#562 Packers Unscripted: Tough but triumphant

in first place in the NFC North. So this has been my big message this week, Mike. I know it wasn't the dominating victory everybody projected. I'm sure that person that had thrown down a hundred thousand dollars on a Packer straight up. Victory was kind of sweat and bullets there into the fourth quarter. But what I come back to is this game I thought showed a step for

Green Bay. I know that's a weird take to have when you only beat a one win team by four points, but I felt like they did what they needed to do in this game against the Jaguars that they didn't accomplish against the Vikings, who have now since gone on a huge run here, and and that was in the fourth quarter when the Chips were down. They needed a response offensively, defensively, and even to a certain extent special teams. They were able to at least muster enough to get

that win. What are you going to get a lot of style points out of that victory? No? Is this now the sixth game that the Packers have played with the Jaguars all time and which has been decided by under you know, in single digits. Yes, But I just felt like this game showed one again just how brilliant

Davante Adams is into that. The defense, even though it's been kind of hidden underneath a lot of things this year, when it needs to find that gritty performance late the pass rush getting into Jake Luton's face, they were able to do it, and they were able of the seal of victory. Yeah, the down the stretch, crunch time performance of the defense was very reminiscent of last year, frankly, with the Packers won because the offense wasn't always clicking

all that great in twenty nineteen. The defense needed to make some of these fourth quarters stands and Sunday's game reminded me of that. I will say this though, because it wasn't the Packers best performance, it's not a performance to be very proud of. Frankly, and yes, the weather is a bit of an equalizer for an underdog and

all that, I get it. But an Insider Inbox reader, as I got done with my game recap and the editorial, we had that stuff posted on the website, and as you know, I stay late after our game coverage because I like to just get the Insider Inbox column from Monday morning written and out of the way so I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn on Monday morning to get it done in time. An Insider Inbox reader sent in what I thought was was almost the perfect line that what occurred in that game

was the recipe for are an upset. You had a special teams touched down by the Jaguars. You had two uncharacteristic turnovers by the Packers, a fumbled by Davante Adams that leads to a touchdown, an interception by Aaron Rodgers that leads to a field goal. That's seventeen of Jacksonville's twenty points in essentially those three instances right there, and yet it really was the recipe for an upset. But as you said, the Packers needed a response on offense

when they fell behind twenty seventeen. They put together the seventy five yard drive and got the job done. And then the defense not once but twice has to make stops there at crunch time in the fourth quarter. And if there is anything you can hang your hat on from this game, it's that in bad weather, in bad conditions, you were able to do that in the fourth quarter.

And quite frankly, the Packers, except for maybe the New Orleans game back in Week three, the Packers hadn't really been put in that situation to pull something out late in the game in the fourth quarter. And yes it was the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they did the job. There are a totality of their experiences, though, and that's where this team as they go into Indianapolis this week, in Chicago the next week, and in Philadelphia as they marched into into December, the all of these things lead up

to a playoff team. What makes you who you are? It's almost like it it sort of builds your your resume. And this is Okay, once we get to the postseason. These are the things that, as you said, we hang our hat on, and yeah, this isn't gonna be a game I think five years from now where you are gonna you and I are gonna be talking about. Remember that Jaguars game back in two thousand twenty. Probably not um, but I just feel like these can be the launching pads.

This game really wasn't pretty in any shape or fashion. James Robinson had over a hundred yards rushing kick punt return for a touchdown. But then there's little moments of brilliance that were interspersed throughout it. The seventy yard touchdown past to Marquis about this scandling the longest touchdown past, I wouldn't even believe this. For Aaron Rodgers in in six years, Uh, their ability, you know late where Jacksonville had been stifling the run, Aaron Jones breaks one for

twenty yards. It's just those type of place And again, Davonte Ada is playing on a bad wheel with the ankle injury in which he left for a moment. He comes back, skies up obviously didn't affect his vertical and catches in the air to pull down that winning touchdown, the go ahead touchdown Preston Smith. Everyone's wondering where the sacks are with him. He comes up with a sack on third down, fourth and the pass rush just converges

