WEBVTT - #461 Packers Unscripted: Off to Arrowhead 0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:19.840 Yeah, hi everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:19.920 --> 0:00:23.160 I am Mike Spofford sitting next to my trusted colleague 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:25.640 West Hodkowitz. Were coming to you here from our studios 0:00:26.120 --> 0:00:29.200 at lambeau Field and West. It's almost here Sunday night 0:00:29.240 --> 0:00:33.840 football Packers Chief's Arrowhead Stadium in prime time in week 0:00:33.960 --> 0:00:37.120 eight and our final show of the week that means 0:00:37.560 --> 0:00:39.840 keys to victory. So where do you want to start 0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:42.519 with this one? What do the Green Bay Packers need 0:00:42.600 --> 0:00:46.040 to do to come back seven and one? Well, so 0:00:46.120 --> 0:00:48.080 much has been made this week of the quarterback situation, 0:00:48.120 --> 0:00:50.320 whether it'll be Patrick Mahomes or what it'll be Matt Moore. 0:00:51.159 --> 0:00:52.640 At the end of the day, the weapons are the 0:00:52.640 --> 0:00:55.480 weapons and the Chief's offense though, and you have to 0:00:55.520 --> 0:00:58.200 account for them. So whether it's Sammy Watkins, Tyreek hill, 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:02.480 Um Hardman, the rook you know, Travis Kelsey again having 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:05.440 a phenomenal season, or even the Shawn McCoy now really 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:07.600 stepping his game up as you know, taking the reins 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:09.800 as kind of their lad running back. There's so many 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:11.600 different people that you have to stop. So even if 0:01:11.640 --> 0:01:14.080 it is Matt Moore in this game, the thing that 0:01:14.120 --> 0:01:17.319 I like about what Kansas City offers offensively is there's 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:18.640 a lot of things that they can do to make 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:21.200 the quarterbacks life easier, and you need to be able 0:01:21.200 --> 0:01:23.680 to eliminate those weapons. So, you know, my biggest key 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:26.160 for this thing is one being able to stop McCoy, 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:28.600 not allowing Damian Williams to get going. He's you know, 0:01:28.600 --> 0:01:30.040 he's had a rough goal of it here the first 0:01:30.080 --> 0:01:31.959 six seven weeks of the season. You gotta, you know, 0:01:32.040 --> 0:01:34.679 keep him stymied. But if you're allowed, if you're able 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:38.440 to actually stop McCoy and make this thing one dimensional 0:01:38.680 --> 0:01:41.400 and allow your safeties in in in cornerbacks to play 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:43.560 to their strengths, that's gonna go a long way. Because, 0:01:43.600 --> 0:01:45.559 as I'm sure something we'll be talking about the fact 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:49.840 that Darnell Savage was uh practicing in pads on Thursday. 0:01:49.840 --> 0:01:51.800 It wasn't just that it was a walk through on Wednesday, 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:53.800 allowed him to be out there. He was good to 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:56.080 go and clear to be in that padded practice Thursday. 0:01:56.120 --> 0:01:58.640 So that signals that he's probably looking towards a return 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:01.720 here to have them back and Adrian Amos and you know, 0:02:01.800 --> 0:02:03.440 being able to defend the middle of the field there 0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:05.360 is going to be critical, especially when you have weapons 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:08.120 like Hill and Kelsey that really the Kansas City is 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:10.320 really looking to take advantage of. Yeah, we've been talking 0:02:10.320 --> 0:02:12.480 about those weapons for Kansas City, and a lot of 0:02:12.520 --> 0:02:15.600 it is built on speed. Obviously, Travis Kelsey not a 0:02:15.680 --> 0:02:18.400 speed burner, but for a tight end is about as 0:02:18.400 --> 0:02:20.440 fast and athletic as it gets. And then you have 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:24.360 your Tyreek Hills and you're Sammy Watkins. I think on 0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:27.640 the defensive side of this ball, what I point to 0:02:28.280 --> 0:02:32.080 for this game is to tackle, because I think the 0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:36.079 Kansas City Chiefs they're gonna look to make explosive plays 0:02:36.120 --> 0:02:40.040 by making guys miss and generating big gains off of 0:02:40.240 --> 0:02:42.480 yards after the catch and things like that. And I 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:44.639 think the Packers need to be on their p's and 0:02:44.720 --> 0:02:48.120 queues with the tackling because Andy Reid is going to 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:50.280 be able to scheme things up to get the ball 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:52.440 to the guys that he wants to have the ball 0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:55.200 in their hands. But if you limit those catches to 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:58.400 