00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hi everybody, welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers.com. I am Mike Spofford, joined by the one and only Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from the Pottawatomie Sportsbook studio inside the walls of Lambeau Field to review, Wes, a 31-7 Green Bay Packers victory at Lambeau Field over the arch-rival Chicago.
00:00:25
Speaker 2: Bears on Sunday.
00:00:27
Speaker 1: And to me, the formula to win this game turned out to be explosive plays and takeaways. And that's a pretty good way to beat up on a division rival.
00:00:35
Speaker 3: It sure is, Michael. And the way that they started this thing, when you look at the first quarter specifically, right, the Packers came out right off the bat. Some creative plays, some schemes that Matt LaFleur had drawn up. You start with the flea flicker that goes into a tight end screen to Tucker Kraft. 13-plus yards, the Packers are cooking right off the bat, right? They finish that series, big explosive touchdowns. Christian Watson, four quarters, brought it from start to finish. Jordan Love was finding it, seeing it downfield. 120-plus play offensively after another, it felt like. But to me, and it's what I focus the game notes on afterwards, it was really the interception from Xavier McKinney that started this whole thing because that's where Tyson Bajent and the Bears offense realized this is going to be a different type of football game. They're not going to be able to have the success that they had the past two weeks with backup quarterbacks. with Caleb Williams being down, that flag was put in the ground quickly at Lambeau Field on Sunday. And I felt ultimately, it wasn't always clean. Second quarter was a little rough at times, but the Packers never let momentum get out of their side of the field. And that was really what it took to wear down the Bears over those four quarters. Yeah.
00:01:43
Speaker 1: And we'll go through each of the three phases here. And when you look at offensively here for Green Bay, I mean, What is cooking right now with Christian Watson and Matthew Golden as a one-two combination at wide receiver is really something. They are the league-leading duo in terms of combined yardage. Watson had 143 yards. Golden had 123. Watson with the two long touchdowns in there. It was the first time in five years the Packers had multiple 100-yard receivers in the same game.
00:02:15
Speaker 2: It was a 31-point game.
00:02:18
Speaker 1: Game against the Minnesota Vikings with Marquez Valdez-Scantling and Devontae Adams back in 2021, both getting over 100 yards. And yeah, it stinks that Jaden Reed isn't a part of this mix. We're seeing Tucker Craft, you know, game by game getting back to looking like the Tucker Craft of old. But this passing game now, it's all about number nine and number zero. And these guys, these guys are there for Jordan Love whenever he needs them.
00:02:44
Speaker 3: Well, so Tom Fanning, our wonderful assistant director of communications, was emailing back and forth with him yesterday, and he proofed this with True Media. I think it's going to be in the dope sheet on Tuesday. The total combined receiving yards that Christian Watson and Matthew Golden have through the first five games, it is the second most since 1970, since the merger for a pair of Packers receivers, trailing only James Lofton and John Jefferson in 1982, I believe it was. I have to go back and actually check my email. Uh, but I want to say it's there at like, what is it like 791 yards or something like that?
00:03:18
Speaker 2: I'm going to guess it was 83.
00:03:20
Speaker 3: 83 was what it probably was. Yeah. Cause it was like 43 years. So, um, man, in what was impressive about this game and we were talking with Tucker Kraft about it afterwards, it was one of the things that I asked him, um, when you look at not only what they've done, but the direction of where this thing is going with those being the one, two punch right now at receiver in terms of the perimeter weapons, uh, Matthew Golden plays so much bigger than he is. In addition to just having that lightning quick speed and separation ability, I mean, Jalen Johnson was having just nightmares trying to keep up with him on the field. But then you have a guy like Christian Watson, who is a big receiver, who is so much faster than a guy should be for six foot four, 208 pounds. So it makes defenses make a decision. I don't think it's a coincidence at all that Tucker Kraft did his best game so far. Some things opened up for Tucker underneath. But here's what I like the most. the Packers finally took advantage of a defense. They manipulated a defense for the first time. Jordan Love was able to really go to work, play the chess game, right? Early on, they're going to have guys hanging back in two shell. Packers were able to get four or five yards on first down out of that on the ground game. Bears start creeping up to the line of scrimmage. They packed the line of scrimmage a little bit more, stacked the box, and then the explosive plays opened up for the offense.
00:04:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely.
00:04:35
Speaker 1: The Bears decided, at least what I saw, is the Bears decided to go single high and they said, okay, we're going to play single high safety. We're going to crowd the line of scrimmage and we're going to count on our pass rush to get to Jordan Love and to disrupt this passing game. Well, Packers pass protection is in a better spot now than it was a few weeks ago. And it showed because Jordan Love was able to, you talk about manipulate, he was manipulating the pocket. buying the time that he needed for the routes to develop downfield. And as you said off the top, I mean, it felt like it was a 20-plus yard play like every.
00:05:13
Speaker 2: Other snap out there.
00:05:16
Speaker 1: This is going to be interesting because the Packers still need to run the ball better. Matt LaFleur has said that. It's obvious when you look at it. The running game still has too many zero-yard rushes, negative plays, the things, you know, you just want to be able to get three or four yards, you know, even when a run play isn't great, right? but the Packers aren't able to do that consistently enough. So the run game does need to get better. But now, to your other point, defenses have to make a choice. Because if you're going to sit back to try to take away the big play, that might be what gets Green Bay's run game going. We've seen so much improvement with this offensive line over the last couple weeks, with Lakin Tomlinson taking over at left guard, Travis Glover taking over at right guard. And I would add Anthony Belton really settling in at right tackle and looking like he owns that spot now. And that is his spot with Zach Bacaboele out for the rest of the season. And we'll see what happens with Kevin Zeitler at right guard and what the coaches decide to do there when he's ready to go. But this offensive line has made strides. The pass protection has shored up considerably. So now the next step is get the running game going. then you're really going to have defenses on their heels.
00:06:29
Speaker 3: Yeah, I have so much respect for Lakin Tomlinson coming in here in two weeks and then having to start and play every single snap for Green Bay, both victories. Just shows you sometimes when you have that experience what that can do. It's not just about Lakin. It's not just about left guard either. I think you can see the comfort that a Jordan Morgan has as he's been settling into his position. But to get back to your bigger point there, I've really liked what I've seen from Anthony Belton. Now, I don't break down film like all these guys on Twitter and everything. I'm not all these breakdowns. But the confidence is such a big thing in this game, Mike. And so often last year, and I can see why Green Bay was sliding him back to tackle. Because so often last year, I mean, this is a big kid. From a pure statistical measurable standpoint, this is the biggest offensive lineman the Packers have pretty much ever drafted. Yeah. Right? And it seemed like last year he was a right tackle that was learning how to be a starting right guard in this league. And now it's like, oh, wait, I'm back at home now. It's not perfect. Still plenty to clean up. Still same thing with Jordan Morgan on the left side. But the fact that this was the first game where Green Bay finally had a starting five that was the same from one week to the next, I think you could see that have an impact on how things were going. And To your other point, the Packers absolutely need to run the ball better, but when they needed to get it in the red zone, they got it. Marshawn Lloyd, two red zone scores, and lowered the boom on Jalen Johnson, too, on one of them.
