WEBVTT - #263 Packers Unscripted: Peak Performances, Games 5-8 0:00:00.760 --> 0:00:20.720 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.760 --> 0:00:24.000 I am Mike Spofford and he is wes Hodkuits. We're 0:00:24.040 --> 0:00:27.080 coming to you here from our studios at lambeau Field 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.160 and West. It's time for us to move on to 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:34.519 our second quarter of the season review, and in doing that, 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:37.320 we will talk about the peak performances, which is a 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:40.360 feature on our website packers dot Com. Fans can go 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:44.519 to the story read about the selected individual top performances 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:47.920 from games five through eight of the season, vote for 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:50.360 your favorite. So there are five of them to talk 0:00:50.400 --> 0:00:53.519 about and uh and we'll run through them quickly. Here 0:00:53.560 --> 0:00:56.280 the first couple of segments of the show, because the 0:00:56.320 --> 0:00:59.080 first three are actually all from the same game, that 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:01.800 big win over the dead Alice Cowboys that really, I 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:05.039 guess when you look at it was probably the single highlight, 0:01:05.280 --> 0:01:09.800 probably biggest highlight of the season for the Packers, and 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:13.039 three peak performances out of that game, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, 0:01:13.120 --> 0:01:16.080 running back Aaron Jones, and on the defensive side, cornerback 0:01:16.120 --> 0:01:18.800 to Marius Randall. I'll let you start wherever you want 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:21.399 as far as which of those performances stood out to you. 0:01:21.440 --> 0:01:23.400 The most. I'm gonna start with Aaron Rodgers on this 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:25.200 because we didn't get a lot of Aaron Rodgers this 0:01:25.240 --> 0:01:28.399 season due to that color bone injury. And I thought 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:30.160 you made a great point there in the introduction, like 0:01:31.120 --> 0:01:32.520 you could put this up there, I guess with the 0:01:32.520 --> 0:01:34.640 Bears game, But offensively, I think this was the best 0:01:34.640 --> 0:01:37.600 performance the Packers had. It was the most complete performance. 0:01:37.640 --> 0:01:39.920 They finally were able to break through at the run game, 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:42.760 which we'll talk about here shortly. But Aaron Rodgers was 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:45.080 just so deadly in this game, and even the passes 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:47.840 he missed, he found ways to correct them. And it 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:50.200 just seemed to me, you know, there's been a lot 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:52.160 of cat and mouse here the last few years between 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:54.920 him and Rod Marinelli, the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys. 0:01:55.280 --> 0:01:57.680 Each team has had their successes, each team has had 0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:00.960 their failures. But on this day, I just thought Aaron 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:04.600 Rodgers was just incredibly efficient in the passes, the performances 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:09.160 he put together, the communication and chemistry with Davante Adams. Um. 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:11.560 I don't want to keep opening up a story here 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:13.320 for Packer fans, because I'm sure they would have liked 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:15.440 to have seen this the entire season but I think 0:02:15.480 --> 0:02:18.600 that this was the offensive output the Packers showed that day, 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:21.720 really showed what they were capable of than two thousand seventeen. Yeah, 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:23.560 And just to give you the rundown on the numbers 0:02:23.600 --> 0:02:26.440 from Aaron Rodgers in this game, nineteen of twenty nine, 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:30.240 two twenty one yards, three touchdowns a one two point 0:02:30.360 --> 0:02:33.520 nine passer rating. Packers were down twenty one to six 0:02:33.520 --> 0:02:35.639 in this game, West came back to win thirty five 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:38.960 to thirty one. Obviously the most memorable part a seventy 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:42.600 five yard drive took only sixty two seconds one minute 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:44.760 and two seconds to go seventy five yards to win 0:02:44.800 --> 0:02:47.480 this game, a twelve yard touchdown passed Davante Adams with 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:51.360 eleven seconds left, and that that final drive also included 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:54.400 some of Aaron Rodgers athleticism. He escapes a couple of 0:02:54.400 --> 0:02:57.880 potential sacks on a third and eight scrambles for eighteen 0:02:58.000 --> 0:03:00.920 yards and then two plays later where he hits Adams 0:03:00.919 --> 0:03:03.800 for the game winning touchdown, a really top notch performance. 