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 partner in crime, West Hodkowits were coming to
Speaker 1: you from socially distant locations at lambeau Field West. The
Speaker 1: NFC Championship Game is almost upon us. It will be Sunday,
Speaker 1: a two oh five pm Central time kickoff at lambeau Field,
Speaker 1: the first time the NFC title game will be here
Speaker 1: in Green Bay in thirteen years. And uh, I tell you,
Speaker 1: let's get right into it. Whether you want to talk
Speaker 1: to Aaron Rodgers versus Tom Brady, Packers offense against those
Speaker 1: inside linebackers for Tampa Bay, whatever the matchup is, what
Speaker 1: do you feel is the biggest key to victory for
Speaker 1: Green Bay in this football game? Well, you hit on
Speaker 1: it right there, Mike. For me, it is the Packers
Speaker 1: offense versus this linebacker in it and also Todd Bowls.
Speaker 1: I mean one of the stats. And I'm sure you've
Speaker 1: got a chance to read in Cider inbox. You have
Speaker 1: to edit me. Uh. One of the things I found
Speaker 1: really interesting is Rogers was exceptional against the Blitz all
Speaker 1: season hundred and twenty five passer rating in the fifteen
Speaker 1: games other than Tampa Bay when he sees pressure in
Speaker 1: his face, sixty seven completion percentage yards passing, seventeen touchdowns
Speaker 1: to two interceptions. Then you look at the seventeen attempts
Speaker 1: he had against the Buccaneers the first time, and he
Speaker 1: had a seven passer rating. They got the two picks
Speaker 1: on him the only through for sixty three yards. They
Speaker 1: came up with a great adjustment that first time around.
Speaker 1: You tip your cap to them. But as Matt Lafleur said,
Speaker 1: and as also Aaron Rodgers has talked about this week,
Speaker 1: that's week six, that's not today, seeing what the next
Speaker 1: move is for both the offense and seeing exactly how
Speaker 1: Bowls uses those linebackers this time around, I think it's
Speaker 1: gonna be really telling because Green Bay needs to be
Speaker 1: able to run the football. It's the top rank run
Speaker 1: defense the National Football League. But they got to make
Speaker 1: their job easy. They have to find ways to keep
Speaker 1: themselves and in manageable second and third down situations, and
Speaker 1: from there it's up to Rogers. It's up to the
Speaker 1: National Football League's likely m v P this season coming
Speaker 1: through and being able to solve this defense, Todd Bowls
Speaker 1: is as good as it gets. Mike I have long
Speaker 1: admired his defense is going back to his time in
Speaker 1: Arizona and even before that. I mean, for him to
Speaker 1: be able to dial up and adjust and as Rogers
Speaker 1: even said, kind of on the cutting edge, and having
Speaker 1: these two really exceptional inside linebackers to work with Devin
Speaker 1: White doing things traditional inside backers don't do. Almost sort
Speaker 1: of reminds me a little bit of those Ryan Schizier
Speaker 1: linebackers that sort of penetrated through the league, you know,
Speaker 1: five six years ago. Dynamic players that aren't just coverage,
Speaker 1: they aren't just run stoppers. They can blitz to. Seeing
Speaker 1: how Green Bay adjust to that is going to be
Speaker 1: a real telltale sign, I think on who ultimately comes
Speaker 1: out on top. Yeah, I mean, I think we saw
Speaker 1: over the course of this season how good the Packers
Speaker 1: offensive line was and what it has done along with
Speaker 1: the running backs, the tight ends picking up the blitzes
Speaker 1: and stuff. They had a bad day against Tampa Bay
Speaker 1: back in Week six. That was that was the anomaly.
Speaker 1: Because the protection of this unit has been has been
Speaker 1: really really strong all season long. But on the other
Speaker 1: side of that, you you hinted at it as well.
