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Speaker 1: Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from

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Speaker 1: Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined by my

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Speaker 1: partner in crime, Wes Hodkowitz, were coming to you here

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Speaker 1: from our studios at lambeau Field West. The Packers are

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Speaker 1: headed to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. It is

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Speaker 1: a Sunday three pm Central Time kickoff flexed from an

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Speaker 1: original noon kickoffs, so if you have the schedule from

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Speaker 1: the beginning of the season, be aware that this game

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Speaker 1: was moved into the late afternoon time slot. The Baltimore

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Speaker 1: Ravens West. This is a team much like just a

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Speaker 1: few weeks ago, and we're talking about the Minnesota Vikings,

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Speaker 1: although the Ravens are in much better playoff position fighting

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Speaker 1: for a division title. But this is a team that

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Speaker 1: has been in a ton of close games, nine one

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Speaker 1: score games so far this season. They've lost three of

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Speaker 1: their last five, but their last two losses back to

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Speaker 1: back have been by a total of just three points

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Speaker 1: um and uh their last four games have have all

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Speaker 1: been decided by one score or less. This is a

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Speaker 1: team that has played a lot of games the full

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Speaker 1: sixty minutes all the way to the wire. And that's

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Speaker 1: what you kind of have to expect here with the

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Speaker 1: Packers going to Baltimore Sunday. Yeah, I mean, I think

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Speaker 1: the iconic image of this season to this point has

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Speaker 1: been you know, John Harbor and Lamar Jackson and just

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Speaker 1: the number of times they've embraced after some of these

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Speaker 1: absolute nail biers that they've been playing throughout the course

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Speaker 1: of the year. And you know, you go back to

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Speaker 1: training camp and in the off season program, they had

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Speaker 1: about forty eight different running backs go down with season

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Speaker 1: ending injuries. Um, I mean DeVante Freeman I think as

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Speaker 1: their leading runner this year and he wasn't even on

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Speaker 1: a team there for a while, aside from the quarterback

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Speaker 1: jack Aside from the quarterback, absolutely, but I mean they're

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Speaker 1: running back, but they still have a lot of weapons,

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Speaker 1: whether it be Hollywood Brown, Mark Andrews Is you know,

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Speaker 1: making a bid now to be probably considered among the best,

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Speaker 1: if not the best tight end of the game, especially

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Speaker 1: coming into his own and after he got that contract,

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Speaker 1: and defensively, they just do what they always do. So

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Speaker 1: the question all week, Mike is going to be the

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Speaker 1: health of Lamar Jackson, where he's at with the with

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Speaker 1: the ankle injury, how much he's gonna be able to do,

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Speaker 1: how much they're gonna have to change the game plan.

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Speaker 1: But I think when you're as battle tested as Baltimore is.

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Speaker 1: I was asked the question insider inbox, who are these

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Speaker 1: four teams are you most concerned about down the stretch. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I get why people would say the Browns. They just

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Speaker 1: beat Baltimore, But to me, it really is the Ravens

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Speaker 1: because they almost are kind of like an enhanced version

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Speaker 1: of the Minnesota Vikings, where they found ways to win late,

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Speaker 1: and they found ways to win creatively. Yeah, and I'm

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Speaker 1: with you in terms of that question about these last

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Speaker 1: four games, and I say it's I say it's the

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Speaker 1: It's the Ravens, not only because it's the one right

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Speaker 1: in front of the Packers, but because this is a

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Speaker 1: game on the road. And I take nothing away from

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Speaker 1: the Browns the Vikings, who obviously beat the Packers, but

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Speaker 1: the Packers are gonna get those teams at home. This

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Speaker 1: is a game. This is a game the Packers have

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Speaker 1: to go on the road against a team that is

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Speaker 1: that is fighting for a division title, fighting for playoff

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Speaker 1: positioning in the a f C. And as you said,

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Speaker 1: the biggest question is regarding quarterback Lamar Jackson. When you

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Speaker 1: look at the statistics with regard to this Ravens team,

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Speaker 1: they're one of the top rushing offenses in the league

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Speaker 1: and one of the top rushing defenses in the league.