where the ball is caught and not let those turn 0:02:58.440 --> 0:03:01.320 into the explosive gains that are hurt the Packers a 0:03:01.360 --> 0:03:03.680 lot over the last few weeks. I think the Packers 0:03:03.760 --> 0:03:07.320 defense can can stay in here and hold their own 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:10.280 regardless of whether it's Matt Moore or Patrick Mahomes. And 0:03:10.280 --> 0:03:12.560 the most the more I looked at the last month 0:03:12.680 --> 0:03:14.560 here and some of these games that they played tight, 0:03:14.800 --> 0:03:16.760 the games have been tighter because they didn't allow the 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:19.520 Chiefs to extend those plays. So, whether it's Mahomes just 0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:21.399 in the pocket or whether it's a guy like Hill 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:24.440 with the ball now that he's back from the shoulder injury, 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:27.280 you know, being able to work through those type of 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:30.040 things is going to be you know critical that you know, 0:03:30.160 --> 0:03:32.160 if it isn't the first guy tackling that you're at 0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:34.040 least getting a helmet there and allowing the rest of 0:03:34.080 --> 0:03:36.160 the group to come and charge. And you know, it 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:38.640 doesn't always have to be twenty five solo tackles. It's 0:03:38.680 --> 0:03:40.960 you know, group tackles. You know count the same in 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:43.480 the grand scheme of things, But you cannot allow them 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:45.040 to break to the second level. That was one of 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:47.120 the issues they have with Josh Jacobs last week is 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:49.440 that he just when he got to that second level, 0:03:49.480 --> 0:03:51.680 he's so hard to take down a lot of those 0:03:51.720 --> 0:03:54.840 guys between those you know, the chains there, that's where 0:03:54.880 --> 0:03:57.080 they'll receive the ball. That's where they start to do 0:03:57.120 --> 0:03:58.880 their damage because of how they can get the yards 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:01.920 after catch. So that I agree with you whole hardly. 0:04:01.960 --> 0:04:03.840 That's going to be one of the big critical points 0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:06.720 of emphasis for this game for Green Bay because the 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:08.800 thing about Matt Moore is I'm not trying to say 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:13.400 that he's a He's not a prototype of homes by 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:16.200 any means, but he's played in this league for a 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:19.520 long time, with over a thousand passes thrown, you know, 0:04:19.560 --> 0:04:21.640 and in the number of you know, starts that he 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:24.839 had both in Carolina and Miami, the moment is not 0:04:24.880 --> 0:04:26.680 going to be too big for him. So I mean, 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:28.440 if you allow him to get if let's say it 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:30.599 is more, and you allow him to feel good and 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:33.039 confident back in a swing of things early on, that 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:35.679 can really be a recipe for disaster. And you mentioned 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:39.280 earlier that the Packers looks like they're gonna get Darnell 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:41.760 Savage back at safety in the back end. Here, the 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:45.600 rookie first round pick out of Maryland, and he's fast, 0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:49.640 and the best answer for speed on the offensive side 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:52.159 is to have your own speed on the defensive side. 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:55.279 And j R. Alexander. We're expecting him probably to get 0:04:55.320 --> 0:04:58.120 his share of Tyreek Hill. But Darnell Savage is one 0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:00.120 of these guys that if he's if he's playing in 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:02.640 the deep middle, playing center field, he's gonna have to 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:04.720 chase the ball down. He's gonna have to chase down 0:05:05.200 --> 0:05:07.640 these uh, these speedy weapons for the Chiefs, and as 0:05:07.640 --> 0:05:09.919 I said before, just prevent those big plays. Yeah, and 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:11.680 this is a much better matchup for Green Bay than 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:13.320 it would have been a couple of years ago. I mean, 0:05:13.520 --> 0:05:16.400 I think that they are conditioned to match speed for speed. Now, 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:18.719 there were some years where it was like that that 0:05:18.760 --> 0:05:20.680 could be a really big problem. But I think you've 