on Luton. They don't let him get comfortable in a situation where I think a lot of times people are thinking three man rush. So there's just so many different factors that I felt played into this game that, while it's not gonna be one that we're gonna remember, so to speak, if the Packers can get on a run here and put that to good use now against a much better Indianapolis Colts team on the road this Sunday, it could be the type the performance that that fits

into a winning streak where maybe it's not the headliner. Yeah. Aside from the two defensive stands at the end of the fourth quarter, which obviously were important, there are two other things that I take out of this game if I'm the Packers in terms of trying to build on something. One is actually the defense against the run. And I say that, yes, James Robinson solid performance. Twenty three carries a hundred and nine yards, but Robinson had Robinson average

six point eight yards per carrying the first half. In the second half, the Packers cut that in half three point four yards per carry in the second half. You could see the defense against the run was much better. Now, that comes with one caveat, as Matt Lafleur had pointed out, and as I wrote about Monday evening on our website, right after the Davante Adams fumble, the Jaguars get called for holding there in first and twenty, just outside the red zone. Okay, that's where the defense needs to get

the stop force the field goal. So the turnover only produces three points. But Robinson busts off on eleven yard run and instead of second and really long there in second and nine and a couple of plays later there in the end zone, and you didn't take advantage of the holding penalty. But even with that one eleven yard run in the second half, Robinson only average three point four on his thirteen carries in the second half. So I thought the Packers run defense, they got their act

together down the stretch in this game. The other thing that I think you take away if you're the Packers was the performance of Marquis Velde Scantling And I'm gonna say this, not because the hundred and forty nine yards was his career high and because the seventy eight yard

bomb was, you know, his career long touchdown pass. But this was the best game of his career in my opinion, because of the variety of plays that he made just on four receptions, but the one the one was the long bomb, but we saw him make a big play on a shallow cross off the off the play action boot, which is a pass that he has dropped a couple of times this year and it's been a staple of

this offense. Right, we saw him. We saw him stay alive and convert a third down in a scrambled mode for Aaron Rodgers, which also he got a touchdown against San Francisco the previous week in a scramble mode situation, so that's another good sign. And then he took a receiver screen one of those quick outs, bounced off a couple of tacklers, moved the chains and got some significant yardage.

The variety of plays that Mark quis Velde Scantling made on just four receptions, that's something that I think the Packers would like to build on and to see more of here. Down the road and when if you're hoping as you're hoping to get Alan Lazard back off of injured reserve, this is something that could really be a positive sign for this Packers receiving corps. And you just see the swagger that he got after that seventy eight yard touchdown passed. You know they've been able to connect

on some of these d balls lately. And what was the issue last year when he fell into his dul drums. They just weren't on the same page with those and some of the quieter moments this season is not on the same page, but those are game breaking moments in when the Jaguars are going to defend green Bay the way they were going to defend him a lot of eight man boxes. They talk about the cover three on the back end, sort of three different guys covering their

part of the field. You have to be able to create those big deep ball opportunities to really keep a defense honest. Because I tip my cap to to Walsh and everything that that the Jaguars did, it was a good solid game plan, but Green Bay was able to crack open those explosive games when they needed to. That's the dimension Marcus Valdes Scantling ads and we're gonna have to see what this week holds for Alan Lazard. He'd practiced for basically two straight weeks and then last Friday

did not. It does sound like he's still going to be activated on Wednesday, which is the end of his twenty one day period to do so. But man, if they can get a healthy Alan Lazard on the field, the ways in which Green Bay can you who's Marquez Velde Scantling and be able to keep defenses and secondaries you know, a little bit nervous, a little bit of you know, turning in their bellies about where this guy

is going to be. My goodness, does that set up well for them, especially with some of these Dome teams coming up. Well, one thing we hadn't seen obviously, we've seen Valda Scantling catch those deep balls and take the top off the defense. But as I mentioned, those shallow crosses. He dropped a couple of those this year. But his

