WEBVTT - #748 Packers Unscripted: Thankful triumph 0:00:06.880 --> 0:00:10.840 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:10.840 --> 0:00:14.200 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined as always 0:00:14.240 --> 0:00:16.720 by my partner in crime, Weston Hodkowitz. We're coming to 0:00:16.720 --> 0:00:20.439 you, you hear from our studios at Lambeufield, back from the 0:00:20.520 --> 0:00:23.280 Thanksgiving weekend, Wes and we are here to talk about 0:00:23.320 --> 0:00:27.680 a Thanksgiving victory by the Green Bay Packers twenty nine 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:30.840 to twenty two over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. 0:00:31.400 --> 0:00:35.280 And there are wins, and there are big wins, Wes, 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:38.559 and I think for the first time this season, for 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:43.080 the first time probably since Week seventeen last year, when 0:00:43.120 --> 0:00:47.000 the Packers beat the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings rather 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:50.680 soundly at lambeau Field, we can say the Packers chalked 0:00:50.760 --> 0:00:52.680 up a big win. This is the biggest one of 0:00:52.720 --> 0:00:56.480 twenty twenty three so far, a good one for the 0:00:56.520 --> 0:00:57.320 Packers to get. 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:00.600 As the great Roy Jones Junior once said, y'all must 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:05.039 have forgot because the Green Bay Packers showed up in Detroit. 0:01:05.240 --> 0:01:07.240 And I'll tell you what, man, I think the popular 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:09.920 sentiment in that locker room afterwards. You were with Jordan 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:12.880 Love and Matt Lafleur, But listening to Kenny Clark and 0:01:13.240 --> 0:01:16.280 Christian Watson and a lot of these vets say we 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:17.920 didn't get there. Weren't a lot of people giving us 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:20.920 a chance in this game, but they believed. And if 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:23.960 you look at one of the most common denominators between 0:01:23.959 --> 0:01:26.040 where the Green Bay Packers have been from week one 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:30.080 to week now thirteen, it's been belief. The execution hasn't 0:01:30.080 --> 0:01:32.679 always been there. Sometimes there's been a few more mistakes 0:01:32.680 --> 0:01:35.840 than Matt Lafleur would have liked, but this team always believed. 0:01:36.080 --> 0:01:39.760 And with a seventeen man injury report, with four of 0:01:39.800 --> 0:01:42.040 the five guys who are questionable for this game not 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:45.959 being able to play, they only had aj Dillon available. 0:01:46.600 --> 0:01:49.480 This team was undeterred. And it didn't matter if it 0:01:49.600 --> 0:01:53.680 was Jordan Love having another three touchdown zero interception game 0:01:54.280 --> 0:01:57.520 or Christian Watson having his biggest game of the season, 0:01:57.600 --> 0:02:03.720 the young receivers defensively, Gary stepping up in a huge way. 0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:07.760 When Matt Lafleur gives everybody a game ball afterwards that's 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:11.639 on the roster, it speaks to the Packers quite literally 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:15.600 needing everybody on that game day active forty eight, and 0:02:15.960 --> 0:02:17.600 they found a way to get it done. Yeah. 0:02:17.639 --> 0:02:21.079 I mean when you look at you look at how 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:23.560 banged up the Packers were coming into this game. You're 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:26.760 short handed at running back, you're short handed at wide 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:29.680 receiver on the offensive side. On the defensive side, your 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:33.360 secondary is still banged up. You've got a lot of 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:36.760 backups and reserves playing there. You're not full strength at 0:02:36.800 --> 0:02:40.720 inside linebacker. So where did this game have to be won? 0:02:40.960 --> 0:02:43.200 It had to be one up front. The Packers were 0:02:43.200 --> 0:02:45.280 in good shape on their offensive line, they were in 0:02:45.320 --> 0:02:47.960 good shape on their defensive line, and those were the 0:02:48.000 --> 0:02:51.280 two units that you know, quite frankly, got it handed 0:02:51.280 --> 0:02:53.359 to them by the Detroit Lions back in Week four 0:02:53.400 --> 0:02:56.679 at Lambell Field. And don't think that NFL players don't 0:02:56.720 --> 0:02:59.760 remember that kind of stuff, right. I Mean, the Packers 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:04.000 completely turned the tables in the trenches in this game 0:03:04.080 --> 0:03:07.360 compared to the first matchup with the Lions this season. 