0:03:03.800 --> 0:03:05.840 And then to hear him talk about it afterwards, where 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:08.840 the opening play of the final drive a back shoulder 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:11.720 throw to Davantae Adams that he essentially uses to set 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:15.720 up a different type of back shoulder throw for the touchdown. 0:03:16.040 --> 0:03:18.560 A lot of really a lot of really amazing things 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:22.160 about the performance. But also you mentioned the Packers got 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:24.240 their running game going in this game, and that was 0:03:24.320 --> 0:03:27.520 thanks to Aaron Jones. The previous game against the Bears, 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:30.399 he had come in the second half. Time Montgomery Jamal Williams, 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:33.320 both out with injuries, showed something there the second half 0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:36.680 of the Chicago game. Becomes the feature back for this 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:40.160 game against Dallas. Nineteen rushes, a hundred and twenty five 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:44.640 yards and a touchdown. It was Hello world to uh 0:03:44.680 --> 0:03:47.560 that Aaron Jones said that day down in Dallas, a 0:03:47.640 --> 0:03:50.080 really impressive performance. Gotta keep in mind too, this is 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:52.480 a guy that traveled a lot as a kid, but 0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:54.680 his family eventually settled down in El Paso and he 0:03:54.720 --> 0:03:56.440 had a lot of family friends make that. I believe 0:03:56.440 --> 0:03:58.960 it was a seven or eight hour drive over. Packers 0:03:59.040 --> 0:04:01.000 running game at that point in time was sort of 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:03.160 a work in progress. They had a really hard time, 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:07.160 regardless of it was Aaron Jones, Jamal Williams or Time Montgomery, 0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:09.920 they had a hard time establishing it for four quarters. 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:12.960 This was the game I think not only Aaron Jones needed, 0:04:12.960 --> 0:04:15.960 but the Packers needed to really establish themselves. And as 0:04:15.960 --> 0:04:18.000 it turned out over the last ten weeks of this season, 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:19.600 that ended up being one of the biggest strengths of 0:04:19.600 --> 0:04:22.200 this team is what players like Aaron Jones and Jamal 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:24.479 Williams were able to do. It started with this game 0:04:24.520 --> 0:04:26.440 against Dallas, and you saw it sort of snowball from 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:28.679 there with some of the other performances he put together 0:04:28.720 --> 0:04:30.680 in the weeks to come. Yeah, and Jones making his 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:33.320 first NFL start in this game, he became the first 0:04:33.400 --> 0:04:36.599 Green Bay rookie with a one yard rushing performance in 0:04:36.640 --> 0:04:39.599 his first start since two thousand five. I believe that 0:04:39.640 --> 0:04:43.520 was Sam Kangato, a street free agent so to speak, 0:04:43.520 --> 0:04:46.560 that the Packers picked up that year. But Aaron Jones 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:49.240 a seven yard touchdown run, also had a diving nine 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:52.040 yard catch along the sideline that helped us set up 0:04:52.080 --> 0:04:55.400 that TV run runs of twenty two and fifteen yards 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:57.919 for some explosive plays. The fifteen yard are coming on 0:04:57.960 --> 0:05:00.640 the game winning drive. A very smart lee got out 0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:02.680 of bounds the whole thing to stop the clock. Just 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:05.119 a lot of really good things about that. The third 0:05:05.160 --> 0:05:08.440 one peak performance from the Cowboys game is on the 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:10.839 defensive side and it's cornerback to Marius Randall. And this 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:14.159 one was chosen really because the previous game against Chicago, 0:05:14.279 --> 0:05:16.960 things did not go well for Randall. He was essentially 0:05:17.000 --> 0:05:19.600 banished to the locker room by Mike McCarthy to avoid 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:23.159 any sort of sideline distraction after you know, a mix 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:25.200 up that led to a Chicago touchdown, a lot of 0:05:25.240 --> 0:05:28.279 emotions kind of getting in the way. He ends up 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:31.200 getting a pick six on Dak Prescott in this game 0:05:31.200 --> 0:05:33.599 against the Cowboys. That was a huge part of the 0:05:33.680 --> 0:05:36.600 comeback from the twenty one to six deficit. I personally 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:39.719 felt this game by Randall was the one that turned 0:05:39.760 --> 0:05:42.360 his season around, maybe even turns his career around. Yeah, 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:45.240 I agree with and as you were saying that in 0:05:45.360 --> 0:05:47.159 terms of how I really was able to flip the 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:49.719 momentum in that game, that was a really demoralizing play 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:51.919 for the Cowboys. Correct me if I'm wrong here. I 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:56.280 think that was the first touchdown returned from an interception 0:05:56.360 --> 0:05:59.040 since Micah Hyde had one, like or was a Casey 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:01.560 Hayward had one two year prior to that, Packers really 0:06:01.560 --> 0:06:03.320 had been looking for one of those type of game 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:07.000 changing type plays off an interception, Damarius Randall was the 0:06:07.000 --> 0:06:09.080 first of four picks, a team high he ended up 0:06:09.120 --> 0:06:12.479 having in two thousand seventeen. As you said, I think 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:14.360 this was the start of a new chapter for him, 0:06:14.360 --> 0:06:16.560 and it's momentum that you hope he can continue to 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:18.600 build upon now going into what will be his fourth 0:06:18.680 --> 0:06:21.240 NFL season. Yeah, that pick six off of a ball 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:24.320 that hit Terrence Williams and Damarius Randall was there to 0:06:24.400 --> 0:06:28.760 snag it. Gave the Packers lead early in the fourth quarter, 0:06:28.760 --> 0:06:30.400 of their first lead of the game, and then they 0:06:30.400 --> 0:06:32.960 obviously had to retake the lead that at the end. 0:06:33.000 --> 0:06:35.120 But we've got a couple more peak performances from the 0:06:35.160 --> 0:06:37.760 second quarter of the season to talk about. We'll get 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:40.760 to those after the breakback with more on Packers Unscripted 0:06:40.800 --> 0:07:00.880 right after this A welcome back to pack Kers Unscripted. 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:03.320 Mike Spofford in this chair, Wes Hodkowits in that one 0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:06.839 in West. Continuing our discussion of peak performances games five 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:09.760 through eight. Fans can go on Packers dot com, call 0:07:09.840 --> 0:07:12.400 it the story and vote for their favorite um. These 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:15.000 last couple from the second quarter of the season are 0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:17.840 from games the Packers unfortunately lost, but it doesn't take 0:07:17.840 --> 0:07:21.760 away from what these individuals accomplished, starting with linebacker Blake 0:07:21.800 --> 0:07:24.920 Martinez at Minnesota. The game that's obviously remembered for Aaron 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:28.360 Rodgers broken collar bone and uh the game that really 0:07:28.440 --> 0:07:31.120 changed the entire Packers season. But I thought this was 0:07:31.200 --> 0:07:35.000 the game fourteen tackles, twelve solo tackles, a couple of 0:07:35.040 --> 0:07:38.720 tackles for loss on Latavius Murray, deflected pass that Damerius 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:42.000 Randall intercepted. I thought this was the game that really 0:07:42.040 --> 0:07:47.080 epitomized that first to second year jump that Blake Martinez made. 0:07:47.080 --> 0:07:49.440 I think we really started to see it here in Minnesota, 0:07:49.480 --> 0:07:51.040 even though it was in a loss. Yeah, and it 0:07:51.480 --> 0:07:53.560 was a point in time. I think I always tell 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:55.640 this story, but sometimes you forget about it. With how 0:07:55.680 --> 0:07:57.520 we finished the season as one of the leading tacklers 0:07:57.520 --> 0:08:01.000 in the NFL come Week one, going into that first 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.520 game against Seattle, we didn't really know that Blake Martinez 0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:06.880 was gonna be a starting linebacker, let alone in every 0:08:06.880 --> 0:08:10.560 down linebacker for this defense. Up until that last preseason game, 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:12.960 it really looked like it was Jake Ryan, Joe Thomas, 0:08:13.040 --> 0:08:16.880 and then Morgan Burnett as a hybrid linebacker. Well, as 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:20.640 it turns out, they end up giving Martinez a chance 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:22.480 as the nickel linebacker at the start of the season 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:25.440 and just to see him build upon that and take it. Okay, 0:08:25.480 --> 0:08:29.120 he was early down back, uh, you know, early down linebacker. 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:32.400 Then he comes back and starts to really put together 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:34.319 some really productive games. And I don't know, off the 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:36.600 top of my head, maybe you remember how many double 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:39.319 digit tackle performances he had this season. I want to 0:08:39.360 --> 0:08:41.080 say it was somewhere in the range of eight or nine. 