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Speaker 1: The offensive side comes with the caveat that Lamar Jackson,

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Speaker 1: their quarterback, is their leading rushers. So now the expectation,

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Speaker 1: it sounds like, is that he is going to play

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Speaker 1: on Sunday, But you just don't know with that ankle

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Speaker 1: how close to a percent he will be or how

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Speaker 1: far away from a percent he might be in terms

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Speaker 1: of the running and the scrambling or designed runs or

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Speaker 1: those kinds of things that are built into their offense.

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Speaker 1: But on the defensive side, this is a legitimate, top

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Speaker 1: level run defense, and I think that's what's gonna cause

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Speaker 1: going to create a major challenge for the Packers, because,

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Speaker 1: as I continue to say on this show and in

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Speaker 1: our Insider Inbox column, this Packers offense is at its

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Speaker 1: best when and it first goes through Aaron Jones and

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Speaker 1: a J. Dillon, and the Packers don't want to get

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Speaker 1: into some sort of just a straight drop back passing

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Speaker 1: game against this defense. You've got to be able to

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Speaker 1: run the ball even against the top rushing defenses, and

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Speaker 1: that's going to be the challenge on something it's such

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Speaker 1: a veteran name defense, Like there's just so many guys.

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Speaker 1: You break it down and you look at who's playing

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Speaker 1: for them. I mean Calias Campbell, who, in a lot

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Speaker 1: of ways, I almost kind of consider him to be

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Speaker 1: like the defensive version of Mercedes lewis a guy that

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Speaker 1: the years passed and he just finds a way to

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Speaker 1: keep getting it done and playing at a really high level.

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Speaker 1: I think there's a number of times people have kind

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Speaker 1: of written him off and he's just come right back

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Speaker 1: and showing I can still be this player well into

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Speaker 1: my thirties. You know, Justin Houston is playing for them,

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Speaker 1: um justin meta book, I can I'm never pronounced his

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Speaker 1: name right, but I mean, you know, and then Patrick

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Speaker 1: Queen is the big guy that was you know, obviously

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Speaker 1: gonna probably to some Packer fans always going to be

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Speaker 1: in the back of their mind based on how draft

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Speaker 1: played out. Not a ton of sacks, but I mean

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Speaker 1: in terms of just what they've been able to do,

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Speaker 1: uh in forcing teams into long down and distances, and

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Speaker 1: obviously being able to control the tempo up front. It's

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Speaker 1: a challenging unit and I feel like Matt Lafleur really

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Speaker 1: summed it up perfectly. He said it on Monday and

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Speaker 1: he kind of reiterated again on on Wednesday. They will

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Speaker 1: challenge you in both sides of the ball with schemes

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Speaker 1: that no one else really does. I mean nobody else does.

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Speaker 1: Obviously offensively what Lamar Jackson can do, and even the backup,

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Speaker 1: whether it was r G three before or now Tyler Huntley,

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Speaker 1: since that torch was passed from Joe Flacco to Jackson,

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Speaker 1: they've committed to this is the face of our offense.

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Speaker 1: This is how we're going to operate. It doesn't even

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Speaker 1: matter if Lamar is available or not. And defensively, there's

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Speaker 1: just been such a big blueprint there that's been built

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Speaker 1: for the better part of two decades that they continue

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Speaker 1: to hang their hat on. So certainly a team that's

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Speaker 1: going to be very interesting to face for my money,

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Speaker 1: and not that we're gonna get into, you know, keys

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Speaker 1: of victory yet, but it really comes down to the

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Speaker 1: mistakes Jackson's made with the football this year and defensively

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Speaker 1: finding ways to make plays against because when you look

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Speaker 1: at Baltimore's defense, there's just not gonna be a lot

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Speaker 1: of big plays to be had. It's just not the

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Speaker 1: way they operate. Yeah, I think from the Packers defensive perspective,

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Speaker 1: the really interesting challenge that's created in this game is

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Speaker 1: that combination, assuming Lamar Jackson does play, the combination of

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Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson with that tight end. Mark Andrews is having

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Speaker 1: a big time year. I think he's around seventy five catches,

