Speaker 1: Hi everybody, Merry Christmas and welcome to another edition of
Speaker 1: Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spoffer,
Speaker 1: joined by the one and only Wes Hodkowitz. Coming to
Speaker 1: you hear from our studios at lambeau Field Short week
Speaker 1: holiday week. Kind of a double duty episode here, like
Speaker 1: we did with the Thursday games earlier this season, we
Speaker 1: need to recap a Packer's victory and look ahead to
Speaker 1: a big game coming up next week. West will start
Speaker 1: Monday Night Football thirty four to nothing. The Packers take
Speaker 1: care of business against the Saints clinch their playoff spot
Speaker 1: in the NFC. Quite frankly, New Orleans was just overmatched
Speaker 1: in this one, and it seemed pretty obvious by about
Speaker 1: the early portion of the second quarter.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Really, with all the respect to the Saints, I mean,
Speaker 2: it was the first two Packers offensive possessions that just
Speaker 2: sort of told you what this game was going to be.
Speaker 2: Like twenty seven plays, fourteen points. The Saints counter with
Speaker 2: nine plays, zero points. And while Green Bay's offense, you know,
Speaker 2: at times, there was fits and starts, after the first
Speaker 2: two quarters, they just never really gave the Saints any
Speaker 2: room for hope. The Saints looked like a team that
Speaker 2: was starting their backup quarterback with a backup running back,
Speaker 2: with backup receivers. Fortunately, some injuries on the offense as well.
Speaker 2: I think what was the most impressive to me, though,
Speaker 2: was the way that Green Bay built this game plan
Speaker 2: and the execution of it was exactly what you wanted.
Speaker 2: I was talking with bow Melton in the locker room
Speaker 2: afterwards and he mentioned how you know on film they
Speaker 2: saw defensively they were giving up a lot of yards
Speaker 2: on the edges, so they ran some stuff outside for
Speaker 2: Josh Jacob. They got their sweeps going with the receivers.
Speaker 2: The end to round game, you end up having nine
Speaker 2: different ball carriers in this game for green Bay, first
Speaker 2: time they've done that since nineteen fifty three. Three running
Speaker 2: backs end up with touchdowns, the first time that's happened
Speaker 2: since two thousand and nine.
Speaker 1: Tossing in the Tucker Craft quarterbacks neque to pick up
Speaker 1: a first down there early in the ballgame.
Speaker 2: Two three for three now on the year for Tucker
Speaker 2: in those instances. So and I think, again conversation I
Speaker 2: had afterwards with Don Tavian Wicks, the Packers still feel
Speaker 2: like they'd haven't played their best football game. Yet they
Speaker 2: still felt like there were things they didn't do particularly
Speaker 2: well in this game. But when everything was on the table,
Speaker 2: this is a team that clinches its spot in the postseason.
Speaker 2: The New Orleans Saints fall to zero to five on
Speaker 2: this year when Derek Carr is not starting under center
Speaker 2: for them, and everything was sort of what it was.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you mentioned the running game, just setting the tone
Speaker 1: for green Bay. Josh Jacobs once again goes over one
Speaker 1: hundred combined yards. As far as the rushing and the
Speaker 1: receiving put together, again, he was just a physical presence
Speaker 1: out there, breaking tackles, stiff arming a Pro Bowl safety
Speaker 1: there in Tyron Matthew down by the goal line. The
Speaker 1: Packers end up scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions,
Speaker 1: the first time in four years that Green Bay has
Speaker 1: done that in a game. Three possessions, three touchdowns to
Speaker 1: start the game, and at the time that the score
Speaker 1: was twenty one to zero, the New Orleans Saints had
Speaker 1: twenty one total yards of offense. Defensively, the Packers were
Speaker 1: on their way to a shutout, the second shutout of
Speaker 1: the Matt Lafleur era, joining the twenty twenty one shutout
Speaker 1: of the Seattle Seahawks, but also the first shutout in
Speaker 1: the NFL in twenty twenty four, which I had no
Speaker 1: idea that was the case until after the game when
Speaker 1: that started to circulate, I did not realize that there
Speaker 1: hadn't been a shutout in the NFL this season. The
Speaker 1: Saints limited to just one hundred and ninety six total yards.
Speaker 1: The Packers get two turnovers defensively. Keishawn Nixon gets a
Speaker 1: strip sack on a blitz coming off the slot, and
Speaker 1: then Zane Anderson gets an interception on a ball that
Speaker 1: a rookie quarterback is going to learn from, you don't
Speaker 1: throw that pass. Zane Anderson, to his credit, his first
Speaker 1: career interception, making his first start in place of in
Speaker 1: place of Evan Williams, who was I guess sort of
Speaker 1: a late scratch in a sense where he popped up
Speaker 1: on the injury report on Saturday. But again I think
Speaker 1: when you look at that, you look at what Zane
Speaker 1: Anderson did. You mentioned both of Green Bay's backup running
Speaker 1: backs scoring touchdowns in this game. The Saints were really
Speaker 1: banged up, but the Packers just showed they have so
Speaker 1: much more depth than New Orleans does. I mean the
Speaker 1: Packers depth in this game was just far superior to
Speaker 1: anything the Saints could put on the field when their
Speaker 1: starters weren't available, and the final results showed it well.