00:07:55
Speaker 1: That's my favorite Marshawn Lloyd run of his young career so far.
00:07:59
Speaker 2: That was outstanding.
00:08:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, and when you break it down... yeah, they weren't running the ball well three weeks ago, but they weren't protecting well for Jordan Love either. So for the first time, it feels like Green Bay has something to hang its hat on. I'm not saying it's perfect. It definitely needs to improve if Green Bay is going to achieve some of its larger goals this season. But the steps are there, and you can kind of feel the momentum building here for the Packers offense after a game like this. You can say whatever you want, and we'll talk about it in a second, what the Packers defense did and the pieces that Chicago was missing on offense. But that was a game defense game. That was one of the better ones in the National Football League statistically through the first month of the season. And Jordan Love and company made them look silly.
00:08:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, they carved them up. No doubt about it.
00:08:39
Speaker 1: Well, on the defensive side for Green Bay, the bad news on the day. Second straight week, a key player on defense goes down with a season-ending Achilles injury. Javon Hargrave, unfortunately, will not be playing for the rest of the year. That was tough to see. Happened with like two minutes left in the game. Got carded off the field. You know, If anybody watched Matt LaFleur's post-game press conference, put a damper on the whole thing. He was just sick for Hargrave when he heard.
00:09:07
Speaker 2: What the news was.
00:09:09
Speaker 1: But with regard to the takeaways, I mean, first time the Packers have had five takeaways defensively in a game in a decade. You have to go back to 2016, that Russell Wilson five interception game at Lambeau Field. That was part of the run the table, the early stages of run the table that year. Xavier McKinney got the one early. He got another one later. We've seen this tag team, so to speak, of Isaiah McDuffie, Tyron Hopper filling in for Edgerin Cooper, and Tyron Hopper gets the fourth down interception at the goal line after the Bears had switched from Bajent to Case Keenum. Ben Johnson trying to figure out, quite frankly, who's his quarterback going to be next week if Caleb Williams isn't back yet, because Bajent was not up to it at all. The Packers made his life really, really difficult. And as far as up front, while the Packers are still waiting to get Micah Parsons back. and he's not going to practice this week, it's still a week-to-week waiting game in that regard. But we saw Devontae Wyatt have a couple of sacks, made a big impact in this game. The rookie denied Dennis Sutton on the edge. Again, didn't play a perfect game by any means, but was impactful. And you see you see the effort, the strength, the size, what he's got out there and what he brings. There's so much coming along with that young man. There's a lot to like about what the Packers are doing defensively. Now, things are going to change because Dak Prescott's coming to town, and Dak Prescott is not Jalen Daniels, and Dak Prescott is not Tyson Bajan. But this Packers defense put a pretty darn good game together, and they got something to build on.
00:10:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, as I drove home on Sunday night, one of my main takeaways in my head were the fact that they made Tyson Bajent look the way that I felt they should have made Jalen Daniels look a week earlier. Now, that being said.
00:10:56
Speaker 1: That's what I thought the Philadelphia Eagles should have been able to do to Case Keenum coming cold off the bench, and they weren't able to do that, and the Packers were. And home versus road can matter in those backup QB situations.
00:11:09
Speaker 3: Yeah. And when you look at that game against Tampa, we learned a lot too, from the fact that, you know, Daniels went into Dallas and ended up leading the Buccaneers to a victory. So you never know what you're going to truly expect. But, you know, one of the comments that I'd seen, you know, people mentioning the fact that, you know, now there's tape out there on Beijing. I mean, there's, there's been tape out there the last couple of seasons. I think the key to this thing was Green Bay didn't concede any big runs early on. And I understand that Menungai wasn't out there, but DeAndre Swift was, and Rashawn Johnson was, and the Packers defensive front, you know, I went back and looked at some of the cut-ups on it. I mean, Zaire Franklin was everywhere up front. And, you know, he was talking about that afterwards. Like, the way a defense looks at it, especially a run defense looks at it, is it is disrespectful when a team runs against you. What the Falcons were able to do against Green Bay two weeks ago, that was disrespectful, the Packers felt in a lot of ways. And And they paid for it. They lost that game by 21 points. And obviously the performance that Bajon Robinson had, that's one of the reasons why Green Bay still ranks 25th right now in run defense. To use an old Dom Capers-ism, if you take that one away, Green Bay's been a top 10 run defense this season, but you can't. You have to learn from it. And I felt like this was a really good step in the right direction. And another comment that kind of came out of locker room was the Packers, with how they were able to mix and match their disguises, the various things that Jonathan Gannon was doing, it just put so much on Tyson Bajan's plate. And it just seemed like once that first interception happened with McKinney, it was just snowballing from there. And then when they did have some drives, they did have some scores, they did have some answers, they weren't able to keep pace with Green Bay's offense. So to have a game, though, where you have five takeaways and then you end it the way they did, four consecutive to end it, this is the way you draw it up. And the fact that Green Bay now is already at seven interceptions for the season after they had seven and 17 regular season games last year. It's not, you know, and I don't want to compare one season to another, but it does, it just does show you, um, Green Bay's getting back to that takeaway streak again. And, and, you know, they come in bunches and on Sunday they certainly did. Yeah.
00:13:16
Speaker 1: And, and, um, we saw so many guys sort of get their hands on the ball, right? Because Xavier McKinney's first interception was a great play by Javon Bullard, you know, when Bajan tries to force that pass into coverage, we saw Brandon Cisse making some plays out there defensively and being around the football. And that's, and that's what it's going to take. You know, I hope that every week we're coming in here talking about different guys on defense after every game, because without Edger and Cooper, while you're still waiting for Parsons to come back, that's what it's going to take is, is different guys.
00:13:48
Speaker 2: Being able to shine in the spotlight, you know, when it matters.
00:13:52
Speaker 3: Um, Tyron Hopper too, just to throw a little line out there for him, him having that interception, you need people, both him and McDuffie stepping into Edgeron's spot, right? But at the same time, you need your stars to also up their game. Xavier McKinney did that with the two interceptions, his fourth two interception game of his career. Devontae Wyatt, as you illustrated, we've been talking about this. I even hinted at it when you and I were doing final thoughts last week. I'm like, he could be a guy. Who's your guy this week? You know, just based on where he's been trending. And they got all of it. And also now with Javon Hargrave being down, Wyatt's another guy. Carl Brooks is another guy that you're going to need even more from them.
00:14:29
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, third phase, special teams. A couple of question marks get raised in this game. Everything was fine as far as returns. But Trace Mack, unfortunately, missed three kicks, an extra point, and two field goals. The kickoff return unit allowed a long return late in the game. So Cam Acord, his bunch, they've got some things to figure out. it seemed like it was one of those tricky win days, as unseasonably warm as it was for mid-October in Green Bay. There were some wins, and the Packers have a rookie kicker. He's got to try to figure this out. Cairo Santos missed a kick for going that same direction. He missed one for the Bears. So as I said with regard to smack and insider inbox, what's not the concern is that this happened. What uh, what matters now is, is what happens from here and how he responds to it. Right. So, um, and, uh, I thought what Matt LaFleur said, um, was very telling about how this organization and how this team feels about Trey smack. There's no wavering of, of confidence just because the rookie missed a couple of kicks. They've seen him every day. They've seen how he goes about his business. Um, it sounded like he was maybe just overcompensating for the wind a little bit. And that's, that's figuring things out in Lambeau Field, which is, which is not easy. It can be a tricky place to kick. So, um, we'll see what happens with smack here moving forward.