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Speaker 1: nine some yards, whatever it is. But the reason I

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Speaker 1: mentioned those two guys in tandem is because we're getting

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Speaker 1: asked by lots of fans and insider inbox. Okay, so

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Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson is going to do all this running around like, okay,

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Speaker 1: don't you just put a spy on him? Right? Okay,

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Speaker 1: So that's one potential solution, and one guy who could

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Speaker 1: be a spy would be Devandre Campbell, you know, the

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Speaker 1: guy in the middle of the Packers defense. But then

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Speaker 1: who's covering the tight end, who's covering Andrews. If you're

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Speaker 1: going to spy the quarterback with your best inside linebacker,

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Speaker 1: that's the challenge I think with regard to this Ravens

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Speaker 1: defense and It's one of the reasons that Mark Andrews

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Speaker 1: has really come into his own and become one of

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Speaker 1: the most productive tight ends in the league because there's

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Speaker 1: a there's a matchup issue here with how you how

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Speaker 1: you try to contain Lamar Jackson and keep an eye

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Speaker 1: on him with all of his running around, but then

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Speaker 1: deal with with that matchup at tight end, because you know,

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Speaker 1: not to say that that Adrian Amos or Darnell Savage

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Speaker 1: couldn't cover Lamar Jackson, but you're talking about a big

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Speaker 1: size difference there and and then a bigger target for

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Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson to throw the ball at. And this is

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Speaker 1: where it goes back to the ankle and how much

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Speaker 1: is that going to restrict him? What is going to

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Speaker 1: be his flexibility within the pocket? You know, I don't

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Speaker 1: want to use that just a traditional You got to

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Speaker 1: force him be a pocket pastor because I feel like

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Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson doesn't get enough credit there when he has

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Speaker 1: to play that way. I think he can play really well,

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Speaker 1: but his biggest strength is what he can create in

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Speaker 1: allowing his playmakers downfield to to create some big plays.

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Speaker 1: You look at the way they've built this thing, Mike, Yes,

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Speaker 1: it is about Andrews, but Hollywood Brown was drafted for

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Speaker 1: a reason, Sammy Watkins was brought in for a reason.

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Speaker 1: You know, Rashad Bateman just is coming off his first

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Speaker 1: hundred yard game now that he's back from the groin injury.

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Speaker 1: And Devin Duverney, who the Packers are gonna have to

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Speaker 1: contest without special teams, also can be a dynamic playmaker

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Speaker 1: for them. They are a home run hitting offense. They

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Speaker 1: aren't a team that's necessarily gonna be like, Okay, Freeman, Murray,

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Speaker 1: we're gonna set you up. We're gonna just run the

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Speaker 1: ball a couple of times, try to get in third,

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Speaker 1: manageable and create. No, they're gonna just throw the script

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Speaker 1: at you from the very beginning, especially sometimes as you mentioned,

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Speaker 1: seven hundred plus yards already this year on the ground

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Speaker 1: for Lamar Jackson. They are going to look to hit

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Speaker 1: you with big shots. And that's where I feel like

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Speaker 1: finding out what that first quarter looks like and what

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Speaker 1: the game plan that the Ravens are gonna devise is

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Speaker 1: really going to be telling, because again, as I wrote

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Speaker 1: an inbox this week, only the Ravens really know what

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Speaker 1: Jackson can do right now, how limited he truly is

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Speaker 1: he would be. I know he left the game in

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Speaker 1: the walking boot, but Mike, you and I saw it

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Speaker 1: for an entire season. We saw Eddie Lacy or a

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Speaker 1: half season in two thousand thirteen. Every day in the

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Speaker 1: locker room was in a walking boot. But then on

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Speaker 1: Sundays he was good to go. So you never really

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Speaker 1: it can be too quite sure. But the fact of

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Speaker 1: the matter is, no matter how you boil it down,

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Speaker 1: it's a boult Lamar Jackson and the Packers how they

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Speaker 1: defend him preseason in two thousand nineteen. A couple of

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Speaker 1: those guys in this defense we're here for that, they

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Speaker 1: saw him for two series. They saw how dynamic he

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Speaker 1: can be. Yeah. Absolutely, and you mentioned it as well.