Speaker 2: Rob Damowsky had this tweet two I think it was
Speaker 2: citing ESPN stats at info. The Saints got inside the
Speaker 2: thirty yard line.
Speaker 1: The ESPN stats in both and got it cracks me.
Speaker 2: Usually I always say Demo ski stats. Well, I actually
Speaker 2: credited appropriately this time. That's the Saints got into the
Speaker 2: thirty yard line of the Packers twice, and both times
Speaker 2: they end up turning over the football. The Dante Pettis
Speaker 2: pass for twenty yards was probably the best one that
Speaker 2: Rattler threw in this game. And then the next play,
Speaker 2: as you said, Zane Anderson leaps in front of that pass.
Speaker 1: I think I think Rattler was starting to feel himself.
Speaker 2: He was too much.
Speaker 1: After that, he makes a great play. He steps up
Speaker 1: in the pocket, kind of throws a jump pass to
Speaker 1: convert a third and seventeen. Heck of a play. You
Speaker 1: tip your you tip your head to the kid. Then
Speaker 1: he's you know, then he's out there thinking he's you know,
Speaker 1: John Elway, you know, rolling out to the right, throwing
Speaker 1: back across the field to the left, and Zane Anderson
Speaker 1: gets you know what, not only his first interception, Well,
Speaker 1: it might be the easiest one he'll ever have in
Speaker 1: his career.
Speaker 2: But you know what, We were talking with Zaane about
Speaker 2: this afterwards, and he didn't say this, but I was
Speaker 2: thinking that those are the interceptions you got to make
Speaker 2: in this league. Yeah, when a quarterback puts it out there,
Speaker 2: and a guy like Zane Anderson, who had a few
Speaker 2: reps at safety this week, and then Evan Williams goes
Speaker 2: down on Friday with the quadricep with draws for practice
Speaker 2: or was limited in practice, can't go in this game.
Speaker 2: He's suddenly making his first NFL start. It can't always
Speaker 2: be Xavier McKenny. It can't always be Orshaun Gary or
Speaker 2: Kenny Clark or Edger and Cooper. Sometimes it's Karenton Valentine
Speaker 2: getting his first pick. Sometimes it's San Anderson getting that pick.
Speaker 2: And I'll give credit to Rattler with this too. If
Speaker 2: you look at his statistics this year when he's been
Speaker 2: out there for the Saints, there's a pretty big dichotomy
Speaker 2: between when they're in a two minute offense and the
Speaker 2: production he's had and when they've been running their standard set.
Speaker 2: They got back into that two minute rhythm and it
Speaker 2: seemed like you said, he was kind of feeling himself again,
Speaker 2: and that could have been a major turning point, you know,
Speaker 2: in terms of being able to double up potentially have
Speaker 2: other opportunities present themselves. Green Bay did not allow that.
Speaker 2: They did not allow them at the end of the half.
Speaker 2: They did not allow them in that situation to have
Speaker 2: any opportunity to come back in this thing. Keishawn Nixon
Speaker 2: afterwards was talking about it. Jeff Hafley, You know, this
Speaker 2: was never the goal to go in and have like, Okay,
Speaker 2: we're gonna shut out the Saints. But this is a
Speaker 2: testament to those guys stepping up. Greenbay had plenty of
Speaker 2: injuries on their side of the ball to defensively halfway,
Speaker 2: I feel like this defense has been working towards this
Speaker 2: and with this shutout and with as you said, one
Speaker 2: hundred ninety six total yards allowed, Greenmay now sixth and
Speaker 2: total or six and scoring defense seventh and total defense.
Speaker 2: When you look at the balance and the complexity of
Speaker 2: a seventeen game season, when you face an opponent like this,
Speaker 2: the green Bay Packers did exactly what they were supposed
Speaker 2: to do.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the green Bay's defense is definitely uh trending upward.
Speaker 1: The the only real negative coming out of this big
Speaker 1: Monday Night win for green Bay was was the health
Speaker 1: Department finding out that Evan Williams, for one on the
Speaker 1: defensive side, the rookie safety, it sounds like he could
Speaker 1: be out at least through the end of the regular season,
Speaker 1: Matt Lafleur saying hopefully he can be back for the playoffs,
Speaker 1: but it sounds like he will be down at least
Speaker 1: for a little bit, and then a lot of concern
Speaker 1: just because of the uncertainty at the moment with Christian
Speaker 1: Watts and who. On one of those end a rounds
Speaker 1: in the red zone, he ends up just awkwardly getting
Speaker 1: landed on while he's out of bounds by a Saints
Speaker 1: defender and seems to have reaggravated something from his knee
Speaker 1: from a little bit earlier this season. He tried to
Speaker 1: come back into the game, wasn't you know, wasn't having it.