00:15:55
Speaker 3: Yeah. The second one, which is, I guess, technically the third one, but the second missed field goal, it really just looked like, I mean, he just put, he was aiming it. He wasn't kicking. He was aiming it.
00:16:03
Speaker 2: He pushed it.
00:16:03
Speaker 3: It just looked like that. The first one, who knows, but the way I've always said this with Lambeau Field, and it goes back to conversations I had with Mason Crosby in the past, it's, You know, Lambeau Field is the same golf course that you've always played every Sunday, you know, in your neighborhood your entire life. But the way they move the pin around is constant. You just never quite know what you're going to get. It wasn't like it was, people asked, they were asking the inbox, like, was it a really blustery day?
00:16:27
Speaker 2: It wasn't.
00:16:28
Speaker 3: But inside the bowl, weird things happen. And I felt it during the pregame when I'd walk down there for a little bit. You never know what exactly that wind is going to do, what that air is going to do once it swirls inside the stadium.
00:16:38
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:16:38
Speaker 3: So the fact that this happened in a vacuum, this was the game you want your kicker to miss kicks in. They would have loved to have them, but they didn't need them, right? The goal is now, though, that when they go back to Lambeau on Sunday and Dallas Cowboys come in here and there's going to be those instances where you are going to need an extra point, you are going to need a field goal, that smack can come through for you there. But yeah, I think with what he's built and the credibility he's built up and You and I have been in those stadiums, man, in Minnesota, and we felt what it was like in Tampa. There are some major kicks that he has made with a lot of heat on his back and a lot of loud voices in the stands, and he's come through. So I think he's earned that respect, and the key now is obviously making those adjustments. He made them at the end of training camp to get onto the start that he did. and now needs to, uh, close that out.
00:17:29
Speaker 1: Lambeau can just be so odd, right? You and I sit up there in the press box and you look at the flags that are on the top of the stadium and they'll be blowing in the wind. It seems like, okay, there's breeze. And then you look down at the flags that are on the top of the goalposts and they're not moving. So it's like, well, so what's going on out there? I mean, I don't know how you figure it out. Um, it's, it's, it's a challenge. And I think, I think if there's one thing probably that I heard from Mason Crosby over the years, more than anything, it was, um, it was to trust your line. It's, it's about, you don't want to play the wind at Lambeau too much and you pick a line that, yes, you have to account for the wind a little bit, but you pick a line that's not going to, um, that where you're not counting on the wind to do something one way or another. And then you trust that line and you have to hit that line. And, and, uh, you know, Smack will get there.
00:18:22
Speaker 2: He just needs.
00:18:22
Speaker 1: To get more experience in this stadium, which he's going to get. Packers have plenty of home games coming up. We've got to pay some bills and more to talk about with regard to this game, but 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. One last thing I want to get to about this game, Wes. I want to talk about a few what I would consider unsung heroes from this game. And the one that jumps out at me the most, if we continue our discussion with regard to special teams, the.
00:19:13
Speaker 2: Tackle that Nick Neiman made.
00:19:15
Speaker 1: To save what was probably going to be a house call on the kickoff return by the Bears there late in the game. That was a heck of a play because, yes, the Packers had a big lead. They were in a comfortable position. But if the Bears suddenly get any kind of momentum like that with whatever it was, 10 minutes, 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and all the, you know, the Bears start to feel like, all right, hey, this is 2025 all over again. The Packers are ahead of us, but, you know, we got, you know, Nick Neiman's the one who stopped that in its tracks because he made that tackle, didn't let the kickoff go all the way for a touchdown. made the Bears have to take it into the end zone, and then Tyron Hopper got the interception. I just thought it was a heck of a play.
00:19:56
Speaker 2: By Neiman because when that broke through, it looked like it was going the distance.
00:20:01
Speaker 3: I just remember last year the haste, the speed with which Brian Gutekunst and the Packers executed that you know, signing of Neiman after he came free at the end of training camp. And that was just like, they jumped on that. I don't know if that was a Rich Passaccia thing. I don't know where that came from, but they, they really wanted this guy and he's been doing it for a long time. It's not like he was just some random undrafted rookie. He did it in Houston. He was with the Chargers there. And to Cam Acord, like you said, I mean, he's one of the quarterbacks of this thing. He's one of the quarterbacks of the punt coverage unit. As a personal protector, he has such an interesting body type because he's an inside linebacker, but he's a leaner guy. Almost in a lot of ways, he's like a bigger safety in a lot of ways. And it applies so well to special teams. He's a core four player. One of the reasons, I mean, the Packers have a huge, huge, huge, huge, huge hole to be able to fill here without Adrian Cooper. But if it was Isaiah McDuffie or Tyron Hopper playing more on defense, they have such depth at that position for those linebackers. It was something I was talking to Isaiah about last week. whether it's Neiman, whether it's Christian Welch, those guys that can step up and fill those gaps. A heads-up play by him. I know you got more guys, but we didn't really get to it in the last segment, but when you talk about unsung heroes, I thought this game also illustrated the importance of a Sky Moore. Sky Moore leaves with the ankle injury, and you're right, what you said. They still had some decent returns. 17-yard return from Matthew Golden was moving with the ball well, but you see the ball on the ground now a little bit more. You see those explosive plays that happened almost like on that return that Neiman stopped. special teams have been such a huge part of what the Packers have had here up front. Uh, Matt LaFleur saying short-term, you know, might, might be missing Sky Moore here a little bit long-term. There's not a huge, big concern there, but, uh, this guy in the span of a month, uh, I think has really not only infused some energy onto special teams, but you see this investment, the Packers have made Mike with the Neiman's of the world with the Moors. And this is the type of impact that you're starting to see.
00:21:56
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:21:56
Speaker 1: A couple other guys I want to shout out here quickly. Um, tight end Mark Redman. I know we talked about him last week after the Tampa game, and we've talked about how the Packers need to get the running game going better. They need to be more consistent. But it seems like every time the Packers have an impactful run, Mark Redman's involved in the blocking. I mean, this is a guy who is going to be a cornerstone in some ways for this offense because of how much Matt LaFleur likes to go with the two tight ends and the three tight ends and so many different things that they build off of that. I've been really impressed with Redman. And the other one, it's actually a name that you did mention earlier in the show, Carl Brooks on that defensive line. This was the number one rushing offense in the NFL coming into Lambeau Field. And yes, they didn't have Kyle Menungai, but they still had DeAndre Swift. And quite frankly, the only reason Menungai had as many yards as he had is because Swift was kind of hurt, and they had pushed him a little bit to the side because of some fumbling, right? But Swift is a very dangerous runner, and I thought Carl Brooks was right in the middle of a lot of stuff in terms of containing this running game of the Bears, and I didn't even look at what his stat sheet was, but he seems like a guy who was in the mix, and Nobody's talking about him, but he's a big part of what they're doing.
