#449 Packers Unscripted: Big win in Big D

T and T Stadium over the Cowboys. The Packers get to four and one, they take over sole possession of first place in the NFC North because the Chicago Bears lost to the Oakland Raiders over in London. And uh, a typical crazy NFL game, I guess, from thirty one to three to almost a one score game with les than two minutes to go. But the Packers did what was required and that was get the W. So first off, I apologize for nothing. It was Marvin's fault that we

didn't shoot the show on. I'm kidding Matt trying to share the blame. Now, It's okay. I don't shoulder any blame. That's a good side of a leadership, right, is that you actually just go and do your own thing now,

I mean, all kidding aside. The thing I really liked about this matchup because when Marv wasn't here, I was sitting there and I was looking at my schedule yesterday, right and I put down all the wins and losses for the Packers on the schedule, And what really stood out to me, Mike is that there four and one right now through five games, They've played every one of

these teams tough, every one of them tight. There was something Tremont Williams said early last season when the Packers were kind of going through there, you know, some difficult times, and he said, you know, close games like this that will make us better in the long run. It didn't come together for the Packers in two thousand and eighteen,

but these type of matchups might. Going into Dallas and playing the way they played and having to grind it out late, those things are going to really benefit Green Bay in the long run. That is how you become better, that's how you galvanize as a unit. Brian Balagas said it among many things that he mentioned the locker room when the game was thirty one to three, there was no thought that that's the way it was gonna end. Dallas was playing at home. They had ninety people in there.

They're too talented to go down. Just like that. They threw a lot of punches. The thing about throwing a lot of punch as though as you leave yourself open. There was another takeaway there. And at the end of the day, Mike, there's been one tried and true trend since week one, and it's been when the Packers take the ball away and protect the ball, they win football games.

And that's how they got to be four in one. Yeah, three and o in The turnover margin was definitely the difference in this game, all three of the takeaways coming via interceptions, and quite frankly, Wes, it could have very easily been five interceptions when you look at one that Kevin King had go right through his hands early in the game before he got the one in the fourth quarter, and then another one in the end zone that was going to wipe out a scoring opportunity for the Cowboys,

but an illegal hands to the face penalty at the line of scrimmage wiped that one out for the Packers, unfortunately. So yes, the takeaway machine was back at it for for Green Bay with Mike Patton's defense and on the offensive side of the ball. Of course, the star of the show, the unquestioned star of the show, was Aaron Jones.

Hundred and seven rushing yards plus seventy five receiving yards out gained Ezekiel Elliott in all categories and then the four rushing touchdowns, with which tied a franchise record, and Aaron Jones got to do it in a T and T Stadium, the Palace in his home state of Texas. Yeah, amazing. He had thirty friends and family. They're including his twin brother, Alvin Jr. After one of his touchdowns, he actually went and gave that football to Elvin. He understands who probably

get fined from the league. But this is one of those moments where it's like, that's so special for two brothers that have been through if you know their story, everything they've been through. They were moved around the country when their parents were in the military. They lived in Germany. Together in here they are at a T and T Stadium and Aaron's living out his dreams and going is

he said all week long. You know, Aaron Jones is very careful with what he says he's not trying to create any type of newspaper clippings or that kind of stuff. But he's confident, Mike, and he said it leading into this game, he felt like he could go toe to toe with Zeke Elliott. And for good reason, he's done it already in that same stadium in a victory for Green Bay. I thought he played his butt off hundred and eighty two total yards of offense, first time since

two thousand, scoring four rushing touchdowns in a game. I believe only the third time or fourth time it's been done in franchise history, and only the fourth player to do fourth player, fourth player to do it Jim Taylor, Turdell, Middleton, and Dorsey Levin's. First time in almost twenty years, because Levin's did it in the regular season finale, so it would have been a long time since someone had accomplished

this with the Pack. Yeah, and you know you're in a game without Chamal Williams and Davonte Adams, and as you know, Aaron said in the locker room, Aaron Jones, that is they didn't make it about Okay, we have to feed the ball to Aaron Jones. We have to get Aaron going in order to win this game. Their whole philosophy all week was that we're gonna let this game come to us and we need guys to make plays. Well, as it turns out, that eighteen yard touchdown run right

off the bat. The first quarter, they start running some of that inside zone action, working between Elton Jenkins, Billy Turner and then eventually Lucas Patrick when he had to come in for Corey Linsley. Those plays were working for this for this Packers team. Aaron Jones was executing, the offensive line was blocking, and I you know, I've written about it a couple of times now. A tip of the captain Matt la Floora for understanding what it was

going to take to win this game. Even though they preached outside zone the entire off season, when they needed to go inside and run right at those linebackers, they

did it and they won the football game. Yeah. Well, the most encouraging thing here when you look at these last two games for the Packers, even though they went one on one against the two teams that are clearly going to be fighting for the NFC East title throughout the rest of this season, but they found some rhythm with the passing game against the Philadelphia Eagles for the first time this season, and then they found a running game that they could really rely on for four quarters

and pound away at a team with what Aaron Jones was able to do against the Dallas Cowboys. Now, I know two games prior, Jamal Williams had a nice game against the Denver Broncos, but Aaron Jones had only had a combined forty rushing yards in the previous two games.

