#319 Packers Unscripted: Epic opener

did on Sunday Night, twenty to nothing. Comes back from a knee injury in the second half, three going into the fourth quarter, and he wills the Packers to triumph over the Bears to open the Packers hundredth season in front of a crazed crowd at lambeau Field. Pretty unforgettable night. Well, here's what's funny, Mike. Between the two of us, we probably have a full night's sleep together, maybe maybe eight hours.

Uh All last night when I was laying in bed, and this morning when I was driving into work, I knew we were doing unscripted. It was our first assignment of the morning, and I sat here trying to think of how in the heck am I going to find the words to describe exactly what happened in the last thirty minutes of that football game, as far as thirty

minutes on the clock. Um, Aaron Rodgers has done so much throughout the course of his career, and you don't want to speak in hyperbole because he defies hyperbole with what he accomplishes on a weekend and week out basis. But this was one of those finest hour kind of moments for him. For the Packers to be in the position they were seventeen to nothing a halftime, twenty to nothing when he re enters the game, and for Rogers too, I mean, there was no room for error, There was

no room for a ball outside of the zone. And you know, four pitch walk. He had to be cerebral and he had to be efficient right from the beginning. And I thought Brian Bulaga made a really good point in locker room that first drive when he was on the field, it didn't matter if it was a field goal, didn't matter if it was a touchdown. The Packers need to score points. They did that with a Mason Crosby field goal. And after that, you could just see the

wheels turning. You could see the momentum building and in the end, another incredible, remarkable figure out what word you want to put with it, Mike, but of monumental performance by Aaron Rodgers and this opener. Yeah, he said after the game he's going to have some more tests on the knee. Injured the left knee when he was sacked in the second quarter. Carter to the locker room. Everybody in Packer Land wondering has the whole season gone up in smoke already? You know, you you fear the worst,

you hope for the best. And uh, you know he jogged out of that tunnel after halftime, and you're like, okay. You know, in my mind, I was saying, Okay, no matter what happens tonight, at least it looks like he's okay. So so that was a good sign. And then um, and then for him to put on the performance he did in the second half. A perfect passerrating is one point three, right if you take his second half passing numbers.

Before that final play with two seconds left where he just threw it out of bounds to kill the last couple of seconds, he was five tenths of a point from a perfect passer rating in the second half. The the efficiency, the explosiveness of the offense with the yards after the catch, the things that were happening, the throw to Geronimo Allison for the first touchdown, which was really when it felt that a comeback was possible. I mean, you get that game to twenty to ten, was still

plenty of time left in the fourth quarter. Packers defense was playing pretty well at that stage of the game. You knew it was possible. That was really the jaw dropping throw of of the moment or of the game, but the rest of the performance to do what he did on one leg, he couldn't move out of the pocket, he had to throw on time. He shuffled around a little bit when he when he needed to to create a throwing lane here or there. And just hats off

to the Packers playmakers. They made plays on the offensive line, boat up and got the job done. And here's the biggest thing, Like I said this in two thousand and fourteen as well, and I'm gonna say it right now. This these examples, when you go back to the final stretch of fourteen and what he did on Sunday night, are why Aaron Rodgers could potentially play well into his forties if if the health thing works out, Because he's going to be able to adapt his game. We've seen it.

They had to do it again last night. They bust out more pistol formations in the second half. He has to operate more in the pocket. It becomes probably a little bit more of a traditional West Coast offense with the quick throws underneath, in allowing as you mentioned his receivers and we'll talk about them in a moment, to

make plays after the run. That was a big thing in this game was the yards after the catch, and when you look at Rogers, I think that that's why when he gets to thirty and beyond, he's gonna be able to have success. Alah, Tom Brady, because that arm strength is gonna be there with him, and he knows how to navigate in the pocket when he wants to. Yes it ellimit will probably eliminate some of the free plays,

might eliminate some of the scrambled drill type stuff. But as far as being in time and in sync with the offense, there's no one better, and the offense needed to get momentum built. I thought they did that with Randall Cobbs. Some of the short stuff underneath. You know, we talk about the you know, seventy five yard touchdown

pass here in a minute. But Randall Cobb had a lot of really important catches underneath to keep the chains moving, and they were able to do that consistently throughout that second half. But for it going back to Aaron Rodgerson being in his being, the ball being in in his hand, I don't know if I've ever seen anything better than that in terms of what he was able to do in the comeback. He was able to mount in spite

of I'm sure need that wasn't feeling too hot. Yeah, I mean a couple of other things that certainly played into this comeback. One was a bounce back, I guess you could say. For the offensive line in the second half compared to the first half, Khalil Mack was, you know, a one man wrecking crew almost. He ended up playing forty plus snaps in this game, which I think is more than a lot of us anticipated, and uh Packers really had a hard time with him in the first half.

