#457 Packers Unscripted: As good as it gets

Raiders on Sunday at lambeau Field. The Packers are six and one, maintaining a one game lead in the NFC North over the five and two Minnesota Vikings and West forty two points on the board for the Packers offense. A lot of statistics look awfully pretty in this game, but one statistics stands out above all others, and it's the number one, fifty eight point three. You know, this is a great point, Mike. And the awesome thing about this if you flash back to Friday's Unscripted not I'm

not trying to pat myself on the back. When you asked me key to victory, I said Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers was the key to victory. Because this is what's what's great about the NFL. It goes both ways. You can have letdowns, you can have come ups, but here's the thing, man, Aaron Rodgers needed to be not necessarily perfect, but he needed to be exceptional in this game without Davante Adams, especially dealing with what the Packers were dealing with. Now.

Fortunately for Green Bay, they were able to get Mark Quisvel the scantling, and they did have Gerono Way Allison available after he passed the concussion protocol on Saturday. But it was gonna take this yeoman's effort across the board. Guys stepping up in Rogers fed them. I mean, Mike, we talked about this. Eight different receivers catch passes, all of them at least two. Four different players catch touchdowns, Aaron Rodgers five. Excuse me, his five touchdown passes went

to five. Got so ahead of myself there, But they needed to be able to spread the ball around and match the Raiders score for score. Early on. They accomplished that. There was no let up. And I think this showed you, over sixty minutes, over four quarters, what this offense was capable of even when Davante Adams is not available. Yeah. This was the second game in a row actually where eight different players caught at least two passes from Rogers. A couple of other stats from this one. Six players

with a pass reception of at least twenty yards. Actually the first time since that the Packers have accomplished that. Five players, five different players with a touchdown pass. Rogers got the six touchdown rushing it in himself out of thirty one. That's six in completions and five touchdown passes. That's pretty good ratio. You'll take that any day of the week, right, And he throws for four hundred and twenty nine yards. It's his tenth career four hundred yard

passing game if you include playoffs. And really what stands out to me about that is that in Packer's history, there are a bunch of different quarterbacks have had four yard passing games. Nobody's had more than one except for Rogers, and now he's got ten, including to this year. So you want to see where this offense is going, where it's headed, the progress that has been made. We talked a lot obviously Week one, coming back from Chicago playing

that Bears defense. There was a lot to work on here, and this offense is just hitting its stride. And what it's done these last three games without Davante Adams, you have to say that can only bode well for the future, right absolutely, and seeing that these guys get tested in different guys rising to the occasion, you know, you know,

let's start with Mark Quisveldo Scantling. Rogers pointed him out during his h you know press conference afterwards, some real questions midweek about whether MVS would be available for this game. I mean, the knee injury, the ankle injury, a lot of things he was working through. He kind of comes around on Thursday's us to feel a little bit better, And Rodgers even remarked to him, Hey, you're pretty glad he played, didn't you. How many players do you think

he played in that game? Like, off the top of your head, how many do you think he played? I'm gonna guess maybe two dozen snaps. He played snaps a hundred and thirty three yards, the fifty nine yards shot play coming out of the break. MVS was talking about that after the game. He said, that's something they've had, they haven't really had the right moment to make it. But the most critical juncture of the game, that big swing on the fumble bye Derek Carr in the end zone.

The Packers marched down the field, score touchdown, and then receiving the ball after the half a real chance to put their foot on the throttle. The big message this week from Matt Lafleur was all gas, no breaks. They do that a perfectly designed shot play, allowing Rodgers to roll out all the time in the world to work with Dandy vitally in front of them to pick up

any extra blockers MVS comes open across the middle. I thought that was a critical moment in this game, and then honestly just seventy four yards out of nowhere late to really seal it on that touchdown past NBS. You get him the ball, even if he's dealing with lower body injuries like he was in this game. Still a lot of speed there and some breakaway talent. Yeah, well, you said it was the point where this game turned. It was late in the first half. The Packers are

leading fourteen to ten. The Raiders are driving there in a goal to ghost situation and looking like they're going to punch it in to go up seventeen fourteen, and the Packers would maybe have one more possession before halftime. But Derek Carr gets careless as he's scrambling out to his right. He tries to reach for the pylon when he doesn't really have a shot at it, quite frankly, and he puts the ball in his left hand. The

ball sports out. He's initially ruled out of bounds, but I think we all knew when we saw it that looks like a fumble and it went inside the pylon, in and out of the end zone. The replay review confirms it's a touch back for the Packers, and instead of the Raiders taking a seventeen to fourteen lead, the Packers do the elbow up get the touchdown at the end of the first half to Jake Kumero get the touchdown coming out of halftime that started with the big

play too mvs. I refer to it in insider inbox as a twenty one point swing Derek Carr. When Derek Carr lost that fumble, you're thinking the Raiders are going to take a seventeen to fourteen lead, And by the time Derek Carr got the ball back, he was down by eighteen points. So it went from thinking he'd be up by three to down by eighteen point swing. That's that's a lot for the Oakland Raiders to overcome and they simply weren't able to overcome it. Not the way