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:22.800 seen even with some of these explosives they've had in 0:05:22.839 --> 0:05:26.000 recent weeks that they've allowed. You've seen JayR Alexander, you 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:28.880 know running down uh, you know receivers. You've seen Will 0:05:28.920 --> 0:05:31.080 Redmond being able to come back and make a play. 0:05:31.279 --> 0:05:34.960 They have the athleticism and talent to to stay stride 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:37.160 for stride for them. The big key for this game 0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:39.599 is going to be being back and getting on your technique, 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:41.920 being able to know where your leverage is in playing 0:05:41.920 --> 0:05:45.039 within the scheme so you don't allow those big, gashing plays. 0:05:45.560 --> 0:05:49.120 But afterwards, I mean, certainly they have the speed and 0:05:49.160 --> 0:05:52.080 the side to side, sideline to sideline speed to be 0:05:52.120 --> 0:05:54.160 able to account for a lot of the things that 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:56.200 Kansas City's gonna throw at them. Yeah. Well, on the 0:05:56.240 --> 0:05:58.280 offensive side of the ball for the Packers, I know 0:05:59.000 --> 0:06:02.000 we're coming off of this game with Aaron Rodgers and 0:06:02.040 --> 0:06:04.960 the maximum passer rating one point three, But to me, 0:06:05.080 --> 0:06:09.400 this matchup and the venue Arrowhead Stadium, and everything that 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:12.800 goes into that, this game to me just screams run 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:15.359 the ball, protect the ball. And we talked earlier in 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:18.600 the week about Kansas City's run defense. They're allowing about 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:20.560 a hundred and fifty yards a game on the ground, 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:23.840 about five point zero yards per carry, both of those 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:26.360 figures in the bottom quarter of the league. As far 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:28.640 as run defense, I think with the Packers and there 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:31.240 one to punch with Jones and Williams, they've got to 0:06:31.279 --> 0:06:33.440 get that going. They need to establish that and take 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:37.960 advantage of that weakness in Kansas City defense. And then really, 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:40.720 anytime you're on the road, especially but in an environment 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:44.479 like this prime time Sunday night football Arrowhead Stadium. A 0:06:44.520 --> 0:06:47.200 team that went to the A f C Championship Game 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:51.920 last year. Uh, there's no faster way to to lose 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:54.400 momentum than to turn the ball over. And the Packers 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:56.839 have done a good job obviously protecting the football for 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:59.760 the most part this year. That really needs to continue 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:04.039 in this game. I say that also because whether it's 0:07:04.080 --> 0:07:08.520 Matt Moore or a limited or compromised Patrick Mahomes, in 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:11.840 some way, I think the Packers have a significant edge 0:07:11.840 --> 0:07:15.400 at quarterback in this game with Aaron Rodgers. And to me, 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:20.360 anytime you have a significant edge at quarterback, if you 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:23.440 protect the football and don't lose that turnover battle, you 0:07:23.480 --> 0:07:25.320 have a really really good chance to win. And it's 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:27.240 funny too much because you can go back and you 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:29.320 want to look at all the different defenses and and 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:32.080 strategies and players at the Packers have had over Aaron 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:34.720 Rodgers career as a starting quarterback now twelve years into 0:07:34.800 --> 0:07:37.960 this thing, is that it's taking the football away. When 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:39.680 the Packers take the football away. With the way that 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:42.840 Rogers takes care of it, it's been a recipe for victories. 0:07:42.920 --> 0:07:45.320 It's been on what has allowed the Packers to, you know, 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:49.120 be one of the league's most consistently winning franchises, you know, 0:07:49.240 --> 0:07:51.800 during Aaron Rodgers tenure as a as a you know, 0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:55.520 quarterback here in the NFL. This matchup is interesting to 0:07:55.520 --> 0:07:58.440 me on a number of different levels because Mahomes sort 0:07:58.440 --> 0:08:01.280 of everyone always says Mahomes reminds it reminds everyone of 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:03.680 Rogers a lot, and it does. But he also has 0:08:03.760 --> 0:08:07.360 some of those you know, Brett Farve qualities too. He's 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:09.880 not afraid to be a gun slinger. He's really smart 0:08:09.920 --> 0:08:12.600 with what he does. Um, but you know he is 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:14.360 going to be prone to a couple more mistakes. And 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:17.080 I would say Rodgers is a lot of times the 0:08:17.120 --> 0:08:19.640 thing that's gonna be really interesting about this matchup. Okay, 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:24.160 let's just say Mahomes ends up playing in this. Again. 