00:00:06
Speaker 1: Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers.com. I am Mike Spofford, joined by the one and only Weston Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from the Pottawatomie Sportsbook studio inside the walls of Lambeau Field, getting ready for week two, Wes, and that matchup will be against the New York Jets. This is a 1-0 football team coming off of a 23-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans that, quite frankly, is wasn't really that close because when you talk about the 2026 New York Jets, it absolutely positively starts with their defense. And they had held Tennessee and former number one overall pick Cam Ward to just three points until it was essentially garbage time in that game.
00:00:47
Speaker 2: Yeah. And it obviously led to, you know, there's a lot of, excitement and anticipation for Tennessee this season. Obviously, Robert Sala goes there. I think there's a lot of people thinking the way that Cam Ward finished last year, he's just going to kind of go into this season and start really looking at that number one overall pick. And the Jets said, no, we'll have a word about that. Okay, so what we expected is, okay, first and foremost, what I liked about what the Jets did last year, they understood what they were going to be. And Aaron Glenn coming in, that was going to be a long-term project, almost kind of like where Jeff Halfley's at right now with the Miami Dolphins, right? You're going to just have to sort of feel your way through this, try to find some moral victories along the way, but ultimately they're trying to redevelop their roster. They're trying to turn a corner. But with Aaron Glenn going there, you knew it was going to be a defensive-orientated scheme, that they're going to build their team around a solid defense. And my goodness, I think when you look at the pieces they already had A few of the moves they made this offseason, JJ and Iqbari being among them, it was creating depth, it was creating combinations, and I just felt like the Jets showed everybody, one, there are going to be no cakewalk this season, and two, there is a difference in level of where they feel like they're going to be at this season in a team like the Titans who are still... kind of also trying to find their own way in terms of a talent perspective.
00:02:09
Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, statistically in that week, one game against Tennessee, the Jets allowed just 11 first downs, 195 total yards, um, had three sacks of Cam Ward in the game. You mentioned JJ Anagbari, the former Packer. He had one of those. Um, this is not a defense that has a bunch of household names and what, I mean, you know, sauce gardeners not there anymore. Um, You know, Leonard Williams isn't there anymore. Quinton Williams. Sorry, Quinton Williams.
00:02:36
Speaker 2: My bad.
00:02:37
Speaker 1: But they spent a really high draft pick on the linebacker, Bailey. And as you said, it's been, they're kind of reworking the whole thing. And they're off to a heck of a start. With Aaron Glenn having been, obviously, the former defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, Matt LaFleur, this Packers offense, they have a lot of familiarity with schematically with how Aaron Glenn likes to play. But of course, he has a whole different cast of characters now. And then he's also got the film from last week against Minnesota, and he saw what Brian Flores did and how the Vikings defense had success late in that game. So there's kind of this whole potpourri of storylines getting tossed in here in week two, and the Packers need to need to go in there and play their game, be able to do it for four quarters.
00:03:29
Speaker 2: Yeah. What I really liked. And again, I didn't get a chance to actually go back and watch this game, but I did dive into the statistics quite a bit. And the one thing that really stuck out to me about what the jets and what I'm guessing the Packers will be seeing this weekend is how they rotated through their edge rushers. So in Igbari technically is starting Bailey didn't start, but that's kind of their franchise piece, right? He ended up, if you look at the, how the breakdowns went in this game, Bailey played 35 snaps. JJ played 33. They only were on the field for 50 defensive snaps total.
00:04:00
Speaker 1: That's a good way to hold a team to a low point total as well.
00:04:04
Speaker 2: But, you know, Will McDonald, the fourth, only 25 snaps. I mean, they were cycling guys in this game. And the thing that Iqbari brings, too, is he's obviously, it makes sense why he would be starting in this defense. He is a very solid, very stout run defender. And Bailey's still kind of rounding out his game here in the early portion of his career. So, yeah, an encouraging effort from them. And then when you mix that with an offense that I think feels rejuvenated now with Geno Smith at the controls of it, it's a feisty bunch. And I still look at it, and again, we'll get to keys of victory and all that stuff down the road, but I think the Packers, pound for pound, are a more talented team. But the Jets have a lot of different pieces in place that can give you trouble.
00:04:44
Speaker 1: Well, you mentioned Geno Smith at quarterback. On the offense, there are some more, I guess you'd say, household names on that side of the ball. Smith, the veteran quarterback, you have kind of a one-two punch at running back, Brees Hall and the former Wisconsin Badger, Braylon Allen. Hall is definitely the primary back, though. He had 22 carries, 102 yards, and a touchdown against Tennessee. And I think worth pointing out with him cracking that 100-yard barrier in week one, his longest carry was 13 yards. So he didn't have one of those 30, 40, 50 yard runs that helped him leapfrog that hundred yard mark. He got 102 yards, 22 carries, and he was just steadily, consistently churning out yards throughout the course of the game. And then of course the big weapon on the perimeter, Garrett Wilson, the former first round pick wide receiver. He starts the season with six catches for 79 yards. Dangerous, dangerous player, both in terms of possibly taking the top off the defense and or taking the underneath stuff and getting all the yards after the catch. This is a young wide receiver who's really starting to come into his own, hasn't had, I guess when you consider the struggles Aaron Rodgers had with the Jets, Garrett Wilson hasn't had that all-pro quarterback to be able to play with. But this is a young receiver who's going to be a big name in this league.
00:06:07
Speaker 2: Well, and I think if he proved anything in that game in week one is he's back. I mean, the knee injury that kind of sidelined him at the end of last season, he came out of the gates looking like Garrett Wilson, the way that everybody felt like he was going to affect this team, affect this league. You know, overall, the one thing that stood out to me about that game for the Jets is it's not like they won with all these litany of explosive plays. I mean... Wilson, a very economical, efficient six catches for 79 yards. His long was 31. Brees Hall didn't have a carry longer than 13 yards, but averaged 4.5 yards of carry. That shows you they were staying in front of the sticks. When you do that with a quarterback like Geno Smith, it's going to set everything up for you. They don't have to find themselves in the situation the Packers did in the final portion of that game where you're going one-dimensional, where you're having to throw the ball When Geno has had success in his career at all these various stops he's been at now, it's been when he can control it, when he's in third and manageable, when he doesn't have to necessarily have to go into gunslinger mode. How you win against him is when he does shift to that, when you can get the takeaways. A lot of that was the issues that he struggled with early on last season with the Raiders. But one thing that he has to his benefit in New York that he did not have in Vegas last year is a very, very good offensive line. a unit that they have invested heavily into. With the fact that Josh Myers, whom they signed from Green Bay a year ago, four of their five starters were all drafted within, I think, the top 60 picks in their respective year. The one that wasn't, that they signed this offseason in Dylan Parnham, he was a third round pick. So like there is a pedigree there with the type of, of linemen that they have, and they're going to run behind them. They're going to pass behind them. And I think when you're looking to rebuild your football team, yeah, it's great to have the Garrett Wilsons of the world and obviously use high picks on guys like, like Hall, but you also need to be able to protect, you need to be able to run the football. And then the Jets have seemingly put that in place.