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Speaker 1: Special teams John Harbaugh, as we all know, he cut

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Speaker 1: his teeth in this league as a special teams coach.

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Speaker 1: The Baltimore Ravens have always traditionally been one of the

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Speaker 1: better special teams units in the league. The Packers struggling

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Speaker 1: mightily in that area, as we know. I'll say this,

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Speaker 1: remember back after the Packers victory over Washington and the

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Speaker 1: defense let Taylor Heineke, the Washington quarterback, run around a

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Speaker 1: little bit too much and the following on a short week.

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Speaker 1: The following week, the Packers were gonna have to face

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Speaker 1: Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, and I said, sometimes sometimes

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Speaker 1: you get the reminder, you know, you get kind of

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Speaker 1: you get kind of that kick in the pants with

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Speaker 1: regard to, you know, letting something get away from you. Now,

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Speaker 1: the Packers, Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, these running,

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Speaker 1: you know, scrambling running quarterbacks, they've done a pretty good

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Speaker 1: job and I think the game against Washington was the

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Speaker 1: type of reminder they needed. Now. Special teams have been

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Speaker 1: an issue in a lot of different areas throughout the

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Speaker 1: year for the Packers. But maybe at some point you

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Speaker 1: at you in that phase because they're really really good

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Speaker 1: in that phase. Maybe this is this is the right

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Speaker 1: kind of challenge for the Packers to uh to get

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Speaker 1: ready for the stretch run and to be where they

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Speaker 1: need to be. It's so much credit in New England

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Speaker 1: for their special teams and the core special teamers that

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Speaker 1: they've had for a number of years, you know, drafting

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Speaker 1: the long snapper, all that stuff, right, I really feel

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Speaker 1: like people forget just how good of a special teams

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Speaker 1: coordinator John Harbaugh was before he became of the Ravens,

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Speaker 1: you know, more than a decade ago. And in some

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Speaker 1: ways he's also committed himself to a core group of

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Speaker 1: he was trying to make the team as an undrafted

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Speaker 1: free agent. He's been a core guy for them now

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Speaker 1: for a decade. You know, justin Tucker, for my money,

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Speaker 1: the best kicker in the game right now, who I think,

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Speaker 1: But if you know, if he can keep the longevity

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Speaker 1: up being right there with that Invent Terry and these

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Speaker 1: other greats in terms of just what he's the span

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Speaker 1: of his career and what he's accomplished. You know, Sam Cook, Uh,

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Speaker 1: you know the record that Mason Crosby has right now

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Speaker 1: for kickers with consecutive games played, Cook is the one

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Speaker 1: that stands in front of him with how many games

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Speaker 1: in a row. He's played for the Baltimore Ravens, So

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Speaker 1: they're all across the board. They're stolid, and DuVernay is

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Speaker 1: sort of the the catalyst to all this um kickoff

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Speaker 1: return wise was probably not a lot that's gonna stun you,

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Speaker 1: but fourteen and a half yards per return on punts. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: and especially coming off of what happened last week, you've

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Speaker 1: gotta imagine that the Ravens are going to be really

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Speaker 1: looking to maximize those opportunities. And Mike, how many times

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Speaker 1: do we say it, It's not just special teams. It

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Speaker 1: can be on offense, it can be on defense. If

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Speaker 1: you put something on film that isn't great, that doesn't

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Speaker 1: look good for you, the opposition is going to look

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Speaker 1: to attack it. So green Bay has to be prepared

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Speaker 1: for that, because what the raven saw last week that's

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Speaker 1: gonna be something has them lock in their chops. Yeah. Absolutely, Well,

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Speaker 1: I want to get to our keys to victory in

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Speaker 1: this game, but first a little bit of sponsored business.

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Speaker 1: Serious x M NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and

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Speaker 1: in better. All right, We've already touched on a few

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Speaker 1: things obviously, but boil it down to your top priority

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Speaker 1: or maybe or two priorities. West keys to victory here

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Speaker 1: for the Packers to come back from Baltimore at eleven

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Speaker 1: and three, just win the turnover battle. It is that simple. Uh.