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:10.200 And that was the difference. The offensive line, the plan 0:03:10.320 --> 0:03:12.480 with the tight ends and the double teams in the 0:03:12.520 --> 0:03:15.520 chip blocks. They took Aiden Hutchinson out of the game, 0:03:15.600 --> 0:03:18.040 and he was the guy who completely wrecked the game 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:20.519 back in Week four. I've got a whole bunch of clips. 0:03:20.520 --> 0:03:22.359 In my what you might have missed all the different 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:26.640 ways that the Packers took care of Aiden Hutchinson and 0:03:26.680 --> 0:03:29.200 did not let him become a factor in this game 0:03:29.280 --> 0:03:32.800 at all. But on the flip side, also the defensive 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:35.320 front you mentioned Rashan Gary. He goes back to the 0:03:35.360 --> 0:03:39.320 stadium in which he tore his acl last November, and 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:42.280 he has a three sack, two forced fumble game, one 0:03:42.280 --> 0:03:44.720 of those forced fumbles being a scoop and score by 0:03:44.800 --> 0:03:50.800 Jonathan Owens, a reserve safety. With the secondary all banged up, 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:54.840 as you said, Wes, this was an all hands on 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:58.200 deck game. But where the Packers were strongest in terms 0:03:58.200 --> 0:04:01.200 of their health was in the trenches on the offensive 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:04.240 and defensive lines, and those two units came through big time. 0:04:04.360 --> 0:04:07.680 Elton Jenkins, And it's been fun watching Elton because he's 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:09.680 become a leader of that locker room. He's not just 0:04:09.720 --> 0:04:11.640 a leader of the offensive lineman. He's become one of 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:14.400 the voices of that locker room. It's a reasoned voice. 0:04:14.760 --> 0:04:16.479 He's not gonna go up there and making any huge 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:18.800 declarations to anybody in terms of what he thinks the 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:21.440 team is capable of. Right, But I think they follow that. 0:04:21.520 --> 0:04:24.080 I think they follows even keeledness in the way that 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:27.000 he carries himself. And he was saying afterwards, like we 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:30.440 wanted to dominate in this game. We understood what happened 0:04:30.440 --> 0:04:32.760 and what our role was. In Week four in Green 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:35.200 Bay having that loss, and that was a difficult time. 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:38.000 If you remember, Elton was dealing with a knee injury. 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:40.200 They just lost David again for the season. 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:43.280 And the guy Tom was playing banged up in that 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:46.520 game too. You know, he was gutting through a pretty 0:04:46.520 --> 0:04:49.320 difficult injury on a short week, with that game being 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:50.920 on a Thursday back in September. 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:54.800 And in this game, Green Bay Packers didn't care. They 0:04:54.880 --> 0:04:59.200 went out there and they played on their terms. And 0:04:59.279 --> 0:05:03.039 Mike I of the mentality that Matt Lafleur took with 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:06.760 this football team. You don't have any practices, you're just 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:09.400 doing walkthroughs. So if I could, I would love to 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:11.440 see the footage of them and the creek or wherever 0:05:11.480 --> 0:05:14.440 they were running through those first fifteen plays and the 0:05:14.480 --> 0:05:16.680 ideology that was following it, the fact that if we 0:05:16.720 --> 0:05:18.600 win the opening coin toss, we are going to take 0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:20.840 the football for the first time the season. We are 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:23.000 not going to defer. We are going to go into 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.720 the mouth of the lion. No pun intended. Pretty good 0:05:25.720 --> 0:05:28.040 line though, or pun intended or pun intended maybe if 0:05:28.040 --> 0:05:33.039 I want to be like that. But we're gonna throw 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:35.600 a pass up for fifty three yards to Christian Wattson, 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:37.960 a guy that this offense desperately needed to get going. 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:39.839 They gave him the ball on back to back plays 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:43.560 to start this thing. Yep, Jordan Love throws this magician 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:47.520 pass to Jayden Reid on a slant. I've watched this 0:05:47.560 --> 0:05:49.760 thing twenty five times and I still don't know how 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:53.239 the football got in there. Five plays, seventy five yards 0:05:53.600 --> 0:05:56.760 get into the end zone, exactly the start green Bay needed. 