speed is dangerous in those situations. And finally, you know, in the worst of conditions, ironically, where it would be the most difficult to actually execute that play, they do get it executed, and it turns into a thirty one yard game. You start, you start using his speed horizontally like that, and you start to scare a defense a little bit too, because because it is difficult to defend sideline to sideline with a guy like that. So I just I think that's a really positive sign here for

the Packers. And I will just say this as well, as you mentioned, the twenty one day window for Alan Lazard to practice with the roster exemption is expiring this week. If the Packers do indeed put him on the active roster, just so everybody knows, that doesn't necessarily mean he's going

to play right away on Sunday against Indianapolis. But if the Packers don't want him on injured reserve for the rest of the season, they have to activate and they have to put him on the fifty three this week to have him available at any point the rest of the way. So I just we'll see. I think Alan Lazard, from what we're hearing, is close to coming back. I just don't want everybody to think that as soon as he's on the three, oh, that means he's playing. We

don't know that for sure. Yeah. And the thing is too is there's so much added flexibility this year with the practice one. I mean you saw it. It's Saturday and Sunday. The Packers elevated four players between the two COVID nineteen replacements and the other two that they're allowed. Jowan Winfrey was up from the practice squad in that game actually played seven offensive snaps for green Day at receiver. So yeah, again, in the past it's almost been a

situation where you got your fifty three. That's the way it's got to be. This year, with all the different changes in maneuvering that teams have been allowed to do, it gives the Packers a little bit more buffer. They're depending on exactly when al Lazard is going to be clear to play. Yeah, alrighty, Well, before I forget here, West will take care of some sponsored business. Serious x M NFL Radio channel is the only radio outlet dedicated to the National Football League seven days a week, three

hundred sixty five days a year and year up. Four game day folks open a Packers checking account from Associated Bank and score a fifty dollar Packers Pro Shop gift card. Lauren Moore at Associated bank dot com backslash Packers all right, well as I mentioned at the top of the show,

the Packers are seven and two. They actually now have a three game lead in the lost column on the rest of the NFC North because Minnesota went into Soldier Field in Chicago and beat the Bears on Monday Night football, so Green Bay is seven into The Bears are five and five. They now have their bye week. The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions are both four and five, so the Packers have two losses. Everyone else in the division

has five. And I don't like to talk about this too much because there are seven games to go, but yes, if you like to get into the entire NFC playoff picture, if the season ended today, the Packers would be the number one seed in the NFC. Because of the Seattle Seahawks losing and falling to six and three, Packers are tied with New Orleans right now, seven and two top

the NFC. But first, your thoughts on the NFC North and the Monday Night football game, which it sounds like you got bored and gave up and decided to play some video games. And it was I admit I watched the whole I watched the whole game, but it was not the most exciting Monday Night football. I mean, come on, man, the Bears. The Bears had one first down in the second half until the last twenty seconds of the fourth quarter.

I mean, the the ineptitude of the offense. I just honestly, I you know, it's hard for me to say this in some respects because I know Bears fans can be obnoxious, but I honestly feel bad for Bears fan. One of my best friends is a tried and true Bears fan. We were texting during the game on Monday night. I honestly feel bad for Bears fans having to watch that offense that is that is just it's absolutely it just makes you makes you ill watching a team struggle that

much to just move the football. Yeah. My my brother in law, Mike, actually is a huge Bears fan. Grew up in that area and his you know, his family's from that area. He he sent me a meme which was, I don't Jason Momoa. Do you know him at all? And I think I think he's Aquaman. He was also engaged thrones. Okay, guy, okay. He was one of the I believe it was the Super Bowl commercials this past year.

One of the big popular ones. He's a big, hulking guy, and then they also did this one where he's walking through his house and he's taking all of his muscles off and he ends up being like the slender dude. He had sent me a meme which is the version of Jason Momo where he's like really like, you know, pulked out. That's the Bears defense, and then the other version was the Bears offense. So Mike, that made me smile.