00:08:01
Speaker 1: Yeah, I would agree with you. Well, let's dive right into it. Keys to victory for the Green Bay Packers. To me, The thing that rises to the top of the list, and for now I'm setting aside the whole fourth quarter thing. I think that sort of goes without saying with where the Packers are and what they need to do. For me, it's the red zone. This Packers offense, so many explosive plays, so much production offensively, yet at the end of the day last week in Minnesota, you only had 22 points on the board. And with as dangerous and explosive as this offense is, was last week and can be going forward, 22 points is not, is not their best day. So, um, it's about finishing drives. It's about taking advantage of your opportunities. We talked on our last show about the drive that started at the plus 36 yard line, but then because of penalties, they back up and have to punt and the Packers don't get any points out of that drive at all. Those are the opportunities you can't get away, can't let get away. It's one thing if a drive stalls at the 28 or the 25-yard line and you end up kicking a long field goal. You get to first and goal, if the defense ends up stopping you and forcing a field goal, that becomes a win for the defense. The momentum actually shifts to the other side when you can't finish a drive when you get in that close, and that's what the Packers need to do.
00:09:25
Speaker 2: Talking to Sam DeLaPaz and Carson Denley, our two interns outside, Their key to victory is setting down Kenyon Sadiq in this one. Carson's obviously biased as an Oregon guy. I think Sam, that's his pick, though. He's looking at Sadiq as being a guy. Maybe he has him on his fantasy team. I don't know. But I will say this. I think there actually is some truth in that because the Jets, the way they're structured right now, they don't have to just go four wide and throw it. They can go two tight ends easy. And they have their backs to do it. If they control the tempo of this game, it's going to be difficult to stop Sadiq. I think for Green Bay, as much as the finish component is still there, and it's going to be there until the Packers prove otherwise, I think they need to replicate the fast start that they had last week against Minnesota. I think they need to be able to punch the ball in the end zone. But if you look at it, that first quarter really pretty much went exactly according to plan for Green Bay in terms of the ability to pressure the quarterback, take the football away, and create explosive plays. I mean, Christian Watson doesn't end up with 300, or excuse me, 131 receiving yards at halftime by accident. It was him getting the ball in space and being able to maximize it with his natural traits. And Jordan Love was exceptional in that game against Minnesota. It's just too bad it ended the way it did. But I mean... between him and Tucker Kraft and Watson and then even the sprinkling of Matthew Golden throughout that game with some pretty clutch catches, Green Bay got the explosive plays they wanted. They didn't have enough protection, they didn't have enough production, and they didn't have enough points. But if you can turn that on its head a little bit, finish in the red zone, that's what's going to make things easier once you get to the fourth quarter. So I think for the Jets, they're going to come in here looking to kind of slow the game down, establish haul, pressure love, If the Packers can turn that back against them, very winnable game, very winnable road game to start your 2026 season. Yeah.
00:11:11
Speaker 1: And you know me, I don't like to oversimplify things, but when I look at the two things that really hurt the Packers last week in Minnesota, it was the pass protection and it was the red zone failures. There is one thing that can help both of those items tremendously in my mind, and it's the running game. The Packers need to run the ball better. Yes, there were two explosive runs in that bunch, one each by Marshawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks, but they didn't have enough production. They didn't have enough consistency with the running game. If you run the ball better, that helps your pass protection. The best red zone offenses in this league are teams that can run the ball in the red zone because then that sets up everything else. And all you have to do is look at the two goal-to-go situations that the Packers had in Minnesota. On the first one, at the end of the first half, they had first and goal on the 7th. And on the first play, Chris Brooks ran five yards up the gut, got down to the two-yard line. And what's the next play? Play action, bootleg, Christian Watson's wide open in the corner for a touchdown. In the second half, they had first and goal from the seven after the big play by Jonu Smith. What happens on first down, Marshawn Lloyd loses a yard. Now you're second and goal from the eight, two incomplete passes later, and you're kicking a field goal. Running the ball in the red zone is how you become efficient in the red zone because it sets up your whole red zone playbook opens up when you can run the ball and be in the advantageous position where the defense doesn't know when you're at the 5 or the 8 or the 12-yard line, and the defense does not know if you're going to run or pass.
00:12:45
Speaker 2: And that's ultimately why Green Bay was so successful. When you go back to the early LeFleur era, it wasn't a power back. It was a guy like Aaron Jones that knew how to knife through holes, and it was someone like Devontae Adams that could win those 50-50 balls, could win his one-on-one, get that first step, and Rodgers could deliver it. Even more recently, in 2024, why were the Packers so good in the red zone in those instances? Josh Jacobs could get you the yard. Didn't matter if they know it was coming. He could find the yard. Green Bay is trying to find that right now. They have to keep searching for it. And it is paramount this week. When you look at that game against Tennessee, it's not like the Titans just couldn't run the ball. The problem was Pollard and Spears carried the ball 10 times. The air got completely taken out of the ball there by the New York Jets. They had double the time of possession and ran the ball almost three times as many times as what Tennessee did. So if there was ever a week that Green Bay needs to come in and establish this early on and show, okay, this is what we're going to be about. This is that opponent.
00:13:38
Speaker 1: And we'll see. Last week it was Chris Brooks and Marshawn Lloyd. We'll see if Caleb Johnson gets worked into the mix now that he's been here for a couple of weeks. I don't know what the plans are for the coaches or where they feel. Caleb Johnson is, but he's another option that they may turn to here sooner than later. to try to find some consistency in that running game until the Packers get Josh Jacobs back.
00:14:00
Speaker 2: And Chris Brooks did his job last week. They needed him in that instance with what they were going to be facing with the pressure that they saw.
00:14:06
Speaker 1: The pass pro was a big reason for that.
00:14:09
Speaker 2: And it's not just about, okay, well, the offensive line is good. No, I mean, it's having someone that's cognizant of where the free runner is going to come from. That is why Brooks was so important there. And it's not to say that the Jets aren't going to blitz, but they're not going to face a hellfire like they saw against Minnesota. So maybe that's how you can integrate and be able to bring in and introduce a running back like Caleb Johnson, who's been here now for two and a half weeks with his skillset, with what he can bring to the table that he can potentially offer you something as well. Yeah.
00:14:36
Speaker 1: Well, on the defensive side, as far as keys to victory, to me, it comes down to not giving the Jets any short fields because here's the thing. I mean, for everything that went wrong late in the game in Minnesota, When that game was 22-10, and yes, unfortunately, the Packers had kicked a field goal when they were up 19-10, could have extended the lead more, but you get to 22-10, what happens? That's when the long kickoff return happens, and then Minnesota only has to go 28 yards to get a touchdown, and it's 22-17. Up until that point, the only touchdown the Packers defense had given up in that game was a free play because of Lucas Van Ness jumping off sides and Wentz threw it up to Justin Jefferson, and Of course, he makes a great catch for a touchdown. That was the only score, that free play was the only touchdown the Packers had given up the entire game until the Vikings had that short field. And then that's when the momentum of the game and all that started to switch. So if the Packers consistently with the special teams and winning field position and whatnot can make Geno Smith have to go 75 yards to get touchdowns, I like where this Packers defense sits in this matchup.