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Speaker 1: Baltimore is a team that doesn't take the ball away

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Speaker 1: a whole lot, and they give the ball away more

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Speaker 1: than the average team. I think they're twenty nine right now,

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Speaker 1: about like minus eight or nine in terms of net differential. Uh,

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Speaker 1: that that has to be the key. As stout as

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Speaker 1: Baltimore is in a lot of these phases, they're kind

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Speaker 1: of unspectacular in that way. There isn't, you know, the

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Speaker 1: big plays to to be made defensively, So that's pretty

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Speaker 1: remarkable that they're actually that far in the whole internover

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Speaker 1: margin for the season. Yet they are right there to

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Speaker 1: to potentially win a division title in the a f C.

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Speaker 1: Nor they're really the only team that's kind of contending

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Speaker 1: right now. That has a differential that's that low. Washington

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Speaker 1: is in the mix, but mostly for a wild card spot.

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Speaker 1: Cincinnati is also in that division with them, they're in

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Speaker 1: that lower third as well, but otherwise you're kind of

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Speaker 1: down there with the Detroits and the New York Jets

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Speaker 1: of the world. So that I feel like that's so

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Speaker 1: whether it is Jackson or maybe if you see Tyler Huntley,

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Speaker 1: either one of those guys, I think you gotta pressure them.

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Speaker 1: You've got to get the ball out, and when you

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Speaker 1: get opportunities, you have to make a play on the

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Speaker 1: ball because if you don't make the Ravens respect that,

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Speaker 1: it is going to be a heck of a long

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Speaker 1: afternoon in Baltimore. Yeah. Absolutely for me. For me, the

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Speaker 1: keys to this boiled down to two things I already mentioned. One,

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Speaker 1: you've got to find a way to run the ball

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Speaker 1: against a really really good rush defense. You've got to

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Speaker 1: find a way to run it. You've got to you've

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Speaker 1: got to stick with it even if it's not working.

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Speaker 1: You have to make them honor the run for four quarters.

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Speaker 1: And the other thing to me, and this this goes

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Speaker 1: to the special teams issue, is it's about field position.

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Speaker 1: This Packers defense, if they have seventy five to eighty

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Speaker 1: yards to defend, they're gonna be pretty darn good. You know.

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Speaker 1: If the Bravens are getting the ball at the yard

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Speaker 1: line the way the Bears were um on Sunday night,

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Speaker 1: if you're losing the field position battle that way, that

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Speaker 1: that's gonna put this defense in a tough spot against

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Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson and Mark Anderson and these other these other weapons.

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Speaker 1: So for me, it's running the ball and doing a

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Speaker 1: better job in field position compared to the last game. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: And then the other side of this too. You know

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Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers, and it's so simple to say that, but

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Speaker 1: I mean, when you look at how he's played, I

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Speaker 1: came up with that stat. I mean, anyone could have

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Speaker 1: come up with it, but it was something I drew

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Speaker 1: on my story last week fourteen passer rating night. Right now,

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Speaker 1: in these four games where he's dealt with the toe injury,

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Speaker 1: whatever is going on with that little toe, the little

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Speaker 1: foot massages or whatever he was the toe massages he

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Speaker 1: kind of was joking about on McAfee show, it obviously

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Speaker 1: is working for him, and you hope whatever he's dealing

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Speaker 1: at the pain. That's kind of you know, happening for

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Speaker 1: him on game days. He's finding a way to get

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Speaker 1: above it. And I think if he's able to sort

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Speaker 1: of penetrate in dismantle this defense the way he did

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Speaker 1: last week against Chicago, different challenge, different unit, But I

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Speaker 1: think this team Green Bay being in the driver's seat now,

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Speaker 1: everybody understands a sense of urgency here and I think

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Speaker 1: you're going to see the best version of twelve. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's it's really remarkable. What uh And we probably haven't

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Speaker 1: talked about it enough in some respects, but the job

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Speaker 1: that Aaron Rodgers has done, the production that he has had,

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Speaker 1: despite the fact that he's not practicing. I mean, he

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Speaker 1: and Matt Lafleura and Nathaniel Hackett and Luke Getzy are

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Speaker 1: essentially putting together a game plan without Rogers really taking

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Speaker 1: any full speed reps in in practice throughout the week.