But the thing I can't get over, Mike, you can you can talk about the quarterback until you're blue in the face, and it sounds like Mitchell Robinski very well might end up being the guy again. But think about all the years where the Bears are really strong contenders, what do they have? They had a ground game critical Patterson was their leading rush during this game. He rushed

for thirty yards. Now, I understand David Montgomery not playing and everything, and Tera Cohen's hurt as well, but it's just it's so unlike them, and I just feel like when you don't actually establish the running game and you are making life so difficult on your quarterback, I don't care if it's fulls. I don't care if it's Jim Miller, I don't care if it's Shane Matthews, I don't care

who it is. You're you're you're making life difficult. And the reason why this game ended up kind of being sort of a dud on my end is defensively, the Bears are great. They have a really strong defense. Dalvin Cook carry the ball thirty times, didn't get a hundred yards as long as carry was fifteen yards fourteen yards. I mean, the Bears defense can compete that. That's a defense that they could win, you know, win some games with. But offensively that that defense, that defense can clamp down

on anybody, there's no doubt about. But offensively, they're just not getting it right now. And it led to uh a really long night in which I finally decided, you know what that Nintendo switches calling me yeah, and I'm gonna have a little bit of fun. Well, I mean,

the Packers found out. The Packers found out a couple of things similar to the Bears in terms of facing that Vikings defense, where if Mike zimmer is going to play his two safeties back, if he's going to play cover two, if you can't run the ball against that you're you're dead in the water against Minnesota, and the Packers were struggling to run the ball. The Bears flat out could not run the ball at all. Obviously, the Packers were missing Aaron Jones in that game at Lamborfield

a couple of weeks ago. But then compounding that for the Bears, they couldn't run the football against the two high safety look and they had absolutely no answers for the Vikings blitz. Anytime that Zimmer dialed up a blitz. Nick Foles was completely helpless back there he had. They had no answers whatsoever. And Cordorrell Patterson running the second half kickoff back for a touchdown gave the Bears the lead and gave them a chance to win this game and actually kept them in it all the way to

the end because the offense. The offense did absolutely nothing and they couldn't even get in position for a Hail Mary triad at at the end of the game. But that being said, so the Packers have a three game lead in the lost column. On the rest of the division, the other really interesting developed well, a couple of interesting

developments here. As I mentioned, the New Orleans Saints also seven and two along with the Packers, but they're now dealing with a significant injury situation with quarterbacks degrees and my goodness, you hope that breeze is okay. It sounds like now it's been the last couple of games combined that have created the ribs. The lungs was last week. I mean, so um, when you say punctured lung, Mike, I just I just immediately start grabbing my side. I get,

I get. You can't. I can't even I can't even imagine. So the Saints dealing with significant injury at quarterback, and then at the same time in the NFC West, you have the Rams having beaten the Seahawks, and the Cardinals went out a Hail Mary against the Buffalo Bills, a great matchup between Kyler Murray and Josh Allen. Like we had talked about last week. You knew that was going to be a great game, and it turned out to be the best finish of any game in the NFL.

But now you have the Cardinals, the Seahawks, the Rams all tied at six and three atop the NFC West, and the Cardinals and Seahawks get their rematch on Thursday Night Football here in just a couple of days. So a lot of really interesting things happening here in the NFC as the second half of the schedule gets underway.

