#328 Packers Unscripted: Keys in the capital

one out? Aaron Rodgers Aaron Rodgers In Aaron Rodgers, Uh. Mike McCarthy said on Friday morning, the expectation is is they're going to go basically the same exact regiment that he was on last week where he didn't practice Thursday. But it looks like at least the goal is for him to practice on Saturday in the hopes of him

playing on Sunday. And it's really interesting. I think that the aspect of this matchup that hasn't really been talked a lot about yet it lost at least in the mainstream, is that Okay, if you take away the injury, no injury. You just don't focus on that. It's actually it's gonna be interesting, and that the Packers offense is going to be in for what appears to be a test against this Washington defense regardless. Now it's a really small sample size. I don't know how much you can read into the

where Washington's ranked right now. But the fact of the matter is they got off to a good start and they played well against Arizona. So where this goes from here we'll have to see. But Aaron Rodgers did get going. He got on the same page with Jimmy Graham last week. Uh that there, that combination together was able to generate some serious production. And then you have Davante Adams, Jeronimo Allison,

Randall Cobb and everything that comes with it. Packers are, outside of Rogers himself, are really healthy on the offensive side of the ball. And then that gives number twelve is full assortment of weapons. Yeah, I think the most interesting match up here, we talked about it earlier in the week is Davante Adams against Josh Norman. I think we're going to see that as a one on one type matchup all throughout the afternoon. Now, Adams can certainly

win his share in that matchup. But I don't think this is the same type of secondary as the Minnesota Vikings have. And I think you know, the matchups here for Jimmy Graham, for Geronimoallison, potentially Randall Cobb. I think these are some some favorable matchups here for the Packers. Now, DJ Swaringer, the safety for Washington, had two interceptions of Andrew Luck. He's a guy who's he's going to be

sniffing out the football, there's no question about that. And Rogers, I think, will you know, definitely be paying attention to where Swearinger is out there. But I like the Packers matchups here as far as the perimeter weapons against Washington secondary and the fact that the Packers offensive line has had a pretty good test the first two weeks in terms of the pass rush on the defensive fronts they've had to face in their own division against the Bears

and the Vike. I think this sets up pretty well for you know, as long as Rodgers is no worse for wear compared to last week. I think this sets up well for the Packers offense to get rolling, even though it's always tougher on the Road. Yeah. I don't know if I can say that the Vikings have the top safety combo in the NFL. I don't even want to have that debate. But I do believe Harrison Smith and Andrews and Dajo compliment probably the defense as well

as any tandem in the league. And that was one thing that I think you had to take an account when you're looking at Xavier Roads, when you're looking at Trey Waynes and and you know Mike Hughes and what they are doing with the Vikings, then you push it forward here to Washington. Josh Norman is one of the elite cornerbacks in this league. I still believe it, even though he hasn't had an interception now in over a year,

but he still has that shutdown tight mentality. I just don't know if Washington really compliments him the same way that Mike zimmer Defense compliments Xavier Rhads. Does that make sense?

I hear what I hear what you're saying. So it is gonna be interesting to see with the footwork that Davante him possesses in some of the different concepts and and fundamentals that he stresses in his games, what the potential over the top ability is if he can you know, get some separation from Josh Norman right off the line, it's gonn be a great little chess match to watch. And also seeing what Washington do in the trenches, trying

to get a little bit more traction. The Packers have had really two big tough tests with that offensive line with Chicago and Khalil Mac coming in. You saw what Mac did last week, uh, and the challenge that he's going to present for offenses every single week this season. And then Minnesota and what they can do in the generate the power that they can generate in the middle.

It My initial feeling is that Washington is not going to be able to do that as well or you know, as far as what we've seen in these first two games. So seeing how the Packers contract that and maybe being able to give Aaron Rodgers a little bit more time to work those perimeter weapons. Yeah, there's always that um initial feeling out process. You might say, when a team goes on the road for the first time. You know, the crowd noise gets loud on those third downs when

you're on offense. Packers have a veteran offensive line that's been you know in plenty of situations to uh to hopefully handle that and not make it look like a first road game of the season I guess is what

I'm saying. Yeah, totally and it'll be interesting too. As you mentioned earlier this week, but the problems that they've had Washington has had filling FedEx Field, if this could potentially be a Packers type pseudo home game, only time will tell, But I think the one thing the fact that they were twenty thousand empty last week um now hosting the Packers, that will be in a very interesting aspect of this matchup to see if you know you can get some of the lambeau Field East going at