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:43.280 I was going to say it was about half the games. 0:08:43.480 --> 0:08:47.480 Incredibly productive. This was another part of that. Yes, it 0:08:47.520 --> 0:08:49.920 didn't go how the Packers wanted to turn out. The 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:52.040 Rogers thing took a lot of the wind out of 0:08:52.040 --> 0:08:54.679 their sales. But defensively, uh, this was a big part 0:08:54.679 --> 0:08:56.520 of the Packers run defense starting to get it together 0:08:56.559 --> 0:08:58.720 after a slow start. YEA. And the play I think 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:01.400 that stands out to me the most decide from the 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:04.760 past deflection which Randall turned into an interception to help 0:09:04.800 --> 0:09:06.640 the Packers get a field goal in this game was 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:09.160 there was a third down play and it was a 0:09:09.160 --> 0:09:12.280 little swing pass, checkdown type of thing. To Jerick McKinnon 0:09:12.360 --> 0:09:15.600 out in the flat and Jerick McKinnon's one on one 0:09:15.640 --> 0:09:17.920 with Blake Martinez. It was third and six or so, 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:20.760 and McKinnon's job is to make one guy miss and 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:26.320 get the first down, and Blake Martinez completely fundamentally sound 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:28.800 tackle gets him down to the ground. The Vikings end 0:09:28.880 --> 0:09:32.040 up having to punt a really sharp play because McKinnon 0:09:32.040 --> 0:09:34.080 can make a lot of guys miss in that situation 0:09:34.120 --> 0:09:36.920 and Martinez didn't give in. For my money, I think 0:09:36.960 --> 0:09:38.880 that's one of the best things that Martinez does in 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:41.520 his games. He's really good in open space and he 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:43.960 seems to be really solid in the flat. We saw 0:09:44.000 --> 0:09:45.640 that a couple of times over the course of the season, 0:09:45.640 --> 0:09:48.040 where if a running back or you know, a slat 0:09:48.040 --> 0:09:50.200 receiver has one guy to miss there and can extend 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:52.360 it for a first down or maybe an explosive play. 0:09:52.440 --> 0:09:54.679 Martinez does a good job. If he's not tackling him 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:56.599 by himself, he does a good job of holding the 0:09:56.640 --> 0:09:58.480 guy up and allowing guys to circle to the ball 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:01.720 around him. And like when you're looking at playing complete defense, 0:10:01.720 --> 0:10:03.600 and there's many areas of packers are looking and prove 0:10:03.640 --> 0:10:07.000 going into eighteen, that's definitely a good starting point for them. Yeah. 0:10:07.040 --> 0:10:09.400 And last, but not least as far as the peak 0:10:09.440 --> 0:10:14.320 performances from games five through eight, Aaron Jones again twice 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:16.360 in this segment, I guess, but this one against the 0:10:16.400 --> 0:10:19.319 New Orleans Saints. This is Brett Hunley's first start at 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:22.960 quarterback in place of Aaron Rodgers, and on the opening 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:24.840 drive of the game, he takes the first carry for 0:10:24.880 --> 0:10:27.840 fifteen yards. Then just a few plays later he burst 0:10:27.920 --> 0:10:30.640 up the middle for a forty six yard touchdown and 0:10:30.760 --> 0:10:33.800 uh again just immediately showing that what he did against 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:38.560 the Dallas Cowboys with that five yard performance certainly no fluke. 0:10:38.600 --> 0:10:41.280 He ends up with seventeen carries one hundred and thirty 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:43.760 one yards, a good chunk of them obviously on the 0:10:43.840 --> 0:10:46.280 on the first drive of the game. But again a 0:10:46.360 --> 0:10:48.760 rookie really showing up when the Packers needed him. Yeah, 0:10:48.760 --> 0:10:50.360 and this is the thing that really oppressed me the 0:10:50.400 --> 0:10:53.199 most about this performance from Aaron Jones. You also have 0:10:53.280 --> 0:10:55.559 to remember, I think he ended up being I want 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:57.400 to say, the NFL ground Player of the week and 0:10:57.400 --> 0:11:00.360 then maybe the NFL Rookie of the week twice during stretch. 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:04.200 Definitely piled on some honors he did, and this was 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:07.199 an important time for the Packers to start establishing that 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:10.120 run because bred Hunley was struggling to kind of get 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:13.640 comfortable there at quarterback. They needed someone else to step up. 