#498 Packers Unscripted: Wrap it up

NFC West game and how that might impact the Packers seating. Um, the number one seed would be at stake for green Bay if they're coming back from Detroit with a win. So with that in mind, what's it going to take here for the Packers to get to thirteen and three? I like the way you laid that out to begin with two. It's like, oh, thank you, yes, I'll have that.

That's sounds about. That's the menu for someday. That sounds about as pricks are perfect as how it could work out for the Packers, but you have to earn it, you have to work for it. In order to do that. The two things that I really isolated as important in this game. I go along with what Brian Balaga and Matt Lafloord a lot of people said statistically, I don't think the Lions defense is as bad as the numbers

might suggest. I still think they are dangerous, and I still think it's something the Packers are gonna have to take an account they can't take for granted. Offensively, though, you can't get away from the fact that it is an undrafted rookie quarterback that you're facing with an unestablished run game. Now, Kenny Golladay is as good as they

get as receivers go in this league right now. But defensively, I think you need to be able to really push this thing, and I think it's up to Zadarius Smith, press that Smith, Kenny Clark, to pressure David Blow, to get after him, to make this day as uncomfortable as possible, all while being able to maintain that solid run defense that they've played over the last month. Yeah, and I would say if there's one guy for the Lions offensively that makes me a little bit nervous, it's Kenny Golladay.

We've seen him make big plays against the Packers. I think this is a really up and coming young receiver who has not reached the peak of his powers yet. And also we saw yes Kyler Fackra was held. He probably could have gotten a sack of Kirk Cousins, but that was a pretty bad breakdown in the secondary that allowed that long touchdown pass that was called back late in the Vikings game. You can't have those kinds of breakdowns against Kenny Golladay where he could end up having

a huge day. The other thing I see with this game, quite simply for the Packers is don't turn the ball over. You know, you know how I always am West when we sit here and we talk about a game where we really feel like the Packers are the better team and that the Packers should win the game. So to me, in those circumstances, I always say, hey, just don't turn

the ball over. Don't make those kinds of momentum changing plays that can give a big underdog that spark and that belief that they can not you off and that they can make their season with a big upset victory. And the Packers are coming off of a game in Minneapolis three turnovers in the first half, very well could have spelled disaster for Green Bay in their attempt to clinch the NFC North. It didn't. They came back. But three turnovers in the first half is not a recipe

for success. You gotta nip that in the butt and not let that become a trend here as you're trying to play your best football. Yeah, you gotta be able to protect the football, and it's the reason why the Packers are twelve and three. Simply put, They've been able to take the ball away. They've played well in the red zone on both sides of the ball, and they

protected the football offensively. Here's the interesting thing. You know, Monday night in Minneapolis was only the second time this year the Packers have had three turnovers in a game. You know what. The other one was Philadelphia Detroit Detroit really that Monday night game. Yeah, Aaron Rodgers through an interception, Aaron Jones had a fumble, and Darius Shepherd fumbled the punt. So maybe it doesn't matter if the Packers turn the

ball over. No, As as I say, not exactly a recipe for success, But my point being that this Detroit Lions defense did take the ball away from the Packers a few times, and they were on the verge of beating Green Bay at Lambeufield. Yes, Matthew Stafford is no longer the quarterback, but still those are the kinds of things that get your attention in a game where you're where the Packers are going in obviously is a heavy favorite and expected to win. I just think it's a

it's a week that you can't take for granted. You just have to really be on top of everything and and take care of business the way you're meant to take care of business. I mean, this team to get to this point. It was really interesting listen to Aaron Rodgers discussed this at his locker on Thursday. I mean, you know the way he even said that game against Minnesota he can he count said among one of his

better games he's played this year. Not maybe statistically, not because the numbers people can say, well, are you setting the bar that low for yourself? No, he's not saying that. It's that they were able to effectively manage the game

in a game in which you needed to do that. Now, this is completely different from where the pack because we're at in the past, like when you look at it with going into Ford Field, and what it was gonna take to be able to beat a team like that in two thousand, what sixteen, the last two seasons when you know they were on the wrong end of it.