Speaker 1: I think this game, maybe more than any other this season,
Speaker 1: is going to test the Packers true commitment to the
Speaker 1: running game, because this Tampa Bay defense is the best
Speaker 1: in the league against the run statistically, and we've seen
Speaker 1: it west. We saw in the second half about a
Speaker 1: month ago against Carolina when the Packers got away from
Speaker 1: that commitment to the run. They were trying to force things,
Speaker 1: you know, certain ways, and things didn't go well. And
Speaker 1: since that game, the Packers of the offensively, Matt Lafleur,
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers, everybody, they've recommitted to the run. And you
Speaker 1: saw Green Bay ran all over the Tennessee Titans, they
Speaker 1: ran all over the Los Angeles Rams. When this is
Speaker 1: the game because of this Tampa Bay defense and how
Speaker 1: it's constructed, this is a game that is going to
Speaker 1: test that commitment to the run on It may not
Speaker 1: be shiny and flashy to get three and four yard
Speaker 1: carries all the time when you're handing off on first
Speaker 1: or second down, but the Packers are going to have
Speaker 1: to stick with it because that's the only way you're
Speaker 1: going to keep Todd Bowl's defense honest and not let
Speaker 1: him just dial up and scheme up whatever he wants
Speaker 1: and have his guys pin their ears back, as they say,
Speaker 1: and come after the quarterback. You've got to stay committed
Speaker 1: to the run to keep that defense guessing a little bit.
Speaker 1: And I think if the Packers can do that, they
Speaker 1: can find some efficiency against a really, really good defense. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and that's why I love being able to see, you know,
Speaker 1: a J. Dillon be back at practice on Wednesday, and well,
Speaker 1: obviously that's just one practice. Where's two more to go.
Speaker 1: At the time in which we're taping this, you have
Speaker 1: to see if he'll be available for Sunday. But if
Speaker 1: he is, the different versions of that backfield that they
Speaker 1: can deploy is going to be really essential. I feel
Speaker 1: against Tampa Bay. For starters, you know this is an
Speaker 1: outside zone team. There are a wide zone team. That's
Speaker 1: what Green Bay wants to do. But you and I
Speaker 1: both know when you have linebackers that can play sideline
Speaker 1: to sideline, like both Lavonte David and Devin White can
Speaker 1: that challenges that. But think back to some of the
Speaker 1: runs the Green Bay Packers did have in that game
Speaker 1: against Tampa Bay that we're successful. It was running north
Speaker 1: and south, it was Jamal Williams breaking into the second
Speaker 1: level and making guys pay, dipping his shoulder and really
Speaker 1: laying into some defenders. And that's what they did last
Speaker 1: week very well against the Los Angeles Rams. I'm not
Speaker 1: saying the Packers have to get outside of themselves, but
Speaker 1: if you're able to kind of plow forward with Williams
Speaker 1: and Dylan, find ways to get Aaron Jones open in space,
Speaker 1: whether it's with the passing game or finding ways to
Speaker 1: get him the ball as a runner, that's going to
Speaker 1: be critical because that's what allows Green Bay to not
Speaker 1: only protect the football, manage the down and distance in
Speaker 1: time of possession in this game. Green Bay this year
Speaker 1: has been so good at shortening ball games. They need
Speaker 1: to do that today or I should say, on Sunday
Speaker 1: against this opponent, because you saw last week they ran early.
Speaker 1: It wasn't big runs, was it. It was a sixty
Speaker 1: yard or after halftime, But before that it was fourteen
Speaker 1: fifteen carries, gritty yards, seven many you know yards early
Speaker 1: on and then the dam broke. So I feel like
Speaker 1: that's the number one thing that's gonna help set up
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers Davante Adams in the passing game is coming
Speaker 1: out and imposing that will. But I have to mention
Speaker 1: Vita Vea changes this a little bit. If there wasn't
Speaker 1: a via Veta question question question mark earlier this week,
Speaker 1: if he was still not designated to return, I think
Speaker 1: it's a lot easier to do that. But when you
Speaker 1: put a three pound defensive tackle out there, it's going
Speaker 1: to be a challenge in Green Bay has to be
Speaker 1: ready for it. Yeah, I'm really curious what's going to
Speaker 1: happen with Vita Vea with him having been out really
Speaker 1: upwards of three months now and the fact that he
Speaker 1: is just now being designated to return from i R.
