#448 Packers Unscripted: Duties in Dallas

I have the suit ready already. I'm gonna go out there. I'm gonna set the tone for everybody, and that's gonna be the biggest key to victory of all. Uh No, I mean it obviously is Ezekiel Elliott. And the reason I say this, we we know every single week we do our Keys of vic dream. But you want any reason for why this New Orleans Saints were able to come out with victorious in that game against the Dallas Cowboys,

That was the key to victory. The fact that Zeke Elliott didn't get going, the fact that they were not able to establish the ground game and they were able to win a low scoring contest. I don't know. I don't see that scenario playing out again. I think that the over is going to be more than twenty two points in this game. I think the Packers are going

to have to score a couple of touchdowns. I don't think you're gonna be able to beat the Cowboys on the road, no matter what you do against Elliott by only kicking field. So but that was the starting point for the Saints, no question. I think there's a lot of things. You know, Mike Petton has been asked about it.

The Packers defensive tackles have been asked about it, the linebackers, everybody really on the defense has been, you know, really been trying to put a finger on what's going on with the run defense and what they need to do. But as we've talked about a number of times, Mike, for the Saints, it wasn't that they just sold out and they were doing five man defensive jumbo fronts or anything like that. They just executed their system well. They had eyes fill gaps, and they just didn't allow those

holes to open up. That Elliott can burn you. With the Packers, it's gonna be very difficult to hold them to eighteen carries for thirty five yards again in a fumble. But if you can contain that quiet storm that that Elliott presents, that's going to be your key to victory in this one. It's so interesting how this matchup sets up in that respect as far as the Packers run defense against Elliott, because Elliott weeks two and three was well over a hundred yards and both of those games

high yards per carry, all that really productive. Then suddenly week four he gets completely shut down by the Saints. You look at the Packers run defense, only forty six yards rushing by the Chicago Bears in week one, look like the Packers are off to a great start in that area. Then Dalvin Cook breaks the seventy five yard or in week two, you kind of go oh a

little bit. And then weeks three and four, the Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles didn't have any of those big, monster explosive runs, but they just kept pounding away on the ground against the Packers defensive front and they were having success doing it. So it's as though Ezekiel Elliott and the Packers run defense are both coming into this game knowing what they can do, but yet feeling like

they have something to prove. Yeah, mortal. I mean the fact that it's just and that's the realization you have to have with this league. You're just not going to dominate every single week. The guys who do are the ones that are the m v P candidates that you know they have that season where they're just impenetrable. Uh. That that's just is so rare to accomplish that though in the best and the most elite all pros and the league don't always just play sixteen straight clean games.

The big challenge here, I think though, for Dallas is seeing what this offensive line is gonna look like. Now, certainly Travis Frederick Zack Martin two of the best that do it in the game, and the interior line, but if you don't have Ron Smith in depend depending on exactly how this all works out with Loell Collins, that's a big change, because as good as Elliott is, and he's exceptional, he could probably still pick up a hundred

yards with West hotqwits blocking form at left guard. But here's the thing that's oppressive about it is that they've been able to marry for so many years even going back to the DeMarco Murray era mary their offensive line and that being a strength of their entire team with having a good every down back. If you throw a few little wrenches into the equation like that, with those questions at tackle, that's you know, a potential area where

the Packers could capitalize. Yeah, the reports that have been out from Dallas are that to Ron Smith, the all pro left tackle, is going to miss this game. Lyle Collins at right tackle, even though he hasn't practiced Wednesday or Thursday leading into the game, reports are that he is still going to play. But again, you know, these are these are the kinds of things that you don't really necessarily know for sure until game day and until

that inactive list is officially turned in. But I'm with you, I'm really curious to see, depending on, you know, how this works out with the Pack the Cowboys, excuse me, and their offensive tackles, what that does to u to their offense and potentially their game plan. I mean, the reports out of Dallas also that Amari Cooper, their number one wide receiver, going to play, but not necessarily at um you know, dealing with I think it's an ankle injury if I'm not what's on the injury report. So

there's a lot of a lot of uncertainty. Yeah, ankle, Okay, So there there's there is a lot of uncertainty with with what's going on with some of the big name players in this game, not only for the Packers, but for the Cowboys as well. Yeah, I mean the Cowboys. One thing we probably haven't talked enough about this week is that the Cowboys injury report is pretty extensive as well, because even with you know, Michael Gallup potentially being back.

