WEBVTT - #919 Packers Unscripted: Launching pad?

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<v Speaker 1>Hi everybody, welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers.com.

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<v Speaker 1>I am Mike Spofford, joined by the one and only

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<v Speaker 1>Weston Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from the Pottawatomie

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<v Speaker 1>Sportsbook studio inside the walls of Lambeau Field to review, Wes,

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<v Speaker 1>a 45-27 victory over the New England Patriots on the road,

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<v Speaker 1>Gillette Stadium. As Matt LaFleur said, Jordan Love said, everybody

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<v Speaker 1>in the locker room said, this was... A total team victory,

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<v Speaker 1>all three phases, really at the top of their games.

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<v Speaker 1>This was, without question, the Packers' best performance of 2026.

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<v Speaker 1>And the question that we're all asking now is, where

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<v Speaker 1>does it go from here?

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<v Speaker 2>Exactly. And listen, Mike, I think games like this are

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<v Speaker 2>just so critical. They're so important to good team seasons

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<v Speaker 2>because it showed the Packers on Sunday what's possible here.

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<v Speaker 2>when everything is in alignment. It wasn't perfect, but the

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<v Speaker 2>fact that Green Bay played as well as it did

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<v Speaker 2>in all these various situations, they got the fast start, right?

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<v Speaker 2>You had the picks from Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Packers

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<v Speaker 2>get three takeaways, almost four interceptions in the first half.

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<v Speaker 2>Kamal Haddon's probably going to be thinking about that one

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<v Speaker 2>for the rest of the season. But then it's what

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<v Speaker 2>the offense did with those opportunities. 22 points converted off

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<v Speaker 2>of those takeaways altogether. Jordan Love throwing the ball downfield

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<v Speaker 2>at ease, looking great with his deep ball accuracy, the

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<v Speaker 2>receivers making plays on the ball. You go through the

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<v Speaker 2>issue there, Josh Jacobs breaks his finger, but then the

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<v Speaker 2>run game ends up having its best game of the season.

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<v Speaker 2>There's so much about this matchup that I think the Packers,

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<v Speaker 2>as they got on the plane and went back to

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<v Speaker 2>Green Bay, you had to imagine the back of their head.

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<v Speaker 2>The players in that locker room are thinking, we can

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<v Speaker 2>be this type of football team. We can go into

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<v Speaker 2>a road environment against another good team and impose our will.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm telling you, there's the soothsayer next to me,

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<v Speaker 2>Mike Spofford. He talked about it in one last look

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<v Speaker 2>and throughout the week, the importance of takeaways, particularly against

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<v Speaker 2>that quarterback and that opponent, and it shined through.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean, when Drake May threw that interception on

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<v Speaker 1>the second play of the game, his first pass of

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<v Speaker 1>the game, Terrible throw a terrible read by him a

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<v Speaker 1>great read and great communication in the secondary You can

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<v Speaker 1>see Keyshawn Nixon pointing to Xavier McKinney like the crossing

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<v Speaker 1>route Hollins is going over there And the ball was

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<v Speaker 1>basically thrown right to McKinney you kind of knew like

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<v Speaker 1>okay this this is gonna be the Green Bay Packers

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<v Speaker 1>defenses day not so much Drake Mays day and Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>they just they gave him trouble now Yeah, at the

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<v Speaker 1>end of the day the Patriots put up 27 points

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<v Speaker 1>some of that was in garbage time They did make

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<v Speaker 1>some plays to try to get back in the game

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<v Speaker 1>after the Packers jumped on top 17-0. And the way

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<v Speaker 1>this Packers defense plays so aggressively, and we talked about

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<v Speaker 1>it last week, and Jonathan Gannon, the way he dials

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<v Speaker 1>up the blitzes and all the disguised coverages and all that,

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<v Speaker 1>good quarterbacks are going to make plays against this defense.

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<v Speaker 1>It's going to happen. What Jonathan Gannon is trying to

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<v Speaker 1>do is wear you out as a quarterback mentally, physically.

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<v Speaker 1>He's going to come after you. He's going to challenge

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<v Speaker 1>you with the schemes and the looks. And ultimately, he's

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<v Speaker 1>going to count on his defense being able to make

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<v Speaker 1>just as many, if not more, plays than you can offensively.

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<v Speaker 1>And when you come away with four takeaways and four sacks,

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<v Speaker 1>and you mentioned the one miss was the potential pick

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<v Speaker 1>six by Kamal Haddon that could have really turned this

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<v Speaker 1>game on its head. When you look at the opponent

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<v Speaker 1>and the Packers being on the road, this was the

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<v Speaker 1>epitome of what of how Jonathan Gannon wants to play defense,

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<v Speaker 1>and then when you flip it over to the offensive side,

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<v Speaker 1>and Jordan Love throwing for. 370 on only 29 pass attempts,

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<v Speaker 1>and Matthew Golden and Christian Watson going off and setting

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<v Speaker 1>all kinds of team records as far as a duo

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<v Speaker 1>in one game, this was as complete as it gets.

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<v Speaker 2>And one thing I really like that Gannon has talked

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<v Speaker 2>a lot about, and I think sometimes we can not

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<v Speaker 2>listen fully to what he's saying because you're just thinking

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<v Speaker 2>more of the macro level, but He's reiterated times this

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<v Speaker 2>year the idea that every call that you make has

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<v Speaker 2>a stress point and a strength to it. And I

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<v Speaker 2>think we're still sort of in baseball season, right? The

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<v Speaker 2>Brewers won the World Series.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll be celebrating all offseason, so yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>So pardon me a Brewers analogy or a baseball analogy,

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<v Speaker 2>but when you look at the way you play as

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<v Speaker 2>a pitcher— you have to eventually put the ball over

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<v Speaker 2>the plate. You're not just going to get away by

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<v Speaker 2>constantly throwing balls and expecting the batter to mess up.

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<v Speaker 2>There's going to be times where you're going to have

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<v Speaker 2>to put yourself in danger a little bit and see

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<v Speaker 2>if the offense makes the play. What has impressed me

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<v Speaker 2>about this Packers defense this year is if you take

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<v Speaker 2>away the mental errors, you minimize those, and you make

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<v Speaker 2>a guy like Drake May have to find the right

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<v Speaker 2>guy at the right time against the right look... That

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<v Speaker 2>may happen once or twice. You may catch a guy

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<v Speaker 2>wide open across the middle. That is football. But it's

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<v Speaker 2>how difficult down in and down out Jonathan Gannon's defense

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<v Speaker 2>makes it on the opposing quarterback. And as we saw

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<v Speaker 2>in this game again, Mike, the Packers lose yet another linebacker.

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<v Speaker 2>Tyron Hopper is dealing with this chest issue during warm-ups.

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<v Speaker 2>They didn't know how much he was going to be

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<v Speaker 2>able to give them. He goes out of the game

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<v Speaker 2>after the first series. Isaiah McDuffie has to be, pardon me,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm getting excited.

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<v Speaker 1>That's okay.

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<v Speaker 2>Isaiah McDuffie has to be that, not only the green dot,

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<v Speaker 2>but he has to be the big playmaker there. He

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<v Speaker 2>comes through with a forced fumble, with a fumble recovery,

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<v Speaker 2>a sack, two TFLs first time. That's been done by

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<v Speaker 2>a Packers defender since 2000, going back to 2000. You

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<v Speaker 2>have Brandon Cisse batting up passes. Evan Williams being opportunistic.

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<v Speaker 2>The defense has to force opportunities, but also has to

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<v Speaker 2>maximize the chances that they get when they're presented to them.

