#479 Packers Unscripted: On to the next

Good for him, and because of that, we won't have shows this week on Thursday and Friday. So today we need to sort of combine our Tuesday Wednesday shows and then tomorrow will combine our Thursday Friday shows and call it an early rap on the week from this desk. So I want to first go to a quick update with regards to the Packers, because we did mention on yesterday's show that Brian Bulaga had left the game against

the forty Niners, obviously with a knee injury. Matt Lafleur did not provide an update for the media as to where that injury stands, but it sounds like He's leaving the possibilities open as to how the Packers might compensate for that injury if Bolaga has to miss some time. Was that your read on the situation. Yeah, they're keeping everything on the table right now. Alex Light was the guy that came in the second year player out of Richmond.

His you know, still yet to make an NFL start, So that is obviously one potential avenue they could go down. And La Fleur also said if they had a full week of preparation, if Blagga couldn't go, that Light would be better for it, would be ready for this task. But you know, they could shuffle the deck too, and that's something that Mike McCarthy did early on in his tenure. I think back to, you know, when t J. Lang would bump out and a right tackle moving from the

guard position. You have a guy in Billy Turner that can play multiple positions. You have a guy in Lucas Patrick who has six NFL starts, played in thirty five NFL games on his resume that could potentially slide in it right guards. So there's a lot of different, you know, variations of this offensive line that could go with the big thing that Lafleur discussed though, is they want to get their best five out there if Bolaga isn't healthy and isn't prepared, isn't ready to be, you know, clear

to be out there against the Giants. Yeah. And I think the other message, at least the other message that I took from Matt Lafleur's Monday press conference was that it's on everybody on this Packers team, players, coaches, everyone to own what happened, to take their part in ownership in the disaster in San Francisco. But there's also a heck of a lot of confidence within the walls of that locker room, within the walls of those coaches offices, that that the right people are here to turn this

thing around. This is the Packers themselves do not believe this is suddenly going to spark some losing streak here. They believe in themselves, they believe in what they're doing and uh, and they're confident that they're going to turn this thing back around quick. What's been really neat to see over the course of the season, now we're almost into December, is the maturation of Matt Lafleur just at the podium and doing these news conferences, and honest with you,

I totally agree with you. I felt like that was one of his best press conferences had as the Packers head coach. And certainly you don't want to be up there having to discuss what happened in a loss, but the way he handled it, and you know he since the very beginning. Matt for is always the first one to point his finger back at himself, at his coaching staff, but he was honest. You know, j K. Scott is struggling right now. There's been some issues there with the

punt unit. They have to get straightened out. But he was very quick to say that. He said it to Scott to his face. I believe in you. We believe you because the proof is there. You have done it in this league. And that was just one example of many that he had throughout that news conference, whether it was offense, defense, otherwise. They have to look inward. I put that as my inbox title first, that you have to look inward. You have to find answers because this

isn't about winning these next few games. The Packers should win these next few games. It's about being better now for a potential playoff run. Yeah, and as I wrote in my story late on Monday from that press conference about the criticism being just as strong as the confidence that the Packers have. Here, the words that he said to J. K. Scott, I think reflect how he feels about the entire team. Hey, we've done it, we know we we know we can do it, so let's uh,

let's put in the work. One of my favorite lines from that press conference he was asked, Okay, so how do you get this thing turned around? And he just said, the only way I know how to do it is to go back to work, day by day and and and it's the cliche. It's one day at a time, it's one practice at a time, it's one game planning session at a time, whatever the whatever the case might be, whatever your job, whatever your part is in this thing,

it's just about going back to work. And you don't completely forget about a disaster like what happened in San Francisco, but you don't dwell on it at the same time. And I think there's there's a fine line that athletes at this level, professional athletes in particular and coaches always have to walk that you have to learn from the past, but you can't let it bog you down at the same time. And I think that's the line the Packers

are planning to walk this week. That line that La Fleur said reminded me of something that Jordy Nelson always used to say. And I know there are members of the media that would get kind of annoyed by it and saying that. But you know what, Mike, I wrote this also an inbox for Tuesday. There isn't a magic pill here. No, you can't just go and sign a free agent or trade for a player and then okay,