Speaker 1: Had to shut it down at the time that that
Speaker 1: we're taping this episode. There may be some some testing
Speaker 1: and whatnot going on We'll see if Matt Lafleur later
Speaker 1: today has an update just some where things are with
Speaker 1: with Christian Watson. But really the you know that that
Speaker 1: injury situation and finding those kinds of things out as
Speaker 1: as the Packers are trying to make a push here
Speaker 1: for the best playoff seed possible. That was certainly concerning.
Speaker 2: Well, what hurt the most was talking to you know,
Speaker 2: hearing Christian speak after the game, the fact that he
Speaker 2: felt like there were things he could have done to
Speaker 2: try to turn on the burners a little faster, maybe
Speaker 2: get to the end zone, maybe score on that end
Speaker 2: around where then you're not in a position where you're
Speaker 2: having two defenders hit you on the sideline. Yeah, it's
Speaker 2: those small plays. I know. It's something that a lot
Speaker 2: of guys have talked about in the past. It's something
Speaker 2: that you know, Mercedes Lewis always used to talk about.
Speaker 2: It's not just injuries, it's the positions that you end
Speaker 2: up in that cause injuries. And unfortunately for Christian that's
Speaker 2: what happened on that play. A credit to his toughness,
Speaker 2: he did try to go back out there. It wasn't
Speaker 2: responding the way he wanted it to. He did say
Speaker 2: on Tuesday they were going to get some you know,
Speaker 2: get that checked out. See where things are again the
Speaker 2: end to rounds in this game, and the sweeps were
Speaker 2: so critical. I thought to building that early momentum. Whether
Speaker 2: it was Christian two for twenty three I think, which
Speaker 2: was over span of maybe three or four plays, Bo
Speaker 2: Melton had one for fourteen, Jaden Reed does it constantly.
Speaker 2: They were able to stretch the Saints and make them
Speaker 2: run and I just felt like those long, meticulous drives,
Speaker 2: a seventeen ninety six yard touchdown drive that eats up
Speaker 2: almost nine minutes or whatever it was off the clock,
Speaker 2: those things are just demoralizing for defense, and Green Bay
Speaker 2: had that early on. Unfortunately they finished this game though
Speaker 2: without number nine on the field.
Speaker 1: It did seem like and I think it was one
Speaker 1: of the players you quoted in one of your postgame
Speaker 1: stories talking about and it might have been Melton who
Speaker 1: said that they noticed the Saints weren't necessarily chasing the
Speaker 1: guys going in motion, So that sort of set the
Speaker 1: stage for all right, Well, then, yeah, you try the
Speaker 1: end around, you try the jet sweep kind of stuff
Speaker 1: to see if you can get the edge, and you
Speaker 1: wonder just how much of that is a function of Okay,
Speaker 1: they're not going to chase the motion guys, because Josh
Speaker 1: Jacobs is back, They're ready to ramp the ball down
Speaker 1: your throat. So if the Packers are seeing that and
Speaker 1: reading that, and then they can make the adjustments. I mean,
Speaker 1: for the Packers to have one hundred and eighty eight
Speaker 1: rushing yards in this game and Josh Jacobs had sixty
Speaker 1: nine of them, yes, you know, I mean that says
Speaker 1: something about the variety and the way they can go,
Speaker 1: the way they can go about it as things move
Speaker 1: a little.
Speaker 2: It was telling too they opened the game and the
Speaker 2: two RB package, but it was Jacob's and Reid and
Speaker 2: I feel like as this thing goes on that it's
Speaker 2: going to be a very important look for them. Now
Speaker 2: they've done those type of things before, but think about it.
Speaker 2: They open up in that look read I believe motioned
Speaker 2: out and on the next play they could still stick
Speaker 2: with eleven personnel and Read now is out as a
Speaker 2: receiver and you can go back to a one back set.
Speaker 2: That's the type of stuff the defenses are going to
Speaker 2: have to account for. The Packers have put that on
Speaker 2: film now and now going into the playoffs. That's another
Speaker 2: feather in the cap. When Jacobs leaves the game, Emmanuel
Speaker 2: Wilson and Chris Brooks are doing two backpackages together. Brooks
Speaker 2: gets his first NFL touchdown after he gives up that
Speaker 2: one against Jacksonville. Emmanuel gets his in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 2: For as much as we've talked about Josh Jacobs this
Speaker 2: season and him being the bellcow, green Bay showed in
Speaker 2: this game when he does go, you know, they shut
Speaker 2: him down basically after they get to twenty four to
Speaker 2: nothing that they have other guys they can turn to.
Speaker 2: I think that's going to be you know, you know,
Speaker 2: for the versatility and the complexity of this scheme.
Speaker 1: Yeah, no doubt about it. And certainly a shout out
Speaker 1: to the offensive line here for green Bay, not only
Speaker 1: the way those guys paved the way for the rushing
Speaker 1: yards and with the variety of ways the Packers are
Speaker 1: running the ball. But Jordan Love doesn't get sacked once again.
Speaker 1: This was a defense, as we had talked about a
Speaker 1: lot last week. They had eight sacks the previous week
Speaker 1: against Washington. Jordan Love doesn't get sacked once. The Packers
Speaker 1: up to now four games in the last four games.