00:15:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I will get back to the key to victory here, but I want to talk quickly about that because we had a really interesting discussion with Keyshawn Nixon at his locker on Wednesday, and he was asked quite a bit about Brandon Cisse, and this is a guy you go back and remember when he got drafted. Nixon was one of the first people to reach out to him to welcome him to Green Bay.
00:16:07
Speaker 1: South Carolina Gamecocks.
00:16:08
Speaker 2: They got that bond together. He said to him, you know, after the game he talked to him about, it's like, this is what it's all about. This is, you're not, you didn't see Justin Jefferson in the SEC at that particular time.
00:16:21
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:16:21
Speaker 2: But I mean, you don't face those type of receivers down in and down out. The mistake he made, it had nothing to do with Jefferson. I mean, it's the fact that it could be any receiver out there. That's the level that you're playing at, where your body's turning one small movement, what the domino effect of that could be. Now, obviously, again, it was a tough situation that he's put into because it's a free play and that ball's going deep and you're guarding the best receiver in National Football League.
00:16:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, one-on-one with no help.
00:16:43
Speaker 2: Which is going to be a tough assignment for anybody. But being able to flush that, forget about it, and move forward is what defines a cornerback. And I'll tell you what, Keyshawn Nixon, I don't know what, he's in year eight. I think he still has many more years to go here. I wrote a story on Packers.com kind of talking about what's sort of driving him and what has made him the type of player that he's become. But whenever this thing's finally over for him, I think this dude would be an exceptional football coach because his temperament is solid. It is exactly what you need for the cornerback position, being able to believe in yourself and also understand, okay, there's going to be times where you get beat. Unfortunately, it all kind of came to a head on that particular play for Cisse, but there's a reason he's out there, and there's a reason why he took as many snaps as he did with the number one defense throughout training camp. because the Packers believe in him, and because he has a natural ability to affect the football game.
00:17:28
Speaker 1: It's the only play from that entire game that we're talking about Brandon Cisse, so that tells you something as well, because he was out there doing his job. The free play didn't go his way. And unfortunately, yeah, it happened to be against, you know, arguably the best receiver on the planet right now.
00:17:43
Speaker 2: So on Tuesday, I talked about how if I'm the Packers, I forget that the Minnesota game happened because of all the things that you and I have talked about, expounded on so many times now, mostly relating to officiating. So we're going to move beyond that. But my key to victory for the Packers on the defensive side of the ball is remembering exactly everything they did right against Minnesota. There were a couple instances there where they did not respond in the sudden change situations very late in the game. But man, when I went back and looked at the box score afterwards and you see what the total passing yards were when you mix in the sacks, when you see that 15 first downs, Was it 19 first downs for Minnesota, five were aided by penalty. When you look at the fact that I think they only gave up maybe 239 yards of total offense, Green Bay's defense did a lot of things well in that game. And I think Jonathan Gannon kind of reflected that when he was addressing the media on Tuesday. They need to keep up that same mentality. You need to take away the football early. You need to set the tone. You need to put pressure on Geno Smith. You need to be able to create an opportunity to demoralize that team out of the gate. They have all those components to it. I liked what they did in terms of their rotation with the defensive front. I see potential. Now, hopefully there was, unfortunately, two concussions that came up out of that game, or at least at the time in which we're taping this are listed. in the concussion protocol, in Lucas Van Ness and Javon Hargrave. Hopefully all that sorts out because those are two very important pieces to the Packers defense.
00:19:05
Speaker 1: But they were practicing on a limited basis.
00:19:07
Speaker 2: They were.
00:19:07
Speaker 1: So they have not been sidelined at this point.
00:19:10
Speaker 2: Yeah. So, but the fact is, is I thought LVN up until the point in which he exited that game was exceptional. I thought Javon Hargrave shows you the compliment that he's going to give to the Packers defensive tackles on passing downs. It's all there for them is the point I'm trying to make. And if you can get that pressure on Geno Smith, if you can take the ball away early, if you can put them in a pass first sort of mantra without being able to establish Hall, without being able to establish Braylon Allen, that's how the Packers win this football game. Yeah.
00:19:37
Speaker 1: And I thought for the most part, when Jonathan Gannon just had the straight four-man rush, I mean, there are times your four-man rush isn't going to get home. That's how this game is played. But I thought the four- rush affected Carson Wentz enough throughout the course of the game that Jonathan Gannon was able to keep the blitz as a surprise. It wasn't blitzing out of necessity. It was doing it, whether it was Keyshawn Nixon coming off the edge or Cooper or Franklin blitzing an A-gap. he was able to keep the surprise element to those types of calls. And when you have a four-man rush that by and large can still affect the game and affect the quarterback. that helps the defensive coordinator in terms of those surprises.
00:20:24
Speaker 2: Keyshawn Nixon was surprised how much he blitzed in that game. He wasn't anticipating blitzing five times in that game. One of them ended up turning into a run blitz that he took down Aaron Jones for a one-yard loss. But that is the way this thing is drawn up. They're going to have everybody involved. It's why Edron Cooper was as effective as he was. I said on the Packers pregame radio show before the game, when we're talking about who could be potential stars this year for Green Bay's defense, Cooper was the first name I brought up because I don't think it's going to be as black and white as Clay Matthews playing at inside linebacker in 2014 and 2015. But I see elements of it, Mike. I see elements that this is going to be a guy that with the depth the Packers have at inside backer, they're going to rush him at times. And I thought he was really effective again in that capacity, in addition to showing some good things dropping and tackling in space. So the playmakers are all there for Green Bay. And I just feel like what Minnesota did at the end of that game and how they used the That game sort of changing series where they went ahead midway through the fourth quarter, they used that to their advantage. I see components of that as well in Green Bay's defense. If you can get the pendulum swinging in that direction.
00:21:28
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree with you. Well, we do need to pay some bills. So before we start looking around the rest of the league at week two, let's hear a quick word from our sponsors. Sirius XM NFL Radio delivers hard-hitting analysis and up-to-the-minute NFL news that true football fanatics need 24-7, 365. Hey, Packers fans. Looking to score a few more Wisconsin memories? From Devil's Lake State Park to the Milwaukee Art Museum, discover all the wonders of Wisconsin at TravelWisconsin.com slash wonders. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. All right, Wes. Elsewhere in the NFC North, it starts right away on Thursday night football. It is the opening of the new stadium, official opening as far as regular season goes, of the new stadium in Buffalo. Buffalo Bills hosting the Detroit Lions and then the big NFC North game, of course, on Sunday. is the Vikings at Chicago with those two 1-0 teams going at it. One of them will be 2-0, the other one drops to 1-1.
00:22:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, first thing I thought of when I saw this week's schedule, I'm like, well, obviously the Bills didn't put any requests for opponent for the first game at Highmark. Yeah, I mean, it's just Detroit versus Buffalo. Let's go. I mean, I think that'd be a good one to have in New England or somebody stroll into there or Miami, but it is what it is.
00:22:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, surprising it's not a division opponent.
00:22:44
Speaker 2: No, it was really.
00:22:46
Speaker 1: The week two Thursday game and you're opening a brand new stadium and it's like, oh, yeah, we're just going to have Detroit hop over to Buffalo.