Speaker 1: That's only three practices after three months away and essentially
Speaker 1: the you know, Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said on Wednesday,
Speaker 1: all they really had was was a walkthrough having played
Speaker 1: late in the day on Sunday. So, um, I'm I'm
Speaker 1: Vita Via may play and and and they may activate it. Right,
Speaker 1: how many how many snaps is he really going to
Speaker 1: be able to play after a three month layoff and
Speaker 1: hardly any time on the practice this field, We'll see.
Speaker 1: This is the NFC Championship. This is not a mid
Speaker 1: October game where you're looking at you know, getting a
Speaker 1: guy back for the long haul and all that. So
Speaker 1: some of the conventional thinking maybe goes out the window.
Speaker 1: But I am curious just exactly how that's going to
Speaker 1: play out and and what impact that will have on
Speaker 1: the Packers running game and the Buccaneers ability to stop
Speaker 1: the running. Yeah, and I don't know Arians and Bowl's
Speaker 1: philosophy either with guys coming off injured reserve. Certainly Green
Speaker 1: Bay has done it both ways. There's been times where
Speaker 1: guys have been activated. I think Alan las Art and
Speaker 1: then he used the full twenty one day window before
Speaker 1: he returned to the roster. At the same time, I
Speaker 1: can think of other guys that have come up, and
Speaker 1: I think Kamal Martin being one of them that just
Speaker 1: practice that week and then played. So there is an
Speaker 1: adjustment there. But certainly, I mean when you look at
Speaker 1: Jason Pierre Paul and a Dominican Sue, I mean, this
Speaker 1: defense is just name after name, and in Green Bay,
Speaker 1: you know this is gonna be a challenge. You know.
Speaker 1: The way I laid it out was they were able
Speaker 1: to in the five things story I did, they were
Speaker 1: able to beat the league's top ranked scoring defense, the
Speaker 1: top ranked total defense and in the top rank passing defense.
Speaker 1: Now you get the run defense. Can you find a
Speaker 1: way to solve that? Yeah? Absolutely, And of course on
Speaker 1: the offensive side of the ball. Will repeat what we
Speaker 1: said on our last show, which is that the Packers
Speaker 1: have to protect the football, because look, the bottom line
Speaker 1: for me is this West. I don't think the Tampa
Speaker 1: Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints last week if
Speaker 1: the Saints protect the ball. You look at that game,
Speaker 1: the Saints were already down one nothing in turnovers, but
Speaker 1: had a seven point lead in the second half, and
Speaker 1: we're headed for a two score lead even being down
Speaker 1: one to zero and turnovers. Then the second turnover happened
Speaker 1: and it was like everything was all downhill for the
Speaker 1: Buccaneers from there, and the Saints were fighting uphill and
Speaker 1: they just and and they couldn't overcome it. I'm not
Speaker 1: saying the Packers have to win the turnover battle. I
Speaker 1: honestly think if this game is zero zero and turnovers
Speaker 1: like last week week was against the Rams, I think
Speaker 1: if you're the Packers, you take that. I think that
Speaker 1: puts you in a really, really good position to win,
Speaker 1: without question, Mike. I mean that's why green Bay one
Speaker 1: last week. They didn't turn over the football, they didn't
Speaker 1: give the Rams any chances to kind of seize the
Speaker 1: field position and that matchup, and you saw when it
Speaker 1: just came pushed, came to shove Remy Packers have assumed
Speaker 1: to be three time m v P quarterback, they have
Speaker 1: a four time Pro Bowl receiver, and they had weapons
Speaker 1: galore that we're able to matriculate the ball down the field.
Speaker 1: So I mean for them to be able now to
Speaker 1: come out and do that again, that's going to be
Speaker 1: the ultimate key in this, Mike, because Tampa Bay is really,
Speaker 1: really good. I said this to a buddy mine last
Speaker 1: night in attacks. These are the two top teams in
Speaker 1: the NFC. I firmly believe that the cream has risen
Speaker 1: to the top here at the end of the season.