0:05:56.960 --> 0:06:00.919 Michael The defense contributed to but twenty first quarter points, 0:06:01.440 --> 0:06:04.839 matching green Bay's output through the first ten games combined. 0:06:04.839 --> 0:06:07.240 In the first quarter, Yeah, green Bay Packers got it 0:06:07.279 --> 0:06:08.240 done the way they needed to. 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:11.400 Yeah, it was pretty remarkable. I thought, you know, the 0:06:11.400 --> 0:06:14.599 way this game started, the big pass to Christian Watson. 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:18.080 Matt Lafleur had said he pondered that first play call 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:21.159 quite a bit. He thought about changing it. He mentioned 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:23.520 to Jordan Love he was thinking about changing it, not 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:25.800 taking the deep shot, and Jordan Love said, no, I 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:28.840 want that play. Let's do it, you know, let's call that. 0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:33.480 On the first one, Christian Watson goes up between two defenders, attacks, 0:06:33.520 --> 0:06:35.560 the ball comes down with at fifty three yards. As 0:06:35.560 --> 0:06:37.240 you said. A few plays later, they're in the end 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:40.840 zone when Watson runs the wrong route which created all 0:06:40.920 --> 0:06:43.800 of that traffic, but the ball got through, and you know, 0:06:43.960 --> 0:06:47.359 hats off to Jaden Reid for having the concentration with 0:06:47.440 --> 0:06:49.920 a guy draped on him and with Christian Watson cutting 0:06:49.960 --> 0:06:52.960 across and blocking his vision and everything, he's still able 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:54.560 to make that catch and get the ball into the 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:58.360 end zone. But what I liked even more, quite frankly 0:06:58.480 --> 0:07:02.359 west than the opening series was that after the Lions 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:05.560 responded right away with a touchdown of their own, the Packers' 0:07:05.600 --> 0:07:08.120 offense got right back to work. They went right back 0:07:08.120 --> 0:07:10.280 down the field and they were right back in the 0:07:10.400 --> 0:07:12.840 end zone again. It was like, okay, you matched us, Well, 0:07:12.880 --> 0:07:14.600 we're going to take the lead again and see what 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:16.960 you can do. And then what happens. That's where you 0:07:17.000 --> 0:07:19.640 get the first sack, fumble, the scoop and score by 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:23.160 Jonathan Oens and suddenly you're up by two touchdowns. And yes, 0:07:23.240 --> 0:07:26.800 the Lions they had gotten within nine and then very 0:07:26.880 --> 0:07:29.320 late in the game they got within seven. But you know, 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:33.120 the Packers sort of maintained that two score lead for 0:07:33.160 --> 0:07:36.160 the most part, you know, the rest of the ball game. 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:41.760 And you can't that was for a for as hostile 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:45.280 an environment as that was. That place was chalk full 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:47.680 of Detroit fans. It's Thanksgiving. There aren't a lot of 0:07:47.760 --> 0:07:51.000 There were very few Green Bay fans in the stands 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:53.920 and throughout the you know, I had mentioned this, and 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:55.800 this is what I felt sitting in the press box. 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:58.960 Throughout that whole game. That crowd was into it. They 0:07:58.960 --> 0:08:01.680 were expecting Theirs to come back. They had just seen 0:08:01.680 --> 0:08:04.280 their Lions come back from twelve down with four minutes 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:07.920 to go against the Bears. That crowd was expecting another comeback. 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:10.880 They thought, Okay, the Packers have had their fun. Our 0:08:10.920 --> 0:08:13.360 guys are going to get things going here. They made 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:16.560 things as difficult as they could on Jordan Love and 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:20.280 the offense with all the noise, but Jordan Love stayed 0:08:20.320 --> 0:08:22.440 in command of things from the start. There was the 0:08:22.480 --> 0:08:25.040 one mix up on the fourth and short with the 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:27.400 handoff to aj Dillon where they got crossed up and 0:08:27.440 --> 0:08:31.240 they ran into each other. Other than that, you can't 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:33.880 you almost can't even point to a play where you go, boy, 0:08:33.960 --> 0:08:36.959 they really messed that one up, right. I mean, Jordan 0:08:37.040 --> 0:08:40.319 Love was in command of this game, and we've seen him. 