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<v Speaker 2>And I feel like that's where the marriage has really

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<v Speaker 2>worked out really well here with Gannon, his scheme, and

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<v Speaker 2>how Packers defenders have reacted to it.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and it sounds like it's good news, at least

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<v Speaker 1>to this point, on Tyron Hopper that whatever he was

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<v Speaker 1>dealing with, this uncomfortableness that he kind of brought up

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<v Speaker 1>to the team and to the trainers before the game

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<v Speaker 1>started with what's been termed a chest injury, It doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>sound like it's anything serious. Matt LaFleur not thinking he's

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<v Speaker 1>going to miss any time. But LaFleur also wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>shout out Nick Neiman for stepping in. I mean, Neiman

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<v Speaker 1>ends up playing 84 snaps in this game, 59 on defense,

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<v Speaker 1>all 25 of the special teams snaps. And really, aside

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<v Speaker 1>from the one play he would love to have back,

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<v Speaker 1>which is where Ramondre Stevenson beat him on the wheel

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<v Speaker 1>route for the touchdown down the sideline. Now, mind you,

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<v Speaker 1>Nick Neiman had played, I believe, all of two defensive

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<v Speaker 1>snaps all season until– He was thrust into duty here.

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<v Speaker 1>But yeah, we've talked about the Packers' depth at inside linebacker,

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<v Speaker 1>and it definitely showed up. Because other than that one

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<v Speaker 1>play with Neiman, we would have been talking about him

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<v Speaker 1>as one of the potential stories of this game. The

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<v Speaker 1>way he filled in when you're looking at a guy

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<v Speaker 1>who essentially started the season as the fifth inside linebacker

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<v Speaker 1>on your depth chart. and he goes out there and

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<v Speaker 1>does what he did.

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<v Speaker 2>And if I can just interject quickly, I was talking

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<v Speaker 2>to Isaiah McDuffie about that afterwards, and that was the

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<v Speaker 2>first thing that Isaiah mentioned when he was reflecting on

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<v Speaker 2>Neiman's game, the fact that he did not leave special teams.

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<v Speaker 2>Other than that first series, he had to play the

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<v Speaker 2>rest of the way, and just based on the way

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<v Speaker 2>that Green Bay was built and the injuries they were

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<v Speaker 2>dealing with and the guys that were down, it was

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<v Speaker 2>on Neiman to still be the personal protector on punts.

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<v Speaker 2>It was on him to still be in coverage on

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<v Speaker 2>kickoffs and punt coverage. So like, There was a lot

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<v Speaker 2>to be said about the performance he had, but unfortunately,

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<v Speaker 2>there was 12 guys that all had huge days on

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<v Speaker 2>both sides of the ball that it's one of those

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<v Speaker 2>things that's just going to kind of go unsaid.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, well, and on the offensive side, I mean, we'll

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<v Speaker 1>probably talk about this more perhaps as the season goes along.

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<v Speaker 1>I hope we are talking about it more, but Jordan

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<v Speaker 1>Love is squarely in the MVP race now. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>this game, a 325 game on Fox that was beamed

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<v Speaker 1>to most of the country, you know, Tom Brady in

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<v Speaker 1>the broadcast booth in Foxborough and Jordan Love puts on

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<v Speaker 1>the performance that he did 5.1 rating points shy of

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<v Speaker 1>the maximum 158.3. And, uh, and that was really the

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<v Speaker 1>difference of about six inches on that seam pass to

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<v Speaker 1>Tucker Kraft, that if that goes for a fourth touchdown for,

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<v Speaker 1>for Jordan Love on that sequence, as opposed to the

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<v Speaker 1>Packers settling for a field goal there, um, he almost

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<v Speaker 1>certainly max, maxes it out at 158.3. Um, it was

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<v Speaker 1>bombs away. Um, and, uh, The Packers really offensively, it's

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<v Speaker 1>about the individuals, right? It's about how Jordan Love is playing.

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<v Speaker 1>It's about how dangerous Christian Watson and Matthew Golden are

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<v Speaker 1>as a duo with the speed and everything that they

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<v Speaker 1>bring to the field. But this was also a message

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<v Speaker 1>being sent. Defensive coordinators are going to look at this

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<v Speaker 1>and go, all right, well, if you're going to blitz

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<v Speaker 1>Jordan Love or if you're going to play man coverage

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<v Speaker 1>predominantly against the Green Bay Packers, they are going to

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<v Speaker 1>try to make you pay. The Packers look at blitzes

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<v Speaker 1>and man coverage as opportunities for explosives. Now, it's not

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<v Speaker 1>always going to work out, right? And it's going to

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<v Speaker 1>be put to the test this week, which we'll talk

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<v Speaker 1>more about on our next show, with the Vikings coming

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<v Speaker 1>in and Brian Flores and his blitz-happy defense. But the

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<v Speaker 1>Packers aren't going to change who they are. If you're

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<v Speaker 1>going to come after their quarterback or if you're going

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<v Speaker 1>to try to single up man-to-man their wide receivers on

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<v Speaker 1>the outside... they're going to look to burn you. And

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<v Speaker 1>the Patriots got burned all day long.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, there are a million superlatives you and I

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<v Speaker 2>can discuss here through this game. The fact that Matthew

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<v Speaker 2>Golden had a career high established a new career high

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<v Speaker 2>for receiving yards in the first quarter alone. 126 yards

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<v Speaker 2>receiving off of six catches and the touchdown. Christian Watson,

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<v Speaker 2>after all these 140 plus yard games, he finally got

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<v Speaker 2>his new career high. 171 receiving yards off seven catches

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<v Speaker 2>and a touchdown. Jordan Love threw for 219 yards in

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<v Speaker 2>the first half alone. That was a new career high.

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<v Speaker 2>He got his new passer rating career high for a

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<v Speaker 2>game in which he threw at least 15 passes. I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>you go on and on and on as far as

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<v Speaker 2>the statistical anomalies with this game and just how proficient

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<v Speaker 2>Green Bay was through the air. But I want to

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<v Speaker 2>bring it back to the very beginning of what you said.

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<v Speaker 2>For whatever reason, the last three years, Jordan Love at

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<v Speaker 2>a position that is a superstar position He has not

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<v Speaker 2>gotten his love from the national media, the national public. Mike,

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<v Speaker 2>this is a guy that, and maybe it's because he

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<v Speaker 2>sat for three years, maybe it's because he's a little

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<v Speaker 2>bit more low-key personality, but Jordan Love came out of

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<v Speaker 2>the gate, threw for 4,000 yards and 32 touchdowns right

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<v Speaker 2>out of the gate in 2023. If that would have

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<v Speaker 2>been Caleb Williams, ESPN would have been building monuments for him.

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<v Speaker 2>But there was just something about the slow pace of

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<v Speaker 2>what people catching up to to the things that Jordan

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<v Speaker 2>Love has been doing. I think if you talk to

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<v Speaker 2>people here, even you could talk to the media here.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't think this is necessarily a surprise. We've seen

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<v Speaker 2>signs of this for the last three and a half years.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. It's not a surprise to those of us who

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<v Speaker 1>are around it every day. And we've seen what Jordan

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<v Speaker 1>Love is capable of. On the national scale, as far

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<v Speaker 1>as I'm concerned, it's all about the level of team success.

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<v Speaker 1>Because When Jordan Love, in his first playoff game back

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<v Speaker 1>in January of 2024, when he torched the Dallas Cowboys

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<v Speaker 1>and then got the Packers within an eyelash of the

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<v Speaker 1>NFC Championship game the following week with a near upset

0:11:55.380 --> 0:11:58.620
<v Speaker 1>of the San Francisco 49ers on the road, everybody was

0:11:58.660 --> 0:12:01.580
<v Speaker 1>talking about, okay, here come the Packers, here comes Jordan Love,

0:12:01.700 --> 0:12:05.070
<v Speaker 1>and the spotlight was there. But what happens the next

0:12:05.120 --> 0:12:08.520
<v Speaker 1>two seasons? For Jordan Love individually... He missed some games

0:12:08.540 --> 0:12:11.160
<v Speaker 1>with injury. Malik Willis had to fill in here and there.