0:08:24.200 --> 0:08:25.960 I've stated in my opinion on this, there's a lot 0:08:26.000 --> 0:08:27.560 for this young man to play for, and there's a 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:29.520 lot that Kansas City is playing for in the season. 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:31.800 I would think it wouldn't be the smartest of measures. 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:34.800 But let's say that's the route they take. I I 0:08:34.960 --> 0:08:37.439 very easily could see this being a shootout. I very 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:39.280 easily could see this be a game where the Packers 0:08:39.320 --> 0:08:42.360 defense still plays really well. Um, just because of how 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:45.080 this game is set up and how things are are 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:48.760 looking offensively, though, I think where the Packers truly get 0:08:48.800 --> 0:08:51.559 the edge is their run game. I think with Aaron 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:53.800 Jones and Jamal Williams and the performance that they're coming 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:55.400 off of for the last few weeks when it's had 0:08:55.400 --> 0:08:56.640 to be both of them, when it's had to be 0:08:56.679 --> 0:08:58.720 one of them, the way that they've stepped up and 0:08:58.800 --> 0:09:02.080 risen to the occasion has been sort of that difference maker. 0:09:02.120 --> 0:09:04.200 And when I think, getting back to my main point here, 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:07.640 the best years Aaron Rodgers head is when that running 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:09.560 game is at its best. And I think that's what 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:12.480 when you talk about all the different factors and things 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:14.600 that went right for the Packers and things that went wrong. 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:17.600 But realistically, when I think of six and one, I 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:20.480 think of how the offense has found an equalirium, has 0:09:20.520 --> 0:09:23.560 found a balance, and it's a credit to Aaron Jones 0:09:23.600 --> 0:09:25.439 and Jamal Williams, and I think those two guys don't 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.439 let up. Yeah. When I say, and I just want 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:30.080 to be clear when I say I think the Packers 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:32.800 are going to have a significant quarterback advantage in this game. 0:09:32.920 --> 0:09:36.640 That's if Patrick Mahomes plays. I don't think we're going 0:09:36.679 --> 0:09:39.439 to see the m v P Patrick Mahomes. We're not 0:09:39.480 --> 0:09:42.120 going to see the guy who can scramble all the 0:09:42.160 --> 0:09:44.400 way out to the right boundary and throw the ball 0:09:44.440 --> 0:09:46.280 back to the left. Hash. We're not going to see 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:49.120 the guy who can roll to his left and then 0:09:49.200 --> 0:09:51.679 open up and throw back across his body at some 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:55.280 weird arm angle on the move and hit somebody like 0:09:55.320 --> 0:09:58.480 Tyreek Hill and stride cutting back across the other way. 0:09:58.800 --> 0:10:01.440 I just if Mahomes plays, I just think it's going 0:10:01.480 --> 0:10:04.360 to be a compromise Mahomes, It's not going to be 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:07.320 the m v P Mahomes. And that's where I you know, 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:09.600 run the ball and protect the ball. I think that's 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:11.520 what wins this game. Yeah, and that's why. And again 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:13.640 we're going to find out probably ninety minutes before this 0:10:13.720 --> 0:10:16.880 game begins on Sunday night. But I just don't see why, 0:10:17.120 --> 0:10:20.120 other than suf refuge and all those you know, different 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:22.720 kind of sleight of hands that Kansas City could be 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:25.120 trying to use, I don't see why you do it. 