00:22:53
Speaker 2: Rivalries must be different out of the NFC North because when the U.S. Bank opened, Minnesota's asking for the Packers right away. 100th season for the Bears. They wanted Green Bay at Soldier Field, but it is what it is.
00:23:03
Speaker 1: And the Packers wanted the Bears here for the 100th season in 2018.
00:23:08
Speaker 2: But, no, I mean, it's a great day. It's a great opportunity for Buffalo. You could not have asked a better way to start the season for them. And for Detroit, a very compelling matchup because you had to scratch and claw to beat– A New Orleans Saints team that, while game at the end of last season, did not make the playoffs. Still not necessarily sure what they have with Kellen Moore and how that offense is structured and the pieces that are there and if this is transitionary or if they really are going to move forward with Shuck. All things to figure out, but Detroit had a hard time with them. Now you're facing... one of the best players in the National Football League, a Buffalo Bills team that's going to be riding high after that win over the Houston Texans. That's a big one. And for the Green Bay Packers, I mean, obviously you're pulling hard for the Bills here because nothing would be better, one, to get just another loss on the Lions stat sheet. But two, I mean, if the Lions do go in there and win, that is going to be a major motivator for Detroit moving forward. Yeah, absolutely.
00:24:03
Speaker 1: When you look at this from the Packers' perspective in the division, if Buffalo can hold serve at home, And if the Packers can beat the New York Jets, then essentially, regardless of what happens, Chicago, Minnesota, the division is going to have one team at 2-0 and three teams at 1-1. And okay, so one team's going to have a leg up, but everybody else is kind of in the same spot. I think the Buffalo crowd for Thursday night football is going to be absolutely manic. I mean, you and I have covered the game when the Packers were the first regular season opponent at U.S. Bank Stadium. Then- Was it the very next year? The Packers were the first regular season opponent at the new stadium in Atlanta.
00:24:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, Mercedes-Benz.
00:24:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, for a night game. Those are different atmospheres. There's just no, there's no two ways about it.
00:24:51
Speaker 2: Is this the last time I've been there? Have we been there since then?
00:24:54
Speaker 1: Atlanta?
00:24:54
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:24:55
Speaker 1: Oh, I'd have to think.
00:24:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. Because it was weird. I covered like two games at the Georgia Dome like right off the bat. Yeah. And then I covered that game at Mercedes-Benz.
00:25:02
Speaker 1: I know I've covered games at both of the stadiums down there, but now I'm trying.
00:25:07
Speaker 2: No, they're rings of a fool over here.
00:25:08
Speaker 1: But no, I'm sure. I'm sure we've been there since the, since that first one.
00:25:12
Speaker 2: And, oh yeah. Desmond Ritter beat Jordan and third in 2023. Yeah.
00:25:17
Speaker 1: Jordan's Jordan's first season as a starter. Sorry. I'm trying to remember my life. We go on tangent. The, the show truly is unscripted folks. The tangents come up and off we go.
00:25:27
Speaker 2: What's the question?
00:25:29
Speaker 1: A couple other games that caught my eye. Seattle at Arizona, Mike Lafleur.
00:25:35
Speaker 2: Huge.
00:25:36
Speaker 1: Mike LaFleur gets his first home game as head coach of the Cardinals coming off of that big win in Los Angeles over the Chargers. And then Seattle, no Sam Darnold. Yes, they were able to survive and win with Drew Locke in week one against the Patriots. But this is a big division matchup in the NFC West, quite frankly. And then the other one that jumps out at me, also involving NFC West, the Rams are at home on Monday Night Football against the Giants, a Giants team. coming off of a huge Sunday night football victory over their division rival, the Dallas Cowboys, John Harbaugh's debut as head coach of the Giants. Those are a couple of other NFC matchups that are definitely marquee ones for this week.
00:26:18
Speaker 2: So the thing that I've been looking at throughout the league that's become interesting is you're getting these, not that there's always been number two quarterbacks in the National Football League, but it's interesting how there's become this subsection of guys where it just feels like they are the number two in this particular offense and this particular team. Drew Locke has become that guy for Seattle. It's, again, among two different stints. He had that small break there with the New York Giants. And it's not to say I'm sure Drew Locke would still love to be a starting quarterback in the league, but he just seems to fit so well into what Seattle does in that number two role and kept the train on the tracks last week. You're seeing it now with the Giants extending Jameis Winston. I mean, these teams are investing into these veteran quarterbacks that they're not just here for one or two years. This is a long-term type of agreement.
00:27:03
Speaker 1: I feel like Carson Wentz is becoming Kevin O'Connell's guy in that regard too, as long as Wentz can stay healthy. I mean, what's held, what's held him back is, you know, a number of injuries over the years. Yeah.
00:27:13
Speaker 2: So some compelling matchups, but because of how much I went into the Detroit Buffalo thing, I got to bring it back quickly to Minnesota and Chicago because the Bears set this really high for themselves. Now, I mean, you had Caleb Williams going to the podium afterwards saying this is going to be our worst performance of the season in that 59 to 37 win, whatever that was. Well, now he gets the Brian Flores defense and seeing how the Vikings attack this. And from Minnesota's perspective, could you think of any better way to start a season after winning five in a row to end last year? And we'll have to see exactly how this all shuffles out. I don't know what Kyler Murray's availability is going to look like or if it's going to be Carson Wentz again. But if you go and knock off the Packers and then find a way to go into Soldier Field and beat the Bears... Suddenly, I think everybody can agree. I mean, the Minnesota Vikings are very much back in this thing. Yeah.
00:28:01
Speaker 1: And I know a lot of people are going to compare Brian Flores' defense against the Packers week one and against the Bears in week two. It's going to be inevitable. I'm going to say right now, Brian Flores' defense in US Bank Stadium when you have to run a silent count is very different than Brian Flores' defense on the road when the offense gets to use a cadence, can try to get them to jump off sides.
00:28:24
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:28:25
Speaker 1: Can do all kinds of things that you cannot do in that noisy dome in Minneapolis. So the comparisons are going to be out there. We already know it. I'm laying it out there right now. It's going to be a phony comparison until the Chicago Bears go into US Bank Stadium. And I'm not saying that the same thing is going to happen to them that happened to the Packers. I'm just saying the comparison week one to week two is going to be a phony one because that defense is very much is that defense is at a different level when it's at home compared to when it's on the road. That's the point I'm trying to make.
00:28:57
Speaker 2: For sure. For sure. Still very interested to see, you know, with Dallas Turner and Van Genkel and the pieces like that, there's a lot to contest there for the Chicago. Chicago Bears feel much better about their offensive line. Obviously they took care of Wright in the off season, but that we won't be able to watch it, but I mean, that's, that's a big one. That's a, that's a major, major game in the division right off the bat.
00:29:15
Speaker 1: We'll definitely be kind of scoreboard watching that one while we're yeah. While we're out at, MetLife Stadium but that's where Wes and I have to go next we're off to MetLife for Packers Jets on Sunday so we'll call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team all of our coverage of week two's game Wes and I will be there have it all for you on Packers.com for Wes I am Mike thank you for tuning in everybody we will see you next time.