all your problems are solved. No improvement comes from within because this is yes, it's it's November twenty six as we tape this show. The first day of the off season program, I think was April eighteen. That's seven months that you've been working with the core unit of this team. That's how you win in this league. You win with that unit. And I actually this was another thing I went off on an inbox. This is just becoming Packers inbox,

but it was somebody men. You know, the Packers didn't make a move for a receiver at the trading deadline. They didn't get Aja Green. Aja Green still has yet to play. They didn't get Mohammed Sanu. Mohammed Sanu has a hundred and eight receiving yards in three games. He was held without a catch last week against Dallas. They will you know, they didn't ge Emmanuel Sanders. He torched the team. He had one catch for fifteen yards in

that game. You have to be able to find improvement from your players from your locker room, and that is how you're going to beat the Giants. That's how you're going to beat Washington, That's how you're going to beat the Chicago Bears. And that's ultimately where you have to be going into that game against Minnesota. Yeah. Absolutely, well,

next up is the New York Giants. That is the next one on the schedule of Packers traveling to the opposite coast, going east this weekend for a one o'clock Eastern noon Central Time kick off, the first road game of the season in the early television window. If you can, if you can believe that, it's all the way until Thanksgiving weekend before the Packers play a road game in the in the first TV window. And this is the one I would have liked to have been at night.

I've only been to New York twice. Michael, you want a galvant around Central Park and everything every the three. This is a side note, but all three games that I've covered where the Packers have played the Giants of the Jets have been New one pm Eastern time starts. What's up with that? So it goes. I feel like I've spent like three years of my life in San Francisco, but I mean like New York. Okay, but no, this this is it's it is. It's nice to be able

to get on a somewhat normal schedule again. We're gonna get We're gonna get home after the game at at a like a normal time, at least from a from a work perspective. What a win? Yeah, well awesome. The Giants a team that is definitely in a rebuild mode. They are struggling. They are two and nine. They actually started the season two and two, and they've lost seven

consecutive games. Offensively, they're building around there first round draft picks from the last two years, and that is running back stay Kwan Barkley out of Penn's Day and quarterback Daniel Jones out of Duke Now. Barkley was injured earlier in the year, so he doesn't really have the um the full slate of games in terms of his statistics this year. But that being said, it's still surprising that a running back of his talent and his caliber only

has two rushing touchdowns this year. The Giants deciding after just a couple of games this year to move on from Eli Manning and to throw the rookie Daniel Jones, the number six overall pick in the draft. They decided to throw him into the fire in September and move on to the future sooner than some people were predicting. And uh, um, you know, typical of a rookie quarterback, Jones has had his ups and downs. Yeah, it's uh, you know, this is the bright spot for them, though,

let's be honest. I mean, I think Daniel Jones, the way he's played this year has shown people, Okay, maybe it wasn't a total reach to go up and get this guy. Now that being said, he's made mistakes, and he's made mistakes from the very moment that he replaced

Eli Manning. He has seventeen touchdowns, He has eight interceptions thrown for around yards sixty two point five percent clip fine, fourteen fumbles, ten lost and if you look at the takeaway margins, the turnover differential, that's where the Giants have lost a lot of games. And let's be honest, Mike, I mean, the Giants are dangerous. They played Chicago very tough last week, but there is a dearth of talent

with this roster. Cody Lattimore, who is also draft in that same draft that the same second round, is Davantas. He started nine games this series and eight receiving yards. I mean, Evan Ingram right now has been dealing with the injuries. He's there probably their best outside skill position player that isn't Sae Kwon Barkley, And even say Kwon Barkley has not really been himself here over the last

three or four weeks. You know, there's even these conversations, these stories that I saw that hey, you know, maybe they consider shutting him down, you know, with the way things have gone this year in the ankle injury and everything like that, and just the lack of production and where the season is headed for the Giants. Golden Tate

is in the con Ushon protocol. Yeah, you see on the other side of the ball, Jabriel Peppers, you know, dealing with that back injury, that transverse process injury that you've heard about the last years. They're hurting unit and the Packers you cannot take them lightly. You have to take them serious. But let's be honest. It's a rookie quarterback and there's a lot of questions. The offensive line has been playing through some things. They got to take