You mentioned the issues that Amari Cooper is playing with now again Cooper was a full participant on Thursday, But these are the type of injuries might that when you get those lower body extremity, that's gonna affect you. It's gonna affect your outes, it's gonna affect how you cut it, you know, in your roads or it doesn't take much

to reaggravate something. That's the That's the other thing too, And the thing about Gallup is looking at him in particular for the Cowboys, they don't really have I think another guy that's sort of does what he does in that offense. So the tight end position you know, Jason Witten is going to be there, but Jason Witten is in Jason Witten from seven years ago. So you need those young guns to sort of carry you and to be able to marry the past game with what Zeke

Elliott does. Those are all things that we're gonna have to answer. But more than anything else, Mike, seeing how Dak Prescott can handle this whole situation. Off to a great start to his season, certainly, I know the contract questions have been out there for him. But you know, if the Packers do you know, sell out to you know, put an extra guy in the box, putting another inside linebacker on the field, if they do all those things to attack Zeke Elliott, well, then how is Prescott going

to handle those things as well? All the different factors that you've got to take into account of game like this. Yeah, well, on the other side of the ball, for the Packers keys to victory on the offensive side, I'm not sure what you think, West, but to me, it all starts with Aaron Jones, And I say that for a few different reasons. Yes, the Packers they didn't run the ball very well against Philadelphia, but they put up all kinds of yards, four twenty two passing yards, almost five d

total yards in the game. You know, yes, they missed on you know, some red zone opportunities. Matt Lafleur made the comment the other day that if you can run the ball in the red zone, you usually end up being more efficient down there in terms of scoring points. That's something the Packers need to do. But in a more general sense, at the time we're taping this, we don't have a final word on Davantae Adams or Jamal

Williams and their injury status for this game. But I think a lot of this offensively for the Packers is going to come down to Aaron Jones, because if you don't have Davante Adams, you're losing that number one guy, your Pro Bowl, Pro Bowl receiver. And I've said this inn Insider in Box, I said it on our Final Thoughts video. You need to be able to get a play action game going. And the way to get a play action game going obviously is to run the ball effectively.

But the reason play action is so important, at least in my mind, and this is not to disparage Marquez, Velda Scantling, Geronimo Alice and Jake Kumar, any of those guys. But the facts are none of those guys are pro bowlers. They aren't at Davante Adams level. And to me, play action passing is your equal opportunity passing game. If it's working, it doesn't really matter who the receiver is. You don't need a pro bowler to get open in a play

action game. If your play action game is effective, the running game is effective to set that up, any receiver, any tight end, can get open in that scenario when everything is working together. And that's why I think this game starts if Davanta Adams cannot play. I think this game starts with Aaron Jones. Yeah. And and to be honest with you, Mike, even if Davanta Adams does go, I think Aaron Jones is going to be the primary objective with the Packers because he is your biggest playmaker,

your biggest healthy playmaker that's available to you. And the other thing about Aaron Jones too, And he's not going to say this, but you know, I know him the way that he's wired. You know, he's very polite, he's very nice, but he's also credibly competitive. In the last two weeks it's been difficult for him trying to get going on the ground. He wants to be able to be in every down back. I think we saw in that those matchups earlier this month. I mean the game

against Chicago. I mean, he's a guy that feels like he can carry the ball and be effective when he's given the opportunity and can can handle that three down go out there and get him kind of roll. But the other aspect to this that I look at when you say your key to victory for the Packers, it's Aaron Rodgers. We don't know what Davante Adam status is going to be. We don't know what he's gonna be like if he does play. We don't know what Brian Bulaga is going to be dealing with if he's out

there with the shoulder. Aaron Rodgers is the two time m v P. He's the guy that has a sterling track record inside AT and T Stadium and knows rod Marinelli's defense probably as well as any quarterback in the NFL with how much he's seen it. Aaron Rodgers needs to be spectacular. It's a road game, it's a three and one ball club. You need him to be at his absolute best because last week, Mike, they weren't able to get the running game going for most of the game.