You mentioned to me when we were discussing, you know, and we can get into this a different time, but you know, like the m v P type candidacy for Aaron Rodgers and the fact that these next few weeks we're gonna learn a lot about him and this Packers offense with Indianapolis, Chicago and honestly even Philadelphia has no slouch either after that, and certainly those are gonna be big markers for him. But I feel like right now Russell Wilson is in the middle of that. The fact

that he already has ten interceptions right now. I understand he's been carrying them a lot of ways through this season. Running game has been just a carouself for them with all their injuries there, But uh, that's very uncharacteristic of him, and I think that's probably more of an indication of the situations he's been put in and trying to make some things happen that might not be there. The Cardinals, man,

I'll say it every single week on the show. There for real Uh, they took some big hits to their defense, but offensively, with Kyler Murray running those controls, they're a legit threat and they're going to give every single team in the West problems. And if they get into the postseason, it's going to give NFC offensive and defensive coaches a

lot to think about. Yeah, I'll say this about the NFC West because a lot of attention on Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray and what those guys are doing, and rightfully so, But that Los Angeles Rams deef ense that is, you know, and I know the San Francisco forty Niners have had their injury issues on defense, that Rams defense is by far the best defense in the NFC West. And the fact that they got the win over Seattle, they still have one more game with the Seahawks, they

have both games with the Cardinals. The Rams keep playing defense like that and then you know, stay efficient enough on offense. Yeah, I mean, I I wouldn't put it. I wouldn't put it past the Los Angeles Rams to end up emerging as the division champion there. I think it's just going to be really interesting how that how that division unfolds, and uh, and obviously the Packers. Packers are going to have have their eye on both the Vikings and the Bears. Here, the Bears schedule gets a

little bit easier. The Viking schedule also gets a little bit easier in terms of the opponents records. For for the next few weeks, they're gonna be trying to keep pace while you know, scoreboard watching on Sunday to see if to see if the Indianapolis Colts, who beat I've leave both the Bears and the Vikings. If I'm not mistaken, If you hold on two seconds, I can get you

an answer there. Mike, Yeah, I think. I think the Colts beat both Minnesota and till eleven over Minnesota and week two, and then they beat Detroit twenty one, and they also beat Chicago nineteen to eleven. So elevens were popular with what they were giving up against the NFC North. My point being a team that knocked off those other teams in the NFC North. Now they'll be watching to see if the Colts can do the same thing to

the Packers this week. There's there are gonna be a lot of a lot of people in the Upper Midwest rooting for the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday against green Bay. No for sure, and it's gonna be a really good battle. I think as much as last week I thought was sort of a mundane week leading up to Jacksonville, given that they've been on a seven game losing streak. In green Bay, everybody just expected them to roll through them, it's gonna be the inverse of that with the Colts.

I think we're wrapping up. I do have something I want to say here, because you know this is unscripted. We didn't really discuss this beforehand. I had a whole uh soliloquy maybe or just a promo I wanted to cut about David bok tr monologue. Thank you, David Baktr. He signed a contact contract extension on Sunday evening, Actually it would be Saturday evening. We found out about it.

Found Sunday evening, his second extension. I gotta go back and look, the last time the Packers have actually re upped a play or an offensive lineman for another four year deal, and I gotta remember the last time that's happened. It's been a minute. Brian Bulag had a five year deal, but that was coming off of his rookie contract, David bak Try and it's gonna be something I'm gonna want to look into a little bit more this week. But

fourth round pick. I think it was the tenth offensive linemen take in that year, in two thousand thirteen, Family Night, two thousand thirteen. I will remember it the air. I can smell it. Everything is just ingrained in me because I remember that seemed like the game where bok tr was going to make his big move to start it right tackle. Yeah, there was some, there's some, you know, the situation was unfolding. You could see the guy did have some ability and they were finally going to start

giving him some reps with the starting lineup at right tackle. Well, and this is when in in the off season, the Packers had made the decision that Brian Bulaga, who had been the right tackle, was going to flip over with Justin and play and play left tackle for the first time in his in his NFL career. So go ahead, sorry, I interrupted you, Mike McCarthy. That was his big statement. He wanted to have his best guys on the left side of the line protecting Aaron Rodgers blind side. Well,

then lo and behold in that same game. I don't even know how many snaps box he was able to take Bulaga, we find out afterwards tears his a c L. And now you suddenly have a rookie fourth round pick protecting the blind side of a one time at that time, one time MVP quarterback, a guy at the peak of his powers and Aaron Rodgers and I wrote about this