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:16.200 And you know, you know how running backs are in 0:11:16.240 --> 0:11:19.080 today's NFL. You get a guy that stands up, you 0:11:19.120 --> 0:11:21.319 have a guy that really, you know, takes that step 0:11:21.360 --> 0:11:24.320 forward and becomes a featured guy. The entire league is 0:11:24.320 --> 0:11:27.319 staring at you. Now, Aaron Jones wasn't gonna catch anybody off, 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:31.160 you know, off guard. New Orleans defense was vastly improved, 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:33.200 and they knew going into this game they were gonna 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:35.320 have to contain him. He still found a way to 0:11:35.360 --> 0:11:38.400 make plays and I just think his explosiveness. He's shifted 0:11:38.480 --> 0:11:42.040 between the tackles. He can run, stretch outside zone plays. 0:11:42.520 --> 0:11:44.400 He has to work on the past protection now going 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:47.480 into next season. But overall, when you look in terms 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:49.040 of what you look for in a complete back as 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:51.840 a runner, he kind of, for lack of a better term, 0:11:52.040 --> 0:11:54.800 has the whole route tree figured out. He can do whatever. 0:11:54.960 --> 0:11:57.080 You know, the Packers offense is asking him to. Yeah, 0:11:57.080 --> 0:12:00.079 a quick statistical note, that forty six yard touchdown run 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:02.920 early in the Saints game, the Packers longest rushing touchdown 0:12:03.000 --> 0:12:07.480 since Week six of so um a big play there. 0:12:07.800 --> 0:12:09.720 So we've gone over all five of them. The three 0:12:09.760 --> 0:12:12.960 from the Cowboys game. Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, da Marius Randall, 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:16.360 Blake Martinez against Minnesota, Aaron Jones against New Orleans. Do 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:19.160 you have a favorite out of this quintet? Aaron Jones 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:23.000 against the Cowboys, just because Aaron Rodgers was incredibly effective 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:25.160 that day, very efficient, but he did only have twitter 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:27.160 and twenty one passing yards, and that they needed the 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:29.840 run game to get established and to be productive. And 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:33.480 that was really the turning corn that the Packers run game, 0:12:33.520 --> 0:12:35.839 turning a corner from a slow start to become in 0:12:35.840 --> 0:12:37.559 a pretty good unit by the end of the year. Yeah, 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:38.920 And if I had to pick one, I would go 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:42.080 with Aaron Rodgers in that Cowboys game. It was obviously 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:45.160 the last time we saw him really in peak form, obviously, 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:48.240 and just the fact that you know, the Cowboys looking 0:12:48.280 --> 0:12:50.440 to avenge the playoff loss from the year before, they 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:52.480 jump on top twenty one to six. It looks like 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:54.480 they might run the Packers right out of the building. 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:58.120 Aaron Rodgers just keeps everything composed, puts together, drives the 0:12:58.200 --> 0:13:01.280 chemistry with Jordy Nelson, DeVante Adams in some key moments 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:04.120 for some touchdown passes really stood out. I thought it was, 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:06.880 you know, as I said at the beginning, I thought 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:09.080 that was the highlight of the season for Green Bay 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:10.760 and the Eagles had gotten off to a fast start, 0:13:10.760 --> 0:13:12.719 but the Cowboys were still viewed as the favorite in 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:15.360 the NFC East, and at that point in time they 0:13:15.360 --> 0:13:17.640 needed to catch up. I think everybody was really high 0:13:17.640 --> 0:13:19.840 on them still, and it showed the Packers in terms 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:22.000 of really been able to go into their house and 0:13:22.040 --> 0:13:25.160 Aaron Rodgers continue to play really well in that stadium. Yeah, alright, 0:13:25.200 --> 0:13:27.040 with that, we'll toss to a break back with more 0:13:27.080 --> 0:13:48.360 on Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:51.520 Mike Spofford here, Wes Hodkowits over there in West. We 0:13:51.600 --> 0:13:54.280 kind of rushed through those five peak performances from the 0:13:54.280 --> 0:13:56.480 second quarter of the season because I wanted to spend 0:13:56.520 --> 0:13:59.840 the last couple of segments of today's show talking about 0:13:59.880 --> 0:14:02.600 the conference championship games from over the weekend and getting 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:04.439 some of your thoughts. Let's start in the a f C. 