Speaker 1: The only sack of Jordan Love was the opening offensive
Speaker 1: play in Detroit on that Thursday night game. Not a
Speaker 1: you know, crazy good game for Jordan Love, but certainly
Speaker 1: he was efficient enough, made some plays. You know, he
Speaker 1: was just a little bit off target on some downfield throws,
Speaker 1: but really only put the ball in Harm's way once
Speaker 1: where the Saints had a chance at an interception off
Speaker 1: of deflection that didn't happen. So it became another turnover
Speaker 1: free game for green Bay. And I mean, you know,
Speaker 1: when you get up on a team twenty one to nothing,
Speaker 1: it's all about just limiting, if not eliminating your mistakes
Speaker 1: on offense. Because as we saw last week, it's you know,
Speaker 1: the unfortunate fumbled by Josh Jacobs that suddenly got Seattle
Speaker 1: back into a game when green Bay was in total command.
Speaker 1: That type of mistake didn't happen in this game, So
Speaker 1: the Packers stayed in command and the defense just the
Speaker 1: defense just rode it out against an offense that didn't
Speaker 1: have enough playmakers to turn too well.
Speaker 2: And then, as you said, Mike, three straight scoring drives
Speaker 2: to open this thing, ten for sixty three, seventeen for
Speaker 2: ninety six, six for sixty seven. You don't have that
Speaker 2: type of production if A you're not protecting the football
Speaker 2: obviously in b if you're having penalties that are knocking
Speaker 2: you backwards. Green Bay avoided those two things, which were
Speaker 2: sort of the buggaboos, right or whatever you want to
Speaker 2: call them. Yeah, sort of the hiccups there in the
Speaker 2: first half of the year for them, I felt like
Speaker 2: that was huge. And then also the offensive line to
Speaker 2: be able to be in a position now where there's
Speaker 2: six times this year over fifteen games, Jordan Love has
Speaker 2: not been sacked. I believe that is the most since
Speaker 2: two thousand and four, if I remember reading Tom notes
Speaker 2: notes correctly.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the great, the great Tom Fanning note postgame notes list. Yeah,
Speaker 1: We're just got some great stuff in there.
Speaker 2: And to be able to do that against that front
Speaker 2: and while still running the ball that well, yeah, you're right,
Speaker 2: it wasn't the virtuoso passing performance. But at the same time,
Speaker 2: we can't sit here in ridicule that when you and
Speaker 2: I spent so much time talking and spilling so much ink,
Speaker 2: as a lot of the beat did, about how this
Speaker 2: defense had really made a lot of changes since Darren
Speaker 2: Rizzy took over they've done a lot of more positive things.
Speaker 2: I think Green Bay just hit him with some big
Speaker 2: shots early on. Yeah, it ended up not being as
Speaker 2: cold as I think everybody was fearing with refrigerator talk
Speaker 2: and all that stuff. But our freezer.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the walk in, the walk in freezer walkthroughs.
Speaker 2: But let's be honest. You're a dome team going from
Speaker 2: about as celt as you can go in the continental
Speaker 2: of the United States to right around the most northern
Speaker 2: point at least in the National Football League, and you're
Speaker 2: playing on Monday Night football and the Packers get up
Speaker 2: twenty one to nothing on you. Yeah, it's how you
Speaker 2: draw it up if you're green Yeah.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, Well, the victory puts Green Bay at eleven and four.
Speaker 1: Due to the results on Sunday, the Lions beating the Bears,
Speaker 1: the Vikings beating the Seahawks, the Packers cannot win the
Speaker 1: NFC North. The chances are very slim anyway. Now it
Speaker 1: is official the Packers will be a wild card in
Speaker 1: the NFC playoffs. So from here it's about the positioning. Well,
Speaker 1: the Packers get the five seed, the sixth seed, or
Speaker 1: the seventh seed. Currently Green Bay is in the sixth spot.
Speaker 1: But Washington, which got a big win a last second,
Speaker 1: last minute touchdown pass by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to
Speaker 1: beat the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington is right on Green Bay's heels.
Speaker 1: So as the Packers head into this game this week
Speaker 1: against the Minnesota Vikings over there in Minneapolis at US
Speaker 1: Banks Stadium, dreen Bay is trying to win that game
Speaker 1: to give itself a chance at the five seed, But
Speaker 1: a loss would put Green Bay in danger of possibly
Speaker 1: falling to the seven seed depending on what Washington does
Speaker 1: over these last couple of weeks. So there's still a
Speaker 1: lot to be sorted out as to exactly how this
Speaker 1: playoff picture is going to take shape. But the big thing,
Speaker 1: the big thing for green Bay is you've got a
Speaker 1: chance to be the top wild card. You have a
Speaker 1: chance to get to the five seed, and the only
Speaker 1: way you can keep that chance alive is to go
Speaker 1: beat Minnesota.
Speaker 2: One hundred percent the Philadelphia game, I said this an
Speaker 2: insider inbox, and I understand the defense kind of were on.