care of business against this group. Yeah, absolutely, the Packers do need to take care of business. You mentioned they are, they are banged up a little bit. When I look at the defensive side of the ball, what jumps out at me is that during the seven game losing streak that the Giants are on, only once in those seven games, and it was last week against the Bears, only once have they allowed fewer than twenty seven points to the opposition. I mean, teams are putting up big scoring numbers against

this defensive unit, and it's starting quickly. In games West. You look at the quarter by quarter breakdown for the Giants, they've been outscored eighty one to twenty seven in the

quarter of games. You and I have been talking, you know, all the time about obviously the Packers wanting to get out to a fast start, and I know We're talking yesterday about being able to win a game on the road maybe when things don't start out all that well, and you know, still finding a way, but just based on this particular opponent and how teams have beaten the Giants consistently this year, you have to get out to

a fast start and make that rookie quarterback play from behind. Yeah, and you need to be able to to sink your teeth into this defense and and get the yards that have been out there so far this season, especially if Peppers doesn't play. Peppers has been arguably their best defensive player this season. I mean, if you if you really break it down, I mean, he's made some big plays at the safety position. Genera's Jenkins is a guy I

really respect. At cornerback, Marcus Golden has seven and a half sacks, But outside of that, yeah, Genor's Jenkins has four interceptions. He's certainly been a playmaker for them in the back end as well. But they have ten interceptions as a total, you know, and and four those belong to Jenkins, two of them to Ryan Connelly, and then Jabriel Peppers has one of them. So I mean it's just it's one of these deals where you look at where season is headed for the Giants and being on

the skid that they're on. This is why you can't have a letdown. And that's why the Packers had to make sure they get their bodies right, because this is a game. You have to scheme, you have to prepare, you have to plan for the Giants playing their very best. And the Floor said of himself standing at the podium, you can't take them lightly. You saw what happened last week with with the Bears and how close that game was.

At the same time, that was a nineteen to fourteen game in which the Bears and you know, Mitchell Traubisk have been working through some things and they haven't been able to find the running game. Packers are a different breed. They're eight and three, they have more wins right now. Are just as many wins is the next three opponents that they're gonna face combined. It starts with the Giants.

You have to be able to get that w Yeah, absolutely well, looking at the bigger picture here for the Packers, I know we talked about a little bit a little bit yesterday, but you're tied for first in the NFC North at eight and three with the Minnesota Vikings. You're looking up in terms of the rest of the NFC.

You're looking up at the Niners at ten and one, the Saints at nine, into the Seahawks also at nine into the Vikings play the Seahawks this week on Monday Night Football, so somebody is going to take another loss there. But with what happened on Monday Night Football with the Los Angeles Rams picking up their fifth losses, the Baltimore Ravens continue to just steamroll the league right now. Um, and we could do a whole show on the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson with what that with what that

outfit is doing. But where I'm going with this West is that it And I don't like to say, hey, this is all set in stone, We've got it all figured out with five games to go, but you look at where things are in the NFC and it kind of looks like you already know really where the two wild cards are going to come from and how and how this is going to shake out. And I mentioned this to you yesterday when we were talking off camera. There's a very good chance here that in the NFC North,

with the Packers and the Vikings. Barring some crazy slump or you know, by either team that we're looking at, the winner of the NFC North is going to be the three seed and the runner up in the NFC North is going to be the sixth seed, which essentially means that the game in Minneapolis in Week sixteen very well could simply determine the location of the wild card game, because the Packers and Vikings very well could meet again as that three six matchup and the winner gets to

host it and the loser will be the team on the road. It kind of looks like that's where this all is pointing, even even to say that with five games left as it stands, yes, it is going to be really interesting to see how San Francisco and New Orleans kind of meander through this month of December, because they both have difficult matchups still in the schedule, and they have some teams within their own divisions that are

going to play each of them tough. That being said, if you look at the way that things have kind of, you know, laid out here, it's actually kind of interesting. Like in my time with the Packers, Packers have been playing from behind. They played from behind in fourteen or sixteen, I should stay with the run. The table being at four and six. Um, it really was the last time, going back to two thousand and fourteen, where they've been in a position like this where their works kind of