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Speaker 1: And yes, there have been slow starts and whatnot, but

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Speaker 1: you know, um, imagine what I mean if they had

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Speaker 1: actually gotten off to a fast start against the Bears,

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Speaker 1: with where that game went from the second quarter on,

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Speaker 1: I mean, what the offense might have might have done

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Speaker 1: against Chicago last Sunday night. I do want to talk

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Speaker 1: about some other games around the league that that are

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Speaker 1: in the playoff picture. But first, Packers fans, if you're

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Speaker 1: looking for holiday gift ideas, team historian Cliff Crystal's book

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Speaker 1: The Greatest Story in Sports is now available at the

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Speaker 1: Packers Pro Shop. The four volume hardcover books set tells

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Speaker 1: the true complete story of the Packers first century, from

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Speaker 1: humble beginnings to heartbreaks and triumphs. By air copy, online

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Speaker 1: or in store today. Alright around the League West, here

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Speaker 1: are the games involving the other NFC contenders that are

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Speaker 1: up there in this mix. For U, for the number

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Speaker 1: one seed, with the Packers currently sitting in the driver's seat,

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Speaker 1: you have Arizona is at Detroit. Dallas is at the

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Speaker 1: New York Giants. I think we both know both of

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Speaker 1: those would be major upsets if the if the home teams,

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Speaker 1: if the home teams were able to Troit trying to

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Speaker 1: keep its playoff hopes alive. Okay, um, Seattle is at

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Speaker 1: the l A Rams in an interesting one. They're in

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Speaker 1: the NFC West. And then I believe it's going to

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Speaker 1: be right after the Packers Ravens game, after the late

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Speaker 1: Sunday afternoon window was over. The night game on Sunday

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Speaker 1: as New Orleans at Tampa Bay. The Saints having beaten

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Speaker 1: the Buccaneers. Um, they are responsible for one of Tampa

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Speaker 1: Bay's three losses already the season. The Saints now going

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Speaker 1: down to Ampa um looking for the season sweet but um,

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Speaker 1: your thoughts on any of those games that are involving

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Speaker 1: the NFC contenders, this could be the one that gives

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Speaker 1: the Bucks the biggest fit down this stretch. Maybe we

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Speaker 1: were asked about the Packers and which one is concerning you,

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Speaker 1: and there are some really intriguing matchups right for them.

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Speaker 1: I mean, when you look at this game, this is

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Speaker 1: not a give me by any means against Baltimore team

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Speaker 1: that is destined looks to be headed towards the playoffs. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you know you're gonna have Cleveland that's still in this thing.

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Speaker 1: We know the challenge already with the Vikings. You saw

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Speaker 1: it last month when they beat them, and we know

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Speaker 1: the Vikings are going to be fighting for a wild

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Speaker 1: card spot. And then Monday night they have Chicago, So

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Speaker 1: I mean they're they're going to probably be in the

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Speaker 1: thick of this thing as well. If if they are

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Speaker 1: able to take care of business there. As far as

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Speaker 1: the Bucks are concerned, it's not like that. Uh, this

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Speaker 1: is probably their biggest test. I think things are really

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Speaker 1: going in the wrong direction right now for for Carolina,

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Speaker 1: and they get to see them twice. Uh, just seeing

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Speaker 1: if there can be some tastom hill magic something there

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Speaker 1: that could challenge Tampa, because otherwise they look like they're

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Speaker 1: just steamrolling towards the playoffs right now. San Francisco and

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Speaker 1: Atlanta is a really interesting game because I think you

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Speaker 1: were the one that mentioned, I mean San Francisco the

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Speaker 1: team that I don't know if anyone really wants to

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Speaker 1: play them right now, because you're never really can be

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Speaker 1: sure what you're gonna get from them, but you also

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Speaker 1: know you're gonna get a tough game. And Atlanta very

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Speaker 1: quietly has kept themselves in this thing. It has not

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Speaker 1: been pretty down there and for the Falcons, but they've