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:08.520 The New England Patriots their seventh consecutive appearance in the 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:10.560 a f C title Game. They are headed back to 0:14:10.600 --> 0:14:13.959 the Super Bowl. They overcome a twenty to ten fourth 0:14:14.000 --> 0:14:17.240 quarter deficit with two touchdowns and knock off the feisty 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:20.760 Jaguars to twenty. What are your thoughts on how that 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:24.440 turned out? Here's my thoughts, Mike. The Jacksonville Jaguars beat 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:28.240 New England Patriots in every single major category of this game. 0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:32.760 Time of possession thirty eight to two, two, third down 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:39.680 efficiency Patriots. You look at every single major area that 0:14:39.720 --> 0:14:43.280 you look to achieve and become efficient in, and the 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:47.720 Jaguars did it except for one. Situational football, the intangible 0:14:48.160 --> 0:14:50.760 something that you cannot look at a statistic and say, well, 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:53.240 this team is just better than this team in that area. 0:14:53.920 --> 0:14:56.120 New England Patriots play that. I said this an insider 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:58.840 inbox this week. They play situational football as well as 0:14:58.880 --> 0:15:01.840 any team in the NFL. Bill Belichick the adjustments that 0:15:01.880 --> 0:15:04.200 they made at halftime, getting a little bit of a 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:05.760 spark at the end of the first half to kind 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:09.680 of give him some momentum, but ultimately Tom Brady making plays, 0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:12.760 Danny Amon Dolas stepping up when they don't have Rob Gronkowski. 0:15:13.240 --> 0:15:14.880 It's just that's the thing that impresses me the most. 0:15:14.920 --> 0:15:17.720 You're looking at two teams now in the Eagles and 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:19.800 the Patriots, who have had to overcome adversity, have had 0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:22.200 to overcome injuries. It's just how things are in the NFL. 0:15:22.720 --> 0:15:25.520 But having that next guy be ready when you don't 0:15:25.520 --> 0:15:28.640 have a star is ultimately you need your quarterback. I'm 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:31.280 not denying that. I mean Nick Foles played really well 0:15:31.320 --> 0:15:33.880 too for the Eagles, but to have the Danny am 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:35.720 and Dolas of the world step up, and also the 0:15:35.760 --> 0:15:37.840 Patriots defense to play as well as they did after 0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:39.840 a rough season, I think you just have to tip 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:41.920 your cap. It was frustrating, you know, you really thought 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:44.200 that Jacksonville Jabows are gonna pull it out, and you 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:46.080 get the rug pulled out from underneath you. Yeah. I 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:49.480 just I felt the Jaguars executed their game plan almost 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:51.440 two a t for three and a half quarters. They 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:53.800 had a huge time of possession advantage. They were setting 0:15:53.840 --> 0:15:55.600 everything up to be able to pound the ball with 0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:58.760 Leonard Fournett in the fourth quarter to protect the lead, 0:15:58.840 --> 0:16:01.280 and New England's defense just did not give in. They 0:16:01.280 --> 0:16:03.800 could not. The Jaguars could not stay ahead of the 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:06.000 chains with the running game in the fourth quarter because 0:16:06.000 --> 0:16:08.400 the Patriots were clamping down on it. It put the 0:16:08.440 --> 0:16:10.920 game in Blake Bortle's hands and and the Jaguars just 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:14.280 were not able to convert enough first downs in that 0:16:14.320 --> 0:16:16.880 fourth quarter to keep the lead. And I really thought 0:16:16.880 --> 0:16:19.120 the game change, I know, the end of the first 0:16:19.120 --> 0:16:22.080 half was was a key sequence. The Jaguars are looking 0:16:22.120 --> 0:16:25.080 like they're going to score and extend a fourteen to 0:16:25.200 --> 0:16:27.640 three lead. They get to delay a game penalty that 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.000 wipes out a third down conversion. They end up hunting 0:16:30.000 --> 0:16:32.760 the ball back, and the Patriots go down and score 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:35.760 before halftime to make it fourteen to ten. A big 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:38.200 a big shift for sure. But then in the third quarter, 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:40.480 the Jaguars got back to doing what they were doing. 