FedEx Field on Sunday. Yeah, definitely something to watch as we arrive there late Sunday morning and take our seats in the press box as the fans start filing in switching to the defensive side of the ball. As far as keys to victory here west, I mentioned it in our final Thoughts video, and I know two games not the greatest sample size to go off of so far in terms of just where this Packers defense is, but it seems that when the when this defense has limited

the explosive plays. They've been pretty darn good and they've held a lot of They've they've held the Bears and the Vikings to field goals. It seems the big chunk plays are the ones that end up leading to the touchdowns. And I really think, um, you know, you throw out all the roughing, the pass or controversy and everything else aside. If this Packers defense can prevent the big gash type plays from happening, I like their chances in this game. I do too. And you know, Washington, they're kind of

in an interesting spot right now. They signed Adrian Peterson late obviously after to the the injury. I believe that was guys that ended up going down right at the beginning of camp. There their rookie running back. Yeah, the l s U L s U running back right, Yeah, and uh, you know now they signed Michael Floyd and as I messed up on yesterday's showed Brashad Perriman also joining those ranks. So what are you going to see? What are the concepts going to be? They do have

weapons you have to account for. We talked about with Jordan Reed. One of the best tight ends in the league, Jamison Crowder had a really good season two years ago, but hasn't really been that same type of player. And you know, the jury is still out on Josh doxon the biggest question I have here and I talked about this in that same Final Thoughts video Mike Packers. I don't know if you remember that three years ago. I believe was also Week three against Kansas City or maybe

Week two. They got out of the gate on Alex Smith seven sacks in that game. It ended up being closer in the box score than you would have thought due to some you know, plays that they made late, but they just they really dominated and controlled the tempo of that game. They did it in the trenches. They need to do it again in this game. I know it's been sort of hit and miss the time for the past rush and certainly Clay Matthews looking to get

that first sack of the season. This is gonna be a really good opportunity, in my opinion, for them to really set the tone because even though they have one of the top left tackles in the game, Washington does, they've had six tess in the past against that front. Yeah, and I know a lot of attention this week has been on how the Packers are going to match up with Chris Thompson, the running back who he's sort of the compliment to Adrian Peterson as far as rushing the ball,

but he's Washington's leading receiver right now. Nineteen catches for a hundred fifty five yards for the first two games. But that being said, I've said all week I think the toughest matchup here is Jordan Read that tight end. And I say that in part because of Alex Smith's history. When he was in San Francisco, he had Vernon Davis. When he was in Kansas City, he had Travis Kelsey. He had big time playmakers a tight end who were not just security blankets, but guys who could gash a defense.

And I think he wants Jordan Read to be that same guy in Washington. That I think is a tough matchup for the Packers. I'm not sure, you know, do you do you play that with a safety? With a linebacker? Do you bracket? You know? I don't know. That's for Mike Petton to figure out. And I'm not saying that the Packers necessarily are going to pick one strategy and

with it. This is one of those guys where you mix up the coverage is a little bit don't let the quarterback know exactly what we're doing on that primary target every single snap. So I think that's a big matchup in this game. And if the Packers can you know, keep Jordan Reid contained under control a little bit, you know, I like the defensive chances of of keeping this game

under control. Yea, when they saw him in that game in two thousand sixteen, five catches for seventy nine yards for him, The biggest thing in that game was actually just the pr Garcon touchdown that that really kind of burned them. Yeah, he's a guy that they're gonna have to make a decision on it. And it's also gonna be dependent on how the Packers want to handle these packages. I mean, you got it looks like by all accounts, Kevin King's not gonna play in this game. So does

that mean that Jaire Alexander seeing him? Could Josh Jackson be seeing him? Josh Jones is coming back? You have, you know, Jermaine Whitehead. There are a lot of ways for the Packers to defend him, and based on what Petton has done so far with his scheme, you really don't know what they're going to be throwing at Washington in this matchup. I you know, really don't know if we're going to see another dB heavy scheme. Are we

gonna see a lot of of those concepts used? Do you do you pack it in again and maybe go with more of a sub base defense, you know, where you have Mohammed Wilkerson playing that end and now you have an extra cornerback in there to defend a lot of decisions they are going to have to make. But certainly getting back to the crux of it, when you look at Alex Smith's history with tight ends in the way he plays this game, that's gonna have to be

a focal point for the Packers to come on victorious. Yeah, I think so for sure. Well, our last show of the week, we also like to take a look around the league at what else is going on in Week three, and we might as well start with what happened on