Speaker 2: I just thought that was a pitiful performance at the
Speaker 2: end of that game by the Eagles. You lose your
Speaker 2: starting quarterback. They did not adjust well after that offensively
Speaker 2: and then defensively and special teams wise, you just collapse
Speaker 2: under the weight of that final sequence. Jake Elliott took
Speaker 2: care of business. The rest of that team really didn't.
Speaker 2: And for them, I mean, that's again, I keep going
Speaker 2: back to what happened last year. I understand they're not
Speaker 2: in the doldrums that they fell into, but you're riding
Speaker 2: kind of an emotional high after the Lions finally blink
Speaker 2: and then you give it right back right exactly. But
Speaker 2: on the other side of that thing, Jaden Daniels is
Speaker 2: legit man. He is a real playmaker. And I thought
Speaker 2: he was cool, calm and collected down the stretch to
Speaker 2: be able to take what Vic fangils giving him, take
Speaker 2: what the Eagles are giving him, and then when he
Speaker 2: had to make the play to win the game, he
Speaker 2: did it.
Speaker 1: Yeah. And you want to know, just you know how
Speaker 1: slim the margins are in this league? Right the Washington Commanders.
Speaker 1: They've won a game on a hail Mary against Chicago,
Speaker 1: and they've won a game with a touchdown pass with
Speaker 1: what was it less than ten second five second, five
Speaker 1: seconds left against Philadelphia. That is the difference between Washington
Speaker 1: being ten and five versus eight and seven, and they're
Speaker 1: very in very good playoff position to get a spot
Speaker 1: whereas they'd be. They really have their backs against the
Speaker 1: wall heading into the into these last two games. So,
Speaker 1: as I said with Green Bay, it's a matter of
Speaker 1: can can the Packers get up to the five seed?
Speaker 1: Can they stay out of the seven seed? Where exactly
Speaker 1: are they going to fall there? On the flip side,
Speaker 1: the Packers opponent this coming week, we'll move ahead to
Speaker 1: that game. Talking about the Minnesota Vikings. They are thirteen
Speaker 1: in two. They are tied with the Detroit Lions at
Speaker 1: thirteen into atop the NFC North, the Lions having won
Speaker 1: the first head to head meeting between the two of them.
Speaker 1: But Minnesota is looking at the old control your own
Speaker 1: destiny thing. The Vikings are looking at if they can
Speaker 1: beat the Packers, and they can beat the Lions in
Speaker 1: the last two games, they are the number one seed
Speaker 1: and they have a first round by guy. So Minnesota
Speaker 1: has has a ton going forward here. There's you know,
Speaker 1: there are a lot of different a lot of different
Speaker 1: ways that this that this can shake out. But boy,
Speaker 1: it just got flex to three twenty five pm next
Speaker 1: Sunday at US Bank, which was certainly expected and it
Speaker 1: should be a wail of a game on Sunday afternoon.
Speaker 2: Guys are championing at the bit for this one in
Speaker 2: the Packers' locker room. Yeah, obviously, losing those back to
Speaker 2: back to the Lions, that hurts, but they haven't forgotten
Speaker 2: about what happened with the Vikings here either.
Speaker 1: And twenty eight to nothing in the second quarter, you know,
Speaker 1: and and the Packers did everything they could to try
Speaker 1: to come back, end up losing thirty one to twenty nine.
Speaker 1: But yeah, that is a game you can just you
Speaker 1: can tell by the way the guys, you know, Jordan
Speaker 1: Love was talking about it at the podium, guys were
Speaker 1: talking about in the locker room. Those guys remember, yep,
Speaker 1: this for it was way back in Week four, but
Speaker 1: they remember this first game with the Vikings, and Jordan
Speaker 1: Love said it, they feel like they owe these guys,
Speaker 1: and it's it's it's a short week. It's a tough week.
Speaker 1: You got the holiday and everything like that. Minnesota had
Speaker 1: the short week last week, had to go out to Seattle.
Speaker 1: They won a big game on a short week with
Speaker 1: a late touchdown pass by Sam Darnold. Packers are in
Speaker 1: that position. Now the challenge here late in the season
Speaker 1: with a big game on the road.
Speaker 2: And I'm going to give the Vikings some advice and
Speaker 2: they could take it and not take it. They're obviously
Speaker 2: not even watching. But Sam Donald's your quarterback. He is,
Speaker 2: He's the quarterback today. He should be the quarterback next year. Yep,
Speaker 2: and beyond.
Speaker 1: I think he's proven it.
Speaker 2: If you want to muff that, go ahead, be my guest.
Speaker 2: And I understand you drafted JJ McCarthy. But after all
Speaker 2: this conversation this week about what happened with Atlanta with
Speaker 2: Kirk Cousins and then they're benching him and potentially moving
Speaker 2: on for him, they're already these things being leaked out
Speaker 2: that they're going to cut him before Penix even plays
Speaker 2: in a game. Pennox obviously performs admirably to be able
Speaker 2: to beat a big leaguered New York Giants team.