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:46.040 When you're talking about the Steelers game, to the Chargers game, 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:49.520 to the Lions game, the arrow, the arrow keeps pointing 0:08:49.600 --> 0:08:50.760 up with Jordan Love. 0:08:50.880 --> 0:08:51.960 He's there. 0:08:52.480 --> 0:08:54.880 You know. There are lots of fits and starts through 0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:57.080 the first seven eight games of the season. Now, all 0:08:57.120 --> 0:09:00.320 of a sudden, we're starting to see steady consists. Didn't 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:03.920 continual progress with Love and with the offense as a whole. 0:09:04.360 --> 0:09:06.319 It's exciting to think what the last month and a 0:09:06.320 --> 0:09:07.679 half of this season might hold. 0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:12.840 If we had more video technology. We could bring up 0:09:12.840 --> 0:09:14.640 the clip right now when you and I are talking 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:16.920 about going into that game against Chicago in Week one 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:20.240 and what had to happen by December first, what this 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:24.480 offense needed to do with these young perimeter players and 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:27.840 the strides they needed to make. Pittsburgh was such a 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:30.600 turning point for them for a number of reasons, but 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:32.720 I thought the biggest one was it was the first 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:34.679 game that Green Bay had lost, and credit to you 0:09:34.720 --> 0:09:37.040 for pointing this out. I didn't necessarily believe it myself, 0:09:37.400 --> 0:09:39.959 but it was the first game they lost where if 0:09:39.960 --> 0:09:42.480 you took away the ending, you felt the progress there 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:44.959 and you felt like they were building towards something. When 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:47.360 you took the emotion out of it, and you look 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:52.360 at what's happened since then, four days you go back 0:09:52.400 --> 0:09:55.200 to back games against the Chargers and the Lions. The 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:58.679 challenge mentally and physically that that brings upon a football 0:09:58.720 --> 0:10:01.400 team and its players, the Green Bay Packers stood up 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:03.800 to it. And if there was ever a stretch that 0:10:03.840 --> 0:10:08.040 I thought embodied what Jordan Love is as a quarterback, 0:10:08.600 --> 0:10:11.560 being able to take away the noise, being able to 0:10:11.679 --> 0:10:14.679 look past the factor three and six and just focus 0:10:14.720 --> 0:10:17.160 on the task at hand, first against the Chargers and 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:20.240 then against the Lions, it was this stretch. You're seeing 0:10:20.240 --> 0:10:23.480 a young quarterback improve, You're seeing the skill position players 0:10:23.520 --> 0:10:27.040 around him improve and galvanize, and I think that's making 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:30.800 all the difference. But if I may, I give a 0:10:30.800 --> 0:10:32.520 lot of credit. No one's going to write about it. 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:36.720 Matt Lafuor certainly doesn't want it talked about. But the 0:10:36.760 --> 0:10:42.360 way that Lafleur attacked this game strategically, being able to 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:44.920 punch a team in the face on its home field 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:47.760 in the first quarter. Yeah, it felt really good and 0:10:47.840 --> 0:10:50.080 it was a fast start, but Mike, it dictated the 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:53.680 rest of the game. Detroit was able to mount a 0:10:53.720 --> 0:10:58.080 fair amount of total yards. They had production, but Green 0:10:58.120 --> 0:11:00.839 Bay was able to play with that lead defense. They 0:11:00.840 --> 0:11:03.520 didn't rupture for big plays and the Lions could not 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:04.640 get in the end zone. Yeah. 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:07.320 I mean, one last thing I want to comment with 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:09.840 regard to the offense before I'll follow up on what 0:11:09.880 --> 0:11:11.840 you just said with the defense. The other thing that 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:15.240 you saw happening in this game, not just from one player, 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:17.520 not just from Christian Watson on the opening play of 0:11:17.559 --> 0:11:21.000 the game, but throughout the game as you saw Maleiku 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:24.760 Heath and Jaden Reid and Romeo Dobbs and Watson all 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:28.880 making contested catches. Jordan Love was giving was putting the 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:30.840 ball in places where they would have a chance to 0:11:30.840 --> 0:11:33.480 make plays, and a lot of those plays weren't going 0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:36.040 Green Bay's way. Earlier in the season, the receivers were 0:11:36.040 --> 0:11:37.800 not able to come down with those not from a 0:11:37.880 --> 0:11:40.800 lack of effort, but just lack of experience that you know, 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:43.840 things don't work out quite right. Well, those things are 0:11:43.880 --> 0:11:46.160 starting to work out now those guys are attacking the ball. 