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Speaker 1: still found ways to win the games are supposed to

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Speaker 1: win to be in this position. And certainly, as you

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Speaker 1: touched on, I mean Arizona, this is the week where

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Speaker 1: the Packers probably you're gonna have to keep pace because

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Speaker 1: you just I would be really difficult to first see

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Speaker 1: a scenario in which the Lions are able to give

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Speaker 1: them a game. Yeah, and just so the fans do

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Speaker 1: understand the scenario at this point, If the Packers win

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Speaker 1: on Sunday, they are the NFC North champs. The magic

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Speaker 1: number is one. A Packers victory locks up the division.

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Speaker 1: If the Packers were to lose, then a loss by

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Speaker 1: Minnesota they play Monday night at Chicago. Lost by Minnesota

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Speaker 1: would would wrap up the division for the Packers. Hopefully

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Speaker 1: green Bay can just take care of it um on

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Speaker 1: their own and then you know, you can cheer for

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Speaker 1: whichever NFC North rival you hate more, cheer against whichever

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Speaker 1: one I hate more. One other one I'd want to

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Speaker 1: ask you about because you mentioned San Francisco in Atlanta,

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Speaker 1: which I do think is an interesting game as well.

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Speaker 1: And this is another one that doesn't really affect the

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Speaker 1: Packers per se, but is going to factor into the

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Speaker 1: wild card race in the NFC. And that's Washington and

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Speaker 1: Philadelphia to NFC East teams. Um hard to know again

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Speaker 1: sort of what you're gonna get necessarily week to week

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Speaker 1: from these teams. But the winner of this both of

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Speaker 1: these teams are six and seven. The winner of this

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Speaker 1: game gets to seven and seven with three games to go,

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00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:39,760
Speaker 1: and it's going to be right in the mix here

432
00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:41,840
Speaker 1: to be to be playing in the middle of January.

433
00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:45,760
Speaker 1: I thought last year sort of sort of showed Ron

434
00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,840
Speaker 1: Rivera's brilliance as a head coach. I think this year

435
00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:51,639
Speaker 1: has been even more impressive for for them to do

436
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,760
Speaker 1: what they've done for their plans early in the season,

437
00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:56,880
Speaker 1: to get completely thrown out the door by this hip

438
00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:00,880
Speaker 1: injury to Ryan Fitzpatrick. For you know, Ler Haneke, who

439
00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:02,760
Speaker 1: has barely been with them for a year now. I

440
00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:04,439
Speaker 1: think it was around this time last year you got

441
00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:07,320
Speaker 1: signed to the practice squad. Um. The issues they've had

442
00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:09,400
Speaker 1: in the backfield, the issues they've had with their defensive

443
00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:11,680
Speaker 1: front Jonathan Allen this week going on the COVID list.

444
00:21:12,119 --> 00:21:14,360
Speaker 1: They've had so many things kind of working against them,

445
00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:17,119
Speaker 1: and yet they find ways to win ball games. And

446
00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:21,280
Speaker 1: they almost pulled off a crazy comeback against against the

447
00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:23,920
Speaker 1: Cowboys last week when they fell behind twenty four nothing

448
00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:27,160
Speaker 1: at halftime. Yeah, and in Philadelphia. I'll be honest with you, Mike,

449
00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:29,159
Speaker 1: probably more so than any team in the NFC. I

450
00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:31,440
Speaker 1: don't know a lot about them. I just they've been

451
00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:34,200
Speaker 1: so far kind of in the back pages this year.

452
00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:36,720
Speaker 1: Obviously Gardner Minshew had to step in there for a minute.