Thursday night in Cleveland. Was six hundred and thirty five days between victories for the Cleveland Browns, but they get off the schneide, so to speak, their first victory since Christmas time of a comeback victory by their new quarterback Baker Mayfield, who's thrust into the game when Torodd Taylor goes out with a concussion, rallies the Browns from I believe it was fourteen zero in the second quarter at

right point there. So um, hats off to the Browns and John Dorsey, Elliot Wolf, Alonso high Smith, all those personnel folks used to be here in Green Bay. Looks like they're turning things around in a tough place. Yeah, and it's funny too. I tweeted this after the game.

John Dorsey, man, he knows quarterbacks with what Patrick Mahomes doing right now, and no questions the city and a big decision that they had to make with you know, really what a lot of people felt for first, you know, top ten type quarterbacks on the board, which one do you want leading your franchise? And it seemed like it wasn't that big of a decision for them. They wanted Baker Mayfield and watching him play the biggest thing micause I'm watching him and he goes in, like you mentioned,

the game's fourteen to nothing. They get points on his first series in a field goal, and then he has to score touchdowns the rest of the way, and he does it. He plays with tempo, tempo tempo making plays, not holding onto the ball too long, being daring with where he's putting the ball, his accuracy, his arm strength. That was every thing that I wanted to see from Baker Mayfield. Now they got to make a decision on which direction they want to go and what's the best

for his development and their team. But seeing the Dog Pound actually have that kind of energy again, the football is better when the Cleveland Browns are better. Nobody wants to see teams that are win sixteen, one and fifteen. They want to see competitive football the a f C North. I'm not saying they're contender yet, they still have a

long way to go, but there is life in Cleveland. Yeah. Well, you mentioned the conviction they had in Baker Mayfield, and that was certainly illustrated in the draft because sitting at the number one pick and with those four quarterbacks everybody was talking about in the first round, John Dorsey certainly could have sold that first round pick to another team, moved back to number three or number four and still

gotten one of those top quarterbacks. One of those was the opponent last night in Sam Donald of the New York Jets. But Obviously, Dorsey had the courage of his convictions that Baker Mayfield was this guy. He wasn't going to take any chances. He stayed at number one, and he took him. And we'll see how it unfolds, but it looks like it could be a great, great decision by the Cleveland and to jump in there to the previous administration did do that. They traded back and they

lost out on Carson Wentz and Jared Goff. Sometimes, if you got the guy, you like the guy, you draft the guy, take the guy, and uh, you know now, now, at least for one week, the Cleveland Browns have a lot to cheer for. Yeah, well, elsewhere around the NFC North. In Week three West, a struggling Buffalo team travels to Minneapolis to take on the Vikings. The Chicago Bears, coming off of their big Monday Night win over Seattle, they travel to a struggling Arizona team and then the Detroit Lions,

looking to get their first win of the year. They're in primetime on Sunday Night Football, but Matt Patricia going up against his old squad, the New England Patriots. Some interesting matchups here. But if if Buffalo and Arizona can't, you know, get their stuff gured out, so to speak. You know, you have to look for the Vikings and the Bears to both chalk up victories, which means, for the packer's sake, you have to beat the Redskins or you're suddenly going to be in third place in your

own division. Yeah, it's gonna be tough for you from that perspective. And yeah, right now, Lions are in a tough spot. And now they're going to be taken on one of the top teams in the league and a coach that knows smacked Patricia's defense better than anybody. So that's gonna be a tough task. I think that the knowledge part, I think it favors the Patriots over over favoring the Lions. So it's just a little into something

like this. Yeah, And from the perspective of the Bears, that's why I said that game last week was so important against Seattle, Mike, because not only did it keep them out of the O and to start. Now, Okay, this is an opportunity with Arizona really looking like a team that could be going through a rough campaign, depending on when they want to give Josh Rosen a shot at quarterback. The they're there for the taking. So for for Mitchell Robinski, for that defense, something to go off