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:48.880 I mean, my favorite one, quite frankly, was the one. 0:11:49.600 --> 0:11:52.280 It was over the middle on It was kind of 0:11:52.320 --> 0:11:55.120 a long yarded situation. I believe it was second and long. 0:11:55.280 --> 0:11:59.280 It was right after a holding penalty, and Romeo Dobbs 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:01.720 makes a really tough, tough, contested grab over the middle 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:03.640 and that was the first time the ball had come 0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:06.040 to him since he had dropped a slant on third 0:12:06.080 --> 0:12:09.240 down earlier. Romeo just, you know, it's like, okay, you 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:11.880 block it out and and he made a much much 0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:14.360 tougher catch in a big situation that then set up 0:12:14.640 --> 0:12:20.160 Christian Watson's touchdown in the third quarter there on the 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:23.880 defensive side of the ball. You said it with regard 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:28.080 to the how the Packers ultimately were able to contain 0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:30.040 the Lions, and it came down it came down to 0:12:30.080 --> 0:12:34.280 fourth down stops. Four times. Four times the Packers stopped 0:12:34.280 --> 0:12:36.760 the Lions going forward on fourth down. One of those 0:12:36.840 --> 0:12:40.760 was the fake punt. Hats off to Lucas van Ness 0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:43.160 and to kings Leyannigbari. Those were the two guys when 0:12:43.200 --> 0:12:44.920 I looked at the film. That's it what you might 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:48.040 have missed as well. Anigbari sets the edge just like 0:12:48.080 --> 0:12:49.880 it was a running play. He didn't, you know he 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:53.319 he you know, immediately shifted in a run defense mode. 0:12:53.800 --> 0:12:56.800 Set the edge Lucas van Ness who had broken through 0:12:56.800 --> 0:12:59.520 the line, but he immediately shifts to go chase the guy, 0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:02.120 you know, the up back who takes the takes the 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:05.240 direct snap and uh, and they're able to shut down 0:13:05.240 --> 0:13:09.199 that fake punt. But also three other stops on fourth 0:13:09.240 --> 0:13:12.080 down were the where the defense just held strong. I 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:15.800 mean quay Walker's uh, quay Walker's coverage in the end 0:13:15.920 --> 0:13:19.440 zone on that pass to uh was it Laporta? I 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:22.560 think who was who was running that route? The pressure 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:26.120 generated by Preston Smith and Rashaun Garry on on some 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:29.240 of those other fourth downs. The defense came up big 0:13:29.600 --> 0:13:31.439 when it had to. And when you talk about the 0:13:32.240 --> 0:13:36.040 special teams contribution, I mean Daniel Wheeland, how I mean 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:38.920 how many punts were either fair caught or down at 0:13:38.960 --> 0:13:43.160 the ten yard line or they you know, yeah yeah, 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:45.560 and one of those was down at the two yard line. 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:49.480 You can't you can't overstate how important field position was 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:51.679 in this because as you said, the Lions did rack 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:53.920 up a bunch of yards, but at the end of 0:13:53.960 --> 0:13:55.960 the day, they didn't they they didn't get the points 0:13:56.000 --> 0:13:58.240 out of it because they were starting every drive from 0:13:58.280 --> 0:14:00.480 the ten yard line. It seemed like, which which put 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:03.920 the Packers defense in great position. When you have all 0:14:03.960 --> 0:14:06.959 three all three phases of the team doing those kinds 0:14:06.960 --> 0:14:09.800 of things, reducing the mistakes, you never play a perfect game. 0:14:10.440 --> 0:14:14.360 But to see the Packers in command of a game 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:17.840 essentially from start to finish on the road against the 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:21.560 team that is leading the division, leading the NFC North 0:14:21.560 --> 0:14:25.600 by a pretty wide margin, it was it was impressive. 