0:12:11.600 --> 0:12:17.710
<v Speaker 1>Love wasn't completely healthy through 2024 and 2025. And the

0:12:17.730 --> 0:12:20.309
<v Speaker 1>Packers didn't win a division title. They got the seventh

0:12:20.350 --> 0:12:22.670
<v Speaker 1>seed again each of those last two years and bowed

0:12:22.750 --> 0:12:24.949
<v Speaker 1>out of the playoffs in the first round. Now, mind you,

0:12:25.670 --> 0:12:28.840
<v Speaker 1>Jordan Love threw four touchdown passes on the road at

0:12:28.900 --> 0:12:31.980
<v Speaker 1>Chicago in that playoff game last January, but the Packers

0:12:32.020 --> 0:12:34.939
<v Speaker 1>didn't win it. So you don't get the attention of

0:12:36.179 --> 0:12:40.100
<v Speaker 1>On the national scale, when the team doesn't win, that's just,

0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:43.240
<v Speaker 1>that's just how it goes. Now, if the, if, as

0:12:43.280 --> 0:12:46.420
<v Speaker 1>we talked about at right off the top of the show,

0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:50.100
<v Speaker 1>if this type of performance, both for Jordan Love and

0:12:50.140 --> 0:12:53.260
<v Speaker 1>the Packers is sort of the launching pad, so to

0:12:53.300 --> 0:12:56.400
<v Speaker 1>speak for the rest of the 2026 season, there's going

0:12:56.420 --> 0:12:58.050
<v Speaker 1>to be all kinds of chatter and it's going to

0:12:58.090 --> 0:12:59.770
<v Speaker 1>be more of like, okay, you got to block all

0:12:59.809 --> 0:13:01.729
<v Speaker 1>that out now, you know, you're asking for it in

0:13:01.790 --> 0:13:03.430
<v Speaker 1>some ways. But then it's like, all right, you've got

0:13:03.450 --> 0:13:06.459
<v Speaker 1>to block all that out because there's more important things

0:13:07.000 --> 0:13:13.000
<v Speaker 1>to focus on. But as far as I'm concerned, there

0:13:13.080 --> 0:13:15.520
<v Speaker 1>are a handful of guys being talked about for the

0:13:15.620 --> 0:13:18.150
<v Speaker 1>MVP this year in the National Football League as we're

0:13:18.170 --> 0:13:20.370
<v Speaker 1>here at about the midway point. I think Jordan Love

0:13:20.429 --> 0:13:22.910
<v Speaker 1>is right in the mix, and there's a ton of

0:13:22.950 --> 0:13:27.819
<v Speaker 1>football left to play. What I think is really intriguing

0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:31.990
<v Speaker 1>about this Packers team moving forward is that There are two,

0:13:32.210 --> 0:13:35.090
<v Speaker 1>I guess I would say, dynamic duos, so to speak,

0:13:35.110 --> 0:13:37.530
<v Speaker 1>on this team that we are going to continue to

0:13:37.570 --> 0:13:40.650
<v Speaker 1>talk about. One on the offensive side with Watson and Golden,

0:13:40.670 --> 0:13:43.240
<v Speaker 1>that wide receiver, and then on the defensive side with

0:13:43.290 --> 0:13:46.520
<v Speaker 1>Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams at safety. The Packers have

0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:51.439
<v Speaker 1>elite talent on this roster around Jordan Love, and we're

0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:52.780
<v Speaker 1>starting to see it come together.

0:13:52.840 --> 0:13:55.460
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and the development process, right? And it all goes

0:13:55.520 --> 0:14:00.060
<v Speaker 2>on different wavelengths and paths and Christian Watson's in year five.

0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:03.400
<v Speaker 2>You have Golden that's in year two. Williams has grown

0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:06.480
<v Speaker 2>the last two and a half years alongside Xavier McKinney, who,

0:14:06.500 --> 0:14:09.820
<v Speaker 2>I mean, for 45 interceptions now through 42 games, that

0:14:09.860 --> 0:14:12.719
<v Speaker 2>puts him in pretty exclusive company in terms of the

0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:14.980
<v Speaker 2>proficiency of being able to take the ball away. I mean,

0:14:15.000 --> 0:14:17.740
<v Speaker 2>we're putting him right now in a category of a

0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:20.780
<v Speaker 2>Charles Woodson with how much he's been able to get

0:14:20.820 --> 0:14:24.540
<v Speaker 2>those interceptions. And Bobby Dillon, who has the record, I think,

0:14:24.580 --> 0:14:28.680
<v Speaker 2>for most career interceptions and also the the record of

0:14:28.900 --> 0:14:32.140
<v Speaker 2>which you know the most average of how many games

0:14:32.180 --> 0:14:34.650
<v Speaker 2>he's done it in but the other thing I want

0:14:34.670 --> 0:14:36.690
<v Speaker 2>to mention too just quickly about Jordan Love that that

0:14:36.730 --> 0:14:40.070
<v Speaker 2>stands out to me the most right now is the

0:14:40.170 --> 0:14:43.450
<v Speaker 2>aerial attack that they've established and the fact that when

0:14:43.490 --> 0:14:46.920
<v Speaker 2>the opposition knows what's happening they can't do anything about

0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:48.880
<v Speaker 2>it right now now there will be answers there's you

0:14:48.920 --> 0:14:51.860
<v Speaker 2>know we saw it in 2011 where more teams went

0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:54.060
<v Speaker 2>to shell dared the Packers to run a little bit

0:14:54.080 --> 0:14:56.420
<v Speaker 2>more and that ended up being their downfall against Kansas

0:14:56.440 --> 0:14:58.300
<v Speaker 2>City and against New York at the end of the season.

0:14:58.680 --> 0:14:59.940
<v Speaker 2>Green Bay is going to have to stay ahead of

0:14:59.980 --> 0:15:02.120
<v Speaker 2>those trends. But the thing that stands out to me

0:15:02.140 --> 0:15:04.300
<v Speaker 2>the most right now, I was looking at this. I'm

0:15:04.330 --> 0:15:06.290
<v Speaker 2>going to steal Larry McCarron's fun with numbers a little

0:15:06.310 --> 0:15:10.830
<v Speaker 2>bit if I can. Okay. Jordan Love, 40 20-plus completions

0:15:11.070 --> 0:15:14.050
<v Speaker 2>this season. Do you know who is second in that

0:15:14.110 --> 0:15:17.870
<v Speaker 2>category right now? Two players tied for second. Pick one.

0:15:18.050 --> 0:15:18.710
<v Speaker 2>Maybe I'll give you the other.

0:15:19.350 --> 0:15:19.890
<v Speaker 1>Jared Goff.

0:15:20.450 --> 0:15:21.950
<v Speaker 2>Close. Josh Allen.

0:15:22.510 --> 0:15:22.790
<v Speaker 1>Okay.

0:15:22.970 --> 0:15:26.390
<v Speaker 2>And C.J. Stroud. Do you know how many 20-plus completions

0:15:26.430 --> 0:15:27.790
<v Speaker 2>they have? Jordan has 40.

0:15:27.790 --> 0:15:30.430
<v Speaker 1>Jordan has 40. I'm going to guess they've got maybe

0:15:30.490 --> 0:15:31.070
<v Speaker 1>like 24, 25.

0:15:31.070 --> 0:15:31.270
<v Speaker 2>32.

0:15:31.270 --> 0:15:32.470
<v Speaker 1>So pretty decent.