I just think that there's so much fluidity with this roster that if you do take care of the football and you manage the appropriate situations offensively and defensively, you're going to be able to be successful. It's just the numbers bear it out. All year long. People wanted to talk about identities, they wanted to talk about what separates

this team. I think that's what does it. It's that they're just incredibly smart in those situations and when the fourth quarter comes around, more often than not, the field is tilted in their favor. Yeah. The other thing too, I think from what I've heard in the locker room, we haven't had a lot of locker room maxus this week with the holiday in the short week and everything, but I sense the players. The players are definitely dialed into the fact that you cannot take anything for granted here.

They oh, what's at stake, they know what's on the line. Preston Smith even mentioned yesterday when some reporters were at his locker, Hey nobody thought the Arizona Cardinals with four wins, We're gonna go to Century Linkfield in Seattle and knock off the Seattle Seahawks, a loss that quite frankly, has really damaged Seattle's chances to get the number one seed. They they could still get it if you know, the Packers losing the Saints Louis and all this other stuff

falls their way. But if the Seahawks hadn't lost that game of the Cardinals, they'd be going into that Sunday night game saying, hey, if we beat the forty Niners, we are the top seed in the NFC. They lost that opportunity to a team in their own division that only had four wins on the year end coming into their place. So it is all about not taking anything for granted. I think the Packers are buying into it, and I expect to see a pretty focused team on

Sunday in Detroit. Yeah, and and the other thing I made this argument and insider inbox, this team for the last eight months has played to be in this position. Everything that they've done, every workout, every practice, every game has set themselves up to go into Detroit, win this game and get a first round by you don't want to waste all of those efforts, all that hard work, all of that momentum because you overlook a three win opponent and every single guy, I think Corey Linsley mentioned

it too, that first game was by one point. There was a one point difference, turnovers, whatever, uh, total yards production, you can look at all of it. In the end, it was one point that separated the Packers from victory

and defeat. And while the situation has changed and half of this roster it seems like for the Lions is now an injured reserve, that still is something that there are guys that want to finish this thing out and and play the string out and show that you know what, if Matt Patricia is gonna be the head coach in two thousand, twenty and beyond, and that's the plan, we gotta play hard for him. We have to be ready for him. And then even a guy like David Blah, I mean, he's trying to prove that I can be

a backup in this league. I'm a quarterback that's worth developing. I could be in this position again next year with Matthew Stafford. All those things bundled together There's still is

a lot to play for it. But as I've said all week long, Mike, for the Packers, they have to go out, they have to control the momentum right off the bat and make sure that while this game you cannot take for granted, maybe the second half is where you can actually start to you know, maybe pull back some of the troops if you can get out there, get a quick lead and make sure that that crowd is in your favorite right. And that's exactly the fast start idea is exactly what the Packers did not do

the first time against the Lions. They fell behind thirteen to nothing. Fortunately for green Bay, that was a home game. As soon as the rally started, you know, the crowd kind of got behind the team and then it comes down to Mason Crosby kicking a walk off field goal there. So, um,

I totally agree with you. I think I think a fast start, as we talked about on yesterday's show, you know, if if there are some green Bay fans in the stands, you know, get them riled up early, keep the Detroit fans quiet, don't let them think that some some big upset for Matt Patricia to hang his hat on in the off season is is what's going to result. And keep in mind too, Aaron Jones. We've been discussing these

milestones all week long. Sixteen rushing yards away from his first thousand yards season, one touchdown away from matching on On Green single season record for touchdowns in a season. Aaron Jones is a critical piece to this puzzle because not only for all those reasons, but the fact that Detroit is missing what three inside linebackers at this point of the season. Their defense is really their defensive front

in particular. So if you're able to get that that ball moving in the first quarter, um, then you know, keep whatever happened, whatever that change was in that second half against Minnesota, and carry that over to this game. We could talk about Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams and all the other pieces that have to be in play for the Packers here both on Sunday and moving into

the postseason. But I just think, especially with the question marks right now with Jamal Williams and not sure what his availability is going to be with the shoulder injury, Aaron Jones, this game is set up for him perfectly to have a breakout day. Yeah, well, I want to continue to talk about that because there are several individual milestones mile posts that various Packers could hit here in

the final regular season game. Obviously, getting the win, getting the first round by is the priority, but you mentioned Jones is sixteen yards away from his first thousand yard rushing season. He currently leads the NFL with nineteen total touchdowns. The last Packers player to actually lead the NFL and touchdowns for a single season was Jim Taylor back in nineteen sixty two. And I believe Aaron Jones goes into this final game one touchdown ahead of Christian McCaffrey of

the Panthers. And then also he's one touchdown off of the Packers single season franchise record of twenty touchdowns, which was set by a Mon Green back in two thousand three. So that, uh, that's one for him to get another one. You mentioned Davante Adams, He's, uh, the exact number is escaping, right, And I was at nineties ninety six receiving yards from a thousand yards season, and it's really interesting for him.