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:28.320 And that that's as big a building block as the 0:14:28.360 --> 0:14:32.240 Packers have set down for whatever the future is, whatever 0:14:32.320 --> 0:14:35.560 that they've set down in their foundation. That's the biggest 0:14:35.560 --> 0:14:36.560 one of this season. 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:40.000 There was a lot of consternation and insider inbox about 0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:43.120 complimentary football and the way that you spell it this 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:44.080 past couple days. 0:14:44.160 --> 0:14:46.160 But oh, we have to have our fun. We have 0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:47.000 letters too. 0:14:47.520 --> 0:14:50.280 But when you when you talk about winning and losing, 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:51.720 and a lot of times it will go back to 0:14:51.760 --> 0:14:54.440 the quarterback. I get it. That is obviously where the 0:14:54.760 --> 0:14:56.720 ball starts, and it is about who has the ball 0:14:56.720 --> 0:14:59.520 in his hands. But complimentary football is something that is 0:14:59.560 --> 0:15:01.640 really wrap did up here, I thought for green Bay 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:04.320 over the last few months, last few weeks, I should say, 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:08.480 and being able to again a team like the Lions. 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:10.720 I mean, a lot of people forget man, the Lions 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:13.040 were on a seven game winning streak against the division, 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:17.160 and they'd beaten the Packers four straight times, and if 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:18.840 they would have gotten the fifth, that would have been 0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:21.080 the first time since the streak of eleven straight losses 0:15:21.080 --> 0:15:23.360 for Green Bay from nineteen forty nine to fifty three. 0:15:23.440 --> 0:15:26.080 Yeah, you're talking back in the early fifties, that day time, 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:28.280 in that last time the Lions had beaten the Packers 0:15:28.280 --> 0:15:29.360 that many times in a row. 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:31.880 Yeah, that they'd been in that kind of rut. Dare 0:15:31.920 --> 0:15:34.760 I say so, to be able to do this, I 0:15:34.800 --> 0:15:37.040 think there's so much that goes into it, And Mike, 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:41.400 not that it's ever about Okay, well you got one 0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:44.280 back because of some of these losses earlier this year. 0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:46.560 I think the difference is is that the green Bay 0:15:46.640 --> 0:15:49.400 Packers learned from those losses and now they beat an 0:15:49.440 --> 0:15:51.920 eight win football team, a team that is right at 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:54.280 the top of the NFC, and It's a reminder here, 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:56.760 especially after everything that happened on Monday Night football, that 0:15:57.200 --> 0:15:59.280 you know, the playoffs are very much in reach. If 0:15:59.440 --> 0:16:01.440 the Green Pack can start to build on this and 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:02.120 take care of business. 0:16:02.200 --> 0:16:03.960 Yeah, that's what I want to talk about next, is 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:07.560 some of the things as far as where this picture looks. 0:16:07.600 --> 0:16:10.040 But I'll take care of some sponsor business first. Serious 0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:13.240 XMNFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:16.880 minute NFL news that true football fanatics need. Twenty four 0:16:16.920 --> 0:16:19.160 to seven, three sixty five and ed Cousin Subs. We 0:16:19.200 --> 0:16:22.280 have something for everyone like our Wisconsin cheese curds, mac 0:16:22.320 --> 0:16:24.720 and cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes, all paired with 0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:27.400 your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. Cousin Subs 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:31.320 fifty years of better. All right, Well, the Packers have 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:36.200 won three of their last four. They actually, you know, 0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:39.080 one play away if you look at the Pittsburgh game, right, 0:16:39.120 --> 0:16:42.040 you're one play away from a four game winning streak, 0:16:42.080 --> 0:16:45.200 but three of their last four they are at five 0:16:45.240 --> 0:16:50.480 and six. The Minnesota Vikings took one on the chin 0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:54.520 Monday night at home against the Chicago Bears, who are 0:16:54.560 --> 0:16:59.200 suddenly playing a little bit different brand of football. When 0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:01.480 you look at the fact that they had the Lions 0:17:01.520 --> 0:17:03.560 down by twelve points with four minutes to go and 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:06.560 let that one get away. They almost let the game 0:17:06.680 --> 0:17:09.560 in Minneapolis Monday Night get away, but they get a 0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:12.720 last second field goal from Cairo Santos, his fourth field 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:16.040 goal the game. They win without a touchdown, twelve to ten. 0:17:17.560 --> 0:17:20.800 So the Minnesota Vikings now are six and six heading 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:23.359 into their bye week. So the Packers and the Vikings 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:26.680 tied in the lost column with six losses a piece. 