0:15:34.000 --> 0:15:40.140
<v Speaker 2>Jordan has 12 40-plus yard completions this season. The second

0:15:40.180 --> 0:15:41.940
<v Speaker 2>place guy is Geno Smith, so I'm not going to

0:15:41.980 --> 0:15:44.820
<v Speaker 2>make you try to guess that. Wow. Geno Smith has

0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:49.470
<v Speaker 2>nine 40-plus yard completions. The way that Green Bay has

0:15:49.490 --> 0:15:51.650
<v Speaker 2>been able to dial this up and throw this ball downfield,

0:15:51.670 --> 0:15:53.550
<v Speaker 2>you even asked Matt LaFleur about it a little bit,

0:15:53.590 --> 0:15:56.110
<v Speaker 2>that there was a time where there was questions about

0:15:56.150 --> 0:15:59.729
<v Speaker 2>the downfield accuracy of Jordan Love. And now that they've

0:15:59.770 --> 0:16:03.630
<v Speaker 2>established Watson, they've established Golden, I mean, what an offense

0:16:03.650 --> 0:16:05.530
<v Speaker 2>they've built right now with this passing attack.

0:16:05.730 --> 0:16:08.870
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it's fun to watch. And getting back to the

0:16:08.930 --> 0:16:12.970
<v Speaker 1>running game, Josh Jacobs had four carries in this game,

0:16:13.070 --> 0:16:18.390
<v Speaker 1>unfortunately broke a finger. that Matt LaFleur then announced on

0:16:18.450 --> 0:16:22.770
<v Speaker 1>Monday that finger needs surgery. So Jacobs is going to

0:16:22.810 --> 0:16:26.870
<v Speaker 1>be out for the time being. Injury reserve remains a possibility,

0:16:27.350 --> 0:16:29.270
<v Speaker 1>which if he is placed on IR, then that's a

0:16:29.290 --> 0:16:34.210
<v Speaker 1>minimum of four weeks that he would be out. We'll

0:16:34.230 --> 0:16:37.360
<v Speaker 1>see what the Packers do, but certainly a lot of

0:16:37.580 --> 0:16:43.480
<v Speaker 1>encouraging signs from Caleb Johnson, who had sort of been...

0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:49.060
<v Speaker 1>you know, shifted to very much a background role and

0:16:49.620 --> 0:16:51.739
<v Speaker 1>not getting a lot of action for a little while there,

0:16:51.800 --> 0:16:54.620
<v Speaker 1>combination of the fact that he had the bad fumble

0:16:54.660 --> 0:16:56.970
<v Speaker 1>by the goal line down in Tampa Bay, but also

0:16:57.020 --> 0:17:01.030
<v Speaker 1>Matt LaFleur clarifying it wasn't just the fumble. They were

0:17:01.070 --> 0:17:05.050
<v Speaker 1>working with him on the protection calls and whatnot because

0:17:05.470 --> 0:17:08.350
<v Speaker 1>of the blitzes that teams like to try to throw

0:17:08.369 --> 0:17:11.140
<v Speaker 1>at the Packers. And And a running back in this

0:17:11.260 --> 0:17:13.960
<v Speaker 1>offense needs to be trusted with those protection calls to

0:17:14.010 --> 0:17:17.870
<v Speaker 1>be able to know who he's got and what his

0:17:17.970 --> 0:17:22.300
<v Speaker 1>rules are to protect the quarterback. But a lot of

0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:25.940
<v Speaker 1>positive signs here with Caleb Johnson and this quarterback. could

0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:29.440
<v Speaker 1>be his running game now for the foreseeable future while

0:17:29.680 --> 0:17:30.300
<v Speaker 1>Jacobs heals.

0:17:30.600 --> 0:17:32.540
<v Speaker 2>This guy, man, I mean, he's their leading rusher right

0:17:32.580 --> 0:17:35.580
<v Speaker 2>now in terms of statistics this season. He's averaging 4.1

0:17:35.580 --> 0:17:39.000
<v Speaker 2>yards per carry right out of the gate. I mean,

0:17:39.380 --> 0:17:41.199
<v Speaker 2>there was a reason why Green Bay went and pursued him.

0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:43.379
<v Speaker 2>I mean, we knew how much Brian Gutekunst liked him

0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:46.139
<v Speaker 2>and obviously what he said about him to make that trade,

0:17:46.180 --> 0:17:48.020
<v Speaker 2>to give up some future capital to bring him in

0:17:48.070 --> 0:17:50.240
<v Speaker 2>when it was clear that Josh Jacobs wasn't going to

0:17:50.290 --> 0:17:52.630
<v Speaker 2>be with them at the start of the season. But

0:17:53.109 --> 0:17:55.890
<v Speaker 2>everything's a transition and I think as he talked about

0:17:55.950 --> 0:17:58.209
<v Speaker 2>after the game, he's had the benefit of working with

0:17:58.260 --> 0:18:00.380
<v Speaker 2>Ben Sermons, who's one of the very best running back

0:18:00.440 --> 0:18:03.040
<v Speaker 2>coaches in the NFL. He's been able to catch up

0:18:03.080 --> 0:18:05.100
<v Speaker 2>to these last few weeks. He hasn't been thrown in

0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:08.220
<v Speaker 2>the fire as much. But with Marshawn Lloyd unavailable and

0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:10.920
<v Speaker 2>Chris Brooks at this point not back on the roster yet,

0:18:11.400 --> 0:18:13.990
<v Speaker 2>Green Bay was down their three preferred starters if you

0:18:14.050 --> 0:18:16.389
<v Speaker 2>went back to the beginning of the offseason program in

0:18:16.430 --> 0:18:18.050
<v Speaker 2>terms of who they thought their run game was going

0:18:18.070 --> 0:18:21.159
<v Speaker 2>to be built around. So to be in a position

0:18:21.180 --> 0:18:23.780
<v Speaker 2>to have a Pierre Strong is beneficial. He's been sturdy

0:18:23.800 --> 0:18:26.100
<v Speaker 2>in pass protection. He obviously has been here for over

0:18:26.140 --> 0:18:29.090
<v Speaker 2>a year. But Green Bay wanted a little bit of

0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:31.490
<v Speaker 2>a boost in the rushing attack, and they gave Caleb

0:18:31.510 --> 0:18:35.010
<v Speaker 2>Johnson a very critical touch inside the five-yard line. When

0:18:35.730 --> 0:18:37.230
<v Speaker 2>you go back to Tampa Bay, that's where he had

0:18:37.270 --> 0:18:40.410
<v Speaker 2>the fumble. They gave him another opportunity. The dude runs hard.

0:18:40.530 --> 0:18:42.560
<v Speaker 2>I said he bulldozed his way into the end zone.

0:18:42.600 --> 0:18:45.940
<v Speaker 2>It was his first career touchdown. And then he gets

0:18:45.980 --> 0:18:48.280
<v Speaker 2>more opportunities in the second half. He breaks the 34-yard line.

0:18:49.490 --> 0:18:51.429
<v Speaker 2>run that's the longest of Green Bay's season. I mean,

0:18:51.450 --> 0:18:54.880
<v Speaker 2>this is no coincidence what happened and how it all

0:18:55.060 --> 0:18:56.560
<v Speaker 2>turned out for Green Bay. The fact that they did

0:18:56.600 --> 0:18:58.400
<v Speaker 2>finally go over 100 yards and they did it comfortably

0:18:58.440 --> 0:19:02.169
<v Speaker 2>at 129. It showed them, again, I think the way

0:19:02.210 --> 0:19:04.250
<v Speaker 2>this offense is going to have to operate this season

0:19:04.850 --> 0:19:06.790
<v Speaker 2>is it's going to be the pass setting up the run.