00:23:25
Speaker 3: This guy came in and he got noticed right away because he had some sacks and he was a massive edge rusher in the MAC that has converted to a defensive tackle in Green Bay. Just watching him round out his game, he's got that Dean Lowry effect to him. These guys aren't going to be the people that everyone runs to after a game to discuss the win or the loss, but they have such a huge impact. on the construct of a defensive front and defending the run and being able to contribute and pressure a quarterback. And, you know, Packers have been in such a transitionary phase right now since Kenny Clark was traded. You know, when you look at the guys they've signed, the guys that they've traded in Colby Wooden, and then you have, like, the Staples. And Carl Brooks is a guy who's been here for a long time now, along with Devontae White. This is their room now, and more is even going to be asked of him now with a Hargrave. More is going to be asked of a Chris McClellan, who's been gradually getting more and more snaps. More will be asked from Anthony Campbell, who's been down the past couple weeks with an ankle injury, but Matt LaFleur said he's getting close to being back. Jordan Riley could be back in the fold here shortly after he had his own Achilles injury at the end of last season. For a position that we talked about being as deep as it was and them keeping seven defensive linemen off the snaps, You hear through one month and change of a season, you see how quickly that that depth can get eroded by the amount of injuries that can happen in a defensive front.
00:24:47
Speaker 1: Yeah, and hopefully the Packers can continue to withstand and adjust as necessary. Taking a look at the NFC North.
00:24:56
Speaker 2: Don't look now.
00:24:57
Speaker 1: Everybody in the NFC North is above 500 through five.
00:25:00
Speaker 2: Weeks of the season.
00:25:01
Speaker 1: The Minnesota Vikings sitting on top at 5-0 by virtue of their victories over the Packers and the Bears. And then you have the Packers, the Bears, and the Lions all at 3-2. The only other division in football with all teams above 500 is the AFC North. So the two North divisions, everybody above. And hey, I mean, hats off to the Vikings. They're off to a great start at 5-0. They've got the two division wins in their pocket. Everybody's looking up at them right now. But man, as far as I'm concerned, this division's wide open.
00:25:34
Speaker 3: It's wide open and it's as competitive as we all thought it was going to be at the beginning of the season. I, two things that really stood out to me about the win for the Vikings and that one, and I don't think I'm allowed to say the word, so I'll have to make an adjustment to it. I don't know if this will get us banned, but the, the Vikings had Tyler Shuck in heck, uh, on, on Sunday.
00:25:52
Speaker 2: Uh, And with, yeah, speaking of making someone's life miserable, that was, yeah.
00:25:57
Speaker 3: And this, the saints just can't run the football. So like, this has been just, it's been tough for new Orleans, but conversely. I think the only thing that Aaron Jones needed to stay healthy was, hey, you are our last resort. You have to be the running back on every single down. There will be no platooning. We're not going to arrest you. You're getting 20 carries, 25 touches a game in the 31, 32-year-old running back. He's like, yeah, cool, let's do it. When you talk about getting Kyler Murray up to speed on things and getting him comfortable, I think old number 33's had a big to-do about that.
00:26:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, and he would have had An absolutely dominant game, if not for a fumble that he had near the goal line. And another turnover, not related to Aaron Jones, but another turnover by Minnesota in the red zone when they were going to score. That got run all the way back for a touchdown. It was the only reason that game with the Saints was even close. Otherwise, that was a complete beatdown in terms of what Minnesota's defense did to New Orleans. Looking elsewhere around the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers, also 5-0, along with the Minnesota Vikings. Here's the interesting thing though, Wes. I mean, and this is, it's like, this is how this league goes, right? Where you just never know.
00:27:07
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:27:08
Speaker 1: The Seattle Seahawks are three and two. The Philadelphia Eagles are two and three. The Los Angeles Rams are two and three after losing an overtime home game to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night football. Teams that, you know, were, would be all pegged as, you know, playoff contenders and all this. And I'm not saying that, that they're not, but, but here we are. You know, five games into the season in the NFC, you have these two teams that are up there at 5-0, and everybody else is in this 3-2, 2-3, like, muddled mix. And, I mean, this whole playoff chase is just getting started.
00:27:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'll tell you this right now. if I'm a receiver on the San Francisco 49ers roster and they're like, all right, you're in the next man up. I think I'd probably just say I'm good at this point. I mean, my gosh, man, it's like, okay, they, they transition. I mean, they're on what now number five or six at this point now a Debo going down with the hamstring. So, um, but yet they persevere, they endure, they keep going.
00:28:06
Speaker 1: Yeah. The injuries, the injuries that they're dealing with and to be five and oh, and with the teams that they have beaten to get to five and oh, uh, you can't help but but tip your cap to Kyle Shanahan and company. What they're doing out there in Santa Clara is impressive.
00:28:20
Speaker 3: Yeah, and then you've got the Rams. They're kind of like the Alex Bejeda of the NFL right now. It's like, okay, they're 2-3, but they're just facing just one bulldog after another. And then Josh Allen obviously gets his first win in overtime, a thrilling football game all the way down.
00:28:35
Speaker 1: I had no idea until I saw that stat come up on the screen that Josh Allen had never won an overtime. I mean, I knew he had lost his share of overtime games, I didn't realize he had never actually won an overtime game regular season or playoffs. And it takes a blocked field goal, or he would have fallen to 0-8 if Mavis' field.
00:28:54
Speaker 3: Goal wasn't blocked by Russo.
00:28:55
Speaker 2: It's crazy for an 8th, 9th-year quarterback. Yeah.
00:28:58
Speaker 3: Oh, and then, by the way, the New England Patriots and Drake May are fine, too. Just like everybody predicted. You can't predict anything in this league, man, ever.
00:29:06
Speaker 2: No. Ever.
00:29:07
Speaker 3: Nope.
00:29:08
Speaker 1: It is an unpredictable sport and an unpredictable league. And, yeah, I mean, here we are, five games in. I guess now probably, like, the bye weeks get started, so, like, not everybody's going to be.
00:29:19
Speaker 3: Bye weeks got started last week. Oh, were their teams on bye last week? Yeah, can you believe that? Wow. 18-week season, Carolina and Kansas City were on bye. Okay. Yeah. All right.
00:29:29
Speaker 1: Oh yeah. I guess that would be, that would be why Kansas city didn't get to five and O cause they didn't play. Right.
00:29:34
Speaker 2: Cause they're undefeated at four and O.
00:29:35
Speaker 3: They got, they got to play four. I mean, I think the Packers, did they do this last year or two years ago? No, it was last year. Packers played the first four and then had a bye. Because, you know, 18-game season, we should just have.
00:29:45
Speaker 2: A bye on the 10th of October is what everybody needs.
00:29:49
Speaker 3: When you look at Carolina's roster right now, it's like, you know what we need? A bye, brother.
00:29:55
Speaker 1: All right. Well, the Dallas Cowboys are coming in. Sunday night football at Lambeau Field. This coming weekend, we'll have all kinds of stuff to talk about regarding the Cowboys on our next show. But for now, we're going to call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team, photos, videos, articles, all kinds of crazy stuff on Packers.com.