Speaker 1: Two very complete units, not flawless, but have earned their
Speaker 1: way to this opportunity. And then, Mike, first and foremost lastly,
Speaker 1: I have to say, this game is being played at
Speaker 1: Lambeau Field. This is not Raymond James Stadium. Could be
Speaker 1: in two weeks, but it's not Raymond James Stadium today.
Speaker 1: Green Bay needs to use that their advantage. They know
Speaker 1: this field they know these weather conditions, and there's it's undeniable, Mike.
Speaker 1: When you play in the environment like this, it's going
Speaker 1: to slow the game down. That works to Green Bay's benefit. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and it sounds like there is snow in the forecast
Speaker 1: for Saturday night into Sunday morning. Maybe the snow will
Speaker 1: have stopped by the time kickoff rolls around. We will
Speaker 1: just have to see. But again, when you can win
Speaker 1: a playoff game in the NFL by fourteen points, when
Speaker 1: the turnovers are zero zero, that tells you you don't
Speaker 1: have to take the ball away to win. The Packers
Speaker 1: don't have to do that. They just have to protect
Speaker 1: it like they did last week quickly. Here West Series
Speaker 1: x M, NFL Radio Channel eighty eight is the only
Speaker 1: radio outlet dedicated to the National Football League seven days
Speaker 1: a week, three hundred sixty five days a year. All right, Well,
Speaker 1: as we know, the Packers are trying to get back
Speaker 1: to the Super Bowl for the first time in a decade.
Speaker 1: The Buccaneers as a franchise trying to get to the
Speaker 1: back to the Super Bowl for the first time in
Speaker 1: eighteen years. Defensive side of the ball, here Mike Patton's
Speaker 1: crew against Tom Brady and company. What do you see
Speaker 1: as the keys on in this scenario for for the
Speaker 1: Pas to keep the edge in this ball game. Remember
Speaker 1: when you you got your kids to learn how to
Speaker 1: ride a bicycle, Mike, Remember those days. The great thing
Speaker 1: about that is that every day's improvement. Right. You might
Speaker 1: be at uncertain the first time you get on there,
Speaker 1: maybe take your knicks and your bumps and bruises, but
Speaker 1: it all leads into eventually being able to kind of
Speaker 1: just push them off and let them go. You don't
Speaker 1: work your way backwards for green Bay's defense, don't work
Speaker 1: their way backwards. This is a much better defense than
Speaker 1: it was in week six. It's a much better defense
Speaker 1: than it was in week twelve. I feel like Green
Speaker 1: Bay needs to keep the ball rolling on that side
Speaker 1: of the ball. If you were looking at from a
Speaker 1: swag rating, like if if Matt Irvin could put up
Speaker 1: like a swag graphic. Green Bay's at its at its
Speaker 1: peak right now. I mean, they have serious confidence heading
Speaker 1: into this game, and rightfully so, Mike. They've gone now
Speaker 1: to almost two full months of playing really high level
Speaker 1: defense in exceptional run defense, and they haven't ruptured. You
Speaker 1: can't rupture you can't allow them to have those big plays.
Speaker 1: And I feel like that does start up front. Ronald Jones.