0:19:08.070 --> 0:19:09.649
<v Speaker 2>But the run held up its end of the bargain

0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:12.910
<v Speaker 2>in this one. And as they Play teams like Minnesota

0:19:12.950 --> 0:19:15.310
<v Speaker 2>next week, where if you allow them to pin their

0:19:15.350 --> 0:19:18.170
<v Speaker 2>ears back, you saw what happened in week one. They

0:19:18.230 --> 0:19:21.030
<v Speaker 2>need to be able to keep units honest. And Caleb Johnson,

0:19:21.369 --> 0:19:25.020
<v Speaker 2>holding onto the football, learning the strategy and scheme of

0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:28.300
<v Speaker 2>this offense, if he can shore those two things up,

0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:30.160
<v Speaker 2>this guy can play. Yeah.

0:19:30.780 --> 0:19:33.139
<v Speaker 1>And I want to talk more about this upcoming matchup

0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:36.590
<v Speaker 1>with the Vikings and what is turning into a fascinating

0:19:36.690 --> 0:19:39.850
<v Speaker 1>NFC North race. But first, we need to pay some bills,

0:19:39.890 --> 0:19:43.010
<v Speaker 1>so let's hear a quick word from our sponsors. Sirius

0:19:43.150 --> 0:19:47.730
<v Speaker 1>XM NFL Radio delivers hard-hitting analysis and up-to-the-minute NFL news

0:19:47.770 --> 0:19:53.020
<v Speaker 1>that true football fanatics need 24 hours a day. 24-7, 365.

0:19:53.020 --> 0:19:55.060
<v Speaker 1>Did you know Lambeau Field is just one of our

0:19:55.140 --> 0:19:59.800
<v Speaker 1>state's many wonders? Start making unforgettable memories on your next vacation.

0:20:00.240 --> 0:20:06.389
<v Speaker 1>Discover Granddad Bluff and more at TravelWisconsin.com slash wonders. Welcome

0:20:06.430 --> 0:20:09.649
<v Speaker 1>back to Packers Unscripted. All right, the NFC Northwest. The

0:20:09.690 --> 0:20:14.130
<v Speaker 1>Chicago Bears have jumped into first place at 7-2. They survive.

0:20:14.300 --> 0:20:16.380
<v Speaker 1>I think survive is the best word to use there.

0:20:16.480 --> 0:20:21.200
<v Speaker 1>A five turnover performance by their offense. And they beat

0:20:21.220 --> 0:20:23.820
<v Speaker 1>the Buccaneers at home on a walk-off field goal on

0:20:23.859 --> 0:20:27.910
<v Speaker 1>Sunday Night Football. The Minnesota Vikings now 6-2, having lost

0:20:27.990 --> 0:20:30.910
<v Speaker 1>two straight. All kinds of quarterback questions that we will

0:20:30.950 --> 0:20:35.570
<v Speaker 1>get into. The Detroit Lions also 6-2. And then the

0:20:35.609 --> 0:20:37.850
<v Speaker 1>Packers who have won five of their last six and

0:20:37.910 --> 0:20:39.669
<v Speaker 1>are at six and three, but six and three is

0:20:39.730 --> 0:20:42.790
<v Speaker 1>only good for last place in the NFC North. Um,

0:20:43.230 --> 0:20:48.020
<v Speaker 1>at the moment, this is, uh, um, boy, I mean,

0:20:48.060 --> 0:20:51.679
<v Speaker 1>we'll see as at the time we are taping this show,

0:20:51.900 --> 0:20:55.619
<v Speaker 1>the NFL trading deadline for the 2026 season is roughly

0:20:55.660 --> 0:20:59.280
<v Speaker 1>five hours away. We will see what the Minnesota Vikings

0:20:59.320 --> 0:21:03.189
<v Speaker 1>do because they did turn it over to Carson Wentz. Um,

0:21:03.760 --> 0:21:06.760
<v Speaker 1>saying Kyler Murray was injured and Murray was inactive in

0:21:06.800 --> 0:21:10.439
<v Speaker 1>street clothes on the sideline. And it was an absolute

0:21:10.500 --> 0:21:14.720
<v Speaker 1>disaster offensively for Minnesota. Carson Wentz only completed eight passes

0:21:14.790 --> 0:21:18.970
<v Speaker 1>for 81 yards out of 25 attempts or whatever it was,

0:21:19.030 --> 0:21:24.010
<v Speaker 1>his passer rating in the single digits. And Minnesota's defense,

0:21:24.090 --> 0:21:27.930
<v Speaker 1>really these back-to-back losses now that the Vikings defense has had,

0:21:28.609 --> 0:21:32.380
<v Speaker 1>you see Minnesota's defense doing its thing, causing all kinds

0:21:32.420 --> 0:21:37.689
<v Speaker 1>of problems early in the game, looking like this world-beating

0:21:37.730 --> 0:21:41.750
<v Speaker 1>defense that nobody can crack. But then because the Vikings

0:21:41.910 --> 0:21:45.090
<v Speaker 1>offense can't do anything and they keep sending their defense

0:21:45.150 --> 0:21:47.510
<v Speaker 1>back out there, they're getting killed in time of possession.

0:21:48.130 --> 0:21:50.419
<v Speaker 1>And as the game rolls on, you get into the

0:21:50.480 --> 0:21:54.480
<v Speaker 1>second half and that defense just wears out. I mean,

0:21:54.500 --> 0:21:57.810
<v Speaker 1>you can't I mean, what did Buffalo have on Monday

0:21:57.850 --> 0:22:00.880
<v Speaker 1>Night Football? Was it 42 minutes of time of possession?

0:22:00.880 --> 0:22:02.919
<v Speaker 2>42 minutes and 32 seconds.

0:22:03.040 --> 0:22:05.639
<v Speaker 1>So 42 and a half minutes to 17 and a

0:22:05.680 --> 0:22:08.609
<v Speaker 1>half minutes. You lose the time of possession battle at

0:22:08.690 --> 0:22:09.969
<v Speaker 1>home by 25 minutes. Now.

0:22:13.200 --> 0:22:16.230
<v Speaker 1>We'll see what that means come Sunday at Lambeau Field

0:22:16.250 --> 0:22:18.610
<v Speaker 1>when the Vikings come in on a short week with

0:22:18.650 --> 0:22:21.990
<v Speaker 1>their defense having been on the field for whatever it was,

0:22:21.990 --> 0:22:22.750
<v Speaker 1>80 plays?

0:22:22.750 --> 0:22:23.590
<v Speaker 2>80 plays.

0:22:23.590 --> 0:22:27.790
<v Speaker 1>80 plays on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills.

0:22:28.990 --> 0:22:32.320
<v Speaker 1>I don't know if I can ever recall talking about

0:22:32.359 --> 0:22:37.920
<v Speaker 1>an NFL team that is 6-2 at the quasi-halfway point

0:22:37.980 --> 0:22:40.900
<v Speaker 1>that is in complete crisis mode. The Vikings are trying

0:22:40.940 --> 0:22:45.600
<v Speaker 1>to figure out what what can they do to try

0:22:45.640 --> 0:22:47.400
<v Speaker 1>to get things back on the right track?

0:22:47.480 --> 0:22:53.150
<v Speaker 2>That was the nightmare scenario for the Vikings on Monday night.

0:22:53.410 --> 0:22:55.770
<v Speaker 2>And if you go back to, honestly, last Thursday's show,

0:22:55.810 --> 0:22:57.310
<v Speaker 2>you and I talked about this was going to be

0:22:57.330 --> 0:23:01.010
<v Speaker 2>a very, regardless of who played quarterback, a huge moment

0:23:01.070 --> 0:23:03.670
<v Speaker 2>for Minnesota going up against Buffalo, a Buffalo team that

0:23:03.710 --> 0:23:06.430
<v Speaker 2>can beat you in so many different ways. And in

0:23:06.470 --> 0:23:08.760
<v Speaker 2>this particular case, they did it with time of possession

0:23:08.800 --> 0:23:13.980
<v Speaker 2>and ball control and obviously making life miserable. for Carson Wentz.