Aaron Rodgers was commanding this offense exactly. And I think that was the biggest key here. The Packers did not blink. The offense did not blank five touchdowns in their first six possessions. Mind you, I did not say five scores in their first six possessions. Five touchdowns in their first six possessions. That's going to put you in the driver's seat. And it wasn't just big chunk yardage place. It was

opportunistic moments. It was being able to execute on their down The Packers were six of ten on third downs in this game. The Oakland Raiders were very good on third downs as well. But what was the biggest difference, Mike in the biggest difference in every single one of these Raiders games so far this season. The Packers won the time of possession battle by a little bit, but more importantly, they got the takeaways when they needed them. Derek Carr was really good in this football game. I

thought he would had a masterful performance. There weren't any sacks. That wasn't necessarily because of Zadarius and Preston Smith. They had pressures. Derek Carr was able to climb the pocket appropriately and get the ball out during the times in which there was collapsing, you know, pressure. But he blinked twice. He blinked on fumbling the ball in the end zone near the end of the first half and then trying to force the past to Waller late in the game when he had a first down in the red zone.

He didn't need to force that ball and the Packers got to take And he also had Josh Jacobs available in the flat with no one around him for eight yards, but he wanted to try making a play. That's not a criticism on hum, it's the fact of the matter. They needed points. But with the Packers not blinking, card did in that. You know, ultimately, for all the yardage, for all these other things you could factor in that. That's what made the difference in this ball game, and

the Packers were able to execute. Yeah, the way I refer to it, as I thought, Derek Carr played an outstanding game except for two plays, and you obviously delineated those two plays. But that just goes to show you how small the margins are in this league. Because the way this game was going It was back and forth, back and forth all throughout the afternoon. Those two plays,

those two mistakes by Derek Carr huge. And I'll also say this, I thought the Oakland offensive line played a whale of a football game in terms of controlling the trenches except for two plays third and goal and fourth and goal when they were trying to punch it in from the two and from the one with Josh Jacobs. The Packers defensive front got the best of them at the goal line in that sequence, and that was another huge swing in this game. The Packers defense, it had

its issues during the day, Don't get me wrong. They gave up a ton of yards and and the Raiders certainly felt they were they were in the game pretty much all the way through. But when you throw away scoring opportunities in the red zone at the goal line, and not only throwing them away, they weren't even just settling for the field goals, but they were turning the ball over. There were the two turnovers plus the turnover

on downs. Those stops that the Packers got defensively were all that they needed on a day when Aaron Rodgers was doing what he was doing. Yeah, there's one thing I really want to talk about here because I had not covered the team as long as you have, so I can't really give you the blow by blow of what the two thousand ten season was like. And and you know what the locker room was like even two thousand eleven in some regard when they gave up all

those yards. But they were so opportunistic for my money during my eight seasons full time on this beat. Now, the Green Bay Packers, the way this defense is played, it's the best situational defense they've had. And I'm counting two thousand fourteen. I'm counting two thousand twelve because it first between this unit and some of the issues that they've had in the past is when a team would break an explosive it kind of broke the Packers in

some ways that oftentimes led to six seven points. They had a really hard time being able to rally back from an explosive game. This year's team does not have that issue. Rogers made the joke in the postgame news conference about his conversation with Darnell Savage about, you know, if we could just get a stop outside of the red zone, but when they are in the red area, you look at it now they've had what four or

five takeaways in the red area this season. They have the fourth, you know, the goal line stand on a day in which Josh Jacobs had really been pushing and running really well. They got the stops when they needed them, almost the second straight game with a goal line stand if they had gotten the call against Detroit Detroit. But you know, when I was asking Blake Martinez about this afterwards,

and it just it comes down to a mindset. It comes out of mentality, and more than anything else, I think it just comes down to the confidence of this unit. They can take punches, they roll with them, and at the end of the day, you can make up whatever stats you want. You can talk about total defense, the number one defense, and all these different things, but you have to have a defense that can win in January and February. I feel like this year's team can do that. Certainly,

there are things to clean up the mistackles. You know, you want to be able to generate more takeaways. You have to be better at the at the first level and getting down those premiere backs like Jacobs. But points are points, Mike, and when you play well situationally, that's what enables you to keep them off the board and allow your team to win. Yeah, I think obviously the Packers defense is going to get back to work here.