cut out for them. They've positioned themselves to be a playoff team, and now you're trying to climb the seating chart. Uh, that's fascinating. And I said this on the radio, the pregame radio. I know I said this to you last week. I may be one of the only people that remember is just based on how the last two and a

half years have played out. But Aaron Rodgers standing in that that podium at Mercedes ben Stadium and talking about the importance of playing playoff games at home because they've had to play on the road a lot since the NFC Championship Game in two thousand and fourteen. Ever since then, it's been a grind. This is the opportunity and in the unique thing about it is where San Francisco got

a big win. I think if you're looking at the overall a lot of things here, Green Bay has a much better schedule heading into a potential playoff run than what San Francisco is gonna have to do with and how competitive those games are gonna be. So that depends on perspective, right, is that conditioning yourself or is that wearing yourself down? We'll find out in January. But be that as it may. The Packers and T. J. Lang

tweeted this um yesterday too. I believe for two days ago Packers could very easily be thirteen and three, twelve and four if you work for it, if you do what you need to do. That's why, going back to your original point of this entire question, that Week sixteen matchup, Packers are still looking for that win at US Bank Stadium.

What better way to make a statement about what this team could potentially accomplished in January and maybe into February, then finally being able to take out the Vikings at home to win a division title. That's that's where my eyes are right now. But in order to be even in that conversation, the Giants, Washington Chicago teams that have had real difficulties this year that I've had to work through some stuff, You've seen changes across the word, you

have to be able to put those teams away. Yeah, absolutely, the Packers have to take care of business. And certainly with two of those three, as you mentioned, Washington Chicago, both being at lambeau Field, the Packers will be this weekend at the Giants. The Packers will be wrapping up this stretch of four road games in a stretch of five games over the course of six weeks, with the

bye week mixed in between. Then you're gonna come back home and you have back to back home games against teams that are looking up at you record wise, looking up at you in the standings. So yes, I mean, all eyes are on that week six team, two nights before Christmas, Monday Night football at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. But the Packers have to put themselves in position to where that game means what they wanted and needed to mean. And that's what these next three weeks are all about. Yeah,

and two things I want to say. First thing is we have to see where this injury this week takes with the Giants, because if Evan Ingram plays, if rhtt Ellison plays, those are the top two tight ends. That's those are those are safety valves forward Daniel Jones. And that's also a position where the Packers have had struggled and say you can bet Daniel Jones wants Evan Ingram his top tight end out there against the Packers. With the way the Packers defenses struggled against tight ends the

waiky Cushing protocols go. We'll see. I saw the play with with Golden Tate. We'll see how that goes. But I mean, certainly if he if he would happen to get cleared, that's a big weapon that has a lot of experience against Green Bay. So all those things have to get chalked up and accounted for. What I want to point to you though, is I was trying to think of this, and that was this is actually yesterday. I was thinking about this, but I had neither the

time nor inclination actually want to look this up. I don't remember a year like this and the NFC, at least the a f C. Maybe it's happened because of the overall dominance at the top of that that conference, but we're going into the month of December. You really did have six clear cut teams where you have at the very top green Bay, San Francisco, Seattle in the New Orleans, Minnesota has played catch up in his back in this thing. And then whoever wins the NFC East,

and that's kind of it. I mean, if the M's win, as you said yesterday, the Rams right to me that that was that was the thing going into last night. If the Rams would have been able to beat the Ravens and get to seven and four, then you're looking at another team that's right on the heels of that last wild card spot, which right now, that last wild card spot is whoever finishes second in the NFC North

based on where the records are. But with the Rams picking up their fifth loss, you have the teams in the NFC East. It doesn't it doesn't look like the runner up in the NFC East is really going to be in a position to get a wild card. It would be like, yeah, absolutely, But the problem is that the Cowboys and the Eagles both to each other. So there's gonna be another loss no matter no matter which

team potentially runs the table. Well, the one the one that runs the table is is going to win the division and and be handing the loss to the other one. So um, I agree with you. I can't remember. I can't remember any year that I've been doing this where we're sitting here talking the of Thanksgiving and looking at the NFC picture, going, you know, we can we can be pretty darn sure who the six teams are going