Not only would it'd be pretty cool for him to get a thousand yards season in a year that he missed four games and he's only playing twelve in the regular season. But this is a guy who had a nine seven yards. He just missed a thousand another year where he had eight hundred and eighty five but then missed the last two games when a hundred and fifteen yards and two games would have been pretty reasonable for

him to get a thousand. Davante Adams has only had one thousand yards season technically in his career, and he's going for number two in a year that he missed an entire month, So that's kind of interesting as well. And on the defensive side, here's a couple to keep an eye on. West. I look this up and it was interesting. Zadarius Smith, Preston Smith, Kenny Clark. That trio has combined for thirty one and a half sacks so far this season with one regular season game to go.

Since sacks became an official NFL statistic. In the top trio in one season for the Packers was in Reggie White with sixteen sacks and winning Defensive Player of the Year, along with Vannie Holiday with eight sacks and Keith mackenzie with eight sacks had two between the three of them, So the Packers current top trio is thirty one and

a half. If they get one more sack, maybe the two Smiths split one, they each get a half, and that gets him to thirty two and a half, and that would be one to chalk up and another one on defense too. Uh. The Packers coaches go through the film and they keep track of tackles, and the official statistics that the Packers put out are the coaches tabulations

of tackles. Well, Blake Martinez solo and assisted tackles combined, He's been credited with a hundred and ninety one tackles so far this year and since Packers coaches started keeping that statistic in five Since then, the single season record for the Packers is a hundred and ninety four tackles

by Nick Barnett in two thousand and five. So Blake Martinez is four tackles away from breaking Barnet's record, and obviously nine tackles away from the first two hundred tackles season since the Packers coaches have been keep being that statistics. So and I've got a few other ones that are going to be in my one Last Look column as well. I had some fun looking up this, uh this stuff yesterday as I was preparing my Saturday one last look

for Packers dot Com. But some interesting things here as the regular season wraps up, because all of the team records and all that are based on regular season games, only postseason goes into another category. Well, and then there's one other one that is not going to be as heralded. I don't think many people will make much about, but it's thirteen wins. Packers can actually get thirteen wins in this season. That would be the most since two thousand

eleven during that fifteen win campaign, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, there there are only three. There are only three coaches in Packer's history with thirteen wins in a regular season. It's Vince Lombardi, Mike Holmgren, and Mike McCarthy. They're the only ones who have done it. And Matt Lafleur, in his first year, is trying to become the fourth coach to hit that mark. And it goes back to something that I think, you know, Mark Murphy has talked about

this season. I think a number of guys have talked about. I mean, how many people on September one would have put them in a position to be doing this right now, uh, to to have a first round by I mean, Aaron Rodgers has mentioned this at numerous different intervals throughout the course of the year about how maybe this isn't the most talented team. But I'll be honest with you, Mike, and you've been doing this a little bit longer than I have, but this is as tight knit of a

team as I've covered. And that's not to say that the chemistry wasn't there with some of those other teams. I think the two thousand team in particular had great chemistry, but in terms of, especially on the defensive side of the ball, how close they are from cornerbacks, the defensive linemen to linebackers. It's not just the positional groups, and it's not just you know, getting into the huddle and and you know, channing Kumbaya together. I mean, these guys

legitimately really care about each other. And I know that narrative and that cliche kind of gets thrown out there when teams are having success. It's more difficult to get that sort of reputation when you're six and ten. But I think to some extent it's true because there is an idea there that those guys are playing for each other. So Darius and Preston Smith are on the verge of becoming superstars in this league. You get fourteen sacks in a season, in thirteen sacks in a year, you're gonna