0:23:14.619 --> 0:23:16.139
<v Speaker 2>I got to be honest with you, Dennis Krause on

0:23:16.160 --> 0:23:18.320
<v Speaker 2>the pregame radio show was asking about who should be

0:23:18.340 --> 0:23:21.400
<v Speaker 2>the quarterback the rest of the year for the Vikings.

0:23:21.460 --> 0:23:24.619
<v Speaker 2>And I was unanimous in the fact that it was

0:23:24.660 --> 0:23:29.379
<v Speaker 2>Carson Wentz. I just thought he fit the offense better.

0:23:29.940 --> 0:23:32.449
<v Speaker 2>I thought he, we saw it up close. I mean,

0:23:32.470 --> 0:23:34.770
<v Speaker 2>when it was on time and things were running and cooking,

0:23:35.890 --> 0:23:40.910
<v Speaker 2>they looked formidable. they did not look formidable on Monday night.

0:23:41.150 --> 0:23:44.910
<v Speaker 2>And so to answer the question, I don't know what

0:23:44.990 --> 0:23:47.280
<v Speaker 2>they do. I don't know what the right move is. Now,

0:23:47.340 --> 0:23:50.420
<v Speaker 2>maybe this grade two hamstring strain for Kyler Murray isn't

0:23:50.440 --> 0:23:51.919
<v Speaker 2>that big of a deal and they can reset the

0:23:52.040 --> 0:23:55.560
<v Speaker 2>offense with them. But if you were looking like someone

0:23:55.580 --> 0:23:58.879
<v Speaker 2>like myself was on Sunday afternoon for, okay, it'll be

0:23:58.900 --> 0:24:01.270
<v Speaker 2>Carson Wentz's show. That was not what you wanted to

0:24:01.330 --> 0:24:03.889
<v Speaker 2>see in terms of the type of performance. Now you

0:24:03.910 --> 0:24:06.060
<v Speaker 2>go back to, you know, should you have traded J.J.

0:24:06.080 --> 0:24:08.719
<v Speaker 2>McCarthy for, you know, basically 10 cents on the dollar.

0:24:09.020 --> 0:24:11.080
<v Speaker 2>Should you make a move today to get another quarterback?

0:24:11.100 --> 0:24:13.530
<v Speaker 2>Those answers will probably be out there by the time

0:24:13.550 --> 0:24:16.409
<v Speaker 2>that this is really out in the public. But the

0:24:16.430 --> 0:24:20.290
<v Speaker 2>fact of the matter is, when that passing game isn't going,

0:24:20.530 --> 0:24:22.050
<v Speaker 2>everything shuts down for the Vikings.

0:24:22.150 --> 0:24:25.760
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean, and you can, you know, you can

0:24:25.859 --> 0:24:31.409
<v Speaker 1>see the the frustration, almost resignation on the face of

0:24:31.470 --> 0:24:34.480
<v Speaker 1>Justin Jefferson when they continue to show him on the sideline,

0:24:34.580 --> 0:24:37.820
<v Speaker 1>you know, he's not getting the ball, not able to

0:24:37.880 --> 0:24:41.160
<v Speaker 1>have the impact on games that he wants to have.

0:24:41.200 --> 0:24:44.899
<v Speaker 1>I mean, the Vikings are 6-2, and, you know, in

0:24:44.960 --> 0:24:48.050
<v Speaker 1>two of their six wins, they didn't score a touchdown.

0:24:48.700 --> 0:24:50.770
<v Speaker 1>And this was the third time now this year, three

0:24:50.810 --> 0:24:54.010
<v Speaker 1>times in eight games, they have not scored a single touchdown.

0:24:55.050 --> 0:25:00.980
<v Speaker 1>This one, you know, obviously the what Buffalo did. Detroit

0:25:01.020 --> 0:25:05.060
<v Speaker 1>kind of gave everybody the blueprint where if you can

0:25:05.100 --> 0:25:09.379
<v Speaker 1>keep that Vikings defense on the field, then pound them

0:25:09.420 --> 0:25:11.060
<v Speaker 1>with the run in the second half. I mean, what

0:25:11.080 --> 0:25:14.490
<v Speaker 1>did James Cook have, like 32 carries or something last night?

0:25:16.130 --> 0:25:20.170
<v Speaker 1>So eventually that Vikings defense is going to wear down. Now,

0:25:21.190 --> 0:25:24.270
<v Speaker 1>it's not the most promising formula for the Packers because

0:25:24.310 --> 0:25:26.410
<v Speaker 1>of all the questions with the run game and this

0:25:26.470 --> 0:25:28.490
<v Speaker 1>and that and the other, and we'll talk more about

0:25:28.530 --> 0:25:31.880
<v Speaker 1>this on our next show. For the first three quarters

0:25:31.990 --> 0:25:37.660
<v Speaker 1>of week one, the Packers' explosive offense was pretty darn dangerous,

0:25:37.940 --> 0:25:42.260
<v Speaker 1>and it wasn't until the fourth quarter when the protection breakdowns,

0:25:42.300 --> 0:25:45.659
<v Speaker 1>the communication breakdowns, and Flores' blitz scheme just kind of

0:25:45.760 --> 0:25:49.650
<v Speaker 1>overwhelmed the Packers in the final quarter of that game,

0:25:49.690 --> 0:25:53.080
<v Speaker 1>but the Packers put a lot of stuff out there

0:25:53.140 --> 0:25:56.060
<v Speaker 1>that showed that they can beat this defense. Um, so

0:25:56.619 --> 0:26:02.400
<v Speaker 1>I'm fascinated both with the rematch against Flores' defense coming

0:26:02.460 --> 0:26:04.860
<v Speaker 1>up on Sunday, but then also what are the Vikings

0:26:04.900 --> 0:26:06.960
<v Speaker 1>going to do on offense coming in on a short

0:26:07.020 --> 0:26:09.660
<v Speaker 1>week when they're trying to, when they're scrambling and trying

0:26:09.680 --> 0:26:13.160
<v Speaker 1>to figure out something that can work with the level

0:26:13.220 --> 0:26:15.520
<v Speaker 1>to where Green Bay's defense is playing right now with

0:26:15.560 --> 0:26:19.270
<v Speaker 1>Gannon and the safeties and the pass rush and everything. Um,

0:26:19.619 --> 0:26:21.619
<v Speaker 1>This is really something. But the bottom line for the

0:26:21.660 --> 0:26:25.700
<v Speaker 1>Packers going into Sunday is this is your chance to

0:26:25.840 --> 0:26:30.330
<v Speaker 1>leapfrog the Vikings as far as the division standings. And

0:26:30.390 --> 0:26:33.310
<v Speaker 1>then if you win this one and leapfrog the Vikings,

0:26:33.330 --> 0:26:35.020
<v Speaker 1>then you start looking at, OK, how are we going

0:26:35.040 --> 0:26:36.440
<v Speaker 1>to catch the Bears and the Lions? Yeah.

0:26:36.600 --> 0:26:38.340
<v Speaker 2>And Sean Hockley is not going to come save you

0:26:38.540 --> 0:26:40.320
<v Speaker 2>this time. And I mean that.

0:26:41.780 --> 0:26:43.900
<v Speaker 1>I was going to let you say that.

