#353 Packers Unscripted: Not quite enough again

This time it's thirteen to the New England Patriots. But much like a week before against the Los Angeles Rams, the Packers went toe to toe with a darn good team, and once again it was a fumble that really changed the game, not at the end of the game this time, but on the first play of the fourth quarter, when the Packers were in position to take what would have

been their only lead of the ball game. Yeah, basically it comes down to the fourth quarter again, And as we talked about last week, Mike, when you're playing teams that are of that caliber, you have to play sixty minutes, you have to play it right till the end. The Packers went toe to toe with them for the first three quarters. Actually it looked like they were really making

a run to finally pull ahead in that game. They had back to back catches from Marc Quisvelde scantling to end the third quarter for twenty four and twenty six yards advanced all the way to the thirty four and unfortunately Aaron Jones, who has been so so reliable for them out of the backfield for the last year and a half, a bad time for his first NFL fumble, is first on a hundred and fifty three consecutive touches to start his career. As he said afterwards, didn't protect

the ball enough. Lawrence Guy, the former seventh round pick of the Packers, punches the ball out. The Patriots get it back, and it just turned into sort of, you know, it was the sum of all fears at that point because then the defense, which had really played well in adverse situations up until that point, then relinquishes some big plays. They get got it on a couple of plays. The following drive, there's a fifty five yard touchdown pass to

Josh Gordon and the Patriots are able to avert disaster. Yeah, I thought the uh. I thought the Packers, we were right in this game, right where you wanted to be a chance. Obviously, that possession the first play of the fourth quarter. That's not something that's going to decide the game necessarily. If the Packers score there, it's not like the game's over and the Packers are gonna win. There's a whole fourth quarter, an opportunity to go back and forth.

But I do think if the Packers get some points on that drive, whether it's a touchdown or a field goal, I think we are headed for the scenario that we all anticipated, which is that whichever quarterback had the ball last was going to have a heck of an opportunity to win the game. And it didn't happen that way, really, and and you said it best West the defense. I thought the Packers defense really played well enough to win this game, frankly, but they just kept being asked to

do so much. I mean, when you go to the goal line, stand in the third order, but then the offense goes three and out from starting from the one yard line, so you can't get any first downs. You can't you know, shift the field position at all. Then you get a you get a three and out, but then a roughing the punter and they get another set of downs and then the defense stops him again. You

know how many times can you call on him? And then after the fumble the trick play, the Patriots get a touchdown, the offense goes three and out and the defense has to go right back on the field. Really tough position. And the one big play to Josh Gordon and sudden for the first time in the game. It's a two score game. And uh, and the Packers are pretty much finished. You know it's tough too, Mike, because I think the game plans these last two weeks have

been fantastic. I think the Packers did exactly what they needed to do offensively. They had a third team play drive, a fourteen play scoring drive, six and a half plus minutes on two scoring drives. Unfortunately the one only produced a field goal, but still the you know, ten points when you're holding the ball for almost an entire quarter that that's exactly how you want to do it on

the road against a quarterback like break. Yeah, they won the time of possession, they got the amount of offensive plays they were looking for. They even won the third down efficiency battle, which I thought was interesting with what their defense was able to do as well against Brady in that offense. But the problem was when you really break it down and look at this thing, I think defensively. In addition, you say, you know then being asked to do a lot, a lot of tough situations to be

thrown into. Jermine Whitehead, who appeared to be sort of the counter to James White early on in that hybrid Nickel package, well he gets ejected, uh for an issue there I believe that was with Daniel Andrews. And then you have Blake Martinez goes out with an ankle injury, Kevin King ends up developing a hamstring injury and leaves Kentroll. Bryce, in a really bizarre situation, is trying to jump over play to avoid a late hit penalty and he lands

awkwardly on his knee. So then you have Trumon Williams and Josh Jones on the back end. The secondary was asked to do a lot with with really relatively little, with Tony Brown also not playing in this game, so a lot of moving parts in the back end there the way the injuries and and obviously the ejection of Whitehead. But what surprised me is how they actually still played pretty well. I think Antonio Morrison actually had a pretty

good game for himself. Having to step in in the instead of having that hybrid nickel package, will they end up having to go like a true run nickel with with you know, Morrison playing that role next to Martinez. Martinez goes out, he takes over the signal caller role for the defense, and then Martinez comes back and Morrison gets a big third down sack in a situation where where the defense got the ball back. A lot of ebbs and flows to this game, but unfortunately, Mike, you

and I know this. We've covered this team long enough. When you are in these situations, you need to finish strong in The Patriots did that. They dialed up a couple of trick plays. Julian Edelman getting what I guess technically would be a handoff or pitch passed behind the line of scrimmage from Tom Brady. Well, then he connects across the hash marks over to James White, takes it for thirty seven yards That sets up to go ahead score, and then Josh Gordon, um, you know, getting the fifty