of and and try to build off of. And yeah, the Buffalo Bills, man, they are in a dark place right now, and the Minnesota Vikings are going to be coming back. And for whatever you want to make out of that ending against the Packers, offensively, they were able to build some momentum and now they're taking on a Bills team that's pretty downtrodden. Yeah, and amazing how quickly

things can turn in this league. With the Bills celebrating last December their first playoff appearance in seventeen years, and how dramatically it happened and everything, and now it's just it looks like they're starting over, trying to find their way again. So um, a couple other interesting matchups to talk about in the NFC before we go west. One

in the NFC, South New Orleans is at Atlanta Sints watch. Yeah, well this is this is two teams that are both looking to avoid starting one and two after three games because the Falcons lost you know that tough one. You know, they go to uh Philadelphia for the kickoff game. Against the Super Bowl champs. That's a tough spot to be in for anybody to be in. They lose that one.

So the Falcons are one on one the Saints or one on one having escaped against the Browns last week, or they would be coming into this game oh and two. Bottom line is one of these teams, one of these uh purported contenders in the NFC South, is going to be one and two after three weeks. I made this joke with my dad a couple of days ago, because you know, a lot of people will put up the schedule their team every year, like on the refrigerator. We we always do it. We got like the magnet schedules

to send out to fans. Yeah, I'm envisioning a bunch of really truly die hard Packer fans having the Packer schedule and having the same schedule directly next to it and trying to see what's up there. Yeah. This has been a tough start for New Orleans. And what's weird is I don't want to say it's quintessential vintage Saints, but in some ways it is. The offense is producing. Michael Thomas is gonna catch two passes this year, Elvin Kamara looks like he's gonna be a real star in

this league. But defensively, they got punched in the mouth in Week one and then had their troubles with Cleveland week too. So it's the big test, and you know, going into that stadium and that venue, and and certainly the battles back and forth with they've had with Atlanta, it's gonna be one that's gonna have big implications for

that division and obviously that this entire conference. Yeah, another one in the NFC that involves two teams looking to get back into the playoff picture, so to speak, after both missing the postseason in and I'm talking about Dallas

traveling out to Seattle. I'll say this West. If Dallas goes out there and wins this game in the Seattle Seahawks start oh and three, it's, uh, you know, we're going to be hearing the death knell bells, so to speak, which will be way too early, because with thirteen games to go, any team can turn it around. But boy, if you're if you're Seattle, you absolutely cannot start oh and three, especially with a home game here against Dallas.

No division in professional football in two thousand eighteen shows you how things change year to year, week to week. You go back to four or five, six years ago, Seattle, San Francisco, Arizona was trying to chase them, and in the Rams were just the you know, kind of the horse at the end of it, just getting beaten week after week. And then it flips and now you have the Rams are coming on. Now, the Cardinals are falling. The forty Niners fell and now they're back on the rise.

And up until this year, the steady presence has been the Seahawks through the highs and lows. They've always sort of been steadied. John Snyder kind of built that same sort of Green Bay Packers, Ted Thompson year after year, give your team a chance to be in the playoffs and win a Super Bowl. This year might challenge that. We have a lot of questions in the backfield. The

defense isn't what it was. This is a huge game for them and they gotta if nothing else, they gotta show once again that Century Link is a place to be feared in the NFL. And then for the Cowboys perspective, Dak Prescott has this is his team now, him and Zeke Elliott, this is their team. It's a new era for the Cowboys. They stumbled last year. Can they pick themselves back up in two thousand eighteen. Yeah. And with regards to the Seahawks, this is their third straight game

opening the season. They haven't played any of those division opponents yet, like you're talking about, so now, that can be a good thing or a bad thing. But I think if they start oh and three and then they're still looking at having to play the forty Niners twice and the Rams twice, boy, that that could really put

the Pete Carroll and company in a tough spot. And I don't want to make it out like San Francisco is the team to beat in the NFL, but they just seem to me right now, the way that they're built, they can beat anybody young in any given week, and they potentially could lose anybody. They're just in that kind of stratosphere right now, so there aren't many gimmes out there on a schedule. This is where the Seattle Seahawks

need to make some hay. Yeah. Absolutely. With that, 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 and of Sunday afternoons game at FedEx Field on Packers dot com. On Twitter, you can follow him at west hot I'm at Mike Spofford at Packers for the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, See you next time.