Speaker 1: Well, it helps when the Giants give the Falcons two
Speaker 1: defensive touchdowns in the game. That always helps a rookie
Speaker 1: quarterback making his first start.
Speaker 2: But I digress, But the real thing here should be
Speaker 2: the Minnesota Vikings made a really savvy signing one year,
Speaker 2: ten million dollars they get Sam Darnald, he continues this
Speaker 2: renaissance of his career and is still I believe he
Speaker 2: won't win it, but I think he is legitimately in
Speaker 2: the conversation for MVP because when it hasn't been Aaron Jones,
Speaker 2: and at times it hasn't been Justin Jefferson, Donald has
Speaker 2: been the thing that has kept this thing together. It's
Speaker 2: why they're at thirteen wins right now. I don't think
Speaker 2: this is as much of a debate is what people
Speaker 2: are making it out to be. I think JJ McCarthy,
Speaker 2: especially with all the knee injuries, you let him sit,
Speaker 2: You let him figure out what's gonna happen with his career.
Speaker 2: But you could absolutely not let Sam Donald. If you're
Speaker 2: the Packers, go ahead, But I mean if you're the Vikings,
Speaker 2: I don't think there's any way you could let him
Speaker 2: out of the building. And they're playing inspired football, I
Speaker 2: think it's gonna be a real tough test. Matt Lafuller
Speaker 2: talked about the challenges now on a short week, after
Speaker 2: having all that time that led up to the Saints game,
Speaker 2: Now you're on a short week going into US Bank Stadium,
Speaker 2: a place that is going to be rocking and rolling.
Speaker 2: And for the Packers, a team that will have to
Speaker 2: go on the road, whether five, six, or seven, this
Speaker 2: is a great litmus test for where you are entering
Speaker 2: winning season.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely, yeah. I think with the Sam Donald quarterback situation,
Speaker 1: it's sort of the bird in the hand thing, right,
Speaker 1: I mean, how do you do't with everything that he
Speaker 1: has done? I don't know how. You just say, Okay, Sam,
Speaker 1: thanks for the memory. Now go with the guy we drafted. Like,
Speaker 1: I mean, they're thirteen and.
Speaker 2: Two negotiations that probably end up getting kind of serious,
Speaker 2: but they're third line and two with one of their
Speaker 2: losses to another team that's also thirteen and two by
Speaker 2: the way.
Speaker 1: I mean, so yeah, I'm totally I'm totally with you there.
Speaker 1: I want to get to our keys to victory here,
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Speaker 1: Minnesota Vikings, we know all about them. We don't need
Speaker 1: to well, don't need to go through the ABC's of
Speaker 1: Sam Donald, Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones, TJ. Hockinson, Brian Flores
Speaker 1: in that defense, all the crazy looks and crazy blitzes
Speaker 1: and fake blitzes and everything else. It sounds like Harrison
Speaker 1: Smith is going to be back from his injury. You know,
Speaker 1: he's always been a nemesis for Green Bay in the
Speaker 1: back end there at safety for Minnesota.
Speaker 2: A lot of things you can line up.
Speaker 1: As the as keys to victory. What's at the top
Speaker 1: of the list for you?
Speaker 2: Well, and it's the reason in my opinion, Kevin O'Connell,
Speaker 2: is that near the top of the list for Coach
Speaker 2: of the Year. A lot of the same threats that
Speaker 2: we're there in that first matchup with the Vikings are
Speaker 2: still there. Andrew van Ginkel has been fantastic, Yeah here
Speaker 2: for them, eleven sacks on the year. Blake Cashman has
Speaker 2: belve battles some injuries, but he had a twelve sack
Speaker 2: performance against Seattle I feel like he's been a big
Speaker 2: difference maker on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively,
Speaker 2: Justin Jefferson the best receiver in the National Football League.
Speaker 2: Green Bay has to find an answer for that. Is
Speaker 2: Jyry Alexander going to be available? Is he not going
Speaker 2: to be available? If that's the case, what combination of
Speaker 2: defensive backs and approach and scheme are you going to
Speaker 2: utilize to minimize him, to try to contain him, and
Speaker 2: certainly trying to get Sam Darnold off his rhythm and
Speaker 2: offensively protect the football. I said six different things there, Mike,
Speaker 2: But if you go back to the unscripted we did
Speaker 2: two three months ago, it's probably the same exact thing
Speaker 2: I said back then. You know what you're getting with
Speaker 2: the Vikings. You know what their defensive look is going
Speaker 2: to be, like, the Packers have to be able to
Speaker 2: weather that, and they, as you said earlier, need to
Speaker 2: respond better in the first two quarters to keep up
Speaker 2: with that pace.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And you know me, I always I base a
Speaker 1: lot of things, a lot of conversations off of what
Speaker 1: teams have done most recently and seeing seeing how Justin
Speaker 1: Jefferson in a lot of ways kind of took over
Speaker 1: that game in Seattle. I mean, the Seahawks just couldn't
Speaker 1: handle no. And in a lot of ways, it felt,
Speaker 1: even though the Seahawks did have a lead at one
Speaker 1: point in the fourth quarter, the way Seattle had been
Speaker 1: struggling dealing with Jefferson, it felt somewhat inevitable that Justin
Speaker 1: Jefferson was going to beat them, and ultimately he did.