Speaker 1: It was a very good performance, but it's not the
Speaker 1: type where you're you're gonna remember five years from now. Man,
Speaker 1: do you remember when Ronald Jones gash Green Bay in
Speaker 1: Week six? No, it was just a really consistent twenty
Speaker 1: kerry twenty yard day and Green Bay didn't have a
Speaker 1: consistent answer for him in that game. And that's what
Speaker 1: you talk about the turnover battle. That's what allowed Tampa
Speaker 1: Bay to control the tempo of that game. They got takeaways,
Speaker 1: they got solid field position, and they ran the ball
Speaker 1: really really well. That's where Green Bay has to start
Speaker 1: this thing. You're gonna see both Jones, and you're gonna
Speaker 1: see Leonard for Net. For Net has looked better the
Speaker 1: last couple of weeks and and it's allowed him to
Speaker 1: get more snaps. That's the one to punch. Yes there's Brady,
Speaker 1: Yes there's Mike Evans, all these other weapons that they
Speaker 1: have grounk, but being able to continue to play solid
Speaker 1: run defense is going to be critical. And from there, Mike,
Speaker 1: you and I have seen it. We've seen it for
Speaker 1: two years now and We've really noticed that the last
Speaker 1: few weeks. When you get to third and seven plus,
Speaker 1: this defense is different. There is just a look in
Speaker 1: their eye that is just a feeling that not only
Speaker 1: are we going to get a stop here, but we
Speaker 1: could potentially get a takeaway. We could potentially get a
Speaker 1: sack that takes away ten more yards. That's where this
Speaker 1: defense is at right now. It's as good as it's
Speaker 1: been all season. Gotta keep that going, yeah, absolutely, And
Speaker 1: I think when it comes to obviously you've got you've got,
Speaker 1: you've got to stop the run, you can't. You can't
Speaker 1: let Tampa Bay dictate things with that running game with
Speaker 1: Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette because they they've they've discovered
Speaker 1: something here, you know, the whole playoff lennything that's going
Speaker 1: on with with four Nett and what he's been able
Speaker 1: to produce in the postseason. While Ronald Jones has not
Speaker 1: quite been a hundred percent with that with that leg injury,
Speaker 1: but it's developed into a pretty good one to punch,
Speaker 1: and the Packers can't let that ground game dictate things
Speaker 1: when it comes to Tom Brady passing the ball. It's
Speaker 1: been the age old story as far as I'm concerned.
Speaker 1: When you can pressure Tom Brady in his face, when
Speaker 1: you can get pressure on the interior, that's what can
Speaker 1: really disrupt Tom Brady's rhythm and disrupt his accuracy and
Speaker 1: all those things that that you know his He's made
Speaker 1: a Hall of Fame career out of doing and so
Speaker 1: to me, a lot of that falls on Kenny Clarke.
Speaker 1: He's the packer's best interior rusher. But also when it
Speaker 1: comes to passing situations, We've seen Zadarius Smith move inside
Speaker 1: as a rusher. So then Preston Smith and Rashawn Gary
Speaker 1: are on the edges and Zadarius Smith got a sack
Speaker 1: of Jared Goff last week right up the middle, you know,
Speaker 1: coming up with the interior pressure, that's where the packers
Speaker 1: have to have to get at Brady. He can he
Speaker 1: can sidestep the edge guys, he can step up in
Speaker 1: the pocket if there's room there. When if the edge
Speaker 1: guys are winning, he doesn't have as far, doesn't have
Speaker 1: those kind of options when that pressure is in his face.
Speaker 1: And that's how teams have beaten Tom Brady in big
Speaker 1: games in the past. Yeah, they really have Mike and
Speaker 1: and that's why I really do look at this matchup like, yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean, it's gonna matter. You've got to make sure
Speaker 1: that you know that the edge of shures have to
Speaker 1: still hold, you know, hold there, you know edges and whatnot.
Speaker 1: You can't let guys get stretched outside. You have to
Speaker 1: be cognizant of all that. You need a lot of
Speaker 1: the traditional type defensive success in this game. But ultimately,
Speaker 1: I just think this game is one between the hashes.
Speaker 1: I really do, Mike. I think it's gonna be stopping
Speaker 1: them when they're trying to plow forward. You mentioned with
Speaker 1: for net and playoff Lenny and everything like that. It
Speaker 1: honestly reminds me a lot of La Garrett Blunt when
Speaker 1: and maybe that's just the Tom Brady comparisons with the
Speaker 1: success they had with Blunt in New England, but just
Speaker 1: the guy that Okay, you might look at his regular
Speaker 1: season statistics and not be wild, but none of that
Speaker 1: matters in the playoffs. If you can't stop him, if
Speaker 1: you can't hold them to three yard two yard games,
Speaker 1: it's gonna be a long afternoon. And that's what gets
Speaker 1: Brady into a rhythm that game, the way he bounced back.