With regard to the big plays, it's been the problem now three straight weeks, the big explosive plays they've given up. As you said, the backbone of this defense is that they don't just cave when they give up a big play. They gave up the one to the Lions opening the game last week, held them to a field goal. They gave up another one and almost stopped him at the

goal line. We saw them give up the big plays to the Raiders, but they got a couple of crucial stops in the fourth quarter down by the goal line. At the end of the day, they only gave up twenty four points. The concern, I think in a lot of ways is that in this Raiders game, we saw too many whether it was the tight ends receivers, too many guys simply running free in the secondary. Some of the plays were way too easy. They weren't contested plays.

You weren't just tipping your cap to the other guy saying, hey, that was a heck of a catch. You know. Against some good coverage. There were a couple of those, don't get me wrong. Well, and and that's what I was going to say too, is Kevin King gets the interception in the end zone that takes away the one scoring opportunity the play right before that, he is in perfect coverage and Marcel Eateman just makes a great catch over the top of him. Thirty six yard game gets the

Raiders down into the red zone. You talk about the whole short memory thing for a cornerback. Guy makes a play on him, It's like he knew he was in the right spot, just wasn't able to quite make the play on the ball. You tip your cap to the other guy. The next play you come back, Adrian Namas gets the tip. Kevin King gets the pick in the end zone, one cars trying to force it into Waller, his big tight end who had a huge game. That's the thing with this with this defense West. Yes, they've

got a lot of stuff to clean up. They don't want to be giving up those big plays, but they're starting to develop this. As you said, it's like a mentality when the other team gets in close, no matter how they've gotten there, and whether it's a ten play drive or a three play drive where the other team has marched down the field. When they get in close, they have a lot of confidence that they can get

the stops somehow. Now they're not going to get the stop every single time, but they got a couple of crucial ones on Sunday and that was enough for the Packers to maintain the separation to ultimately put this one away. Yeah, and for the most part, I mean you see that the pieces starting to fall into place a little bit. I mean, they're still trying to figure out what they

want to do. An inside linebacker B J. Goodson played a little bit, or in Burke's played a little bit, But for the most part, a lot of these guys have their rolls carved out. If you can get Darnell Savage back, I think that's a big catalyst for this defense right now, because you know, Will Redman has done some really good things, but you will have Adrian em Is playing out of position a lot of the time. You know, you still had to mix and match a

lot of this personnel. I think if you get Savage back and patrolling the center field like he has been, you know, with what they've worked through here the last few weeks, that's gonna make them better in the long run. Yeah, I would agree with you there, Um, quickly before I forget, because I do have a tendency to forget when we get talking. But select Cousin Subs locations are now offering delivery.

Whether you're ordering catering or your favorite sub, they're delivering right to you when you order online at Cousin Subs dot com. Cousin Subs, we believe in better. I'm gonna take control of this a little bit here because there are a couple more things about the offense. I just want to touch on very quickly. Absolutely, Um, Jimmy Graham four catches for sixty five yards in a touchdown. I mean, for his maligned as this has been, and as much as people beating the narrative of him and where he's

at in his career, I thought, Graham. I I asked Dono Allison about it afterwards, you know the game that he had here, and he just said clutch. I mean, I think you have to tip your cap to him. Um, Geronto Allison and Mark Quisveldi scantling playing through their injuries to give themselves a reps that they did and on a short week coming off of a Monday night game, and they didn't have as much recovery time as you would normally have. And you want to talk about toughness.

Geronimo Allison, one of his first catches in this ball game was almost a near identical play to the one that he got lit up on a week ago. That that s his concussion, you know, being able to have a short memory in that regard, I thought, I mean, that said a lot about him as a player. But lastly, I just need to touch on very quickly, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Lafleur the floor. First off, I thought this was an exemplary game plan. They spaced out their snaps

with their receivers. Al Nazard was the leading receiver in terms of snap totals fifty one. The second was Jake Jake Kumero. They were very selective and smart with how they used Allison and MBS. They didn't just run them out there seventy place. They rotated, they adapted. The running backs became more of a focal point in this offense.

Aaron Jones, something we have yet to talk about, had one of the most phenomenal catches you're ever going to see by a running back the coverage to get the offense up and running early on on a twenty one yard touchdown past in which he switched his head. I asked him about that play afterwards, and as cool as it looked, he said, I mean, you got to understand,

Aaron Rodgers put that right in my bread basket. Out of all the throws Rodgers made, and he made thirty one of them in this game, that might have been the most pretty, just in terms of the arrow that he had to drop that into. Danny Vitality catches two passes out of the backfield, motioning frequently during this game. Matt Lafleur's game plan for this was terrific, and Aaron Rodgers ability to get the ball out quickly with his offensive line the time that they gave him in this game.