He didn't have Davante Adams at the end of the game, but he spread the ball around. They moved the ball effectively four and two passing yards and they he put that team, while they did not come out with the win, he put them in a position to win that football game. They need another performance again like that against a Dallas Cowboys defense that honestly, I would say is even a

step up from what they saw against the Philadelphia Eagles. Yeah, and you mentioned obviously the track record record of success. Aaron Rodgers has an a T and T stadium. He's put up some phenomenal numbers. There had some great dramatic moments. We talked about some of those on yesterday's show. Aaron Jones game in Dallas his rookie year, that was kind

of his coming out party, so to speak. To to use an overused phrase, but the you know, Packers, Packers fans didn't necessarily know exactly what they had in Aaron Jones. And then that game in Dallas in October of that year, he went over a hundred yards. He made a couple of key plays on the final drive to to get the Packers in position for the winning touchdown. He really was the star of the game offensively for Green Bay there.

And uh, and you know he's from Texas. You know, the Texas l passos where he went to college and everything. He feels at home when he plays there, So you know, you know his his eyes are going to be bright. He's gonna be really excited for this one storytime with west Hodkowitz here. Okay, I don't know if you recall this, Mike, but in two thousand seventeen, the regular season opener, Aaron Jones was a healthy scratch. Davante Mays was the third

running back behind Time Montgomery and Jamal Williams. There was a real question. This is one of the reasons why I wrote the Dexter Williams story this week. There was a real question about whether or not Jones could be an every down guy or if he was just a guy you would be able to run the ball with. And at that time, I thought that game against Dallas

showed that this guy was more. He was a complete running back and he had what it takes to actually round out his game to be featured in that role. This is the season I think everybody's expecting Aaron Jones to really blossom because he has the experience in his back pocket. He's only twenty four, he's athletic as heck.

In a game like this, if you can get going again on the road against the Dallas Cowboys, what a statement that would be, especially when you don't have that that check, that counter that you typically have in your back pocket. With Jamal Williams another guy too, Danny Vitally is going to be interesting to watch in this game.

I was talking to John Coon about him yesterday and this game definitely seems tailored because even if it is Dexter Williams or whoever the backup is going to be if Jamal Williams doesn't go, Danny Vitali is the most experienced guy in that room right now in terms of NFL years. He got his first carry last week, would not surprise me if you see him get a couple more. And also being able to integrate the passing game three

catches over the last two games. That's another aspect to this that if you can put those plays out there, they're gonna have to account for. Yeah, well, one thing that has definitely been a trademark. I guess if you want to say, of these recent Packers Cowboys games at a T and T stage, um there have been major momentum shifts teams. Either team can get on a run.

You look at the ten playoff game down there, the Packers jumped out, you know, built the big lead, and then it was the Cowboys coming back from two touchdowns down in the fourth quarter. The regular season game in seventeen almost the reverse in the sense the Cowboys were the ones who were in the lead. The Packers were coming from behind in the fourth quarter and end up

scoring the winning touchdown at the end. There's something to these games where you you have to be able to handle the momentum shifts and just always know, hey, it's a four quarter game, it's a sixty minute game. Something goes wrong and the crowd for Dallas starts going crazy and whatever, you just have to weather. You've got to weather the storm, you limit the damage, and you live to,

you know, to play another play. The Packers have done that really well in this stadium, and I think they're gonna have to do it again because these these games, just these games can swing wildly back and forth for some reason when these two teams get together very much so,

especially in that particular stadium. It's very interesting though, too, because while there are a couple of veterans on the team that have good memories of coming up here and to Green Bay and playing the party spoiler a few seasons ago, there are we talked about the Packers and in their experience down there, there's a lot of guys on Dallas's roster still that very bitter aftertaste from some

of those games. The sixteen game was interesting because I still feel like even though the Dallas did score late, that was the most complete performance they had had the Packers they did just being able to get off to

the fast start. They really didn't leave any doubt. They're they were flying high after that win against the Giants, and they made a statement at first half those other two games, Mike, if you really boil it down, the Packers probably had no business waiting either of them at halftime. We're honestly three. You had Matt Flynn and there that

shouldn't happen. Everybody thought that game was you know, Eddie Lacey was dealing with some ankle issues that you know, I think people didn't really understand what he was playing through and they still did it. They willed themselves to those victories. That's the part of it that if I'm the Packers and I want to be leary of going

into this, you you got to start fast. You do not want to be in that position again, because there's gonna be a handful of really significant players on that Dallas defense that if they get a lead, they're not gonna want to give it back. They're gonna want to make sure that they stay up on themselves for sixty minutes and be able to come up with a much

needed victory after kind of a reality check in New Orleans. Yeah, well, what we also like to do before we wrap up for the week is take a look at what else is going on in the NFL. And I'm gonna jump over Thursday night football. I want I got to talk about this, talk about it happened to claim Matthews again. It actually happened to claim Matthews again. How does this happen?