0:26:44.020 --> 0:26:46.240
<v Speaker 2>That's the other variable to this. You have to point

0:26:46.260 --> 0:26:47.979
<v Speaker 2>it out. And it's going to be the same thing

0:26:48.000 --> 0:26:49.520
<v Speaker 2>I'm going to say when the Packers close the season

0:26:49.560 --> 0:26:51.879
<v Speaker 2>against the Lions. Those are two big variables that change

0:26:51.900 --> 0:26:54.350
<v Speaker 2>the complexion of those divisional games. And you've obviously seen

0:26:54.690 --> 0:26:56.850
<v Speaker 2>the trickle-down effect of that now. The one thing I

0:26:56.869 --> 0:26:58.530
<v Speaker 2>want to close on, though, because I was thinking about this.

0:26:58.570 --> 0:27:00.210
<v Speaker 2>I'd be curious to actually get your opinion on it,

0:27:00.230 --> 0:27:04.409
<v Speaker 2>maybe more than even mine, saying it. When I was

0:27:04.470 --> 0:27:06.510
<v Speaker 2>watching the game, and I'm really glad you brought up

0:27:06.550 --> 0:27:08.710
<v Speaker 2>the thing with Justin Jefferson, because obviously the cameras are

0:27:08.730 --> 0:27:11.550
<v Speaker 2>just looking for him every single time. You know where

0:27:12.310 --> 0:27:15.300
<v Speaker 2>the Vikings made a massive miscalculation? Obviously, they made a

0:27:15.320 --> 0:27:17.100
<v Speaker 2>change with their GM, so it speaks to that. But

0:27:17.119 --> 0:27:20.040
<v Speaker 2>they made a massive miscalculation that I actually give Brian

0:27:20.060 --> 0:27:23.359
<v Speaker 2>Gutekunst a lot of credit for getting right. Sam Darnold

0:27:23.380 --> 0:27:26.780
<v Speaker 2>threw for 4,300 yards and they had this great year.

0:27:27.580 --> 0:27:29.780
<v Speaker 2>They make it that far. They let him walk in

0:27:29.820 --> 0:27:31.600
<v Speaker 2>free agency and everybody's like, well, why are you letting

0:27:31.619 --> 0:27:33.639
<v Speaker 2>him walk? Well, we want to let J.J. McCarthy develop.

0:27:34.200 --> 0:27:39.419
<v Speaker 2>None of those things isolated were wrong. But what I

0:27:39.460 --> 0:27:41.399
<v Speaker 2>do go back to, and now that you're seeing it

0:27:41.420 --> 0:27:44.070
<v Speaker 2>play out in real time, was Justin Jefferson had a

0:27:44.070 --> 0:27:47.170
<v Speaker 2>1,500 yard receiving year that year. He had double digit touchdowns.

0:27:47.930 --> 0:27:50.450
<v Speaker 2>He is the best receiver in the game, in my opinion.

0:27:50.550 --> 0:27:50.970
<v Speaker 1>I agree.

0:27:51.190 --> 0:27:54.810
<v Speaker 2>And That set a standard of his expectations for what

0:27:54.830 --> 0:27:56.129
<v Speaker 2>his role was going to be in the office and

0:27:56.170 --> 0:28:00.840
<v Speaker 2>what's going to happen. If you would have kept Darnold, yeah, okay, again,

0:28:00.880 --> 0:28:03.600
<v Speaker 2>playing the hypothetical game, there would have been no scenario

0:28:03.640 --> 0:28:07.240
<v Speaker 2>in which Justin Jefferson could be upset with Sam Darnold.

0:28:07.280 --> 0:28:10.480
<v Speaker 2>I mean, a year earlier, he fed him. He was prolific.

0:28:10.500 --> 0:28:13.780
<v Speaker 2>He was an all pro. They won. And who knows

0:28:13.800 --> 0:28:16.500
<v Speaker 2>how things play out? But unfortunately for them, they then

0:28:16.580 --> 0:28:19.580
<v Speaker 2>asked basically a de facto rookie to go in there

0:28:20.080 --> 0:28:23.700
<v Speaker 2>and work with this now superstar receiver. I think back

0:28:23.720 --> 0:28:26.159
<v Speaker 2>to like, you know, in 2021 or 2022, if you

0:28:26.180 --> 0:28:29.690
<v Speaker 2>would have put Jordan Love in that scenario with Davante Adams,

0:28:29.710 --> 0:28:31.449
<v Speaker 2>you don't know how those things are going to play out.

0:28:32.970 --> 0:28:35.530
<v Speaker 2>A very difficult situation. It just shows you again, the

0:28:35.609 --> 0:28:39.260
<v Speaker 2>butterfly effect that all these personnel executives, the decisions they

0:28:39.300 --> 0:28:40.980
<v Speaker 2>make and the trickle down and how it can affect

0:28:41.000 --> 0:28:42.800
<v Speaker 2>the rest of your team. Fascinating.

0:28:42.940 --> 0:28:45.590
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. And what I want to say is I remember

0:28:45.660 --> 0:28:47.709
<v Speaker 1>saying on this show, and you and I were talking

0:28:47.750 --> 0:28:53.330
<v Speaker 1>about it, that part of the risk that the Vikings

0:28:53.410 --> 0:28:56.880
<v Speaker 1>took that I think was overlooked in some respects when

0:28:56.890 --> 0:29:00.940
<v Speaker 1>they turned it over to J.J. McCarthy is that McCarthy

0:29:00.980 --> 0:29:03.860
<v Speaker 1>had not had a year of development. He'd had a

0:29:03.900 --> 0:29:08.230
<v Speaker 1>year of being injured. He wasn't practicing. He wasn't learning

0:29:08.470 --> 0:29:11.580
<v Speaker 1>the offense on the field and running it and connecting

0:29:11.640 --> 0:29:13.980
<v Speaker 1>with the receivers and all those things that you get

0:29:14.020 --> 0:29:18.160
<v Speaker 1>to do when you're Jordan Love and the understudy to

0:29:18.240 --> 0:29:19.720
<v Speaker 1>Aaron Rodgers for three years.

0:29:20.060 --> 0:29:20.360
<v Speaker 2>J.J.

0:29:20.400 --> 0:29:24.420
<v Speaker 1>McCarthy, he had one year of being hurt, and then

0:29:24.820 --> 0:29:28.060
<v Speaker 1>they decided to move on from a quarterback who won

0:29:28.060 --> 0:29:32.940
<v Speaker 1>14 games for them because things went sour at the end.

0:29:32.980 --> 0:29:35.230
<v Speaker 1>He had two very bad games at the end that

0:29:35.890 --> 0:29:39.520
<v Speaker 1>cost them playoff position, and then cost them the playoff game.

0:29:40.500 --> 0:29:43.160
<v Speaker 1>when things didn't go well with Darnold. And they didn't

0:29:43.220 --> 0:29:46.200
<v Speaker 1>want to make, you know, Darnold's obviously looking for his payday.