0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:42.760 They were shutting down the Patriots. They kicked two field 0:16:42.800 --> 0:16:46.280 goals they extended to twenty to ten. So to me, 0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:49.200 the game hinged was about nine or ten minutes to go. 0:16:49.240 --> 0:16:51.520 In the fourth quarter. The Patriots have the ball, They're 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:53.600 on their own twenty five yard line. It's third and 0:16:53.720 --> 0:16:58.120 eighteen West, third and eighteen with a ten point lead 0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:00.840 Tom Brady converts that I belie even to a mandola, 0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:03.880 if I'm not mistaken. I thought the game completely changed 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:06.640 right there, because that was the play. The Patriots were 0:17:06.680 --> 0:17:09.400 one of eight on third downs up until that point, 0:17:09.440 --> 0:17:11.280 and then they convert a third and eight teen. It 0:17:11.400 --> 0:17:13.760 sparks them for a touchdown drive to get within twenty 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:16.680 to seventeen. And I felt from there the Jaguars were 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:18.439 just trying to hang on for dear life, and you 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:20.400 could kind of feel like it wasn't gonna happen. Yeah, 0:17:20.400 --> 0:17:22.240 and and for the defense, you know, for it to 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:25.399 be against their defense. All season long, the Jaguars have 0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:27.880 been so good in that area of the game and 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:30.200 and so sturdy, and and it just showed to me, 0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:32.760 you know, they have a lot of experience in the trenches. 0:17:32.800 --> 0:17:35.560 They don't have as much experience on the perimeter um, 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:38.399 and and you know, opportunities are what they are, and 0:17:38.440 --> 0:17:41.120 Tom Brady, you know, made the most of them. Uh. 0:17:41.280 --> 0:17:43.639 The thing that I think, if you're looking at it 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:45.560 from a hindsight perspective, and I know a lot of 0:17:45.560 --> 0:17:48.159 people mention this an Insider inbox this week, I do 0:17:48.280 --> 0:17:50.760 wonder if you have fifty five seconds ago and two 0:17:50.760 --> 0:17:52.880 time outs at the end of the first half. There 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:55.680 is that playing to win mentality and playing not to lose. 0:17:55.720 --> 0:17:57.560 I think he got a little too conservative there. It's 0:17:57.600 --> 0:17:59.160 it's easy to look at that now and say that, 0:17:59.200 --> 0:18:01.639 but it just seemed to me that Jay Guards are 0:18:01.640 --> 0:18:03.840 just a little too cautious and the Patriots a little 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:06.879 too optimistic opportunistic. Yeah. Well, before we go to a 0:18:06.920 --> 0:18:08.320 break though, I want to take care of a little 0:18:08.320 --> 0:18:11.160 sponsored business. Attention Packers fans. We're calling you to fill 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:14.080 up with Campbell's Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup. We're talking delicious, 0:18:14.119 --> 0:18:17.920 hearty soup packaged in an exclusive Packers Super Fan can. 0:18:17.960 --> 0:18:20.560 These cans are limited edition for all you football fanatics 0:18:20.600 --> 0:18:22.879 out there, so don't miss out. Go on, huddle up 0:18:22.920 --> 0:18:25.280 and fill up with this hearty soup. Chunky Soup, the 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:27.720 official SUP partner, the Green Bay Packers back with more 0:18:27.760 --> 0:18:48.600 on Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to Packers 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:52.040 Unscripted Mike Spofford alongside West, Hodkowitz and West. Before we go, 0:18:52.160 --> 0:18:54.320 I definitely have to get your thoughts on the NFC 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:59.280 Championship game. The Philadelphia Eagles thirty eight to seven at 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:03.040 home at the link over the Minnesota Vikings. I'm not 0:19:03.080 --> 0:19:05.520 gonna say I'm surprised the Eagles one. I thought this 0:19:05.560 --> 0:19:08.639 would be a really hard fought game. I definitely felt 0:19:08.640 --> 0:19:11.520 either team had a legitimate chance, certainly to win this one. 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:14.480 I did not see the Eagles winning by thirty one points. No, 0:19:14.640 --> 0:19:16.119 and I don't think Vegas that either. It was what 0:19:16.280 --> 0:19:19.920 three and a half points spread in favor of the Vikings. Uh. 0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:22.160 Here's the thing. There was a couple of years back, 0:19:22.200 --> 0:19:24.560 I remember seeing this interview with Doug Peterson. This is 0:19:24.600 --> 0:19:26.240 before he ends up going to Kansas City. He was 0:19:26.240 --> 0:19:29.040 still coaching high school football his sons, and I I was saying, 0:19:29.040 --> 0:19:31.960 I'm perfectly content, you know, coaching school football and just 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:34.480 happy at the level I'm at. Not amazing. This guy 0:19:34.640 --> 0:19:36.960 was born to be a head coach. And I think 0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:38.600 a lot of people said that even back when he 0:19:38.640 --> 0:19:41.840