When Deshaun Kaiser's in the game, he simply stripped the ball away from him in the red zone when the Packers were at least going to be able to kick a field goal there and get on the scoreboard with the score only ten nothing at the time, and then the the pick six on you know, a somewhat careless

play and he's Mr Johnny on the spot. Not only does he snag a short pass that uh um that nobody would have been necessarily expecting, but then he weaves his way and gets all the way into the end zone for a touchdown to make it seventeen nothing in the last minute of the first half. The Packers offensive line give credit to Brian Bulaga justin McCrae. They both had a couple of rough moments in the early going

of this game. But then in the second half when the pocket had to be there for Rogers because he couldn't run away from it, the pocket was there and he's able to stand tall and make some throws. Yeah, and that was just trusting your ninth year you know,

veteran right tackle. It wasn't like the Packers started packing in you know, tackles and running backs to help out, you know, the edge with with Bolaga in box, tr I mean, they pretty much told those guys, your assignment is to block those guys one on one or do your best job to do so. And they were up

to that challenge since the very beginning. As you mentioned, there were some play specifically in that first half that I know both Bolaga and McCrae wanted back, but for them to be able to adjust the way they did, and Bolaga talked about it, the technique he was working with, what he was trying to do against Mac. He got more comfortable with it in the second half and they were able to, you know, kind of negate him during that final stretch and and allow Rogers to get into

that rhythm. But I mean the thing I keep going back to, and you addressed it early on. Mac played the defensive snaps for the Chicago Bears for behind Leonard Floyd, who had forty six as their top press rusher from the linebacker position before Max acquisition, so um Matt Nage and Vic Fanjiu had no problem putting them out there.

They wanted to get him out there. And you could see that that was the tide that the Packers kind of had to weather a little bit in that first half because that was for everything that Aaron Rodgers did for the Packers in the second half with giving them a spark, Khalil Mac was that for Chicago both with what he did on the field, and I think just from a swagger standpoint to oh, no question. So for the Packers to be able to weather that and get

to where they got um pretty pretty dumb impressive. And another thing I think that really stands out that you wouldn't have expected in terms of how this comeback happened is twenty four points in the second half of the Green Bay Packers and Jimmy Graham did not catch a single pass. This was this was about the receivers. This was about Randall, cob Geronimo, Allison, Davante Adams, lots of

yards after the catch. I thought the you know that blitz pick up by Jamal Williams on Danny Trevathan which then allowed the throw to Adams where he slips away and then is able to run end ended up a fifty one yard pass play and all sets up his own touchdown later on another great yards after the catch play where catches the pass in the red zone, does a little start and stop and then as able to

get to the pylon. Those kinds of things you could just you could just sense the momentum was building, the things were happening for the Packers, and and these receivers. There was the one possession Geronimo Allison what he got thrown to three or four times, almost consecutively, three times in a row. Yeah, yeah, in that that that one stretch, and everybody, everybody that was called on to make a

play at at one given time or another made a play. Well, what was really incredible about it is the three touchdown producing drives. Basically all three of those drives belonged to one receiver. The first one that was sort of the spark was Jeronimo Allison. Geronimo Allison Michael had five catches for sixty nine yards in this game. I believe four

for sixty seven. We're on that drive d including the thirty nine yard touchdown pass, which is was that I'm amazing throw from Rogers just looked effortless standing in the pocket and throws it over Kyle Fuller. Their number one being able to to, you know, connect with Geronimo Allison, Allison jumping up into that number three role, Packers show there's still very much gonna be a three receiver team.

He'd been on the field for most of the night, and then you go to that next series, Davante Adams gets a bulk of his five catches for eighty eight yards on that including the long catch and run for fifty one and then does it kind of again on the touchdown pass, basically running that thing in for ten yards after the short pass from Rogers. And then what do you say about Randall Cobb? And I asked Davante Adams about that afterwards. He said, that was vintage Randall Cobb.