0:29:46.880 --> 0:29:49.290
<v Speaker 1>They didn't want to make a big multi-year commitment to

0:29:49.350 --> 0:29:51.890
<v Speaker 1>Sam Darnold when they had made the first round investment

0:29:51.910 --> 0:29:54.450
<v Speaker 1>in J.J. McCarthy. So they, you know, they kind of

0:29:54.470 --> 0:29:56.950
<v Speaker 1>got stuck, but they decided to turn it over to

0:29:57.010 --> 0:30:00.030
<v Speaker 1>their first round pick when he essentially had a red

0:30:00.070 --> 0:30:02.810
<v Speaker 1>shirt year and he hadn't done anything. And now here

0:30:02.850 --> 0:30:04.950
<v Speaker 1>they are a couple of years later. I mean, you know,

0:30:04.970 --> 0:30:10.160
<v Speaker 1>a friend of mine texted me last night that the scenario,

0:30:10.440 --> 0:30:13.220
<v Speaker 1>because he lives in Minneapolis, he's a huge Packers fan

0:30:13.300 --> 0:30:15.820
<v Speaker 1>and he can't stand the Vikings, of course. And he

0:30:15.880 --> 0:30:19.680
<v Speaker 1>texted me and I hadn't thought of this, but he said, what,

0:30:20.380 --> 0:30:22.520
<v Speaker 1>as a Vikings hater, what he would love to see

0:30:22.560 --> 0:30:25.850
<v Speaker 1>happen is for the Minnesota Vikings to make the playoffs

0:30:26.140 --> 0:30:28.630
<v Speaker 1>and go play the giants and lose to JJ McCarthy

0:30:28.650 --> 0:30:30.870
<v Speaker 1>in the wildcard round. Wouldn't that be, if that actually

0:30:30.950 --> 0:30:31.610
<v Speaker 1>like comes to pass.

0:30:31.630 --> 0:30:33.590
<v Speaker 2>That'd be some like league of their own kind of stuff.

0:30:33.670 --> 0:30:36.620
<v Speaker 1>Holy cow. But anyway, that's, that's a bit of a,

0:30:36.710 --> 0:30:38.520
<v Speaker 1>that's a bit of a tangent, but it doesn't take

0:30:38.560 --> 0:30:41.740
<v Speaker 1>away from how big this game is coming up at

0:30:41.780 --> 0:30:45.080
<v Speaker 1>Lambeau field Packers and Vikings. It's the rematch from week one,

0:30:46.000 --> 0:30:49.860
<v Speaker 1>both of these teams just in a completely different place from, uh,

0:30:50.220 --> 0:30:53.790
<v Speaker 1>from where they were back in September. And we'll have

0:30:53.810 --> 0:30:56.750
<v Speaker 1>a lot to talk about on our next show. But

0:30:56.950 --> 0:30:58.750
<v Speaker 1>before I sign off, anything else you want to throw

0:30:58.790 --> 0:30:59.330
<v Speaker 1>out there today?

0:30:59.350 --> 0:31:00.850
<v Speaker 2>7-2, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. That is wild. 6-3 in last place, man.

0:31:00.870 --> 0:31:04.250
<v Speaker 2>I keep saying it because it's not something....

0:31:08.180 --> 0:31:10.780
<v Speaker 1>We've ever said or that we're probably ever going to

0:31:10.820 --> 0:31:13.100
<v Speaker 1>say again. For a team that is 6-3 to be

0:31:13.140 --> 0:31:15.840
<v Speaker 1>in last place in their division is absolutely mind-boggling.

0:31:15.920 --> 0:31:17.800
<v Speaker 2>And business is going to pick up down the stretch

0:31:17.840 --> 0:31:20.400
<v Speaker 2>because you had to edit it, but in Insider Inbox

0:31:20.460 --> 0:31:23.020
<v Speaker 2>I pointed out, I mean, the four hardest strength of

0:31:23.060 --> 0:31:24.720
<v Speaker 2>schedules the rest of the way are the NFC North.

0:31:24.780 --> 0:31:26.640
<v Speaker 2>All four NFC North teams with how much they have

0:31:26.660 --> 0:31:27.260
<v Speaker 2>to play each other.

0:31:27.280 --> 0:31:29.800
<v Speaker 1>They have to play each other. And the Vikings have

0:31:29.820 --> 0:31:34.280
<v Speaker 1>to play the Niners. The Packers have to play the Bills.

0:31:34.340 --> 0:31:36.580
<v Speaker 1>I think Chicago still has to play.

0:31:36.600 --> 0:31:37.200
<v Speaker 2>Jacksonville, I think.

0:31:37.480 --> 0:31:42.610
<v Speaker 1>Chicago still has to play Buffalo this season. So yeah,

0:31:42.710 --> 0:31:45.950
<v Speaker 1>I mean, it is. It's wild where everybody is in

0:31:45.970 --> 0:31:50.410
<v Speaker 1>the NFC North. And yeah, statistically, the strength of schedule,

0:31:50.490 --> 0:31:53.850
<v Speaker 1>the NFC North teams have the hardest road the rest

0:31:53.870 --> 0:31:54.350
<v Speaker 1>of the way.

0:31:54.370 --> 0:31:54.990
<v Speaker 2>It's just wild.

0:31:55.030 --> 0:31:56.670
<v Speaker 1>So yeah, it's, man.

0:31:56.690 --> 0:32:00.140
<v Speaker 2>It kind of lines up the best for... the Lions,

0:32:00.290 --> 0:32:02.130
<v Speaker 2>but even then, they still got to play the Patriots.

0:32:02.470 --> 0:32:04.610
<v Speaker 2>They still have to play a Buccaneers team that looks

0:32:04.650 --> 0:32:06.690
<v Speaker 2>very game, and they have the Giants.

0:32:06.710 --> 0:32:10.270
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, the Buccaneers have to be just, you know, I

0:32:10.290 --> 0:32:12.650
<v Speaker 1>know we got going on the Vikings there. The Buccaneers

0:32:12.690 --> 0:32:14.710
<v Speaker 1>have to be just kicking themselves that they couldn't win

0:32:14.730 --> 0:32:15.870
<v Speaker 1>that game at Soldier Field.

0:32:15.890 --> 0:32:16.350
<v Speaker 2>You have to win it.

0:32:16.470 --> 0:32:21.950
<v Speaker 1>You win the turnover battle 5-2, and you can't find

0:32:21.990 --> 0:32:24.690
<v Speaker 1>a way to win that game. I mean, man, that

0:32:25.810 --> 0:32:28.230
<v Speaker 1>was a huge opportunity the Buccaneers let get away, but

0:32:29.160 --> 0:32:31.780
<v Speaker 1>You know, the leader of that division is 3-5, so

0:32:31.820 --> 0:32:34.350
<v Speaker 1>there's nobody who's out of the race in the NFC South,

0:32:34.430 --> 0:32:37.610
<v Speaker 1>everybody fighting for what is almost certainly going to be,

0:32:37.630 --> 0:32:40.170
<v Speaker 1>you know, division champion or bust as far as the

0:32:40.210 --> 0:32:40.709
<v Speaker 1>playoff goes.

0:32:40.770 --> 0:32:42.570
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and that's what makes it so maddening, though, because

0:32:42.610 --> 0:32:44.910
<v Speaker 2>it may only take 8-9 wins to get that division,

0:32:44.990 --> 0:32:46.940
<v Speaker 2>and you just gave one away against a good football team.

0:32:47.280 --> 0:32:47.940
<v Speaker 1>Might only take 7.

0:32:47.920 --> 0:32:47.970
<v Speaker 2>7-10.

0:32:51.330 --> 0:32:53.750
<v Speaker 1>7-10 could win the NFC South this year, Wes.

0:32:53.950 --> 0:32:56.210
<v Speaker 2>Hey, guess which game would be on the Saturday noon

0:32:56.230 --> 0:32:58.150
<v Speaker 2>block for Wild Card Weekend?

0:32:58.210 --> 0:33:01.950
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, exactly. All right, well, we've run a little bit

0:33:02.010 --> 0:33:04.490
<v Speaker 1>over time here. So with that, we're going to call

0:33:04.530 --> 0:33:06.670
<v Speaker 1>it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be

0:33:06.710 --> 0:33:09.150
<v Speaker 1>sure to follow all of our coverage of the team

0:33:09.270 --> 0:33:12.090
<v Speaker 1>on Packers.com. For Wes, I am Mike. Thank you for

0:33:12.130 --> 0:33:14.770
<v Speaker 1>tuning in, everybody. And we will see you next time.