But this was the breakout, and it was the shift to the inside zone as opposed to focusing as much on the outside zone, and uh really west, the combination of the blocks on the second level and the fact that Aaron Jones was breaking tackles whether it was running with the ball or catching the short passes. He really

just played a phenomenal game for him. For him to go into a game where you've got Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Zeke Elliott all those guys for him, and I know Cooper had a tremendous game, and we can talk about that as well, but for Aaron Jones to be the difference maker on the field for the winning team with all with that collection of talent that was on the field. That's impressed. I talked to Danny Vitali about it after the game. He's like, that was without

a shadow of a doubt. I mean, he was our game ball winner. He was the m v P of that game for us. We needed him to play the way he did to come out of their victorious and he tried to give the game ball away after this to his offensive line, but his offensive line wouldn't take it. They're like, hey, you're playing in your backyard, this one's for you. That It was interesting too. Aaron said that was his first game ball he's ever received. I had a hard time believing that. But be that as it may.

A phenomenal performance by him. But it wasn't just the running Mike. It was him as a pass catcher. In all my years covering the team, I would venture to guess, and maybe you'll disagree with me on this, the maturation and the steps he's made over the last three years. I'm not trying to compare him to I'm on green that and you know I hate comparisons, but I think you've seen a guy take his game steadily to another

level every single year. He was a runner. The first year he became a pass blocker, he became a pass catcher. Seven catches seventy five yards, both career highs for him. And this matchup the slant that he ran across the middle. I know he said he wanted to catch that one in stride, but still being able to pick up that first down there and take the hit and and hang onto the ball when he was when he was juggling to try to grab it and move the chains the

way he did. It was a complete four quarter performance. And as I was talking with Jones about after the game, I mean, you put that kind of stuff up on film. Now, those are the things that defenses are gonna have to scheme for when Davante Adams is back, when you do get some other of these elements going offensively. There's a lot of promise in this Packers offense and a big reason for that is Aaron Jones well and just the plays that he was making in this game when nothing

was there. There were a couple of runs where the middle was completely plugged up as soon as he got the ball, and with his speed and quickness and just fast reactions, the way he bounced to the outside and then he's getting around the corner for ten even fifteen yards on one of the plays going where the play was not even designed to go. The one play, Rogers is just avoiding a sack and whipping it out to

the sideline to him as the checkdown receiver. He catches it at his ankles, an extremely difficult catch, not only to avoid the sack and get something positive, but then he makes a guy miss, gets a block from Jimmy Graham, and it's twenty two yards and the Packers are across midfield and moving into scoring territory. I mean to be able to make plays like that when there's nothing there, That's what I mean by being the difference maker on

the field. And um um, this is uh, you know, a great sign obviously for the Packers that they have him at this level and then hopefully sooner than later, getting Jamal Williams back as his number two. Yeah. It's funny how this game works because everything is a new day, it's a new game, it's a new play. But yet there are those moments that happened that just tell you this is going to be your day. I thought the

yard catch was one of them. I thought the two direct accidental direct snaps to Aaron Jones kind of showed that with this offense, he was just clicking a lot of times. Those can be I don't e want to call him disaster place. He could have easily just taken that for a yard or two and here he is breaking it for eight nine yards whatever they ended up getting off of those, Those are the type of things that when you get that stuff happening, that's and you

know that it's just meant to be. Yeah. Well, on the defensive side of the ball, it was a tale of two halves for the Green Bay Packers because in the first half the Dallas Cowboys did not score. It was a seventeen to nothing score at halftime. The Packers got two of their three interceptions in the first half, and even in the early portion of the third quarter, they got a red zone stop made him kick a field goal when the score was twenty four or nothing.

So the Cowboys only got to twenty four to three at that point. But then over the last a little more than a quarter, I guess the last eighteen twenty minutes of the ballgame, the Cowboys started to hit big plays, and the one thing you can't do when you've got a big lead is to give up the big plays because you're gonna allow touchdowns too. Good offenses, but you just can't allow those touchdowns to happen so quickly that

no time comes off the clock. And the Cowboys started to score so quickly that suddenly they were back within two scores and there was still plenty of time on the clock in the fourth quarter for them to make this a ball game, and they did. Then Kevin King gets the third interception, the Packers get a field goal out of it, restore the three score lead, and there's at least a little bit more breathing room there. Okay, So the ultimate chess beat, the piece the queen on

the board is the takeaways for defenses. You you make those moves, That's how you're gonna win football games. Ji Alexander very opportunistic. I actually really like the interception that Alexander had because I know some people are like, well, he was behind it, the past was thrown to him. But see, that's how that game works. When you're playing cornerback. There's times where gire Alexander's has made a phenomenal play and he doesn't get credit for it. If you're in

the same vicinity. It's a lot of times it is about the quarterback making a mistake and making the play. That's what they did so well in this game, right the throw the throw there, I mean, Cooper is open. If it's a good throw, it's probably a touchdown. But it wasn't a good throw. And when the ball got deflected, Alexander was was there with the hands to make the play. And that's what you have to do when the ball comes your way, however it comes your way, make the play.