five yard touchdown. Truman Williams, I thought, did an exemplary job what he was asked to do. On the back end, Mrs the tackle there once that went back and after that it was just a little bit too much for them to overcome on the road. Yeah, well, there was no question which team was the better one in the fourth quarter. And last week against the Rams, I really thought the fourth quarter was very much back and forth. I thought the Packers and the Rams were very even

in the fourth quarter of a tight game. But uh, but then the fumble with two minutes to go obviously changed things. This time, it really was the entire fourth quarter of the Packers are right where they wanted to be after three quarters, but then nothing went right in that final stands. And when when that quarterback on the other side is Tom Brady, he's going to make you pay and into Aaron Jones credit, he's about to stand up as an individuals you're gonna find in that locker room,

in any NFL locker room. Uh. And he took ownership for and he said, you know, that was a momentum changing play when he had the fumble, because the offense came back out. They actually did have a chance to answer the Patriots, but they go three and out and have to punt it back. And when you're facing Tom Brady, I mean you and I saw it, man, it's amazing. I give Josh McDaniels a lot of credit. I knew they played up tempo. We talked about that in the lead up. You're not going to get a lot of

sack opportunities at Brady. They just get out the ball too quickly. But their ability to go up tempo, that's as fast as I've ever seen a Patriots offense run with Tom Brady in twenty years. They are just snap, snap, snap. It seemed I don't know if they're always like that this year, but it seemed like they did kind of take a page out of the Rams playbook in that way, getting the line of scrimmage, getting the ball snapped, and letting Brady go to work. Yeah, they started the game

that way. With the up tempo no huddle. The Packers were definitely on their heels, didn't really have an answer for James White in the early stages of the game. The Patriots march right down very very quickly and get a touchdown, go up seven to nothing. Then the Packers defense settles in. Then when they went after the fumble, when the Patriots go back to the to the no huddle in the hurry up, Packers again are on their heels a little bit, and then I mentioned this to us.

I don't know if there's any team, any offense, any quarterback in the league that in the midst of no huddle and hurry up, is going to run a trick play. They don't. They don't huddle up and call it and all this, I mean it was. It's obviously something that's in their back pocket. They're waiting for the right moment. I have to assume the call is Brady's to make.

And you know, I believe it was second down, like second and six or something like that, just in the midst of all the all the regular hurry up, no huddle stuff, and then bang the backwards past to Edelman. They set up a convoy on the one side of the field, they throw it back across to James White and Brady. I'm sure this wasn't an accident. He caught

the Packers. They're essentially the defensive front was all rotational players for that particular play um or at least that that particular sequence of downs, And I'm sure it's no accident that that's when he calls the trick play. You've got you've got some of the number two's who are in there, a defensive line, outside linebacker and and the Packers get caught in the big place, sets up to

go ahead touchdown. Yeah, And I mean they just executed down the stretch when you need to execute the most. And you know, I actually think the Packers did a pretty solid job overall against White. A bulk of his production Mike came off of that thirty seven yard completion, half of his receiving yards, only two point six yards

per carry. Yeah, it was the opening drive and the trick play was really James White, and then the rest of the game it was it was other guys Cordrell Patterson and some others who were chipping in for the Patriots. And they got to chip your Captaic Patterson and and the Patriots for how they're using him. It seems like in that hybrid almost running back role without Sony Michelle,

it's actually worked out pretty well. Yeah. When White exited the game for a little bit with some type of injury, I don't know what it was, Patterson, they fed him four straight times and got in the end zone with him. I mean he finished the game eleven carries for sixty one yards. He had he had forty of those yards on the four carries that gave the Patriots that second quarter touchdown, which also had the fifteen yard personal fall

on Whitehead mixed in. Yeah. Yeah, So it was just one of those days, man, where I think you look, they were without Rob Gronkowski, they were without Sony Michelle, but they found ways to move the football. I thought Julian Edelman had a really good productive of game for what they asked of him. A lot of total yards for him, um, But for the Packers, you have to find ways to execute down the stretch if you're gonna

beat a team like that on the rug. Yeah. All right, Well, before I forget here, West, We've got a little bit of new sponsor business on Packers Unscripted. The Green Bay Packers get ready for game day with the powerful noise canceling technology of Bo's Quiet Comfort thirty five headphones. To learn more at www dot bos dot com. Slash Packers

Bows the official headphones of the Green Bay Packers. Okay, we heard from Aaron Rodgers after the game Sunday night, West, and you know, quite frankly, some of his his frustrations, lamentations, whatever you want to call it, a lot of the same things we've heard throughout the season. Lack of consistency, misthrows here, and they're not being on the same page

at times, not executing in the clutch we've seen. Obviously, the Packers had some great clutch drives to get wins over the Bears in the forty niners, but there have been these opportunities in this last in the unit was just another example of of a clutch situation where the Packers just came up short. Rodgers is getting frustrated, rightfully, so he's he's taking his share of the responsibility. Certainly.