to be in the playoffs. Now, we don't know one through six exactly how that's going to shake out, with the exception of the fact that it sure looks like the champion of the NFC East is going to be the four, and it certainly looks like the runner up in the NFC West is going to be the five. And that's why I say that, you know, with that the with the four and the five kind of already

figured out in terms of where they're coming from. That's why it looks to me like in the NFC North, the champion is going to be the three and the runner up is going to be the six. So winning the division gets you the home game for the rematches is kind of where this is headed. Now. Obviously things can change, but it does have a different feel to it that here we are with five games to go, and we're not looking at this whole list of teams in the NFC saying, oh, well, they're only one game

backer they're tied with those guys, are everybody? Everybody is at least two games are more behind the NFC North

runner up, which is essentially in the sixth spot right now. Yeah, and this is why this month of December is gonna be fascinating, because you look at the NFC West right now, there is a scenario where those two teams, Seattle in San Francisco could win this thing out play each other in week seventeen for that division championship in the number one by the bye overall you know, home field vanage throughout the playoffs, and there's a scenario where San Francisco

could lose that game, be fourteen and two and be the wild card. Yeah, I mean that would be something well, and and that would be if if that plays out, that would be reminiscent in some senses of not exactly the same. But when the Lions came to lambeau Field in the finale, in the winner was winning the North and getting a bye and getting the two seat, and the loser was going to be a wild card team and going on the road the very next the very next week, and the Packers ended up winning that game.

The Lions went down to Dallas and lost, Alice came to Green Bay and lost, and then that's what sent the Packers to Seattle. But you're right, the way it's shaping up this year, that Week seventeen could be for the difference between the one seed and the five seed. I mean you talk about you talk about the highest of the highest of steaks, and then and then the loser, the loser having to go on the road immediately um after putting everything they would have into trying to win

that Week seventeen game. It that's that's the intrigue here in terms of how this will play out in the NFC. I don't think it's necessarily question of who's going to get in again, barring one of these six teams that we're talking about going into just a major slump, which I don't see happening based on the way things look right now. It's not about who's getting in, it's about

where they're going to be slot. It is funny though, as much as we make and then certainly the San Francisco Fos won that game Sunday, but as much as we make about you know, the outcome of that, that really was kind of a must win game for the forty niners because you look at it now, you travel the Baltimore, you travel the New Orleans, and you host Atlanta who came back down to Earth, and you host the Ramps who are struggling, and then you got to go to and you have to go to see that

is a heck of a way to finish a month, especially when you consider the fact they have not had a bike since week four. Well, it's interesting, I'll say this. I I definitely sense that when you know, we're only out in San Francisco, out on the West coast for one night, but just catching things on the local news, looking at stuff online, this whole narrative out there was, you know, Okay, this three game gauntlet that the Niners have.

They have to play the Packers and they have to go on the road to Baltimore and then they have to go on the road to um um New Orleans. This three game gauntlet, it's like, oh, you know, the forty Niners really have to prove themselves. I think I

think they started to internalize all that. I mean, they they came out obviously and made a statement against the Packers and uh, and now they're going onto this two game road swing to to Baltimore, New Orleans with U with all kinds of confidence and they're saying, yeah, we are out to prove something like here we come. So um, I'll be curious to see now just where the forty

Niners go with these tough road back. That game Sunday is gonna That's why I was actually interested that they flex the Green Bay game because that that San Francisco Baltimore game is going to be fascinating to watch, because I mean, and I think it's going to be going on at the same time as Packers Giants. It's it's it's a new game, yeah, and it's if you look at it, the way it breaks down is you basically

got two defenses. We'll talk about it later in the week, but you've got two defenses are very similar, two offenses that succeed in different ways. So we'll see where it goes. Football is fun, That's what I was saying. Football is. It's a fun game. It's a fun game to cover, and it is a fun time a year to follow

all of the stuff that's going on. But for now, we're going to call it a wrap on this edition of Packers on Script, and be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team on Packers dot com and subscribe to us, Like us on iTunes and other podcast services. Check out the Packers YouTube channel. All kinds of great video content out there for you. Thank you for tuning in, everybody, We'll see you next time.