That's the reason why he's here and that's why he continues to make plays. Yes, he was. He was kind of the guy that was helping move the chains early on some eight nine yard passes and then out of nowhere like usual, He's right where he needs to be

at the moment he needs to be there. Rogers puts the ball again, just probably the best pack, the passing through all night and turn of the pinpoint accuracy of it through traffic, and then once that ball arrived, nobody behind him and Cob said he'd never seen anything quite like it. Yeah, that that was That was one of the really special moments in the game. Because we get asked a lot of times, you know, what's it like watching the game from the press box. You know, how

how much do you hear the crowd. You know, how much does that that, you know, influencer or impact what you're how you're processing what you're seeing out there. And the moment that Cobb caught that pass and spun around and obviously from you know, the bird's eye view, I don't know how exactly it looked on television, but from the bird's eye view, you could see all this open space and there was there was almost like a stunned excitement to the roar of the crowd when he took off.

It wasn't just starting to roar because it was going to be a good play. It was like, holy cow, like, look at all of that open space. And I'm not sure what exactly happened on the Bears defense on that play. They've certainly got ill a lot of regrets in terms of some of these yards after the catch plays that the Packers had. But uh um, but boy, what a moment.

I mean, Aaron Rodgers takes the field with what was it, two thirty nine on the clock, and you're like, okay, no time outs, but you got the two minute warning, you know, plenty of time for Rogers. Packers are in the end zone before the two minute warning. I don't think anybody thought that was coming. And you talk so much, Mike during the off season program during training camp about

those important reps that those teams get. I don't think there was a better example of it than that second half of what all that work means, because all three of those receivers said it. I think Mike McCarthy mentioned it too. They didn't know that Aaron Rodgers is gonna be the quarterback in the second half. Everybody was getting ready to rally behind Shaun Kaiser and try to get some points on the board. But low and behold like

everybody else, Rogers emerges from the tunnel. And then that was the fun part about this night too, is that seeing the crowd come alive when they start to notice that twelve is actually out there. Oh and now twelve is actually jogging. Uh. That was I mean that that ovation.

I don't think it was just because it probably wasn't as many people in the Bowl at that time coming back from you know, whatever you do during halftime, but it was basically right there with two thousand fourteen in him coming back against Detroit with the calf just incredible, and that spark, whether it was offense, defense, he did special teams. I think everybody took something from that. Yeah, well, I want to talk a little bit about the defensive side and uh and that the role in the comeback.

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of the ball. Bears come out, march right down the field. On their first possession, you can tell it's, you know, the scripted plays, all that kind of stuff. They're shifting around, doing lots of motion, a lot of misdirection and everything. They go right down and score a touchdown. But after that, I mean, I know there are always some plays that you wish, you know, a tackle here there, whatever, But I thought the Packers defense played pretty darn well. You know,

Jordan Howard is no slouch. Of a running back Alan Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, this whole new receiving corps for the Bears, and Um for the Packers defense to only give up three field goals the rest of the way after the opening touchdown because the Chicago got seven points on the pick six by mac Um. I thought it was I

thought it was a solid performance. And certainly the back to back three and outs in the second half when the Packers were mounting the comeback, you know that that was getting Chicago's defense right back on the field and you could see as the game war on that that pass rush was getting tired. They you know, they didn't have the energy that they had in the first half when when the Packers offense was struggling, and and they

didn't have to play quite so many snaps. So it all the there was this whole evolution to the game and Uh and the Packers defense, I give him credit, wasn't a perfect outing by any means, but they hung tough and Uh and they got the stops when they needed to. So basically, there was three things to this Packers defense that really struck me. One, the resiliency to come back after kind of getting punched in the mouth a little bit on the first series, and then you know,

maybe a little bit the second one too. Bears had a hundred forty six total yards at that point. The next eight series I wrote about this in our game notes afterwards had a hundred forty eight for the rest of the game. After that second series, the Packers went out of sixth series five times did not allow a first down, so either getting three notes or four notes in that stretch. Blake Martinez mentioned it they were just trying to do a little too much early on, and

I think you saw it. They opened up here. Here's the thing that I think is gonna be the biggest indicator for the Packers under Pett and there's going to be unpredictability because I'll tell you this, and I think this is I think this is a compliment. I couldn't make out his packages. So if I can't make out his packages looking for on the press box down at the field, I don't know how Mitchell Robiski was able

to take care of it. My hunch is is that they basically use Germaine Whitehead as the inside linebacker in the nickel next to Blake Martinez. All of the Nitro Nickel. But even then, like the dime packages and even some of the base concepts, they were using three defensive linemen in either of them in addition to two outside linebackers. I think you even made a comment once it was almost like a five one five front at times. I think three three five at times, and they would send everybody.