Speaker 1: Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers.com. I am Mike Spofford, joined by the one and only Weston Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from the Pottawatomie Sportsbook studio inside the walls of Lambeau Field, getting ready for week two, Wes, and that matchup will be against the New York Jets. This is a 1-0 football team coming off of a 23-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans that, quite frankly, is wasn't really that close because when you talk about the 2026 New York Jets, it absolutely positively starts with their defense. And they had held Tennessee and former number one overall pick Cam Ward to just three points until it was essentially garbage time in that game.
00:00:47
Speaker 2: Yeah. And it obviously led to, you know, there's a lot of, excitement and anticipation for Tennessee this season. Obviously, Robert Sala goes there. I think there's a lot of people thinking the way that Cam Ward finished last year, he's just going to kind of go into this season and start really looking at that number one overall pick. And the Jets said, no, we'll have a word about that. Okay, so what we expected is, okay, first and foremost, what I liked about what the Jets did last year, they understood what they were going to be. And Aaron Glenn coming in, that was going to be a long-term project, almost kind of like where Jeff Halfley's at right now with the Miami Dolphins, right? You're going to just have to sort of feel your way through this, try to find some moral victories along the way, but ultimately they're trying to redevelop their roster. They're trying to turn a corner. But with Aaron Glenn going there, you knew it was going to be a defensive-orientated scheme, that they're going to build their team around a solid defense. And my goodness, I think when you look at the pieces they already had A few of the moves they made this offseason, JJ and Iqbari being among them, it was creating depth, it was creating combinations, and I just felt like the Jets showed everybody, one, there are going to be no cakewalk this season, and two, there is a difference in level of where they feel like they're going to be at this season in a team like the Titans who are still... kind of also trying to find their own way in terms of a talent perspective.
00:02:09
Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, statistically in that week, one game against Tennessee, the Jets allowed just 11 first downs, 195 total yards, um, had three sacks of Cam Ward in the game. You mentioned JJ Anagbari, the former Packer. He had one of those. Um, this is not a defense that has a bunch of household names and what, I mean, you know, sauce gardeners not there anymore. Um, You know, Leonard Williams isn't there anymore. Quinton Williams. Sorry, Quinton Williams.
00:02:36
Speaker 2: My bad.
00:02:37
Speaker 1: But they spent a really high draft pick on the linebacker, Bailey. And as you said, it's been, they're kind of reworking the whole thing. And they're off to a heck of a start. With Aaron Glenn having been, obviously, the former defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, Matt LaFleur, this Packers offense, they have a lot of familiarity with schematically with how Aaron Glenn likes to play. But of course, he has a whole different cast of characters now. And then he's also got the film from last week against Minnesota, and he saw what Brian Flores did and how the Vikings defense had success late in that game. So there's kind of this whole potpourri of storylines getting tossed in here in week two, and the Packers need to need to go in there and play their game, be able to do it for four quarters.
00:03:29
Speaker 2: Yeah. What I really liked. And again, I didn't get a chance to actually go back and watch this game, but I did dive into the statistics quite a bit. And the one thing that really stuck out to me about what the jets and what I'm guessing the Packers will be seeing this weekend is how they rotated through their edge rushers. So in Igbari technically is starting Bailey didn't start, but that's kind of their franchise piece, right? He ended up, if you look at the, how the breakdowns went in this game, Bailey played 35 snaps. JJ played 33. They only were on the field for 50 defensive snaps total.
00:04:00
Speaker 1: That's a good way to hold a team to a low point total as well.
00:04:04
Speaker 2: But, you know, Will McDonald, the fourth, only 25 snaps. I mean, they were cycling guys in this game. And the thing that Iqbari brings, too, is he's obviously, it makes sense why he would be starting in this defense. He is a very solid, very stout run defender. And Bailey's still kind of rounding out his game here in the early portion of his career. So, yeah, an encouraging effort from them. And then when you mix that with an offense that I think feels rejuvenated now with Geno Smith at the controls of it, it's a feisty bunch. And I still look at it, and again, we'll get to keys of victory and all that stuff down the road, but I think the Packers, pound for pound, are a more talented team. But the Jets have a lot of different pieces in place that can give you trouble.
00:04:44
Speaker 1: Well, you mentioned Geno Smith at quarterback. On the offense, there are some more, I guess you'd say, household names on that side of the ball. Smith, the veteran quarterback, you have kind of a one-two punch at running back, Brees Hall and the former Wisconsin Badger, Braylon Allen. Hall is definitely the primary back, though. He had 22 carries, 102 yards, and a touchdown against Tennessee. And I think worth pointing out with him cracking that 100-yard barrier in week one, his longest carry was 13 yards. So he didn't have one of those 30, 40, 50 yard runs that helped him leapfrog that hundred yard mark. He got 102 yards, 22 carries, and he was just steadily, consistently churning out yards throughout the course of the game. And then of course the big weapon on the perimeter, Garrett Wilson, the former first round pick wide receiver. He starts the season with six catches for 79 yards. Dangerous, dangerous player, both in terms of possibly taking the top off the defense and or taking the underneath stuff and getting all the yards after the catch. This is a young wide receiver who's really starting to come into his own, hasn't had, I guess when you consider the struggles Aaron Rodgers had with the Jets, Garrett Wilson hasn't had that all-pro quarterback to be able to play with. But this is a young receiver who's going to be a big name in this league.
00:06:07
Speaker 2: Well, and I think if he proved anything in that game in week one is he's back. I mean, the knee injury that kind of sidelined him at the end of last season, he came out of the gates looking like Garrett Wilson, the way that everybody felt like he was going to affect this team, affect this league. You know, overall, the one thing that stood out to me about that game for the Jets is it's not like they won with all these litany of explosive plays. I mean... Wilson, a very economical, efficient six catches for 79 yards. His long was 31. Brees Hall didn't have a carry longer than 13 yards, but averaged 4.5 yards of carry. That shows you they were staying in front of the sticks. When you do that with a quarterback like Geno Smith, it's going to set everything up for you. They don't have to find themselves in the situation the Packers did in the final portion of that game where you're going one-dimensional, where you're having to throw the ball When Geno has had success in his career at all these various stops he's been at now, it's been when he can control it, when he's in third and manageable, when he doesn't have to necessarily have to go into gunslinger mode. How you win against him is when he does shift to that, when you can get the takeaways. A lot of that was the issues that he struggled with early on last season with the Raiders. But one thing that he has to his benefit in New York that he did not have in Vegas last year is a very, very good offensive line. a unit that they have invested heavily into. With the fact that Josh Myers, whom they signed from Green Bay a year ago, four of their five starters were all drafted within, I think, the top 60 picks in their respective year. The one that wasn't, that they signed this offseason in Dylan Parnham, he was a third round pick. So like there is a pedigree there with the type of, of linemen that they have, and they're going to run behind them. They're going to pass behind them. And I think when you're looking to rebuild your football team, yeah, it's great to have the Garrett Wilsons of the world and obviously use high picks on guys like, like Hall, but you also need to be able to protect, you need to be able to run the football. And then the Jets have seemingly put that in place.