Mike an Insider Inbox on Monday for Tuesday. This guy made that look so seamless, and he's become an All World All Pro, may be potential Hall of Fame offensive lineman left tackle over the course of his seven year career. But when you go back and look at two thousand thirteen, what he accomplished that season with some of the horses that he was going up against in the NFC North, specifically the Jared Allens of the world. You talk about baptism by fire in the NFL, and this is a

guy that was on a one win Colorado team. What point I want to make with this as we close is that we make so much every year out of the draft and first round picks, and you know this, that and the other thing. I think Luke Joco was the second overall pick that season, and I think looks out of the league now. Eric Fisher is still starting for Kansas City. But it's it's always good to have reminders of this because it shows the human side of this game and how he may not have been the

most talented recruit coming out of high school. Heck, he might not have been the most coveted offensive lineman coming out of Colorado. But every once in a while you get those guys that are just the liars, right, And David Baxtr, for all intensive purpose, is going to be a Green Bay Packer for a really long time, will probably end up in this Hall of Fame, maybe even another one in Canton. There are a few better stories of the in football than David Baktr, and I think

that's a story that probably hasn't been told enough. Yeah, I know we're going overtime here, but I want to know. I want Yeah, we'll apologize to our producer, but I want to I want to come back at you with this. There's there's no putting a price or a value on a franchise quarterback. And Ted Thompson drafted Aaron Rodgers with the overall pick, his actually his very first draft selection

back in two thousand and five. But is there anybody from a you know, scouts, GMS, they always talk about wanting to get the best value out of every draft selection, trade, whatever moves they make in the draft, it's all about value. Other than Aaron Rodgers, is there any value pick in the draft in Ted Thompson's career rear that is better than a franchise left tackle in the fourth round. I

I don't think there is. And that's taking nothing away from all the receivers that Ted Thompson drafted in the second round and even finding the franchises all time leading scorer in the sixth round in Mason Crosby. But boy to find David Botry in the fourth round. And and Bat will be the first to say when we talk about the baptism by fire his rookie year in thirteen, I remember him saying a few years ago he looked back at some of his film from thirteen and fourteen.

He thinks he was just a god awful player. You know, he he hated the way his film look but but that but that's the thing, like he just he he always just took it upon himself to make the strides that needed to be made and and to not just become a franchise left tackle, but as you said, now a multiple All Pro selection, possibly headed to a career that ends up in Canton in the Pro Football Hall

of Fame. UM the value pick there by by Ted Tom in two thousand thirteen, I think it's I think it's unmatched other than the franchise quarterback he found in two thousands exactly and for a lot of years, you know. And and it depends on what metric you want to use. Clay Matthews and b J. Raji obviously helped them win a Super Bowl, uh, those selections in two thousand nine.

But I think when this thing is all said and done, you can probably make a good case that he's gonna end up being the second best draft pick that Thompson ever made. And that that's considering Nick Collins and and Matthews and some of these other guys in two back drs credit to I know he doesn't take a lot pride isn't the right word, but I'm sure he cringes

a little bit when he thinks of thirteen. But as I wrote about inbox, I still to this day cannot remember a game in which it was just a nightmare. I'm sure there are some games where he felt like he was off, but he never was a turnstyle from day one, and now for the foreseeable future, going to be blocking the blindside of Aaron Rodgers, a man that he called his best friend and Rogers called his best friend. But yet they couldn't agree on whether or not they

were each other's but they were. They were sure what there's an inside joke. They weren't sure what the other guy was going to say. But yeah, well, hats off to David Botier and congratulations on on his historic contract and uh and yeah, he'll be around in Green Bay for quite a while. Now. We've gone way over time, but that's okay because this is Packers Unscripted and we will call it a wrap on this edition. To be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team

on Packers dot com. For West, I'm Mike. Thanks for tuning in, everybody. We'll see you next time.