You had cornerbacks coming off the week side three at a time. I mean, you had guys dropping back in coverage. Claim Matthews was dropping back in coverage. But what impressed me the most about all that, getting back to what the big narrative was all offseason to look more complicated than it is. There weren't personnel issues for the Packers. You didn't see any substitution, time outs or or penalties

from two twelve minut on the field. Claim Matthews came close on one but got often time to be able to end up getting a third down stop. It was pretty impressive with all those defensive backs and all those moving parts what they were able to do. And I think you kind of have to tip your cap to Blake Martinez too for being able to control all of it on the field. Yeah, Well, we talk a lot in this day and age in the NFL, with everything

so much geared towards offenses. On the defensive side, it comes down to when you make your plays, and a lot of times it's sometimes it's being able to make up for the mistake of a teammate. And last night's game was the perfect example of it. Kyle Fuller drops the interception on the first play of the Packers game winning touchdown drive that basically would have sealed the game. I mean the Packers would have had virtually no chance

after that he drops it. Two plays later, there's a huge breakdown and Cobb has a seventy five yard touchdown. Then you flip it the other way to the Packers. On Chicago's last drive, a huge mistake by Clay Matthews roughing the passer on fourth and nine. It looks like the game is over, but there's a flag. Matthews gets called for at fifteen yards automatic first down puts the Bears close to midfield. I don't think they were quite all the way to midfield, but close to midfield where

they are really only twenty yards away. Then at that point from a field goal to beat, and the Packers defense makes up for the mistake of their teammate. They get a four and out, Nick Perry with the sack on fourth down that pops the ball loose, Kenny Clark recovers, and um, you know it, just these games can hinge on such small moments in a sense, but it those small moments become big moments because of what happens around them. And the Packers were the ones that took advantage of

those moments with the game on the line. And I'll say this too, Mike, for them to be able to bounce back from that personal foul, we we hear it all the time. I know Dom Capers used to talk about it too. If you have a personal foul on the drive, I mean basically, there's a three times more likely chance that they're going to score on that drive. Not only of the Packers not give up any points,

they didn't give up another yard three more. In completions from Mitchell Trobinski, I said, going into this thing, my biggest thing I was looking for was going to be the coverage units, was going to be what these cornerbacks were like. I did not anticipate Josh Jackson becoming the first Packers rookie to start a game at cornerback since Sam Shield. I didn't anticipate that they were going to run as many six defensive backpackages in every situation as

they did. But now that we've seen it, you're starting to get a better understanding for why the Packers put so many resources into the back end, why they wanted Joe wit Jr. Overseeing that entire unit, because there is a lot of synergy now. And just to throw one more thing out there, I thought kentroll Bryce probably had his best game as a Packer two on the back end, made a lot of big plays, made a lot of big open field tackles, including that one sack that ended

up being you know, for the out of bounce. I just thought a lot of guys stepped up, particularly in those last two and a half quarters. Yeah, well, quickly before we go, I just want to get your thoughts on the rest of Week one in the NFL. What

what jumped out to you? I mean, for me that that game down in New Orleans with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers New Orleans Saints, no one saw that coming in the NFC South, Ryan Fitzpatrick foreigner plus yards and four touchdowns and the Saints, who I thought were was they. I thought they were the best team in the NFL in the postseason. Last year. They lose on a fluke in Minneapolis. Now suddenly they're trying to figure out what's wrong with their defense. Yeah, and you know who's not

Packers fans. My goodness, I got so many tweets that day saying, yeah, who holds the Saints first round draft pick? Again? A long way to go, people, But it's gonna be funny watching all these Packer fans kind of be you know, rail birds the rest of the year with the New Orleans Saints season. For me, it's it's the Browns. They did technically end their losing streak, but they're still looking for that win. But and it went viral, But I make sure you saw that Cleveland Browns for best best

start since two thousand four zero zero. Hey, it's it's not a loss. So yeah, well, they're still waiting for all those refrigerators and the bars to open with all the all the beer. I guess that, you know, the tie doesn't quite doesn't quite count there. But the Vikings,

uh Vikings get a big win. Packers are going to be playing them at lambau Field next week, the Kirk Cousins era starts off right for Minnesota over the forty In Minneapolis, it is the Kirk Cousins era, but it's still the Minnesota Vikings defense, and they made some big plays down the stretch to pull out that victory. And it's going to be a really difficult task for the Packers this week, no question about it. Yeah, we'll be talking about that Vikings defense quite a bit in the

coming days. With that, we will call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team on Packers dot com on Twitter. He's at west Hot, I'm at Mike Spofford at Packers for the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, See you next time.