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:30.280 The Vikings currently have the last playoff spot in the 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:35.600 NFC if the season ended today, but also the sixth spot. 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:38.320 The second the last spot in the NFC is the 0:17:38.320 --> 0:17:41.800 Seattle Seahawks, who are six and five. They only have 0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:45.280 one fewer loss than the Packers because they lost on 0:17:45.359 --> 0:17:51.000 Thanksgiving to the San Francisco forty nine ers. And also 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:53.240 with the Packers at five and six, you have the 0:17:53.280 --> 0:17:57.639 New Orleans Saints, you have the Los Angeles Rams, the Packers. 0:17:57.720 --> 0:18:00.119 You know, you like the fact that you know this 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:02.600 could shake out in any number of ways. You like 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:05.560 the fact that the Packers beat both of those teams. 0:18:05.840 --> 0:18:08.640 When it comes to potential tiebreaker scenarios, down the road. 0:18:09.000 --> 0:18:12.200 But here's the thing, Wes, none of this stuff matters 0:18:13.359 --> 0:18:16.720 because the Packers are still the team you know, trailing 0:18:16.760 --> 0:18:19.719 and chasing, right, You're trailing and chasing at this point. 0:18:20.000 --> 0:18:23.760 None of this matters if you don't keep stacking victories 0:18:23.800 --> 0:18:27.080 and keep putting pressure on those teams that are in 0:18:27.119 --> 0:18:29.720 front of you. And we'll talk on our next show 0:18:29.760 --> 0:18:32.000 about the Kansas City Chiefs. The opponent company here to 0:18:32.040 --> 0:18:39.320 Lambellfield a tremendous challenge, but one that certainly the whole 0:18:39.359 --> 0:18:42.000 outlook of this game with the Chiefs coming to Lambeoufield 0:18:42.080 --> 0:18:44.959 looks very very different with the Packers coming off this 0:18:45.000 --> 0:18:45.840 win over the Lions. 0:18:46.000 --> 0:18:48.560 You use the word challenge, I will use the word 0:18:48.600 --> 0:18:51.600 opportunity because the Grivay Packers suddenly are on their first 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:54.320 winning streak of the season. They are if you win 0:18:54.440 --> 0:18:57.040 three games, then you can, I think officially label it 0:18:57.080 --> 0:18:58.960 is that what Major League taught us, yeah, back in 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:01.280 the day. But but the bigger thing. 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:02.600 Is is that has happened before? 0:19:02.800 --> 0:19:06.160 What it has happened before? What a way that would 0:19:06.160 --> 0:19:09.200 be to catapult yourself into December, A December in which 0:19:09.200 --> 0:19:12.280 Matt Lafleur is still fifteen to h during his time 0:19:12.320 --> 0:19:14.679 as the Packers head coach. His teams know how to 0:19:14.760 --> 0:19:18.159 finish and and for Green Bay standpoint Mike, the record 0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:21.040 is great, you know, in terms of where they are, 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:23.000 that they're in this race, and you can talk all 0:19:23.040 --> 0:19:25.360 about this and you can talk about seedings and playoffs 0:19:25.400 --> 0:19:29.480 and all this jazz, but the bigger thing for me 0:19:29.640 --> 0:19:32.000 is how this young football team. And I'm gonna still 0:19:32.040 --> 0:19:34.360 say young because I'm not officially in the locker room, 0:19:34.359 --> 0:19:36.600 I'm not on the coaching staff, I'm not teaching anybody 0:19:36.640 --> 0:19:40.439 the game. I'm just observing. It is one of the youngest, 0:19:40.480 --> 0:19:42.800 if not the youngest football team in the National Football League, 0:19:43.280 --> 0:19:46.719 and they're getting better and you know, we'll see how 0:19:46.720 --> 0:19:49.280 this goes. You have to have consistency. I know what 0:19:49.320 --> 0:19:51.320 the schedule looks like on the other side of the 0:19:51.359 --> 0:19:53.720 Kansas City game, a lot of what people would refer 0:19:53.800 --> 0:19:56.960 to as winnable games for the Green Bay Packers, But 0:19:57.480 --> 0:19:59.960 there's six games to go and six games to prove 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:03.040 your point right now if you're this football team, but 0:20:03.200 --> 0:20:06.280 being able to get a win like that against Detroit 0:20:06.520 --> 0:20:10.240 on the road in the division and kind of put 0:20:10.280 --> 0:20:13.680