He he really regretted one particular play we talked about, the three and out right after the Patriots took the lead.

The third down play on that three and out was a sack which led to the punp but it was the second down play that he he was really frustrated with himself because that was kind of the classic play action deep drop boot where you're looking potentially for a shot play and the Packers always have one guy running deep down the middle and another guy running um, I wouldn't say a shallow cross, but a crossing route as kind of the second option, and e q st Brown

flashed open a little bit on that crossing route and Rodgers went to him right away, and after the game he you know, he really regretted that he didn't just hold that ball a tick longer because he thinks he would have had Davante Adams one on one and going down the middle for for a shot play and a potentially big play that could have shifted things back the

other way. But the throw to e Q ends up getting broken up along the sideline and good defensive play incomplete, and uh, and the opportunity to Adams was was one that Rogers just simply regretted. Yeah, And it's tough because I don't usually I'm not the Monday morning quarterback type. I don't know what it's like. It's a lot easier when you're sitting up in that press box and you have that advantage point compared to what you're seeing on

the field. But I did say to you on that play that it looked like Davante Adams had single man high and he was getting separation. It looked like if Rogers puts that thing on a dime there, it could have been that that touchdown type play, much similar to some of those forty yard connections they had in the Rams game that really helped the offense, propelled them in the second half. Could have flipped the game back, no doubt about it. But but you know, could have should have.

What those are the situations you're in. But I think that's the tough part about this loss too, is that it's not like they walked into the Colisseum where they went into Julette Stadium and just got just pounded and they weren't in the game. They were in both of these games. And Clay Matthew said after the game in l A. It's not like they're five and one. You know, at that point there were three three and one. They need to find victories, and unfortunately for them, they've got

some big guys stepping up for him. Davante Adams touchdown after the game. Veldes Scantling had three catches for a hundred and one yards in the third quarter alone, including the fifty one yard or to really get the offense moving the ball early, that explosive play you're looking for. Aaron Jones I thought got out of the gate really well in this game. Averaged over five yards to carry once again. Rodgers made some clutch throws, Jimmy Graham made

his impact, felt finally got an the end zone. But the totality of that is that you have to look at what the Patriots are doing as well. And when you're going up against an offense as is dynamic, explosive, as as the Patriots are with Tom Brady, you have to be able to match that series after series, play after play. The Packers got the stops they were looking for early on, but down the stretch just weren't able

to counter it. Yeah, and when you look at when you look at the missed opportunities, you know, Rogers talked about, hey, he just he's got to find ways to get Davante Adams the ball more forty yards even though Adams did have a touchdown, But forty yards is is, you know, not enough. I'm sure that the touchdown to Jimmy Graham to open the third quarter, that was the last ball that went Jimmy Graham's way. I'm sure that wasn't Roger's

plan either. I haven't looked at the film, but the way they were trying to guard Graham with Patrick Chung and Graham was making some plays and getting some opportunities. One very well could have maybe should have been a touchdown if not for the defensive holding call, which actually saved the Patriots four points because because the Packers did

end up kicking a field goal. But I'm guessing the Patriots made some sort of an adjustment on Graham after the touchdown because we just never saw another pass go his way. You look at the end of the second quarter, West, the Packers are at midfield, You're down seventeen to ten. You're getting the ball coming out to start of the third quarter, so you'd like to have the opportunity for the double up there. You're at midfield, you have third and one. Rogers calls the uh kind of a naked bootleg,

you know, quarter back keep type of play. To his credit, Adrian Claiborne stayed home on that side, didn't bite on the play action fake up the middle, and Rodgers isn't able to convert on third and one. When you know you get that first down on third and one, you're not very far at all from giving Mason Crosby a chance to give you three points before halftime. So it's it's all of those those opportunities, those chances here and

there that get away from you. And when you're on the road and when you're against a guy like Tom Brady, it's it just becomes a big mountain to climb when those opportunities keep slipping away. Yeah, and I think that was the difference in this ballgame. I do want to tip my cap though. I mean, you you have to credit some of the things New England did offensively, No question, thought they were very versatile with how they use their talent. They are they are who they are for a reason.

And and as I thought, as Truman Williams said, which was a really good point in relation to those trick plays, they're they're They're not the type of team that's just gonna leave things on the play sheet. If they feel like there's something that they want to utilize in any game situation, they're going to utilize it if it feels like it's going to get them yards and production and points. Uh.