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:28.160 I don't see why you go that direction, especially considering 0:10:28.160 --> 0:10:30.600 Matt Moore actually looked pretty good last week. I felt, 0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:33.360 I mean, he's not Patrick Mahomes, but he also didn't 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:34.800 look out of place there. He looked like he could 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:37.400 have effectively run this offense. And considering he wasn't on 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:40.480 this roster two months ago today, I think that actually, 0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:42.400 you know, speaks pretty well of him and what he's 0:10:42.400 --> 0:10:45.400 brought to the table. Yeah. Well, a couple other things 0:10:45.440 --> 0:10:48.800 to touch on here with regards to we've been speaking 0:10:48.800 --> 0:10:51.520 all week about the venue and Arrowhead Stadium and everything 0:10:51.559 --> 0:10:53.600 like that. A couple of things to keep in mind. One, 0:10:54.480 --> 0:10:56.880 the Chiefs are five and two, but you know what 0:10:57.000 --> 0:10:59.679 they're two losses are both at Arrowhead Stadium, which you 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:04.120 would think when looking at things on paper, But it's true. 0:11:04.160 --> 0:11:07.520 They lost back to back home games too. I believe 0:11:07.520 --> 0:11:10.559 it was the Colts and the Texans, if I'm not mistaken. 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:13.959 So kind of strange in the sense that the team 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:15.679 that was the number one seed in the a f 0:11:15.760 --> 0:11:18.400 C and had the home field in the playoffs and 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:21.040 everything throughout last year has already lost to home games 0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:23.080 this year. On the other side of that, for the 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:27.640 Green Bay Packers, you look at the last quarter century 0:11:27.679 --> 0:11:30.640 of Packers history and if you were to rank the 0:11:30.760 --> 0:11:33.680 you know, top five or six regular seasons, the Packers 0:11:33.720 --> 0:11:36.240 have had in that time. One of them, would two 0:11:36.320 --> 0:11:38.959 of them, I should say, would definitely be two thousand eleven, 0:11:39.440 --> 0:11:43.600 And and those both happened to be years that the 0:11:43.640 --> 0:11:46.360 Packers lost at Arrowhead Stadium, even though it was one 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:49.720 of the better seasons in recent history for this franchise. 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:52.920 So a couple of things with regards to this location 0:11:53.120 --> 0:11:56.319 and the recent history and the history in the past 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:58.440 and everything going on that that make this a little 0:11:58.440 --> 0:12:01.640 more interesting. Was the quarterback in ninety was that Alviskerback? 0:12:01.920 --> 0:12:04.719 It wasn't Joe Montana was already done. No, Montana was 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:06.480 gone by then. It might have been Gerback. I have 0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:08.160 to look it up for sure, but you're probably right 0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:10.760 on that. But it is funny. I mean, as a kid, 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:12.720 I remember that game a little bit, and I remember, 0:12:12.800 --> 0:12:14.600 you know, because obviously you see Arrowhead and you just 0:12:14.600 --> 0:12:18.240 have the bright red colors and and and certainly that 0:12:18.400 --> 0:12:20.839 was a you know, demoralizing day for a little west 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:23.520 Hot quits. But um no, I mean, and you go 0:12:23.600 --> 0:12:25.360 back to two thousand eleven, I can actually tell you 0:12:25.360 --> 0:12:27.200 where I was. I wasn't watching the game in two 0:12:27.200 --> 0:12:30.400 thousand eleven. I was at a local fabric shop with 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:32.720 my wife. She was trying to put together this project 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:36.160 for school, and I remember following it on my phone 0:12:36.160 --> 0:12:38.320 for fantasy football reasons and just to see how the 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:42.160 game was going. You certainly were there, and like it 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:44.360 was just one of those things where those type of games, 0:12:44.360 --> 0:12:46.080 you get that feeling in the first half, like Okay, 0:12:46.080 --> 0:12:47.439 it's a slow start, and then you get into the 0:12:47.480 --> 0:12:49.720 third quarter, it's like, Okay, this isn't a slow start anymore. 0:12:49.760 --> 0:12:51.440 In the fourth quarter, it's so, this is getting kind 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:54.160 of dangerous. And I think one of the things, and 0:12:54.200 --> 0:12:56.120 a lot was made out of that, the two shell, 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:58.960 some of the adjustments that Romeo Cornell made that you know, 0:12:59.040 --> 0:13:02.240 some defenses down the line end up exploiting for a minute. 