That that's the next point I was going to bring up because Rogers. Rogers was effusive and rightly so in his praise of the offensive line, calling it the best pocket he's had to work with all season long. You look at the you look at the stats, West and I know sacks sometimes they're not the tell all stat

because Rogers can avoid pressure throw the ball away. There there are times that the sack is on the quarterback, not necessarily on the offensive line, but just looking at the raw numbers, the Chicago Bears had five sacks of Aaron Rodgers in Week one. In the six games since then, Aaron Rodgers has been sacked seven times. It's only twelve sacks now on the season after five sacks in Week one. This offensive line is playing really, really well and protecting

him and Rogers. He always has plenty to say, obviously about the Bookends blog and bok tr but he made a point of talking about the interior three and just how stout they were yesterday against the Raiders and giving him the pocket to step up into to make throws on time, to keep himself and the offense in rhythm. Talking about center Corey Lindsley Um and guards Billy Turner and Elton Jenkins. At the first name escaped me there for sex. Yeah, there's a g in Elton that that

always throws me off. Um, But those guys, Um, it just seems like a unit. And you knock on wood from a health standpoint, obviously, but it just seems as a unit that it's a group that just keeps get better and better and better. And more comfortable as a whole in this offense. And what Matt Lafleur is asking those guys up front to do, and the most underrated

aspect of them right now, Mike is there athleticism. I mean everybody always thinks of three and ten, three and twenty pound offensive lineman is you know, just kind of plotters and they just sort of hold their ground. No, they're very athletic. Billy Turner is a good athlete. I mean Elton Jenkins has jumped in there and just picked up right you know where Lane Taylor was. I mean he's taken that torch and continue to run with it.

And they've built that chemistry quickly their fifth start together in this matchup. So, I mean, you look at how a season goes, and there are sacks, as you said, but I've always there's a stat. I have an unofficial stat obviously, which I always refer to as ol A s which is just the bull running through the matador. I mean it was just they get right to the quarterback and there's nothing that that player can do. I don't know if there's been an l A sack this season.

I mean it's just been something where I believe that they've given Rogers a workable pocket to operate from. There're gonna be some coverage ones here and there. Yes, there was one on Sunday, but for the most part, you know, I was just looking at the way Brian Balaga fought in this game on the right side. Yeah, the you know, the Oakland readers don't have that type of pass rusher like Khalil mac was in the past. That just is gonna be somebody you have to take into account every

single down. You've got to fear that guy. But they are very good and they play to what they want to do and for them to give Rogers that, as I said, it was just that canvas to paint on in this game and Rogers to make the most of it. I just for my money, and it was reflective with the forty two points and the offensive production that they had. This was their morest balanced performance of the season. And

it's because they used all eleven guys to get there. Yeah, and well, and in posting his first and the franchise is first maximum passer rating of one point three, there were a couple of instances where a free runner on the blitz was bearing down on Rogers, and he stood in there and delivered the ball. One was an incomplete pass later in the game, but the one on the drive right before halftime, the third down to Geronimo Alison. It's you know, they the phrases stand and deliver for

a reason, right. He had to stand in there and fire that ball in and he got the completion to Alison. He took the hit and then finished off the drive with the with the touchdowns. So for all of the all of the praise that Rogers was spreading around to his teammates, and rightly so, for this performance, he deserves plenty of praise as well. Did Rogers talk about that play at all in the postgame news conference. I was

trying to see the Allison play. He talked about in general, those two plays where he took the big shots and had and and still was able to deliver the ball. He said he was joking with h I believe it was to hear whitehead Um from the Raiders defense saying, yeah, you know, sometimes you take those hits and then you start to feel like a real football player. Um, he probably doesn't feel that way on Monday morning, when when the soreness really starts to set in on those kind

of shots. But he stood in there and and took him. And I want to give quick credit to Matt Lafleur. I tweeted this during the game too, talk about knowing your team and knowing your quarterback. I would venture to guess that Aaron Rodgers had to win knocked out of him. He did not show it, but on that one play that pats to Allison, when I believe that was Karl Joseph just speared him. And it was a good play.

It was a good football play. It was clean. Uh, Rogers goes down, he takes a second to get back up. I guarantee you. I don't want to guarantee, but I'm pretty sure that that he's knocked out. He has a win knocked out. There they go and they give three straight handoffs to Aaron Jones, and they move the chains

with those handoffs. This is a day in which the Packers only rushed for sixty yards, but in that instance, when you need to maybe give your quarterback a minute or two to get himself back together, they were able to move the chains. Yeah. All right, Well, we're gonna talk on tomorrow's show about where things are in the NFC North and everything else that went on in Week seven.

We weren't able to get to it in this show, but it was an interesting week in the NFL and I want to get to that, but for now, we're calling it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team on Packers dot com. Subscribe to us, like us on iTunes and other podcast services if you will. 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.