feel like they got the best quarterback of that
Speaker 1: draft class, and they have been able to come out
Speaker 1: and I think really show that the way that Josh
Speaker 1: Allen plays that position, it enhances things and it really
Speaker 1: does complement the weapons that they have on the offensive
Speaker 1: side the ball. Somebody had asked me this an inbox too.
Speaker 1: Who's under more pressure this week? Is it Lamar Jackson
Speaker 1: showing that he's still the m v P quarterback, that
Speaker 1: he's still the guy everybody thinks he is in Baltimore?
Speaker 1: Can he win a playoff game? Or is it Alan?
Speaker 1: And I still feel like it's Alan because the Buffalo
Speaker 1: is trying to make a run after years of not
Speaker 1: being relevant Baltimore when they're playing and they're playing well,
Speaker 1: they can make this thing. They can get back to
Speaker 1: the Promised Land. But it's that question if Baltimore can
Speaker 1: Buffalo excuse me, can finally regain itself and they have
Speaker 1: a tough team to do it against in the Colts
Speaker 1: in the first round. And then quickly, just to touch
Speaker 1: on Pittsburgh and Cleveland kind of a mismatch matchup right now,
Speaker 1: you don't really know what you're gonna see on Sunday
Speaker 1: with the COVID issues that Cleveland has, the reports. I
Speaker 1: think Alex Van Pelt is gonna be calling plays for
Speaker 1: them on Sunday. And then you have Pittsburgh, who really
Speaker 1: tripped and fell and is trying to get up after
Speaker 1: making what appeared to be a run at an undefeated season.
Speaker 1: So they're still in this too. But those first four
Speaker 1: teams that I mentioned, those are the ones I have
Speaker 1: my eye on because I think any of them could
Speaker 1: very easily get on a run. Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 1: To the the the Indie Buffalo matchup right off the
Speaker 1: bat really intrigues me because you have sort of, you know,
Speaker 1: the old guy at quarterback in Philip Rivers. This might
Speaker 1: be his last legitimate shot to get to a super
Speaker 1: Bowl in his career. And then on the other side,
Speaker 1: you mentioned Josh Allen for Buffalo, and the word that
Speaker 1: I continue to use with regard to Josh Allen when
Speaker 1: I do get a chance to watch the Buffalo Bills
Speaker 1: play is fearless. This kid just looks like he plays
Speaker 1: the game with no fear at all, and he's fun
Speaker 1: to watch in that respect. And the Buffalo Bills have
Speaker 1: put together an offense to pair with what has been
Speaker 1: and what had been developing prior to Allen's arrival, as
Speaker 1: as a pretty solid defense. So I personally think if
Speaker 1: I were to pick one team that has the best
Speaker 1: chance of knocking off the Chiefs as the defending Super
Speaker 1: Bowl champs and and the and the number one seed
Speaker 1: and the favorite right now in the a f C,
Speaker 1: I think Buffalo maybe has the best shot at that.
Speaker 1: But at the same time, I say that I don't
Speaker 1: count the Colts out at all this weekend in in
Speaker 1: that opening playoff game, the other next one Baltimore Tennessee,
Speaker 1: a rematch of last year's Division A Round game where
Speaker 1: Baltimore was the one seed, had the by was fourteen
Speaker 1: and two and Tennessee came in and punched him in
Speaker 1: the mouth, so to speak with Derrick Henry and surprised him.