I mean, it's just I don't mean to jump over it, but like I'm watching this game right, I'm I'm laying down on my college and eating some popcorn and just kind of checking this thing out. I just don't get it. Like maybe it's Russell Wilson, and if it would have been Andy Dalton, no one would have cared. But like the fact that Matthews again makes a football play. He didn't lead with this hel, many didn't hit him with this hel Maty throws his shoulder and to him and

they throw the flag. Clay Matthews, dude, Like when this thing is all said and done, he's gonna be like the poster child for like the real sensitive quarterback era at the NFL. And it all started because of some play that happened to be committed against Aaron Rodgers. It's yeah, the rest of the game was great. It was very entertaining. I have to admit I missed the game. I only watched the highlights. I did not see the highlight of the Clay Matthews place. So now you're gonna have me

going back and searching to have two kids. Right your kid ever like fall off the like swing or like accedentally run into a door or something like that. Did you take the door down? I mean, like, it's just it's incredible to me that it's like to to reiterate the play for people who didn't see it. I mean, Wilson is out of the pocket. There are certain protections that are there or not there when you're out of the pocket. Throws the past, does Matthews Should Matthews have

held up? Sure, but he threw his shoulder into him and on the very ex play, Matthews seemed to indicate, Yeah, you did some nice acting on that to be able to actually draw that flag out of it. Well, Wilson's been doing that his whole career. We know that they were able to continue to the drive from there, they end up pulling off. I guess you could call it

a come back. It was a back and forth game, but that was the game deciding drive and unfortunately, again affected by what I felt like, I think Twitter felt like it was a very unnecessary penalty. Yeah, well there that game circumstance wise, very similar to Packers Cowboys because that was to three and one teams and now the Seattle Sea X Now that's a division game, so it has even bigger implications as far as the NFC West

is concerned. But now the Seattle Seahawks four and one, the defending NFC champion Los Angeles Rams at three and two, and they're on a two game losing streak because they gave up a whole bunch of points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a week ago. So so the three and oh start for the Rams kind of been undone a little bit. And that's exactly what the Packers and Cowboys are hoping to avoid, is to not feel like you're three and o jump out the gate. Great start gets

completely turned around on you in two weeks. Yeah, it's incredible how that stuff happens. Russell Wilson is off to an m v P type season right now. He's been exceptional. Uh that penalty notwithstanding, it was really difficult that touchdown pass early in the game. The highlight I saw the one Tyler Lockett caught in the back corner. I mean, are you are you kidding me? That was that was phenomenal. Yeah, And to be honest, to be fair to Jared Goff, he made a couple of great throws in this game.

To him and Cooper Cup they're on a different level right now. But unfortunately they lost Brandon Cooks midway through and they just weren't able to make the play when they needed too late. In Russell Wilson man, when you go into that stadium, you have to be able to play percent. You have to make sure everything goes correct for you, and it didn't quite work out for them well.

In the NFC North in week five, the games to take a look at really intriguing one going on out in the meadow lands, as they say, East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Minnesota Vikings taking their show on the road to the New York Giants. Now they are all these questions as to whether Sae Kwon Barkley is going to be able to play or not for the Giants with his I believe it's an ankle injury. And the Minnesota Vikings

are at two and two. They've looked like world beaters at home, they've looked extremely mortal on the road, and they're going on the road now for a second straight week, and all kinds of questions going on with Kirk Cousins and where he's at, and Stefon Diggs and him raising all kinds of questions about how much he even wants to be there and be part of this offense, and how much it's focused on Dalvin Cook and everything, and the Giants have turned around a slow start by by

turning things over to their rookie first round draft pick at quarterback in Daniel Jones. This is a really intriguing Week five, Game two in my mind, between a couple of two and two teams. Intriguing on a number of levels. First and foremost, Daniel Jones has just injected just enough of just enough chaos into that offense that you know you it's a different dimension than what they had with