00:08:01
Speaker 1: Yeah, I would agree with you. Well, let's dive right into it. Keys to victory for the Green Bay Packers. To me, The thing that rises to the top of the list, and for now I'm setting aside the whole fourth quarter thing. I think that sort of goes without saying with where the Packers are and what they need to do. For me, it's the red zone. This Packers offense, so many explosive plays, so much production offensively, yet at the end of the day last week in Minnesota, you only had 22 points on the board. And with as dangerous and explosive as this offense is, was last week and can be going forward, 22 points is not, is not their best day. So, um, it's about finishing drives. It's about taking advantage of your opportunities. We talked on our last show about the drive that started at the plus 36 yard line, but then because of penalties, they back up and have to punt and the Packers don't get any points out of that drive at all. Those are the opportunities you can't get away, can't let get away. It's one thing if a drive stalls at the 28 or the 25-yard line and you end up kicking a long field goal. You get to first and goal, if the defense ends up stopping you and forcing a field goal, that becomes a win for the defense. The momentum actually shifts to the other side when you can't finish a drive when you get in that close, and that's what the Packers need to do.
00:09:25
Speaker 2: Talking to Sam DeLaPaz and Carson Denley, our two interns outside, Their key to victory is setting down Kenyon Sadiq in this one. Carson's obviously biased as an Oregon guy. I think Sam, that's his pick, though. He's looking at Sadiq as being a guy. Maybe he has him on his fantasy team. I don't know. But I will say this. I think there actually is some truth in that because the Jets, the way they're structured right now, they don't have to just go four wide and throw it. They can go two tight ends easy. And they have their backs to do it. If they control the tempo of this game, it's going to be difficult to stop Sadiq. I think for Green Bay, as much as the finish component is still there, and it's going to be there until the Packers prove otherwise, I think they need to replicate the fast start that they had last week against Minnesota. I think they need to be able to punch the ball in the end zone. But if you look at it, that first quarter really pretty much went exactly according to plan for Green Bay in terms of the ability to pressure the quarterback, take the football away, and create explosive plays. I mean, Christian Watson doesn't end up with 300, or excuse me, 131 receiving yards at halftime by accident. It was him getting the ball in space and being able to maximize it with his natural traits. And Jordan Love was exceptional in that game against Minnesota. It's just too bad it ended the way it did. But I mean... between him and Tucker Kraft and Watson and then even the sprinkling of Matthew Golden throughout that game with some pretty clutch catches, Green Bay got the explosive plays they wanted. They didn't have enough protection, they didn't have enough production, and they didn't have enough points. But if you can turn that on its head a little bit, finish in the red zone, that's what's going to make things easier once you get to the fourth quarter. So I think for the Jets, they're going to come in here looking to kind of slow the game down, establish haul, pressure love, If the Packers can turn that back against them, very winnable game, very winnable road game to start your 2026 season. Yeah.
00:11:11
Speaker 1: And you know me, I don't like to oversimplify things, but when I look at the two things that really hurt the Packers last week in Minnesota, it was the pass protection and it was the red zone failures. There is one thing that can help both of those items tremendously in my mind, and it's the running game. The Packers need to run the ball better. Yes, there were two explosive runs in that bunch, one each by Marshawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks, but they didn't have enough production. They didn't have enough consistency with the running game. If you run the ball better, that helps your pass protection. The best red zone offenses in this league are teams that can run the ball in the red zone because then that sets up everything else. And all you have to do is look at the two goal-to-go situations that the Packers had in Minnesota. On the first one, at the end of the first half, they had first and goal on the 7th. And on the first play, Chris Brooks ran five yards up the gut, got down to the two-yard line. And what's the next play? Play action, bootleg, Christian Watson's wide open in the corner for a touchdown. In the second half, they had first and goal from the seven after the big play by Jonu Smith. What happens on first down, Marshawn Lloyd loses a yard. Now you're second and goal from the eight, two incomplete passes later, and you're kicking a field goal. Running the ball in the red zone is how you become efficient in the red zone because it sets up your whole red zone playbook opens up when you can run the ball and be in the advantageous position where the defense doesn't know when you're at the 5 or the 8 or the 12-yard line, and the defense does not know if you're going to run or pass.
00:12:45
Speaker 2: And that's ultimately why Green Bay was so successful. When you go back to the early LeFleur era, it wasn't a power back. It was a guy like Aaron Jones that knew how to knife through holes, and it was someone like Devontae Adams that could win those 50-50 balls, could win his one-on-one, get that first step, and Rodgers could deliver it. Even more recently, in 2024, why were the Packers so good in the red zone in those instances? Josh Jacobs could get you the yard. Didn't matter if they know it was coming. He could find the yard. Green Bay is trying to find that right now. They have to keep searching for it. And it is paramount this week. When you look at that game against Tennessee, it's not like the Titans just couldn't run the ball. The problem was Pollard and Spears carried the ball 10 times. The air got completely taken out of the ball there by the New York Jets. They had double the time of possession and ran the ball almost three times as many times as what Tennessee did. So if there was ever a week that Green Bay needs to come in and establish this early on and show, okay, this is what we're going to be about. This is that opponent.
00:13:38
Speaker 1: And we'll see. Last week it was Chris Brooks and Marshawn Lloyd. We'll see if Caleb Johnson gets worked into the mix now that he's been here for a couple of weeks. I don't know what the plans are for the coaches or where they feel. Caleb Johnson is, but he's another option that they may turn to here sooner than later. to try to find some consistency in that running game until the Packers get Josh Jacobs back.
00:14:00
Speaker 2: And Chris Brooks did his job last week. They needed him in that instance with what they were going to be facing with the pressure that they saw.
00:14:06
Speaker 1: The pass pro was a big reason for that.
00:14:09
Speaker 2: And it's not just about, okay, well, the offensive line is good. No, I mean, it's having someone that's cognizant of where the free runner is going to come from. That is why Brooks was so important there. And it's not to say that the Jets aren't going to blitz, but they're not going to face a hellfire like they saw against Minnesota. So maybe that's how you can integrate and be able to bring in and introduce a running back like Caleb Johnson, who's been here now for two and a half weeks with his skillset, with what he can bring to the table that he can potentially offer you something as well. Yeah.
00:14:36
Speaker 1: Well, on the defensive side, as far as keys to victory, to me, it comes down to not giving the Jets any short fields because here's the thing. I mean, for everything that went wrong late in the game in Minnesota, When that game was 22-10, and yes, unfortunately, the Packers had kicked a field goal when they were up 19-10, could have extended the lead more, but you get to 22-10, what happens? That's when the long kickoff return happens, and then Minnesota only has to go 28 yards to get a touchdown, and it's 22-17. Up until that point, the only touchdown the Packers defense had given up in that game was a free play because of Lucas Van Ness jumping off sides and Wentz threw it up to Justin Jefferson, and Of course, he makes a great catch for a touchdown. That was the only score, that free play was the only touchdown the Packers had given up the entire game until the Vikings had that short field. And then that's when the momentum of the game and all that started to switch. So if the Packers consistently with the special teams and winning field position and whatnot can make Geno Smith have to go 75 yards to get touchdowns, I like where this Packers defense sits in this matchup.