00:30:20
Speaker 2: For Wes, I'm 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 Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from the Pottawatomie Sportsbook studio inside the walls of Lambeau Field to review, Wes, a 31-7 Green Bay Packers victory at Lambeau Field over the arch-rival Chicago.
00:00:25
Speaker 2: Bears on Sunday.
00:00:27
Speaker 1: And to me, the formula to win this game turned out to be explosive plays and takeaways. And that's a pretty good way to beat up on a division rival.
00:00:35
Speaker 3: It sure is, Michael. And the way that they started this thing, when you look at the first quarter specifically, right, the Packers came out right off the bat. Some creative plays, some schemes that Matt LaFleur had drawn up. You start with the flea flicker that goes into a tight end screen to Tucker Kraft. 13-plus yards, the Packers are cooking right off the bat, right? They finish that series, big explosive touchdowns. Christian Watson, four quarters, brought it from start to finish. Jordan Love was finding it, seeing it downfield. 120-plus play offensively after another, it felt like. But to me, and it's what I focus the game notes on afterwards, it was really the interception from Xavier McKinney that started this whole thing because that's where Tyson Bajent and the Bears offense realized this is going to be a different type of football game. They're not going to be able to have the success that they had the past two weeks with backup quarterbacks. with Caleb Williams being down, that flag was put in the ground quickly at Lambeau Field on Sunday. And I felt ultimately, it wasn't always clean. Second quarter was a little rough at times, but the Packers never let momentum get out of their side of the field. And that was really what it took to wear down the Bears over those four quarters. Yeah.
00:01:43
Speaker 1: And we'll go through each of the three phases here. And when you look at offensively here for Green Bay, I mean, What is cooking right now with Christian Watson and Matthew Golden as a one-two combination at wide receiver is really something. They are the league-leading duo in terms of combined yardage. Watson had 143 yards. Golden had 123. Watson with the two long touchdowns in there. It was the first time in five years the Packers had multiple 100-yard receivers in the same game.
00:02:15
Speaker 2: It was a 31-point game.
00:02:18
Speaker 1: Game against the Minnesota Vikings with Marquez Valdez-Scantling and Devontae Adams back in 2021, both getting over 100 yards. And yeah, it stinks that Jaden Reed isn't a part of this mix. We're seeing Tucker Craft, you know, game by game getting back to looking like the Tucker Craft of old. But this passing game now, it's all about number nine and number zero. And these guys, these guys are there for Jordan Love whenever he needs them.
00:02:44
Speaker 3: Well, so Tom Fanning, our wonderful assistant director of communications, was emailing back and forth with him yesterday, and he proofed this with True Media. I think it's going to be in the dope sheet on Tuesday. The total combined receiving yards that Christian Watson and Matthew Golden have through the first five games, it is the second most since 1970, since the merger for a pair of Packers receivers, trailing only James Lofton and John Jefferson in 1982, I believe it was. I have to go back and actually check my email. Uh, but I want to say it's there at like, what is it like 791 yards or something like that?
00:03:18
Speaker 2: I'm going to guess it was 83.
00:03:20
Speaker 3: 83 was what it probably was. Yeah. Cause it was like 43 years. So, um, man, in what was impressive about this game and we were talking with Tucker Kraft about it afterwards, it was one of the things that I asked him, um, when you look at not only what they've done, but the direction of where this thing is going with those being the one, two punch right now at receiver in terms of the perimeter weapons, uh, Matthew Golden plays so much bigger than he is. In addition to just having that lightning quick speed and separation ability, I mean, Jalen Johnson was having just nightmares trying to keep up with him on the field. But then you have a guy like Christian Watson, who is a big receiver, who is so much faster than a guy should be for six foot four, 208 pounds. So it makes defenses make a decision. I don't think it's a coincidence at all that Tucker Kraft did his best game so far. Some things opened up for Tucker underneath. But here's what I like the most. the Packers finally took advantage of a defense. They manipulated a defense for the first time. Jordan Love was able to really go to work, play the chess game, right? Early on, they're going to have guys hanging back in two shell. Packers were able to get four or five yards on first down out of that on the ground game. Bears start creeping up to the line of scrimmage. They packed the line of scrimmage a little bit more, stacked the box, and then the explosive plays opened up for the offense.
00:04:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely.
00:04:35
Speaker 1: The Bears decided, at least what I saw, is the Bears decided to go single high and they said, okay, we're going to play single high safety. We're going to crowd the line of scrimmage and we're going to count on our pass rush to get to Jordan Love and to disrupt this passing game. Well, Packers pass protection is in a better spot now than it was a few weeks ago. And it showed because Jordan Love was able to, you talk about manipulate, he was manipulating the pocket. buying the time that he needed for the routes to develop downfield. And as you said off the top, I mean, it felt like it was a 20-plus yard play like every.
00:05:13
Speaker 2: Other snap out there.
00:05:16
Speaker 1: This is going to be interesting because the Packers still need to run the ball better. Matt LaFleur has said that. It's obvious when you look at it. The running game still has too many zero-yard rushes, negative plays, the things, you know, you just want to be able to get three or four yards, you know, even when a run play isn't great, right? but the Packers aren't able to do that consistently enough. So the run game does need to get better. But now, to your other point, defenses have to make a choice. Because if you're going to sit back to try to take away the big play, that might be what gets Green Bay's run game going. We've seen so much improvement with this offensive line over the last couple weeks, with Lakin Tomlinson taking over at left guard, Travis Glover taking over at right guard. And I would add Anthony Belton really settling in at right tackle and looking like he owns that spot now. And that is his spot with Zach Bacaboele out for the rest of the season. And we'll see what happens with Kevin Zeitler at right guard and what the coaches decide to do there when he's ready to go. But this offensive line has made strides. The pass protection has shored up considerably. So now the next step is get the running game going. then you're really going to have defenses on their heels.
00:06:29
Speaker 3: Yeah, I have so much respect for Lakin Tomlinson coming in here in two weeks and then having to start and play every single snap for Green Bay, both victories. Just shows you sometimes when you have that experience what that can do. It's not just about Lakin. It's not just about left guard either. I think you can see the comfort that a Jordan Morgan has as he's been settling into his position. But to get back to your bigger point there, I've really liked what I've seen from Anthony Belton. Now, I don't break down film like all these guys on Twitter and everything. I'm not all these breakdowns. But the confidence is such a big thing in this game, Mike. And so often last year, and I can see why Green Bay was sliding him back to tackle. Because so often last year, I mean, this is a big kid. From a pure statistical measurable standpoint, this is the biggest offensive lineman the Packers have pretty much ever drafted. Yeah. Right? And it seemed like last year he was a right tackle that was learning how to be a starting right guard in this league. And now it's like, oh, wait, I'm back at home now. It's not perfect. Still plenty to clean up. Still same thing with Jordan Morgan on the left side. But the fact that this was the first game where Green Bay finally had a starting five that was the same from one week to the next, I think you could see that have an impact on how things were going. And To your other point, the Packers absolutely need to run the ball better, but when they needed to get it in the red zone, they got it. Marshawn Lloyd, two red zone scores, and lowered the boom on Jalen Johnson, too, on one of them.
00:07:55
Speaker 1: That's my favorite Marshawn Lloyd run of his young career so far.