Speaker 1: You want to talk about mental toughness you want to
Speaker 1: talk about resolve. That game could really have not had
Speaker 1: started much worse for the Buccaneers absent take a giveaway
Speaker 1: in the early going there against the Saints, but they
Speaker 1: got that sneak as I talked about earlier this week,
Speaker 1: and after that they started throwing the ball better in
Speaker 1: their throw pass set up the run and it was
Speaker 1: just this snowball that just kept rolling and rolling and
Speaker 1: rolling until the next thing you knew it really wasn't
Speaker 1: that close of a game. So yeah, Brady upfront, Kenny Clark,
Speaker 1: exceptional performance last week. So Darius Smith, if they do
Speaker 1: some more of the Rover stuff with him hovering over
Speaker 1: the top of the center knifing through. Those are all
Speaker 1: the looks I want to see from this defense. Because
Speaker 1: the other thing to talk about quickly, everybody practiced on Wednesday,
Speaker 1: will see what Thursday looks like. But the fact that
Speaker 1: everybody was back out there. Kingsley Kiki limited participant after
Speaker 1: missing three weeks here with the concussion. It's all right
Speaker 1: there for Green Bay. This is as healthy as they've
Speaker 1: been all season. You have to make sure that you
Speaker 1: get your players out there, get them feeling good, and
Speaker 1: you get after that quarterback. Yeah. One other thing I
Speaker 1: want to ask you about with regard to the defensive
Speaker 1: side of the ball. We saw last week when the
Speaker 1: Los Angeles Rams kind of went to the up tempo,
Speaker 1: the no huddle, muddle huddle type of stuff. That's when
Speaker 1: Jared Goff kind of got into a rhythm. Now was
Speaker 1: a lot of short passes, it was dinking and dunking,
Speaker 1: but that's when the Rams were moving down the field successfully.
Speaker 1: I know the weather could have a factor here, whether
Speaker 1: it's snowing, you know, ten plus degrees colder than it
Speaker 1: was last Saturday in Green Bay. But do you think
Speaker 1: the Packers defense has to be prepared for Bruce Arians
Speaker 1: and Tom Brady maybe trying to replicate some of what
Speaker 1: the Rams and Golf did with that up tempo stuff
Speaker 1: to keep Green Bay's defense on its heels. Is that's
Speaker 1: something you have to be prepared for the Rams and Golf,
Speaker 1: I mean Trubisky and the Bears the week earlier. I mean,
Speaker 1: the completion percentage has been really high here. I mean now, again,
Speaker 1: credit to Green Bay's defense. They haven't let those things rupture.
Speaker 1: Guys have tackled to the ball, They've minimized those those
Speaker 1: things you look at that I have mentioned you, uh Mooney.
Speaker 1: I think it was against the Bears had the fifty
Speaker 1: four yard catch still was held underneath the hundred yards
Speaker 1: even though he had nine catches for the game. So
Speaker 1: green Bay has done a good job of that. But
Speaker 1: I mean that's ultimately I think what arians in environ
Speaker 1: Leftwich and and Brady are looking at this week. Okay,
Speaker 1: this is the way it lines up for us. How
Speaker 1: can we find ways to get the ball down the
Speaker 1: field in an opposing venue that's going to be somewhat hostile.
Speaker 1: I mean there's gonna be nine thou and people in
Speaker 1: there again, and and they're gonna be playing in that
Speaker 1: environment in the cold. It's a different situation. So what's
Speaker 1: the thing that allows you to get into a groove.
Speaker 1: It's the underneath passing game. It's being able to get
Speaker 1: Grounk involved. It's being able to find ways to get
Speaker 1: Mike Evans the ball. Last week, Evans was pretty much
Speaker 1: held in check. What will his success look like this week?
Speaker 1: Potentially seeing Jaire Alexander. All of those things play into it.