00:15:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I will get back to the key to victory here, but I want to talk quickly about that because we had a really interesting discussion with Keyshawn Nixon at his locker on Wednesday, and he was asked quite a bit about Brandon Cisse, and this is a guy you go back and remember when he got drafted. Nixon was one of the first people to reach out to him to welcome him to Green Bay.
00:16:07
Speaker 1: South Carolina Gamecocks.
00:16:08
Speaker 2: They got that bond together. He said to him, you know, after the game he talked to him about, it's like, this is what it's all about. This is, you're not, you didn't see Justin Jefferson in the SEC at that particular time.
00:16:21
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:16:21
Speaker 2: But I mean, you don't face those type of receivers down in and down out. The mistake he made, it had nothing to do with Jefferson. I mean, it's the fact that it could be any receiver out there. That's the level that you're playing at, where your body's turning one small movement, what the domino effect of that could be. Now, obviously, again, it was a tough situation that he's put into because it's a free play and that ball's going deep and you're guarding the best receiver in National Football League.
00:16:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, one-on-one with no help.
00:16:43
Speaker 2: Which is going to be a tough assignment for anybody. But being able to flush that, forget about it, and move forward is what defines a cornerback. And I'll tell you what, Keyshawn Nixon, I don't know what, he's in year eight. I think he still has many more years to go here. I wrote a story on Packers.com kind of talking about what's sort of driving him and what has made him the type of player that he's become. But whenever this thing's finally over for him, I think this dude would be an exceptional football coach because his temperament is solid. It is exactly what you need for the cornerback position, being able to believe in yourself and also understand, okay, there's going to be times where you get beat. Unfortunately, it all kind of came to a head on that particular play for Cisse, but there's a reason he's out there, and there's a reason why he took as many snaps as he did with the number one defense throughout training camp. because the Packers believe in him, and because he has a natural ability to affect the football game.
00:17:28
Speaker 1: It's the only play from that entire game that we're talking about Brandon Cisse, so that tells you something as well, because he was out there doing his job. The free play didn't go his way. And unfortunately, yeah, it happened to be against, you know, arguably the best receiver on the planet right now.
00:17:43
Speaker 2: So on Tuesday, I talked about how if I'm the Packers, I forget that the Minnesota game happened because of all the things that you and I have talked about, expounded on so many times now, mostly relating to officiating. So we're going to move beyond that. But my key to victory for the Packers on the defensive side of the ball is remembering exactly everything they did right against Minnesota. There were a couple instances there where they did not respond in the sudden change situations very late in the game. But man, when I went back and looked at the box score afterwards and you see what the total passing yards were when you mix in the sacks, when you see that 15 first downs, Was it 19 first downs for Minnesota, five were aided by penalty. When you look at the fact that I think they only gave up maybe 239 yards of total offense, Green Bay's defense did a lot of things well in that game. And I think Jonathan Gannon kind of reflected that when he was addressing the media on Tuesday. They need to keep up that same mentality. You need to take away the football early. You need to set the tone. You need to put pressure on Geno Smith. You need to be able to create an opportunity to demoralize that team out of the gate. They have all those components to it. I liked what they did in terms of their rotation with the defensive front. I see potential. Now, hopefully there was, unfortunately, two concussions that came up out of that game, or at least at the time in which we're taping this are listed. in the concussion protocol, in Lucas Van Ness and Javon Hargrave. Hopefully all that sorts out because those are two very important pieces to the Packers defense.
00:19:05
Speaker 1: But they were practicing on a limited basis.
00:19:07
Speaker 2: They were.
00:19:07
Speaker 1: So they have not been sidelined at this point.
00:19:10
Speaker 2: Yeah. So, but the fact is, is I thought LVN up until the point in which he exited that game was exceptional. I thought Javon Hargrave shows you the compliment that he's going to give to the Packers defensive tackles on passing downs. It's all there for them is the point I'm trying to make. And if you can get that pressure on Geno Smith, if you can take the ball away early, if you can put them in a pass first sort of mantra without being able to establish Hall, without being able to establish Braylon Allen, that's how the Packers win this football game. Yeah.
00:19:37
Speaker 1: And I thought for the most part, when Jonathan Gannon just had the straight four-man rush, I mean, there are times your four-man rush isn't going to get home. That's how this game is played. But I thought the four- rush affected Carson Wentz enough throughout the course of the game that Jonathan Gannon was able to keep the blitz as a surprise. It wasn't blitzing out of necessity. It was doing it, whether it was Keyshawn Nixon coming off the edge or Cooper or Franklin blitzing an A-gap. he was able to keep the surprise element to those types of calls. And when you have a four-man rush that by and large can still affect the game and affect the quarterback. that helps the defensive coordinator in terms of those surprises.
00:20:24
Speaker 2: Keyshawn Nixon was surprised how much he blitzed in that game. He wasn't anticipating blitzing five times in that game. One of them ended up turning into a run blitz that he took down Aaron Jones for a one-yard loss. But that is the way this thing is drawn up. They're going to have everybody involved. It's why Edron Cooper was as effective as he was. I said on the Packers pregame radio show before the game, when we're talking about who could be potential stars this year for Green Bay's defense, Cooper was the first name I brought up because I don't think it's going to be as black and white as Clay Matthews playing at inside linebacker in 2014 and 2015. But I see elements of it, Mike. I see elements that this is going to be a guy that with the depth the Packers have at inside backer, they're going to rush him at times. And I thought he was really effective again in that capacity, in addition to showing some good things dropping and tackling in space. So the playmakers are all there for Green Bay. And I just feel like what Minnesota did at the end of that game and how they used the That game sort of changing series where they went ahead midway through the fourth quarter, they used that to their advantage. I see components of that as well in Green Bay's defense. If you can get the pendulum swinging in that direction.
00:21:28
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree with you. Well, we do need to pay some bills. So before we start looking around the rest of the league at week two, let's hear a quick word from our sponsors. Sirius XM NFL Radio delivers hard-hitting analysis and up-to-the-minute NFL news that true football fanatics need 24-7, 365. Hey, Packers fans. Looking to score a few more Wisconsin memories? From Devil's Lake State Park to the Milwaukee Art Museum, discover all the wonders of Wisconsin at TravelWisconsin.com slash wonders. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. All right, Wes. Elsewhere in the NFC North, it starts right away on Thursday night football. It is the opening of the new stadium, official opening as far as regular season goes, of the new stadium in Buffalo. Buffalo Bills hosting the Detroit Lions and then the big NFC North game, of course, on Sunday. is the Vikings at Chicago with those two 1-0 teams going at it. One of them will be 2-0, the other one drops to 1-1.
00:22:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, first thing I thought of when I saw this week's schedule, I'm like, well, obviously the Bills didn't put any requests for opponent for the first game at Highmark. Yeah, I mean, it's just Detroit versus Buffalo. Let's go. I mean, I think that'd be a good one to have in New England or somebody stroll into there or Miami, but it is what it is.
00:22:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, surprising it's not a division opponent.
00:22:44
Speaker 2: No, it was really.
00:22:46
Speaker 1: The week two Thursday game and you're opening a brand new stadium and it's like, oh, yeah, we're just going to have Detroit hop over to Buffalo.