00:07:59
Speaker 2: That was outstanding.
00:08:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, and when you break it down... yeah, they weren't running the ball well three weeks ago, but they weren't protecting well for Jordan Love either. So for the first time, it feels like Green Bay has something to hang its hat on. I'm not saying it's perfect. It definitely needs to improve if Green Bay is going to achieve some of its larger goals this season. But the steps are there, and you can kind of feel the momentum building here for the Packers offense after a game like this. You can say whatever you want, and we'll talk about it in a second, what the Packers defense did and the pieces that Chicago was missing on offense. But that was a game defense game. That was one of the better ones in the National Football League statistically through the first month of the season. And Jordan Love and company made them look silly.
00:08:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, they carved them up. No doubt about it.
00:08:39
Speaker 1: Well, on the defensive side for Green Bay, the bad news on the day. Second straight week, a key player on defense goes down with a season-ending Achilles injury. Javon Hargrave, unfortunately, will not be playing for the rest of the year. That was tough to see. Happened with like two minutes left in the game. Got carded off the field. You know, If anybody watched Matt LaFleur's post-game press conference, put a damper on the whole thing. He was just sick for Hargrave when he heard.
00:09:07
Speaker 2: What the news was.
00:09:09
Speaker 1: But with regard to the takeaways, I mean, first time the Packers have had five takeaways defensively in a game in a decade. You have to go back to 2016, that Russell Wilson five interception game at Lambeau Field. That was part of the run the table, the early stages of run the table that year. Xavier McKinney got the one early. He got another one later. We've seen this tag team, so to speak, of Isaiah McDuffie, Tyron Hopper filling in for Edgerin Cooper, and Tyron Hopper gets the fourth down interception at the goal line after the Bears had switched from Bajent to Case Keenum. Ben Johnson trying to figure out, quite frankly, who's his quarterback going to be next week if Caleb Williams isn't back yet, because Bajent was not up to it at all. The Packers made his life really, really difficult. And as far as up front, while the Packers are still waiting to get Micah Parsons back. and he's not going to practice this week, it's still a week-to-week waiting game in that regard. But we saw Devontae Wyatt have a couple of sacks, made a big impact in this game. The rookie denied Dennis Sutton on the edge. Again, didn't play a perfect game by any means, but was impactful. And you see you see the effort, the strength, the size, what he's got out there and what he brings. There's so much coming along with that young man. There's a lot to like about what the Packers are doing defensively. Now, things are going to change because Dak Prescott's coming to town, and Dak Prescott is not Jalen Daniels, and Dak Prescott is not Tyson Bajan. But this Packers defense put a pretty darn good game together, and they got something to build on.
00:10:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, as I drove home on Sunday night, one of my main takeaways in my head were the fact that they made Tyson Bajent look the way that I felt they should have made Jalen Daniels look a week earlier. Now, that being said.
00:10:56
Speaker 1: That's what I thought the Philadelphia Eagles should have been able to do to Case Keenum coming cold off the bench, and they weren't able to do that, and the Packers were. And home versus road can matter in those backup QB situations.
00:11:09
Speaker 3: Yeah. And when you look at that game against Tampa, we learned a lot too, from the fact that, you know, Daniels went into Dallas and ended up leading the Buccaneers to a victory. So you never know what you're going to truly expect. But, you know, one of the comments that I'd seen, you know, people mentioning the fact that, you know, now there's tape out there on Beijing. I mean, there's, there's been tape out there the last couple of seasons. I think the key to this thing was Green Bay didn't concede any big runs early on. And I understand that Menungai wasn't out there, but DeAndre Swift was, and Rashawn Johnson was, and the Packers defensive front, you know, I went back and looked at some of the cut-ups on it. I mean, Zaire Franklin was everywhere up front. And, you know, he was talking about that afterwards. Like, the way a defense looks at it, especially a run defense looks at it, is it is disrespectful when a team runs against you. What the Falcons were able to do against Green Bay two weeks ago, that was disrespectful, the Packers felt in a lot of ways. And And they paid for it. They lost that game by 21 points. And obviously the performance that Bajon Robinson had, that's one of the reasons why Green Bay still ranks 25th right now in run defense. To use an old Dom Capers-ism, if you take that one away, Green Bay's been a top 10 run defense this season, but you can't. You have to learn from it. And I felt like this was a really good step in the right direction. And another comment that kind of came out of locker room was the Packers, with how they were able to mix and match their disguises, the various things that Jonathan Gannon was doing, it just put so much on Tyson Bajan's plate. And it just seemed like once that first interception happened with McKinney, it was just snowballing from there. And then when they did have some drives, they did have some scores, they did have some answers, they weren't able to keep pace with Green Bay's offense. So to have a game, though, where you have five takeaways and then you end it the way they did, four consecutive to end it, this is the way you draw it up. And the fact that Green Bay now is already at seven interceptions for the season after they had seven and 17 regular season games last year. It's not, you know, and I don't want to compare one season to another, but it does, it just does show you, um, Green Bay's getting back to that takeaway streak again. And, and, you know, they come in bunches and on Sunday they certainly did. Yeah.
00:13:16
Speaker 1: And, and, um, we saw so many guys sort of get their hands on the ball, right? Because Xavier McKinney's first interception was a great play by Javon Bullard, you know, when Bajan tries to force that pass into coverage, we saw Brandon Cisse making some plays out there defensively and being around the football. And that's, and that's what it's going to take. You know, I hope that every week we're coming in here talking about different guys on defense after every game, because without Edger and Cooper, while you're still waiting for Parsons to come back, that's what it's going to take is, is different guys.
00:13:48
Speaker 2: Being able to shine in the spotlight, you know, when it matters.
00:13:52
Speaker 3: Um, Tyron Hopper too, just to throw a little line out there for him, him having that interception, you need people, both him and McDuffie stepping into Edgeron's spot, right? But at the same time, you need your stars to also up their game. Xavier McKinney did that with the two interceptions, his fourth two interception game of his career. Devontae Wyatt, as you illustrated, we've been talking about this. I even hinted at it when you and I were doing final thoughts last week. I'm like, he could be a guy. Who's your guy this week? You know, just based on where he's been trending. And they got all of it. And also now with Javon Hargrave being down, Wyatt's another guy. Carl Brooks is another guy that you're going to need even more from them.
00:14:29
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, third phase, special teams. A couple of question marks get raised in this game. Everything was fine as far as returns. But Trace Mack, unfortunately, missed three kicks, an extra point, and two field goals. The kickoff return unit allowed a long return late in the game. So Cam Acord, his bunch, they've got some things to figure out. it seemed like it was one of those tricky win days, as unseasonably warm as it was for mid-October in Green Bay. There were some wins, and the Packers have a rookie kicker. He's got to try to figure this out. Cairo Santos missed a kick for going that same direction. He missed one for the Bears. So as I said with regard to smack and insider inbox, what's not the concern is that this happened. What uh, what matters now is, is what happens from here and how he responds to it. Right. So, um, and, uh, I thought what Matt LaFleur said, um, was very telling about how this organization and how this team feels about Trey smack. There's no wavering of, of confidence just because the rookie missed a couple of kicks. They've seen him every day. They've seen how he goes about his business. Um, it sounded like he was maybe just overcompensating for the wind a little bit. And that's, that's figuring things out in Lambeau Field, which is, which is not easy. It can be a tricky place to kick. So, um, we'll see what happens with smack here moving forward.