Speaker 1: I think, if you're the Packers, and I know the
Speaker 1: game is never this simple, and you know Hockinson and
Speaker 1: Jordan Addison and Aaron Jones and all these guys can
Speaker 1: hurt you, I just don't think you can let Justin
Speaker 1: Jefferson beat you. You have to make Sam Donald go
Speaker 1: somewhere else in order to beat you, and UH and
Speaker 1: the and the best way to UH to deal with
Speaker 1: Sam Donald the course is to try to disrupt him.
Speaker 1: I think the Packers have been on a pretty good
Speaker 1: run defensively at not letting quarterbacks get comfortable. Jared goff
Speaker 1: in that Thursday night game in Detroit, he certainly had
Speaker 1: a level of comfort, but he was also running a
Speaker 1: game plan with all these screens and just getting the
Speaker 1: ball out right away, and and Ben Johnson wasn't gonna
Speaker 1: let the Packers defensive front disrupt you know, what he
Speaker 1: was trying to do offensively, the uh, what the Packers
Speaker 1: can do to try to, you know, get Sam Donald
Speaker 1: out of a rhythm or prevent him from getting into
Speaker 1: a rhythm, I think potentially goes a long way.
Speaker 2: In forty five sacks this year for Donald, when the
Speaker 2: pressure has been there, that's been a key. But as
Speaker 2: you said, Mike, we can you know, you tip your
Speaker 2: cap to TJ Hockinson, you tip your cap to you know,
Speaker 2: Jalen Naylor and all these other people that they have.
Speaker 2: But realistically it comes down to three weapons for the Vikings.
Speaker 2: Jefferson at the top of the list, Jordan Addison and
Speaker 2: what he's done is the complimentary piece in Aaron Jones
Speaker 2: notching another thousand yard season, appearing like he's put some
Speaker 2: of the issues that he had earlier this season injury
Speaker 2: wise behind him. Still a factor in the passing game
Speaker 2: as well. Those have been the three outlets for Donald.
Speaker 2: Hockinson's not had a fantastic year, it still doesn't have
Speaker 2: a touchdown this season, So the Packers want to try
Speaker 2: to keep that trend going. Some of the things that
Speaker 2: you would think of when you think of how spread
Speaker 2: out they are on the offense, it still comes back
Speaker 2: to that trio and I feel like, if you take
Speaker 2: away or you contain some of those threats, that's where
Speaker 2: you're ultimately going to have success. In addition to the
Speaker 2: fact that Jordan Love in this Packers offensive line have
Speaker 2: to manage the Brian Flora's defense and the looks and
Speaker 2: the misdirection and the pressures. One reason Jordan has gotten
Speaker 2: into this rhythm that he's been in he has not
Speaker 2: been pressured a ton, and I feel like that's that's
Speaker 2: really when he's at his best. He's back there, he's
Speaker 2: standing tall, he's looking downfield looking to make a play. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I don't pretend to be an expert on the Vikings
Speaker 1: and their defense and what Brian Flores is doing, but
Speaker 1: the times that I've watched the Vikings this year, there
Speaker 1: are moments where you see, whether it's Gino Smith of
Speaker 1: the Seahawks, or Kyler Murray or the Cardinals, even you
Speaker 1: know other quarterbacks as well. Suddenly an opposing offense will
Speaker 1: put together a drive on the Vikings, get the ball
Speaker 1: in the end zone, and you're like, oh, well, is
Speaker 1: the Vikings defense you know, showing some vulnerability. One of
Speaker 1: the things that I think makes the Vikings defense so
Speaker 1: tough is that they don't give up scores on like
Speaker 1: back to back possession yet like they give up they
Speaker 1: they'll give up a score, but then the next one
Speaker 1: they're very likely getting a three and out. Like they
Speaker 1: just they have this way. They have this way of
Speaker 1: bouncing back, making adjustments, making things difficult on you after
Speaker 1: you've had some success. And when you look at what
Speaker 1: the Packers have done starting the Seahawks game with back
Speaker 1: to back touchdowns, starting the Saints game with three consecutive touchdowns,
Speaker 1: getting on any kind of a scoring run like that
Speaker 1: is going to be very difficult. But if the Packers
Speaker 1: can do it, if you truly can get a Brian
Speaker 1: Flores defense on its heels by scoring on consecutive possessions,
Speaker 1: I think that's the type of thing that can that
Speaker 1: can set the tone, particularly with the Vikings plan at
Speaker 1: home and the home crowd and the noise on third
Speaker 1: down and all that that Jordan Love and company will
Speaker 1: be dealing.