And that's what he did. And Shannon Sullivan, he's sitting there in the slot, his first real in game action that he's had with Packers, true in game action in a meaningful situation. Dak Prescott decides to throw the ball across the hashes, trying to hit Randall Cobb in there's Channon Sullivan jumping up and making a play. And then finally, I just I got to talk about Kevin King here for a minute. This is a guy that was questionable

on Saturday, he was doubtful on Friday. In over those seventy two hours, not only does he end up making himself to be in a position to play place thirty seven snaps and gives a Packer some really important plays there, especially when you consider the injuries they sustained in this game. Darnell Savage has to leave, b J Goodson has to leave. Um, they're already dealing with some other guys that are banged up on those positions and in and out, Shawn Gary

leaves for a minute, here's Kevin King. You know, he just kind of worked through the week, felt good on Saturday morning, mentioned the trainers. They upgrade him to questionable, and then he plays in this game. He does drop the interception early and that would have been a key one for them if they're able to get it. That was stopped a pretty lengthy drive for the Dallas Cowboys in their tracks. But then he comes back and is he said the way that that play was unfolding, Dak

Prescott was glued uh to Michael Gallup. I believe it was on this play he was going with them there. King was showing him coverage the way he was playing him that it was like that would be an ill advice throw Prescott tested anyway. King makes a phenomenal play. He does have to leave with the knee injury, but Mike, you and I have wasted so much breath I shouldn't say wasted expense so much breath over the last six

months telling people how different this defense is. When Kevin King plays, My goodness, did that performance show it well? And you couldn't have asked for better timing for Absolute to make that play, because the Cowboys had come back from thirty one to three, it was thirty one to seventeen. They'd gotten another stop of the Packers had the ball back, and as I said before, there was still plenty of time on the clock for a fourteen point deficit. They

had all the momentum going. The Packers weren't doing anything on offense. The Cowboys were hitting everything on offense on their side of the ball. And it was the first play of that drive. It was it was all of a sudden boom. Whatever air was going to continue to go into that balloon with one first down or another first down by the Cowboys, it never got there, and King makes the play. The Packers restore the three score lead.

Now they did hit another big pass to Cooper for Um the touchdown that got it to thirty four to twenty four. Then but uh um, but yeah, you. You can't overstate how big a play that was by Kevin King with just the way the game was going at that point, and to give the Packers offense the field position where they didn't need to do much to get it back to seventeen points and a three score lead, that was just that was just huge. And Kevin King now with two big interceptions on the season and two

others that he knows he should have had. I mean, he really close to having four interceptions through the first five games. He's a playmaker and it's gonna be fun to watch him develop. Hopefully everything checks out okay with this knee injury. Yeah, it looked like it was. When he got tackled on the sideline off of the interception return, he took a helmet right to the knee. We'll see

as the week goes along with the report. Is there something I took exception to at the Insider in Box Colum this week And it was fine that they made the comment, But somebody had made the comment of the Cowboys lost this game. If that's your perception of it, that's fine. But here's the thing. The team that was more consistent all three phases won this game. The Packers made their field goals, the Cowboys didn't. Ye, the Packers got the takeaways, the Cowboys didn't, and that is ultimately

what's going to allow you to win this game. They got off to a fast start, seventeen to nothing. You don't shake your head at that kind of lead. And then they were able to sustain that momentum because even though they did give up those twenty four points in second half, they scored seventeen as well. Yeah, I mean, the the explosive plays obviously was that was what got

the Cowboys back into the game. And as I had said, because you know, the fans are struggling with this because thirty one to three late in the third quarter, you want to breathe easy, but it's like, hey, Dallas Cowboys are a good team. They're most likely is very good chance they're going to be in the playoffs when this is all said and done. They may even win the NFC East, though I think the Philadelphia Eagles are a little bit better right now. But you know they're going

to do something. You know they're going to mount some kind of a rally. This was not the Miami Dolphins out there, you know, with a thirty one to three deficit. This was the Dallas Cowboys playing at home, and uh, the Packers weathered the storm. You knew they had to weather a storm at some point in this game. They did it. They got the win in their four and one. That's all you can look for. I mean, and you

look at this going forward. Now, these games are gonna be so critical down the stretch because you get a win like this over Dallas, a team that you said will probably be in playoff contention. You have three teams out in the NFC West right now who all look

like playoff teams. You got the Bears playing the way that they're playing, although this was obviously some let up in London, and then you know they're going to see Detroit now on Monday night, and that's the Detroit team that is going to be hungry to stand a top division alone as well. It's gonna be really competitive to watch. Yeah, this is this is just getting started when it comes to the overall picture in the NFC. But for now, we gotta go. So that's a wrap on this edition

of Packers on Scripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team on Packers dot com. Subscribed to US Like us on iTunes and other podcast services. On Twitter, he's at West hot im at Mike Spofford at Packers for the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, See you next time. Yeah h