0:13:02.320 --> 0:13:05.840 And Cornell was at the time, right because because Todd 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:07.760 was it Todd Haley had already been fired. Yeah, the 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:10.320 Chiefs were going through a transition there, and UH and 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:13.120 the Packers obviously we're thirteen and oh and and the 0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:15.840 winning street came to a winning streak that was actually 0:13:16.000 --> 0:13:19.000 nineteen games going back to UH to the finish to 0:13:19.080 --> 0:13:21.520 two thousand ten that ended with the championship. The Packers 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:23.960 had won nineteen games in a row. And that streak 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:26.240 ended at Arrowhead. Yeah. And the thing that stands out 0:13:26.280 --> 0:13:27.840 to me, other than the fact that the adjust was 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:30.959 that Kernell made in you know, very game Kansas City team, 0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:33.679 was when even when we were down season like that, 0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:36.560 how much that crowd ended up ultimately getting behind them 0:13:36.600 --> 0:13:38.559 because of what it meant and the run of the 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:40.439 Packers had been on at that point. Mike I was 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:43.439 in the locker room for every home game running quotes, 0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:45.640 and I just remember every single week and Clay Matthews, 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:47.959 to his credit, often said, you know, the next one 0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:49.920 is only as good as the last one, so we 0:13:50.040 --> 0:13:52.840 gotta keep winning for this to matter. But there was 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.040 a public sentiment nationally that Okay, this is a team 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:57.520 that's just going to run through everybody, and then Kansas 0:13:57.520 --> 0:13:59.800 City very humbly reminded them that now and any given 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:03.800 day the NFL in that day, that venue, that day. 0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:06.280 That was my lasting takeaway. It was just how rocking 0:14:06.280 --> 0:14:10.200 it was by what was sort of a cataclysmic upset. Yeah. Well, 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:12.720 in the big picture here and now for the Green 0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:15.600 Bay Packers, they need to win to get to seven 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:17.920 and one and stay alone in first place in the 0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:21.120 NFC North because on Thursday Night football, the Minnesota Vikings 0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:24.360 took care of business. Not the prettiest game in the world, 0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:26.080 but a win is a win as a win. As 0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:29.160 they say, nineteen to nine, the Vikings are six and 0:14:29.200 --> 0:14:32.680 two at the halfway point. So the Packers if they 0:14:32.760 --> 0:14:36.040 want to remain by themselves the top the NFC North, 0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:39.600 they need to get to seven and one. Your thoughts 0:14:39.680 --> 0:14:43.280 on the Thursday night game. Unfortunate for the Redskins and 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:46.680 for Packers fans who were rooting for Washington to to 0:14:46.760 --> 0:14:48.680 pull the upset. When Case Keena went out of the 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:51.320 game and Dwayne Haskins went in, the rookie out of 0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:55.400 Ohio State, it just for whatever Washington had going on offense, 0:14:55.440 --> 0:15:00.000 it all kind of disappeared. And for his valiant and effort, 0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:02.480 I guess I would say as Washington's defense put up 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:05.720 against a Minnesota offense that was lighting people up the 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:08.480 last few weeks, Washington's defense kept him in the game, 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:10.480 but their offense just couldn't do enough. Yeah, and it's 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:13.120 unfortunate too, because I don't know if you remember, the 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:15.000 player that jumps off to my mind right at the 0:15:15.000 --> 0:15:16.600 top of my head is Steve Smith here and I'll 0:15:16.600 --> 0:15:18.840 tell you what I'm trying to get at um. Right 0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:21.120 at the beginning of his career, I remember correctly. I 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:23.320 think Carolina was actually working through some stuff. They were 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:25.760 trying to find their quarterback, and you know, you kind 0:15:25.760 --> 0:15:27.280 of get those players every once in a while, those 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:29.200 skill position players were It's like, Okay, this guy is 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:31.240 pretty good. If you could just get him to somebody 0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:33.080 to throw on the ball, man. I really get that 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:38.520 feeling with Washington's Terry mcclaughlin McLaren. Gosh, that kid is 0:15:38.560 --> 0:15:41.360 explosive and yeah, he's really come on the scene, hasn't he. Yeah, 0:15:41.360 --> 0:15:43.280 and if he could just get him somebody to consistently 