get notoriety. Kenny Clark has been just the steady as they go kind of players since day one with his mentality. Even with some of the breakouts he's had the last couple of seasons, you have your Dean Lowry's and your gyr Alexanders and you look at a guy like Kevin King and how he stepped up a week ago. They've stayed healthy and they've been able to be on the field together, and then when they're off the field, there's

a lot of the cambaraderie there as well. So it's not a stat it's not a milestone, it's not anything cool like that, but that definitely goes a long way. When you talk about a team in its chemistry going into the month of January, yeah, I mean every team sort of develops its own version of chemistry. There are all sorts of different formulas to continue the metaphor that

that work. I think with this particular team where the chemistry has has uh, withstood some scrutiny and and withstood some rough moments have been coming off of the losses in the second half of the season, when the Packers lost to the Chargers and they lost to the forty nine Ers. These weren't just you know, knockdown, drag out fights and you lose on a walk off field goal

kind of thing. These were just dud performances on both sides of the ball, quite frankly by by the Packers in road games, you know, long flights out to the West Coast and all that. And I think the chemistry of this team pulled them through and got them back on the right track very quickly after both of those losses, as as opposed to seeing you know, seeing one lost

beach twice, so to speak. And I think that's one I think that's one way that the chemistry of this team has been tested, and they have passed that test to get to this point and being able to balance back from losses where they didn't fall into you know, mid season dulgrums. They didn't have consecutive losses all season. And then keep in mind too, and this is kind of the onus and and sort of mantra that I've

developed for this team. You have to beat them for four quarters, because you've seen them get off to slow starts and then work their way back into it. It happened last week. Then you also have seen times where maybe they get off to a fast start, they kind of go into a little bit of a lull in the second third quarters and they finish like gangbusters in the fourth. I mean, this is a team that we say it over and over again about how they can

win a variety of ways, but they truly can. And last week I thought they you know, kind of pop the cap on another way. So it's a fascinating way to go into this thing. The Packers have to turn back Detroit. They have to be able to win this game and get that crown. But when they do, man, you look at how this thing sets up right now.

If they're hosting a game or two in January in Green Bay, Wisconsin against San Francisco and New Orleans and some of these warm weather teams seattle to a certain extent, the game changes. Yeah, absolutely well, looking at what else is going on around the league in week seventeen. As I mentioned at the top of the show, if the Packers get the win at Detroit, they're flying back and then settling in to watch the Seahawks and the forty

Niners battle for the NFC West crown. And if the Packers get to thirteen and three, then a Seattle win over San Francisco at Century Link would give the Packers the number one overall seed. From the forty Niners perspective, if they win against Seattle and win the NFC West, they are the number one seed. And then if the Packers have a win, they would get the buy and the number two seeds, and either way it shuffles out.

It's a great story. Uh. If Green Bay would somehow just work their way back up this thing and end up claiming the number one seed, that's incredible. San Francisco's point of view, you look at the setbacks they've had and being able to claw their way back into that game against the Rams and then potentially beat Seattle and Century Link. I know Packer fans don't hear that, but that's also a pretty good narrative two for a team

claiming the number one seed. Yeah. Well, when you look at the forty Niners, I mean, this is a team, this is a team that won on the road at New Orleans, and I'm trying to remember they had another really big road victory. I can look it up if you can talk for a couple more seconds there. The other thing, yeah, I will say, well you're looking that up is for those wondering can the Packers get a first drawn by if they were to happen to lose at Detroit. The answer is yes, but that would require

the Carolina Panthers to beat the New Orleans set. So if the Packers lose and the Saints lose, the Packers would still get a first round by. But if the Packers lose and the Saints win, then Green Bay is the three seed, and then as the three seed, the Packers would be hosting Minnesota in the wild card round because Minnesota is locked in at the six and can't change totally. You have to be thinking about the Rams game, right because otherwise it didn't really play anybody on the road.