Speaker 2: And as much as I've talked about Love, this is
Speaker 2: about Josh Shakups and the fact that the Packers were
Speaker 2: able to take some reps off of him in the
Speaker 2: second half, I think is going to be key. They
Speaker 2: are facing the number two ranked run defense in both
Speaker 2: yards allowed in yards per carry. The Vikings are twenty
Speaker 2: ninth against the pass. I mean it is feast or
Speaker 2: famine with what they offer you and what they present
Speaker 2: to you. So being able to get a run game
Speaker 2: going because of what the Vikings want to do is
Speaker 2: they want to get you in third and long and
Speaker 2: want you to make a mistake.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely. To lay out the proper scenario for those
Speaker 1: who are wondering, okay, have been talking about the Packers
Speaker 1: could get the five to six or the seven. How
Speaker 1: can the Packers get the five seed? Really, the path
Speaker 1: to doing it is for the Packers to win out,
Speaker 1: to beat the Vikings and the Bears, and then in
Speaker 1: week eighteen for the Lions to knock off the Vikings
Speaker 1: and give Minnesota another loss. Because then the Packers would
Speaker 1: end up tied with the Vikings. There would be a
Speaker 1: series of tie breakers that eventually would go Green Bay's
Speaker 1: way in the way of common opponents, where they because
Speaker 1: of the Packers win over the Rams and the Vikings
Speaker 1: having lost to the Rams, that would give green Bay
Speaker 1: the five seed over Minnesota. In that scenario.
Speaker 2: The tricky thing.
Speaker 1: Is that if the Packers beat the Vikings this week,
Speaker 1: and if the Lions beat the forty nine ers, the
Speaker 1: Lions have the one seed wrapped up.
Speaker 2: It's over.
Speaker 1: The Week eighteen game against the Vikings will not matter
Speaker 1: to the Detroit Lions. Now. Dan Campbell has said he's
Speaker 1: always gonna play his guys at Sarah.
Speaker 2: Well, we'll just see.
Speaker 1: The Detroit Lions have never been the number one seed,
Speaker 1: you know, looking at a buy and it is a
Speaker 1: team that is awfully banged up, and are they really
Speaker 1: gonna risk, you know, injuring anymore guys. So that's the
Speaker 1: tough thing for green Bay is that as much as yeah,
Speaker 1: you feel like you can go into Minnesota, you know,
Speaker 1: potentially get a big win, look at trying to get
Speaker 1: the five seed, but then you need the Lions to
Speaker 1: beat the Vikings. And if the Vikings lose this week
Speaker 1: and the Lions win, then the Lions aren't playing for anything.
Speaker 1: So we'll just have to see. That's nothing the Packers
Speaker 1: can control. All they can control is go to Minnesota,
Speaker 1: try to get a victory, and see where the chips fall.
Speaker 2: Here's where I feel like Campbell tipped his hand a
Speaker 2: little bit on Monday, though. There is a scenario where
Speaker 2: the Lions could know that nothing that happens against the
Speaker 2: forty nine ers could affect this by Monday night football
Speaker 2: because they'll have already seen what happened with the Packers
Speaker 2: and the Vikings. He said, that doesn't matter. He's still
Speaker 2: playing his guys on Monday night football. It's still full
Speaker 2: steam ahead. Now would he take that approach in Week eighteen?
Speaker 2: I don't know, right, but he said if that game
Speaker 2: doesn't matter and everything comes down to that last game
Speaker 2: against the Vikings, he's still playing his guys against the Niners,
Speaker 2: which I thought was interesting. Now again, will he do that?
Speaker 2: Is it? Al bravado, you're playing Monday night football? What
Speaker 2: do you do? I don't know, but damn Campbell, I.
Speaker 1: Guess I didn't. I didn't even realize that the Detroit
Speaker 1: game this week was Monday.
Speaker 2: Money Night football. So there's a scenario. Don't ask me
Speaker 2: to figure all this out, but there's a scenario where
Speaker 2: that game could win or lose against the forty Narrows
Speaker 2: have no impact on what happens for their Week eighteen games. Sure, Vikings,
Speaker 2: sure so, but Dan Campbell said it's still full steam
Speaker 2: ahead as he is wont to do.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that would, that would That's what I'm brandicked from
Speaker 1: Dan Campbell. We will just have to see how everything
Speaker 1: unfolds and with that we'll call it a wrap on
Speaker 1: this edition Packers Unscripted. But folks, the home of the
Speaker 1: twenty twenty five NFL Draft is right here in Green Bay,
Speaker 1: so don't miss any draft action coming April twenty fourth
Speaker 1: through April twenty six of twenty twenty five. That's officially
Speaker 1: only four months away. Wes.
Speaker 2: Visit green Bay dot.
Speaker 1: Com slash Draft twenty five for more information. And with that,
Speaker 1: we would like to wish you a merry Christmas here
Speaker 1: from the desks at Packers Unscripted and be sure to
Speaker 1: follow all of our coverage of the team and Sunday
Speaker 1: afternoons big game at us Bank Stadium in Minneapolis against
Speaker 1: the Vikings. We will have it all for you on
Speaker 1: Packers dot com for Wes, I Mike, thank you for
Speaker 1: tuning in everybody. We will see you next time.