Speaker 1: But yeah, you're absolutely right. I mean green Bay can't
Speaker 1: let Brady get into that groove because when he does,
Speaker 1: it's gonna be a long night and they and they
Speaker 1: hurry up offense. It was a good adjustment. The one
Speaker 1: thing I think Green Bay is gonna have maybe a
Speaker 1: better opportunity with is I don't think they're gonna get
Speaker 1: caught in the base look as much. That was one
Speaker 1: of the issues there when when the Rams went hurry up,
Speaker 1: they still had their base personnel on there and they
Speaker 1: couldn't get them off before they could get Christian Kirksey
Speaker 1: and the Nickel back out there. I think you're probably
Speaker 1: gonna see more Nickel in this matchup, so that probably
Speaker 1: behooves Green Bay a little bit. But certainly, Mike, when
Speaker 1: you have that on the film, you know you have
Speaker 1: to be able to come out and show that, yeah,
Speaker 1: we have an answer for it. We're gonna be able
Speaker 1: to get a stop because once they did, once they
Speaker 1: got that in completion against Golf, then they were having
Speaker 1: a harder time getting that going again. Yeah. Absolutely, Well,
Speaker 1: before we go, I'll just get your thoughts quickly on
Speaker 1: the a f C Championship game. You got the Buffalo
Speaker 1: Bills at the Kansas City Chiefs. The top two seeds
Speaker 1: in the A f C number two traveling to number one.
Speaker 1: Interestingly here, obviously, last year the Chiefs broke a fifty
Speaker 1: year drought for their franchise in terms of getting to
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl. Not only did they get there, obviously
Speaker 1: they wanted. The Buffalo Bills now trying to break a
Speaker 1: twenty seven year drought absence from the Super Bowl. What
Speaker 1: do you think of this one? I said from the
Speaker 1: beginning of the playoffs, to me, I just felt like
Speaker 1: if there was one team in the a f C
Speaker 1: that would have a chance to knock off the Chiefs,
Speaker 1: who have been the clear favorite, and they've been the
Speaker 1: best team in that conference all season long, if there
Speaker 1: was one team that had a chance to do it,
Speaker 1: it was gonna be the Buffalo Bills. This is their chance.
Speaker 1: I'm not saying that they're going to do it, but
Speaker 1: to me, I I wouldn't be shocked if this game
Speaker 1: goes their direction. The Chiefs may hold Serve, but if
Speaker 1: the Bills go into Kansas City, go into Arrowhead and
Speaker 1: win this game, I will not be blown off my
Speaker 1: chair by any stretch of the imagination. You know, you
Speaker 1: have a few more years on me, so maybe you'll
Speaker 1: remember this clearer than I do, And if I say
Speaker 1: this and sound foolish, I apologize in advance. But I
Speaker 1: was still alive in the mid nineties and I remember
Speaker 1: what felt like with the Packers. This Bill's team kind
Speaker 1: of reminds me of the Packers a little bit. Now.
Speaker 1: The question is can they be the unit? Obviously not
Speaker 1: number one ranked defense, not all that stuff, but the
Speaker 1: way they win it kind of reminds me of those
Speaker 1: mid nineties Packers one. They've changed the narrative. They're no
Speaker 1: longer just the laughing stock. They are respectable again, and
Speaker 1: they're making, as you said, a really good argument to
Speaker 1: be back in the super Bowl for the first time
Speaker 1: in you know, almost thirty years. Now, that being said,
Speaker 1: can the defense answer the call against Kansas City's offense?
Speaker 1: I really want to see I hope, first and foremost,
Speaker 1: Patrick Mahomes is fine. With the head injuries the biggest
Speaker 1: thing from a human standpoint, you hope everything checks out there.
Speaker 1: But I really do hope he plays in this game.
Speaker 1: I want to see Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs. The
Speaker 1: playoffs are better with him on the field. He's he's
Speaker 1: one of the most marketable, brandable players when you think
Speaker 1: of the National Football League. Now you think of Patrick Mahomes,
Speaker 1: so I want to see him be able to be
Speaker 1: out there and if he is, can the Bills answer that?