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:45.200 deliver him a football, I think that guy is gonna 0:15:45.200 --> 0:15:48.400 be really special for Washington. You know, part of me too, 0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:52.080 after watching that game the highlights back. I also think 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:53.840 too that a guy like Adrian Peterson, he used to 0:15:53.840 --> 0:15:55.480 always talk about how he wanted to play to forty 0:15:55.520 --> 0:15:57.640 and then I highly doubted that for a while, especially 0:15:57.680 --> 0:15:59.320 when he was like the third string running back in 0:15:59.360 --> 0:16:01.840 New Orleans. But the way he's running now, yeah, he 0:16:01.840 --> 0:16:03.920 doesn't have the explosive speed anymore, but he still has 0:16:03.960 --> 0:16:06.280 the power to move piles. So the point I'm trying 0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:08.640 to make your is Washington has some players, they just 0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:12.240 don't have a quarterback, and then case Keenum maybe could 0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:14.640 have potentially been able to keep them in the game 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:17.040 to to win a close one, he ends up leaving 0:16:17.040 --> 0:16:19.880 with the concussion. Well, Keenum was Keenum was moving the 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:23.120 ball for this offense early on managing they kept getting 0:16:23.560 --> 0:16:25.800 into gold and ghost situations and they couldn't get the 0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:27.360 ball in the end zone and they were settling for 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:29.920 field goals, and so you're thinking, Okay, if they can 0:16:30.000 --> 0:16:32.840 keep moving the ball and then eventually cash in, they'll 0:16:32.880 --> 0:16:34.920 stay right there and maybe have a chance to pull 0:16:34.960 --> 0:16:37.040 the upset. And then the second half Keenum's out of 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:39.840 the game. They say he's in the concussion protocol, and 0:16:40.000 --> 0:16:42.320 U really, Washington just didn't have a chance, even though 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:46.560 Minnesota's offense, while efficient when you look at all the numbers, 0:16:47.320 --> 0:16:50.960 was not the explosive, piling up the touchdowns unit that 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:52.880 it had been the last few weeks. Yeah, there's a 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:54.880 part of me too that wonders if Washington kind of 0:16:54.920 --> 0:16:57.080 did this to themselves, because I mean, they were talking 0:16:57.120 --> 0:16:58.840 all week long about, Okay, Keenyan is going to be 0:16:58.880 --> 0:17:01.520 the starter. We're gonna have Haskins as the number two 0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:03.920 because he's the future, And a part of me is 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:06.919 kind of like, I just, I mean, if Colt McCoy 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:10.880 is in that situation, you wonder. Certainly he's coming back 0:17:10.920 --> 0:17:13.040 from a significant injury, and I know things didn't go 0:17:13.080 --> 0:17:14.840 great for him for the first game back when he 0:17:14.880 --> 0:17:17.840 had to play. But yeah, I just Haskins looks like 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:19.560 he's out of place right now. But you know, we 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:21.840 got to talk about Minnesota for a little bit to 0:17:21.880 --> 0:17:23.680 be at a position now that there's six and two 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:25.880 and working through some of the stuff that they've worked through, 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:28.280 our game winning streak after a two and to start, 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:30.760 a lot of people questioning what was going on in Minnesota, 0:17:30.800 --> 0:17:35.000 including some people in their own locker room ing there 0:17:36.000 --> 0:17:38.520 questioning what was going on there at two and two 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:42.120 after the loss in Chicago when their offense just did 0:17:42.160 --> 0:17:45.400 not look like it had anything going for it. And 0:17:45.720 --> 0:17:48.280 but a different story now in Minneapolis a month later. Yeah, 0:17:48.320 --> 0:17:50.200 that's why I ended up saying the insider in box 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:52.240 yesterday and one of my posts that we make so 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:54.360 much out of, you know, Mike Simmers defense, but Mike 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:56.720 Simmer the head coach is pretty darn good too, and 0:17:56.800 --> 0:17:58.479 for him to be able to rally the troops at 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:00.719 a time in which it seemed like this because all 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:03.480 fallen apart. And I know I myself personally, I was wondering, oh, man, 0:18:03.480 --> 0:18:05.359 if this doesn't go the way they needed to, what 0:18:05.400 --> 0:18:07.600 does this mean for Zimmer? And here they are now 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:09.280 sitting six and two and still in the thick of 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:11.520