00:15:55
Speaker 3: Yeah. The second one, which is, I guess, technically the third one, but the second missed field goal, it really just looked like, I mean, he just put, he was aiming it. He wasn't kicking. He was aiming it.
00:16:03
Speaker 2: He pushed it.
00:16:03
Speaker 3: It just looked like that. The first one, who knows, but the way I've always said this with Lambeau Field, and it goes back to conversations I had with Mason Crosby in the past, it's, You know, Lambeau Field is the same golf course that you've always played every Sunday, you know, in your neighborhood your entire life. But the way they move the pin around is constant. You just never quite know what you're going to get. It wasn't like it was, people asked, they were asking the inbox, like, was it a really blustery day?
00:16:27
Speaker 2: It wasn't.
00:16:28
Speaker 3: But inside the bowl, weird things happen. And I felt it during the pregame when I'd walk down there for a little bit. You never know what exactly that wind is going to do, what that air is going to do once it swirls inside the stadium.
00:16:38
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:16:38
Speaker 3: So the fact that this happened in a vacuum, this was the game you want your kicker to miss kicks in. They would have loved to have them, but they didn't need them, right? The goal is now, though, that when they go back to Lambeau on Sunday and Dallas Cowboys come in here and there's going to be those instances where you are going to need an extra point, you are going to need a field goal, that smack can come through for you there. But yeah, I think with what he's built and the credibility he's built up and You and I have been in those stadiums, man, in Minnesota, and we felt what it was like in Tampa. There are some major kicks that he has made with a lot of heat on his back and a lot of loud voices in the stands, and he's come through. So I think he's earned that respect, and the key now is obviously making those adjustments. He made them at the end of training camp to get onto the start that he did. and now needs to, uh, close that out.
00:17:29
Speaker 1: Lambeau can just be so odd, right? You and I sit up there in the press box and you look at the flags that are on the top of the stadium and they'll be blowing in the wind. It seems like, okay, there's breeze. And then you look down at the flags that are on the top of the goalposts and they're not moving. So it's like, well, so what's going on out there? I mean, I don't know how you figure it out. Um, it's, it's, it's a challenge. And I think, I think if there's one thing probably that I heard from Mason Crosby over the years, more than anything, it was, um, it was to trust your line. It's, it's about, you don't want to play the wind at Lambeau too much and you pick a line that, yes, you have to account for the wind a little bit, but you pick a line that's not going to, um, that where you're not counting on the wind to do something one way or another. And then you trust that line and you have to hit that line. And, and, uh, you know, Smack will get there.
00:18:22
Speaker 2: He just needs.
00:18:22
Speaker 1: To get more experience in this stadium, which he's going to get. Packers have plenty of home games coming up. We've got to pay some bills and more to talk about with regard to this game, but 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. One last thing I want to get to about this game, Wes. I want to talk about a few what I would consider unsung heroes from this game. And the one that jumps out at me the most, if we continue our discussion with regard to special teams, the.
00:19:13
Speaker 2: Tackle that Nick Neiman made.
00:19:15
Speaker 1: To save what was probably going to be a house call on the kickoff return by the Bears there late in the game. That was a heck of a play because, yes, the Packers had a big lead. They were in a comfortable position. But if the Bears suddenly get any kind of momentum like that with whatever it was, 10 minutes, 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and all the, you know, the Bears start to feel like, all right, hey, this is 2025 all over again. The Packers are ahead of us, but, you know, we got, you know, Nick Neiman's the one who stopped that in its tracks because he made that tackle, didn't let the kickoff go all the way for a touchdown. made the Bears have to take it into the end zone, and then Tyron Hopper got the interception. I just thought it was a heck of a play.
00:19:56
Speaker 2: By Neiman because when that broke through, it looked like it was going the distance.
00:20:01
Speaker 3: I just remember last year the haste, the speed with which Brian Gutekunst and the Packers executed that you know, signing of Neiman after he came free at the end of training camp. And that was just like, they jumped on that. I don't know if that was a Rich Passaccia thing. I don't know where that came from, but they, they really wanted this guy and he's been doing it for a long time. It's not like he was just some random undrafted rookie. He did it in Houston. He was with the Chargers there. And to Cam Acord, like you said, I mean, he's one of the quarterbacks of this thing. He's one of the quarterbacks of the punt coverage unit. As a personal protector, he has such an interesting body type because he's an inside linebacker, but he's a leaner guy. Almost in a lot of ways, he's like a bigger safety in a lot of ways. And it applies so well to special teams. He's a core four player. One of the reasons, I mean, the Packers have a huge, huge, huge, huge, huge hole to be able to fill here without Adrian Cooper. But if it was Isaiah McDuffie or Tyron Hopper playing more on defense, they have such depth at that position for those linebackers. It was something I was talking to Isaiah about last week. whether it's Neiman, whether it's Christian Welch, those guys that can step up and fill those gaps. A heads-up play by him. I know you got more guys, but we didn't really get to it in the last segment, but when you talk about unsung heroes, I thought this game also illustrated the importance of a Sky Moore. Sky Moore leaves with the ankle injury, and you're right, what you said. They still had some decent returns. 17-yard return from Matthew Golden was moving with the ball well, but you see the ball on the ground now a little bit more. You see those explosive plays that happened almost like on that return that Neiman stopped. special teams have been such a huge part of what the Packers have had here up front. Uh, Matt LaFleur saying short-term, you know, might, might be missing Sky Moore here a little bit long-term. There's not a huge, big concern there, but, uh, this guy in the span of a month, uh, I think has really not only infused some energy onto special teams, but you see this investment, the Packers have made Mike with the Neiman's of the world with the Moors. And this is the type of impact that you're starting to see.
00:21:56
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:21:56
Speaker 1: A couple other guys I want to shout out here quickly. Um, tight end Mark Redman. I know we talked about him last week after the Tampa game, and we've talked about how the Packers need to get the running game going better. They need to be more consistent. But it seems like every time the Packers have an impactful run, Mark Redman's involved in the blocking. I mean, this is a guy who is going to be a cornerstone in some ways for this offense because of how much Matt LaFleur likes to go with the two tight ends and the three tight ends and so many different things that they build off of that. I've been really impressed with Redman. And the other one, it's actually a name that you did mention earlier in the show, Carl Brooks on that defensive line. This was the number one rushing offense in the NFL coming into Lambeau Field. And yes, they didn't have Kyle Menungai, but they still had DeAndre Swift. And quite frankly, the only reason Menungai had as many yards as he had is because Swift was kind of hurt, and they had pushed him a little bit to the side because of some fumbling, right? But Swift is a very dangerous runner, and I thought Carl Brooks was right in the middle of a lot of stuff in terms of containing this running game of the Bears, and I didn't even look at what his stat sheet was, but he seems like a guy who was in the mix, and Nobody's talking about him, but he's a big part of what they're doing.