Speaker 1: Baltimore just never got on track in that game, and
Speaker 1: suddenly their fourteen in two season went up and smoked
Speaker 1: on I believe it was a Saturday night and suddenly
Speaker 1: they were they were out um and as you mentioned,
Speaker 1: Derrick Henry a two thousand yard season this time he's
Speaker 1: the back to back NFL Russian King two years in
Speaker 1: a row, UM and is coming off of a monster
Speaker 1: game to help Tennessee win that that a f C
Speaker 1: South last weekend. And then Cleveland at Pittsburgh the COVID issues,
Speaker 1: I mean, everything going on with with Cleveland. Their head
Speaker 1: coach won't be on the sideline, won't be able to
Speaker 1: communicate with his team at all, as well as a
Speaker 1: few other coaches as they go through that. And Pittsburgh
Speaker 1: is really interesting to me because, as you mentioned, they
Speaker 1: were eleven and oh, people were wondering, okay, are they
Speaker 1: going to run the table, go sixteen and O and
Speaker 1: head into the postseason. Well, then they lost three games
Speaker 1: in a row. They're trailing by seventeen points in the
Speaker 1: second half to the Indianapolis Colts at home. They have
Speaker 1: a huge second half rally to pull out that game
Speaker 1: win the a f C North Division championship. And then
Speaker 1: even though in weeks seventeen they had an opportunity to
Speaker 1: possibly get the two seed as opposed to the three,
Speaker 1: Mike Tomlin said, this is what I think. He said, Hey,
Speaker 1: our guys are tired. This has been a rough last month,
Speaker 1: month and a half. They sort of lost their bye
Speaker 1: week even earlier in the season because of scheduling getting
Speaker 1: shifted around. They Pittsburgh Steelers dealt with a lot of
Speaker 1: things that were out of their control in terms of
Speaker 1: how their season unfolded, and Mike Tomlin said, you know what,
Speaker 1: We're gonna rest some of our key guys in week
Speaker 1: seventeen because the rest and recovery is going to be
Speaker 1: more important to making potentially making a playoff run than
Speaker 1: whether they're the three seeds or the two seeds. So
Speaker 1: they made that sacrifice. The Steelers are the three seed,
Speaker 1: but now they get a division rival, a team they've
Speaker 1: already played twice this year. That third matchup in the
Speaker 1: n f C North between the Browns and the Steelers
Speaker 1: will be the I believe that's the final game of
Speaker 1: the weekend on Sunday Night football, so it should be
Speaker 1: it should be one heck of a weekend. I'm looking
Speaker 1: forward to it. Yeah, Town then one of the best
Speaker 1: in the business, and obviously felt like this was the
Speaker 1: right time to almost kind of simulated by a little
Speaker 1: bit for his guys, for Roethlisberger. For what what, I'm
Speaker 1: really intrigued about that matchup. There was a couple of things. One,
Speaker 1: it seems to me that Pittsburgh, you know, James Conner
Speaker 1: had dealt with injuries throughout the year, but it seems
Speaker 1: like during the end of the season when he kind
Speaker 1: of slowed down a little bit, that's when the offense
Speaker 1: sort of slowed down. I don't watch them weekend and
Speaker 1: week out, so I can't give you a blow by blow,
Speaker 1: but that that did seem to be a parallel to me.
Speaker 1: So can they refine themselves? Can the defense get its
Speaker 1: swagger back? And on the other side of the field
Speaker 1: man for the first time in eighteen years? Coincidentally, the
Speaker 1: team that they lost to Pittsburgh back in two thousand two,
Speaker 1: they get a rematch with them now eighteen years later,
Speaker 1: back in the postseason, and really again had kind of
Speaker 1: a crossroads earlier this year and seemed to really have
Speaker 1: found themselves. I think Baker Mayfield got his swagger back
Speaker 1: to keep throwing that word out there. I like what
Speaker 1: they've done with their backfield combinations. Obviously we know you
Speaker 1: know J. C. Treader well, and how they've built up
Speaker 1: that offensive line. So I think it's gonna be a
Speaker 1: really competitive matchup. And again for Cleveland, this has been
Speaker 1: the statement year you got back. That's awesome. Now, can
Speaker 1: you win some football games and and show that you
Speaker 1: know what this is a team that can be not
Speaker 1: only just a playoff contender, but can actually contend to
Speaker 1: be in a Super Bowl. Yeah. Absolutely, Well, as I said,
Speaker 1: it should be a fun weekend to watch some football.
Speaker 1: I'm glad we get to kind of sit and relax
Speaker 1: for a couple of days and just take it all in.
Speaker 1: We will have updates on Packers dot Com. As soon
Speaker 1: as the Packers date and time and opponent and all
Speaker 1: of that is known, that will be available on our website.
Speaker 1: So with that, we'll call it a wrap on this
Speaker 1: edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of
Speaker 1: our coverage of the team through the playoffs on packers
Speaker 1: dot com for West, I'm Mike. Thanks for tuning in, everybody,
Speaker 1: See you next time.