Speaker 1: And Offensively, Josh Allen is one of the most exciting
Speaker 1: young players in the league. I love the way he
Speaker 1: plays the game. He is the straw that stirs that drink. Offensively,
Speaker 1: Stefon Diggs was a great addition for him. They have weapons,
Speaker 1: they play to their weapons. Cold Beasley as the slot
Speaker 1: option leading the league and slot yardage this year. There's
Speaker 1: just so many things that they do well. It's the matchup.
Speaker 1: Much like how I felt Green Bay and in Tampa
Speaker 1: Bay is the best two teams in the NFC as
Speaker 1: good as the a f C was this year. This
Speaker 1: is the way you wanted to see it work out.
Speaker 1: This is how you wanted to see that matchup play out. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think if there's one thing that there's one thing
Speaker 1: that helps the Bills in their effort to pull the
Speaker 1: upset here, it's that they faced the Kansas City Chiefs
Speaker 1: in the regular season. This isn't going to be a
Speaker 1: case of the defense, the coaching staff, everybody not really,
Speaker 1: you know, there there's something about that Patrick Mahomes offense,
Speaker 1: and Tyreek Hill and his speed, and Travis Kelsey and
Speaker 1: the things that he brings as a tight end that
Speaker 1: that other guys can't replicate. When you're seeing that, when
Speaker 1: you're going up against that site unseen, that can be
Speaker 1: a really, really tough ad judgments adjustment to make. The
Speaker 1: Bills have seen it. They played against it this year,
Speaker 1: and it was a pretty close game. If I remember,
Speaker 1: I think it ended up being just a three three
Speaker 1: point game, one score game. If if I recall so
Speaker 1: the fact that Buffalo and Buffalo played Kansas City already,
Speaker 1: I think that works too. Uh. I think that works
Speaker 1: to Buffalo's advantage as the underdog going into Arrowhead. Oh no,
Speaker 1: I was. I got so close. I was so confident
Speaker 1: in six to seventeen Kansas City won that game. But no,
Speaker 1: I guess, so, I guess it was two scores. It
Speaker 1: was not, it was nine points. It definitely felt well
Speaker 1: in the XFL they would have been that would actually
Speaker 1: on a one score game. But alright, so you're you're
Speaker 1: partially right. Uh No, again, it's a great matchup. I
Speaker 1: love what Kansas City has built, and and and Mike
Speaker 1: the storylines right now, right themselves. You can't have any
Speaker 1: bad matchup in the Super Bowl. I mean, I guess
Speaker 1: for Packer fans you could, but but no, I mean,
Speaker 1: all these things are great. Whether it's Buffalo trying to
Speaker 1: end that drought, whether it's Kansas City making their own
Speaker 1: run at a dynasty, now Tampa Bay and Tom Brady
Speaker 1: trying to make that run to a super Bowl with
Speaker 1: a new team in his first year, and in the
Speaker 1: Buccaneers trying to play in their home stadium. And then
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers, in my opinion, the best quarterback that's ever
Speaker 1: played the game, the most intelligent, the most complete five
Speaker 1: to a player we've ever seen at the position, trying
Speaker 1: to get back to the Promised Land. It's Thursday morning,
Speaker 1: and the time in which we're taking this Yesterday was Wednesday,
Speaker 1: the day before that was Tuesday. All of these Mike,
Speaker 1: I've been on my seat just waiting to get to
Speaker 1: Sunday afternoon. It is going to be an exceptional weekend.
Speaker 1: I hope Packer fans out there enjoy it because these
Speaker 1: opportunities don't come around often and enjoy that run. Yeah. Absolutely,
Speaker 1: it's it's gonna be. It's gonna be a whale of
Speaker 1: a Sunday Championship Sunday in the NFL. With that, we'll
Speaker 1: call it a wrap on this edition of Packers on
Speaker 1: Script and be sure to follow all of our coverage
Speaker 1: of the big game Sunday. We'll have it all for
Speaker 1: you on Packers dot com for West, I'm Mike. Thanks
Speaker 1: for tuning in everybody. Let's see you next time.