Eli Manning. And with all due respect to Elis had a remarkable career, it was pretty boiler plate near the end in terms of what you were getting, what you need to scheme for or Jones turns all of that on its head right now. And also credit to Wayne Gelman. I mean, so much is based on Barkley, but Gelman came in and did a lot of the same things they asked Barkley to do. Now, he's not as explosive, but he can catch the ball and he was effective

enough with the run. Had a nice little performance. We'll have to see how things shake out with his neck. The biggest storyline though of this matchup is Kirk Cousins needs to get going against this new New York Giants. Defense Giants right now, I mean they Daniel Jones is scoring a lot of points, are doing a lot of nice things offensively. Their defense has been a sieve at this point. If Kirk Cousins in this offense can't get going against the Giants, that's gonna be a major red

flag from Minnesota going forward. All right. And the Chicago Bears, who are tied with the Packers at three and one at the moment, they are on the road in London against the Oakland Raiders. The Bears have still having some some injury issues. You know, you don't know for sure what's going on with quarterback and a chem Hicks on their defensive line dealing with some stuff. And then there's all whatever has been going on with ro Quan Smith

and and his personal issues. But the Bears heading to London to play a Raiders team that's that's found some life recently as well, another really interesting matchup. I always feel like you never really know what's going to happen in London, and these teams dealing with the travel and everything else. Obviously, the Bears are gonna have their bye week, I believe after the London trips so um, they're looking

to get to their bye week at four and one. Yeah, and it's gonna be you're basically wondering what form of the Raiders you're gonna get. They've been very on different sides of the spectrum here so far. Early on. I really like their young running back, but offensively there are question marks, and defensively certainly gonna have to be adjustments without Vontes perfect, you know, in the middle of that defense. I really liked what I saw from the Bears last week.

Though Mike I've always been a big Chase Daniel fan. I feel like he's a highly For as much money as I think he's made in this league, I still feel like he's a highly underrated quarterback. He's never really had that true chance to be a starter. The two times that it was allegedly there, the stack was already kind of against him because you know, Carson Wentz and

different things of that nature. We'll see if what happens with Rabisky, but I really do think if the Bears need to win some games here, Chase Daniels the quarterback to help them get that done. And yeah, if you go in there and you get that win in London over Raiders and go in your bye week. I think you're feeling pretty good about where you're at it. Four and one in four consecutive victories. Yeah, real quickly. Another one I want to ask you about because Washington in

New England. No, because we talked all week about what the Saints did against the Dallas Cowboys and completely shutting them down. And in the NFC South now the Saints will be hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who put up fifty five points against the defending NFC champion l A Rams last week. Is Jamis Winston and Bruce Arians Is this is this working? Is what we saw last week a sign of things to come? Or was it a

one off? In the New Orleans Saints will just get down to business here at home in a division Game's a good question because I think early on. I don't know the last time I would have said this, but I honestly think New Orleans defense is probably a step ahead of where Los Angeles is right now. They just they have more playmakers there, They don't break down as much, and it's just so hard for me to believe that any defense with Aaron Donald would give up fifty five points, like,

I just don't I just don't know. Granted, I think there was a defensive score in there, maybe even two. But even if you, I mean, that's still forty plus points um against the Los Angeles Rams defense that was pretty darn good and helped get them to the Super Bowl. Last up front, I think there's still really solid. I just think there's big questions with that secondary right now, and and who the go two guys are gonna be

and who's gonna step up. As far as Tampa Bay is concern, I think Tom Moore is there too right now. I think like the seventy eight year old quarterback guru that worked with Peyton Manning. I think so there's just so many resources that they've brought in. I thought we just that was the first game where it's like, Okay, this is the Bruce Aaron's imprint on this team. It's a new day, so to speak. Yeah, that's what it

felt like. The question is is we've seen these moments from Jameis Winston and there was I mean, you go back to the Knox here, there was a lot of thought that this could be a playoff contending team. Can you do it consistently can you keep bringing it in a lot of same ways. It's the same question that Marcus Mariota is going to have to answer in Tennessee after you start he's off to Absolutely. This is a great litmus test though, especially coming off of that performance

that the Saints had against Um Elliott and Deak Prescott. Yeah, I think there's that's definitely some interesting games, some some key division, a key division matchup there in the NFC really didn't want to talk about New England and Washington break down that excess and OS not really not really sleeping it out there. Okay, we're going to call it a wrap on this edition of Packers on Script. Would be sure to follow all of our coverage of the

team on Packers dot com. A quick programming note, our producer Marvin will not be available to us on Monday, so our show wrapping up the Dallas game will not be taped until Tuesday, So we have to take a day off next week and we'll get things started with our series of shows next week on Tuesday. Just so everybody is aware. But with that, you can still subscribe to us and like us on iTunes and other podcast services and find him on Twitter 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.