453
00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:39,479
Speaker 1: So like, it's I don't really know how to make

454
00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:41,920
Speaker 1: heads or tails of this game, other than the fact

455
00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:44,960
Speaker 1: that with seven teams making the playoffs now in sixteen

456
00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:47,560
Speaker 1: team conferences, you're going to see teams like this who

457
00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:49,760
Speaker 1: otherwise might have been looking towards an eight and eight season,

458
00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:53,159
Speaker 1: probably not a postseason bid. There's suddenly ain't going to

459
00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:55,840
Speaker 1: be in contention until the very end. Yeah. Absolutely, that's

460
00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:58,840
Speaker 1: kind of the way this is shaping up really in

461
00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,240
Speaker 1: in in both conference is the way I mean, they're

462
00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:04,439
Speaker 1: going to be, for better or worse, They're going to

463
00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:07,960
Speaker 1: be a ton of games in Week eighteen. That that

464
00:22:08,119 --> 00:22:10,479
Speaker 1: where teams are still going to be alive. They're not

465
00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:13,840
Speaker 1: necessarily going to be eliminated. Um, they're gonna be teams

466
00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:16,480
Speaker 1: sitting there going, Okay, if we win our game and

467
00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:18,959
Speaker 1: then if you know, A, B, C, and D all happened,

468
00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:21,240
Speaker 1: like we can get in you know like that that

469
00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:23,840
Speaker 1: that feels like where this is headed potentially both in

470
00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:25,800
Speaker 1: the NFC and the a F s well. And this

471
00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:28,080
Speaker 1: is if the NFL was ever to do the hey

472
00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:31,439
Speaker 1: stick it hot kind of thing like this was the

473
00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:33,359
Speaker 1: year to do it. Because I'm still not a fan

474
00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,840
Speaker 1: of fourteen team playoff. I'm not I like I like

475
00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:39,480
Speaker 1: the system. I liked the system the way it was before.

476
00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:42,600
Speaker 1: I wish I wish there were still the reward for

477
00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:45,640
Speaker 1: two teams in each conference to get a first round

478
00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:48,480
Speaker 1: by just because the regular season is is such a

479
00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:51,239
Speaker 1: grind and it's such a gauntlet. And the fact that

480
00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:53,440
Speaker 1: and and the fact that this is set up now

481
00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:56,600
Speaker 1: that that the number two seed has to play the

482
00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:59,600
Speaker 1: number seven. I mean, you know, so all of that work.

483
00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,879
Speaker 1: You could finish four or five wins ahead, four or

484
00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:06,000
Speaker 1: five games ahead of that seven seed, yet your only

485
00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:07,960
Speaker 1: reward is you you get to play him at home.

486
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:09,480
Speaker 1: You still have you still have to beat him to

487
00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,000
Speaker 1: be able to continue your season. I'm not a fan.

488
00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,320
Speaker 1: But what's funny about it is because the Jets, Houston

489
00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:18,560
Speaker 1: and Jacksonville basically all punted on the season. You have

490
00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:22,200
Speaker 1: some parody right now going on in the a f C.

491
00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:24,119
Speaker 1: You have three teams that are out of it, and

492
00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:28,160
Speaker 1: then what ten teams with seven or more wins, So

493
00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:31,040
Speaker 1: I mean, realistically, it's gonna be down to the wire

494
00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:32,600
Speaker 1: for those six and seven. It's kind of like that

495
00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:35,199
Speaker 1: Arizona Cardinals year when the Cardinals missed the playoffs with

496
00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:37,399
Speaker 1: ten wins. There's gonna be a team with a decent

497
00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:39,720
Speaker 1: record that isn't gonna make this thing, just based on

498
00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:41,360
Speaker 1: how things have gone to the a f C. As

499
00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:44,120
Speaker 1: far as the NFC is concerned, I think it's definitely possible, Mike,

500
00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:45,760
Speaker 1: that there's gonna be an eight win nine and eight

501
00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:48,120
Speaker 1: and nine team that makes the playoffs. I think it's

502
00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:50,320
Speaker 1: just the way it's going to happen. I agree with you.

503
00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:53,159
Speaker 1: I think it will. So with that, we'll call it

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00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:55,720
Speaker 1: a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure

505
00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:58,040
Speaker 1: to follow all of our coverage of the team, including

506
00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,200
Speaker 1: all the coverage from Sunday's game against the Ravens. Will

507
00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:03,960
Speaker 1: have it all for you on Packers dot Com for West,

508
00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:06,560
Speaker 1: I'm Mike. Thanks for tuning in, everybody. We'll see you

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Speaker 1: next time. H