The Packers actually did play they prepared. Tremont Williams said, they ran the flea flickers in practice, they did some of the stuff that they do with Edelman. But when you get into a game setting, it's different. And another thing I want to tip my cap to the Patriots about especially looking at their defense. It seems to me that while we talked about in the lead up to this, there isn't that Chandler Jones. There isn't really that star

that they've had in the past. But they have a lot of really gritty guys that and sometimes have been some ways have been cast offs from other places. You look at Clayborne, you look at Lawrence guy when he's become in this league, and I think that Kyle Vennoy another one the guys that sort of develop a chip on their shoulder and they play well, they play hard, they play as a unit, and you know, for them, they only had five penalties for thirty yards, Packers doubled

that up in total yardage for penalties. When those type of things happen, you have a disciplined team that plays hungry. That's the reason they're on a six game winning streak right now. Yeah. Well, and give credit to stuff on Gilmore as well. Is the one who draws Davantae Adams. I know Rogers after the game was saying, hey, I gotta find a way to get Adams the ball more. But Gilmore is no slouch as for as a cover corner goes in the sleeve. I actually think they schemed

Adams pretty well in that game. I thought they did some good things to get them open in space. Again, if you hit that big play right there, that changes the dynamic of his box scores. So but yeah, I mean, Gilmore did some good things. The safety is playing up over him at times. All things they did to take Adams away. Unfortunately for them, Valdi Scantling took advantage of some of those. Yeah, all right, Well, another bit of sponsored business here west, at home or here in the stands.

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the NFC North. The Packers officially at the midway point now eight games in three four and one, not where Green Bay wanted to be by any stretch of the imagination in front of them. The Chicago Bears at five and three after about as easy a win as it gets in Buffalo because the I don't even know if the Bears had three hundred yards, but yet they put up forty one points because their defense just completely controlled the game got in the end zone a couple of

times yards in that game. I mean, it's the Bears offensively didn't have to do anything and they scored forty points. And then the Minnesota Vikings right behind them now at five three and one, Bears had a hundred total yards off They didn't even have two hundred yards of offense, and they had forty one points on the board. It just it doesn't get any easier than that. Um No,

that's okay. The Minnesota Vikings, who have not had their bye week yet, they are five three and one, so they are kind of right on the heels of the Chicago Bears. After a victory over the Detroit Lions and what they sack Matthew Stafford ten times, the Vikings set a single game sack record for their franchise, which is saying something with with that defense not only over the years, but you know the days of purple people leaders in the seventies and everything. Ten sex in one game, Holy cow.

But um but yeah, West three, four and one. Right now, if you're the Packers, the only thing you can focus on, obviously is the Miami Dolphins. You have to get this win this week, get back to five, and then it's about finding somehow, some way to win a road game. You're sitting at oh and four on the road, and uh,

that's obviously that's not gonna cut it. The Packers have got to walk out of a stadium, walk out of a visiting stadium with a victory, so that they know what it feels like, they know what it looks like. They haven't done it yet this year, and now it's becoming the really the storyline of this season. Frankly, we can talk about until we're blue in the face. Certainly, their next road game is going to be on a

short week at Century Link Field. We know how difficult you and I have been in there, how loud that place gets. But the fact of the matter is, Mike, that's a week and a half away. The Packers need to concentrate now on the Miami Dolphins. One of the strange things about the Dolphins. We'll talk about them in tomorrow show. In these next couple of shows, they actually are getting outscored by forty points. But yet there five

and four, they're they're above five hundred. They're right in that wild card mix in in the a f C. No doubt they've been protecting the football. Frank Gore has been consistently moving the chains for them. It's a team you can't look past. And you have to get this one at home. The facts are what they are. You're going four right now on the road, but you're three oh and one at home. You gotta get this win on Sunday. It's imperative. The the other thing to Miami

Dolphins certainly playing some good defense. And you mentioned the Seattle Seahawks in that upcoming trip to century Link Field. I didn't realize this until I saw it on Twitter. The San Diego Chargers the first team, first a f C team since two thousand eleven, to get a victory at century Link Field, which is really the first A f C team basically in the Russell Wilson to go

into Seattle and uh and knock off the Seahawks. So um, Seattle They're gonna whatever happens this next week, both Yattle and the Packer is going to have a ton on the line in that Thursday night game because Seattle sitting there with four losses now as well. Absolutely, and I think it's really I mean, you give credit to the Chargers. Keenan Allen's healthy again, playing well. Philip Rivers has been up and down, but has obviously had a peak this year.

Melvin Gordon's when the top young running backs in the league. That being said, the Seattle Seahawks. We know how well they play at home. So to have that performance, to have a you know, pick six come back at them, um, that's not how they play football. So it's gonna be interesting to see how they respond to that too, and in another week and a half and where that game stands, because yeah, there's gonna a lot of implications involved with it.

All right, Well, for now, we are going to call it a wrap on this edition of Packers on Script. To 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, We'll see you next time.