00:23:25
Speaker 3: This guy came in and he got noticed right away because he had some sacks and he was a massive edge rusher in the MAC that has converted to a defensive tackle in Green Bay. Just watching him round out his game, he's got that Dean Lowry effect to him. These guys aren't going to be the people that everyone runs to after a game to discuss the win or the loss, but they have such a huge impact. on the construct of a defensive front and defending the run and being able to contribute and pressure a quarterback. And, you know, Packers have been in such a transitionary phase right now since Kenny Clark was traded. You know, when you look at the guys they've signed, the guys that they've traded in Colby Wooden, and then you have, like, the Staples. And Carl Brooks is a guy who's been here for a long time now, along with Devontae White. This is their room now, and more is even going to be asked of him now with a Hargrave. More is going to be asked of a Chris McClellan, who's been gradually getting more and more snaps. More will be asked from Anthony Campbell, who's been down the past couple weeks with an ankle injury, but Matt LaFleur said he's getting close to being back. Jordan Riley could be back in the fold here shortly after he had his own Achilles injury at the end of last season. For a position that we talked about being as deep as it was and them keeping seven defensive linemen off the snaps, You hear through one month and change of a season, you see how quickly that that depth can get eroded by the amount of injuries that can happen in a defensive front.
00:24:47
Speaker 1: Yeah, and hopefully the Packers can continue to withstand and adjust as necessary. Taking a look at the NFC North.
00:24:56
Speaker 2: Don't look now.
00:24:57
Speaker 1: Everybody in the NFC North is above 500 through five.
00:25:00
Speaker 2: Weeks of the season.
00:25:01
Speaker 1: The Minnesota Vikings sitting on top at 5-0 by virtue of their victories over the Packers and the Bears. And then you have the Packers, the Bears, and the Lions all at 3-2. The only other division in football with all teams above 500 is the AFC North. So the two North divisions, everybody above. And hey, I mean, hats off to the Vikings. They're off to a great start at 5-0. They've got the two division wins in their pocket. Everybody's looking up at them right now. But man, as far as I'm concerned, this division's wide open.
00:25:34
Speaker 3: It's wide open and it's as competitive as we all thought it was going to be at the beginning of the season. I, two things that really stood out to me about the win for the Vikings and that one, and I don't think I'm allowed to say the word, so I'll have to make an adjustment to it. I don't know if this will get us banned, but the, the Vikings had Tyler Shuck in heck, uh, on, on Sunday.
00:25:52
Speaker 2: Uh, And with, yeah, speaking of making someone's life miserable, that was, yeah.
00:25:57
Speaker 3: And this, the saints just can't run the football. So like, this has been just, it's been tough for new Orleans, but conversely. I think the only thing that Aaron Jones needed to stay healthy was, hey, you are our last resort. You have to be the running back on every single down. There will be no platooning. We're not going to arrest you. You're getting 20 carries, 25 touches a game in the 31, 32-year-old running back. He's like, yeah, cool, let's do it. When you talk about getting Kyler Murray up to speed on things and getting him comfortable, I think old number 33's had a big to-do about that.
00:26:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, and he would have had An absolutely dominant game, if not for a fumble that he had near the goal line. And another turnover, not related to Aaron Jones, but another turnover by Minnesota in the red zone when they were going to score. That got run all the way back for a touchdown. It was the only reason that game with the Saints was even close. Otherwise, that was a complete beatdown in terms of what Minnesota's defense did to New Orleans. Looking elsewhere around the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers, also 5-0, along with the Minnesota Vikings. Here's the interesting thing though, Wes. I mean, and this is, it's like, this is how this league goes, right? Where you just never know.
00:27:07
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:27:08
Speaker 1: The Seattle Seahawks are three and two. The Philadelphia Eagles are two and three. The Los Angeles Rams are two and three after losing an overtime home game to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night football. Teams that, you know, were, would be all pegged as, you know, playoff contenders and all this. And I'm not saying that, that they're not, but, but here we are. You know, five games into the season in the NFC, you have these two teams that are up there at 5-0, and everybody else is in this 3-2, 2-3, like, muddled mix. And, I mean, this whole playoff chase is just getting started.
00:27:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'll tell you this right now. if I'm a receiver on the San Francisco 49ers roster and they're like, all right, you're in the next man up. I think I'd probably just say I'm good at this point. I mean, my gosh, man, it's like, okay, they, they transition. I mean, they're on what now number five or six at this point now a Debo going down with the hamstring. So, um, but yet they persevere, they endure, they keep going.
00:28:06
Speaker 1: Yeah. The injuries, the injuries that they're dealing with and to be five and oh, and with the teams that they have beaten to get to five and oh, uh, you can't help but but tip your cap to Kyle Shanahan and company. What they're doing out there in Santa Clara is impressive.
00:28:20
Speaker 3: Yeah, and then you've got the Rams. They're kind of like the Alex Bejeda of the NFL right now. It's like, okay, they're 2-3, but they're just facing just one bulldog after another. And then Josh Allen obviously gets his first win in overtime, a thrilling football game all the way down.
00:28:35
Speaker 1: I had no idea until I saw that stat come up on the screen that Josh Allen had never won an overtime. I mean, I knew he had lost his share of overtime games, I didn't realize he had never actually won an overtime game regular season or playoffs. And it takes a blocked field goal, or he would have fallen to 0-8 if Mavis' field.
00:28:54
Speaker 3: Goal wasn't blocked by Russo.
00:28:55
Speaker 2: It's crazy for an 8th, 9th-year quarterback. Yeah.
00:28:58
Speaker 3: Oh, and then, by the way, the New England Patriots and Drake May are fine, too. Just like everybody predicted. You can't predict anything in this league, man, ever.
00:29:06
Speaker 2: No. Ever.
00:29:07
Speaker 3: Nope.
00:29:08
Speaker 1: It is an unpredictable sport and an unpredictable league. And, yeah, I mean, here we are, five games in. I guess now probably, like, the bye weeks get started, so, like, not everybody's going to be.
00:29:19
Speaker 3: Bye weeks got started last week. Oh, were their teams on bye last week? Yeah, can you believe that? Wow. 18-week season, Carolina and Kansas City were on bye. Okay. Yeah. All right.
00:29:29
Speaker 1: Oh yeah. I guess that would be, that would be why Kansas city didn't get to five and O cause they didn't play. Right.
00:29:34
Speaker 2: Cause they're undefeated at four and O.
00:29:35
Speaker 3: They got, they got to play four. I mean, I think the Packers, did they do this last year or two years ago? No, it was last year. Packers played the first four and then had a bye. Because, you know, 18-game season, we should just have.
00:29:45
Speaker 2: A bye on the 10th of October is what everybody needs.
00:29:49
Speaker 3: When you look at Carolina's roster right now, it's like, you know what we need? A bye, brother.
00:29:55
Speaker 1: All right. Well, the Dallas Cowboys are coming in. Sunday night football at Lambeau Field. This coming weekend, we'll have all kinds of stuff to talk about regarding the Cowboys on our next show. But for now, we're going to call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team, photos, videos, articles, all kinds of crazy stuff on Packers.com.
00:30:20
Speaker 2: For Wes, I'm Mike. Thank you for tuning in, everybody. We will see you next time.