00:22:53
Speaker 2: Rivalries must be different out of the NFC North because when the U.S. Bank opened, Minnesota's asking for the Packers right away. 100th season for the Bears. They wanted Green Bay at Soldier Field, but it is what it is.
00:23:03
Speaker 1: And the Packers wanted the Bears here for the 100th season in 2018.
00:23:08
Speaker 2: But, no, I mean, it's a great day. It's a great opportunity for Buffalo. You could not have asked a better way to start the season for them. And for Detroit, a very compelling matchup because you had to scratch and claw to beat– A New Orleans Saints team that, while game at the end of last season, did not make the playoffs. Still not necessarily sure what they have with Kellen Moore and how that offense is structured and the pieces that are there and if this is transitionary or if they really are going to move forward with Shuck. All things to figure out, but Detroit had a hard time with them. Now you're facing... one of the best players in the National Football League, a Buffalo Bills team that's going to be riding high after that win over the Houston Texans. That's a big one. And for the Green Bay Packers, I mean, obviously you're pulling hard for the Bills here because nothing would be better, one, to get just another loss on the Lions stat sheet. But two, I mean, if the Lions do go in there and win, that is going to be a major motivator for Detroit moving forward. Yeah, absolutely.
00:24:03
Speaker 1: When you look at this from the Packers' perspective in the division, if Buffalo can hold serve at home, And if the Packers can beat the New York Jets, then essentially, regardless of what happens, Chicago, Minnesota, the division is going to have one team at 2-0 and three teams at 1-1. And okay, so one team's going to have a leg up, but everybody else is kind of in the same spot. I think the Buffalo crowd for Thursday night football is going to be absolutely manic. I mean, you and I have covered the game when the Packers were the first regular season opponent at U.S. Bank Stadium. Then- Was it the very next year? The Packers were the first regular season opponent at the new stadium in Atlanta.
00:24:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, Mercedes-Benz.
00:24:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, for a night game. Those are different atmospheres. There's just no, there's no two ways about it.
00:24:51
Speaker 2: Is this the last time I've been there? Have we been there since then?
00:24:54
Speaker 1: Atlanta?
00:24:54
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:24:55
Speaker 1: Oh, I'd have to think.
00:24:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. Because it was weird. I covered like two games at the Georgia Dome like right off the bat. Yeah. And then I covered that game at Mercedes-Benz.
00:25:02
Speaker 1: I know I've covered games at both of the stadiums down there, but now I'm trying.
00:25:07
Speaker 2: No, they're rings of a fool over here.
00:25:08
Speaker 1: But no, I'm sure. I'm sure we've been there since the, since that first one.
00:25:12
Speaker 2: And, oh yeah. Desmond Ritter beat Jordan and third in 2023. Yeah.
00:25:17
Speaker 1: Jordan's Jordan's first season as a starter. Sorry. I'm trying to remember my life. We go on tangent. The, the show truly is unscripted folks. The tangents come up and off we go.
00:25:27
Speaker 2: What's the question?
00:25:29
Speaker 1: A couple other games that caught my eye. Seattle at Arizona, Mike Lafleur.
00:25:35
Speaker 2: Huge.
00:25:36
Speaker 1: Mike LaFleur gets his first home game as head coach of the Cardinals coming off of that big win in Los Angeles over the Chargers. And then Seattle, no Sam Darnold. Yes, they were able to survive and win with Drew Locke in week one against the Patriots. But this is a big division matchup in the NFC West, quite frankly. And then the other one that jumps out at me, also involving NFC West, the Rams are at home on Monday Night Football against the Giants, a Giants team. coming off of a huge Sunday night football victory over their division rival, the Dallas Cowboys, John Harbaugh's debut as head coach of the Giants. Those are a couple of other NFC matchups that are definitely marquee ones for this week.
00:26:18
Speaker 2: So the thing that I've been looking at throughout the league that's become interesting is you're getting these, not that there's always been number two quarterbacks in the National Football League, but it's interesting how there's become this subsection of guys where it just feels like they are the number two in this particular offense and this particular team. Drew Locke has become that guy for Seattle. It's, again, among two different stints. He had that small break there with the New York Giants. And it's not to say I'm sure Drew Locke would still love to be a starting quarterback in the league, but he just seems to fit so well into what Seattle does in that number two role and kept the train on the tracks last week. You're seeing it now with the Giants extending Jameis Winston. I mean, these teams are investing into these veteran quarterbacks that they're not just here for one or two years. This is a long-term type of agreement.
00:27:03
Speaker 1: I feel like Carson Wentz is becoming Kevin O'Connell's guy in that regard too, as long as Wentz can stay healthy. I mean, what's held, what's held him back is, you know, a number of injuries over the years. Yeah.
00:27:13
Speaker 2: So some compelling matchups, but because of how much I went into the Detroit Buffalo thing, I got to bring it back quickly to Minnesota and Chicago because the Bears set this really high for themselves. Now, I mean, you had Caleb Williams going to the podium afterwards saying this is going to be our worst performance of the season in that 59 to 37 win, whatever that was. Well, now he gets the Brian Flores defense and seeing how the Vikings attack this. And from Minnesota's perspective, could you think of any better way to start a season after winning five in a row to end last year? And we'll have to see exactly how this all shuffles out. I don't know what Kyler Murray's availability is going to look like or if it's going to be Carson Wentz again. But if you go and knock off the Packers and then find a way to go into Soldier Field and beat the Bears... Suddenly, I think everybody can agree. I mean, the Minnesota Vikings are very much back in this thing. Yeah.
00:28:01
Speaker 1: And I know a lot of people are going to compare Brian Flores' defense against the Packers week one and against the Bears in week two. It's going to be inevitable. I'm going to say right now, Brian Flores' defense in US Bank Stadium when you have to run a silent count is very different than Brian Flores' defense on the road when the offense gets to use a cadence, can try to get them to jump off sides.
00:28:24
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:28:25
Speaker 1: Can do all kinds of things that you cannot do in that noisy dome in Minneapolis. So the comparisons are going to be out there. We already know it. I'm laying it out there right now. It's going to be a phony comparison until the Chicago Bears go into US Bank Stadium. And I'm not saying that the same thing is going to happen to them that happened to the Packers. I'm just saying the comparison week one to week two is going to be a phony one because that defense is very much is that defense is at a different level when it's at home compared to when it's on the road. That's the point I'm trying to make.
00:28:57
Speaker 2: For sure. For sure. Still very interested to see, you know, with Dallas Turner and Van Genkel and the pieces like that, there's a lot to contest there for the Chicago. Chicago Bears feel much better about their offensive line. Obviously they took care of Wright in the off season, but that we won't be able to watch it, but I mean, that's, that's a big one. That's a, that's a major, major game in the division right off the bat.
00:29:15
Speaker 1: We'll definitely be kind of scoreboard watching that one while we're yeah. While we're out at, MetLife Stadium but that's where Wes and I have to go next we're off to MetLife for Packers Jets on Sunday so we'll call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team all of our coverage of week two's game Wes and I will be there have it all for you on Packers.com for Wes I am Mike thank you for tuning in everybody we will see you next time.