Maybe maybe I might be thinking of I might be thinking of another team than that. That chalked up a couple of big road wins. But you talk about the Packers roads. People want to talk about the Packers. Look at this road schedule. It did get ramp up at the end of the year. But Tampa Bay, Cincinnati, l A, Rams, Washington, Arizona, and then they had to face Baltimore, New Orleans and back to back weeks. Maybe that's what I was. I know they had the Baltimore game at home and then

that came down to a walk off field goal. So maybe that was the game with the Niners that I was that I was thinking of. But um regardless, So yes, as a Packers fan, you're keeping an eye in the Saints game and then on Sunday Night football if the Packers do come back with a victory from Detroit, you're keeping an eye on what happens there in the NFC West. As far as the NFC East is concerned, it's between Philadelphia and Dallas, Philadelphias and the driver's seat. With their

victory over the Dallas Cowboys last week. So I Philadelphia beats the Giants, the Eagles are the four seed. If the Eagles lose to the Giants and the Cowboys beat the Redskins, the Cowboys are the four seed and the that team then would be hosting the five which essentially is going to be the loser of the Seattle San Francisco game is going to be the five seed and

going on the road on wild card weekend. So um, in the a f C, here's here's one thing I want to ask you because it's interesting because the Pittsburgh Steelers are still in the mix for a wild card and and they have and they're they're on the road at Baltimore. But the Ravens have locked up the number

one every a f C and they're sitting everybody. So the Steelers could potentially get a win over you know, the second string of the Baltimore Ravens so to speak, and sneak their way into the a f C playoffs as the six C. Now there's some other things too, because the Tennessee Titans are still in the mix, and there's somebody else I think who's still in the mix in the a f C. Yeah, there's there's a couple

of teams. And how it works, Buffalo is Buffalo is in the playoffs, and I believe they're the five seed in the in the a f C. They've got one of those wild card spots. So um, there the scenarios in the a f C for that number six seat

or death. Oh it's Oakland Yeah, Oakland. If Oakland wins and then has about four other games go exactly the right way, Oakland can actually sneak in to the number six seed in the a f C. So there's a lot of other more complicated scenarios on that side of the ball, But anything in particular from the a f C that interests you heading into Week seven, I just I gotta say Mike Tomlin and how he pulled that team together this year, the job that they've done defensively

to to keep this team in this thing under a lot of circumstances. You lose Ben Roethlisberger when they lost him, and not having a guy really step up and grab that opportunity behind him that that could have the season could have went arrived very quickly. But here they are taking on Baltimore. I actually think this is a really good audition for r G three because it's a guy that I think some people kind of left his career

for dead a little bit. Yeah, he'll be stepping in for Lamar Jackson, and in an inter own basis, he's played pretty well. I felt like throughout the course of the year. Now he's gonna be playing one of the best defenses in the NFL the Steelers, but that's that's gonna be a good matchup to see how he reacts to that. And then it always seems, one way or another, the Titans are always right in this thing. At the end of the season. They've probably played more significant Week

seventeen games maybe. I mean, it seems like every year something's on the line for Tennessee in Week seventeen, they're right in the mix somehow. It was like the Packers for about five years, it was the Green Bay. It was like that a lot, but Tennessee has been team especially with some of the uncertainty and the that that conference and that division in specific, so seeing if Ryan Tannehill can sprinkle his magic a little bit more and beat the division champions there to to claim a wild card.

Houston's already locked up that a f C South, but Tennessee trying to sneak in as a wild card. It's a fascinating week. Other than that, there really isn't much else. It pretty much is all predicated on what those those final wild card you know, positioning sort of works out

quickly before we go. The word out of Minnesota as of this morning, anyway, is that it sounds like the Vikings are going to rest up their guys and kind of treat this as a bye week with Week seventeen against Chicago, knowing that they're going on the road in the wild Card, and you think that's the right move. Probably originally earlier this week, I felt like you need

to give Kirk Cousins that tune up fight. But with Adam Felan in the hamstring, Delvin Cook and Madison both being injured, uh, and then you know Eric Kendricks Now, I mean, there's so many different things that have kind of popped up for the Vikings here at Okay, what good does it do if you have Kirk Cousins out there against a very good Chicago defense against you know, with with secondary parts offensively. I don't like this scenario for the Vikings. I still think this is a terrible

way to enter the playoffs. But all it takes is one win to to get you back in it. Yeah, for sure, and they'll be looking to obviously become the road Warriors in the NFC as the number six seats. So with that we will call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team and of Sunday's game

from Detroit on Packers dot com. You can subscribe to us, like us on iTunes and other podcast services, and check out that Packers YouTube channel for all kinds of video content for West. I'm Mike. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, See you next time.