#612 Packers Unscripted: In the win column

the thirty five points. Offensively, it starts with number thirty three. Yeah, and as you said, short on sleep, but not short on points. The Packers offense, they got out the gates and I thought it was the start they need to have. It wasn't perfect. Aaron Rodgers talked about that afterwards, certain things they wish they could do, but the fact is they fed Aaron Jones early and he produced in the

red zone. I mean to be able to get four touchdowns three received ving first time that's been done since. It was a remarkable performance by him. And to you know, last week fifteen carries forty three yards on the ground. Green Bay just did not get their ground game going, and I felt like in this game, while they didn't break a big gainer, it allowed those offensive linemen to get comfortable. It allowed the offense to get into a rhythm.

Matt Lafleur mentioned that benefits to him as a play caller, and at the end of the day when the Packers made the decision to bring back Aaron Jones, these were the type of moments that they brought him back for. He is dynamic and if teams are gonna go cover two. We talked so much this week myself included about okay,

you pound that, you know you pound the ball against that. Well, if they're gonna let running backs be opened in the flat two and a guy is dangerous as Aaron Jones being able to get the ball in his hand and look up field. I thought, you saw what he can turn that into. Yeah. Absolutely. My favorite sequence in this game was right in the beginning, on the very first possession,

Packers get into the red zone offensively. They ran the ball three consecutive times in the red zone to get themselves down there inside the inside the five yard line. I leaned over to you in the press box and I said, Wes, I love it when they run the ball in the red zone. I just it just it sets up everything else. It just looks like they are

in control when they were able to do that. And actually Matt Lafleur said that the little push pass out of the shotgun that Jones caught on the jet motion, offensively, they look at that as a running plea even though statistically it's it's a passing play and it goes for a a receiving touchdown for Aaron Jones. But they they showed, they showed the commitment to the run. The Lions banged up in the secondary. We had talked about it. Jeff Acuda was not playing. They had some young guys back there.

They kept their two safeties deep, I think to protect those young cornerbacks as best they could most of the game. And and the Packers took advantage they didn't like obviously the three and out on the second possession after the productive first possession, but then after that, spanning the end of the second quarter are into the second half, the Packers scored touchdowns four consecutive times they had the ball, and that's exactly what they needed to do. Bouncing back

from week one. Davantae Adams also obviously a big night with a yards receiving eight receptions. Rogers talked about it after the game. This offense starts with getting the ball to thirty three and seventeen and when you just look at the numbers West, if you take out the three kneel downs. At the end of the game, the Packers ran fifty eight offensive plays based on touches and targets. Aaron Jones and Davante Adams were involved in thirty two

of those fifty eight plays. That's when the Packers offense is at its best. Well. And to bring it back to that first series and as you mentioned, technically, yes, three three carries in a push pass, yeah, but realistically it was three times touching the ball in a run game orientation for eighteen yards. It wasn't just that it was a nice eleven place seventy five yard drive to get on the board get that first touchdown that they

were looking for. It was the fact that you saw how jittery that made Detroit in the red zone the rest of the game. I was thinking of that you know, play action kind of rollout that they did later on, which was the second touchdown catch. I believe for Aaron Jones that was completely set up by linebackers and safeties biting on the Packers potentially running it up the middle. It was a nice play actually read that's setting up your offense. That's being able to to take advantage and

mentally be one step ahead. But even more than that, I love the way that Aaron Rodgers attacked this defense too. You talk about the fifty yard pass to Davante Adams, which, honestly, to me, as important as Aaron Jones was to get this thing started. I felt like that's where the Packers really started to put their their foot you know. That was that was the play of the game offensively, really from a situational standpoint, because it's the opening drive of

the second half. The Packers are down seventeen fourteen and Rogers had just been sacked on second and two, a ten yard loss. You're staring at third and twelve to open the third quarter and you're down by three points and boom, the big hit down the field. Davante Adams is in one on one coverage. Roger said the Lions had actually rotated out of cover two into a single high safety, so Davante was was one on one down the sideline, perfect throw, great catch, fifty yard gain, and

from there the Packers offense looked pretty unstoppable. And Rogers mentioned to the dangerous kind of weaponry in this offense of arsenal for Green Bay. When they go to that single high look, you're also having to keep attention on Marcus Valdes scantling and with his speed going down field, and just to put an absolute perfect pass on DeVante

Adams in that area. Adams, as he always does, he has the sideline as good as Jordy Nelson was on the sideline, and he made some miraculous you know, you know, air bending type catches throughout his career. I don't know anybody that is more aware of his body in where he is in relation to the sideline than Davanta Adams. As he mentioned, that's a weapon for him. That's something that he can use at this level to get you know, open. I mean, that's the part that's a part of the

whole game plan. And then right after that they come back, Rogers a beautiful pass to Robert Tonyan, I mean, you and I when we're up in the press box, it looked impressive. But then I don't know if you saw that camera angle where it was actually the camera that's set up in the end zone and you see just the absolute frozen rope that is coming in on there, and Robert Tony makes a fantastic play on the ball. That was the game. That's where it started to break open.

I felt like, whether it was offense, defense, heck, even special teams, I felt like Green Bay really felt like it had its mojo at that point. Yeah, and that that throw to Tony in for the touchdown was another third down. I believe that was third and seven from the twenty two yard line, and Alan Lazard was even wide open on the little shallow cross there over the middle. Rogers saw the linebacker and alone with his back to him and uh and said, well, he's not gonna be

able to defend this. He fired it in there to Tonyan, but even admitted al Lazard might have scored if if he had actually taken the shorter throw there. And that's what you love about this offense. I mean, Alan Lazart I think played forty snaps. He didn't have a catch. Buddy impacted the football game. Afterwards, Matt Laflour talking about you know, Mercedes Lewis, the way that they affect games. Randall Cobb comes in, has three catches on a single series.

They have different guys at different moments that can step up. As we talked about, it is Davante Adams, it is Aaron Jones. But those situational football players. That's what made this offense the top scoring unit a year ago and it's what allowed Green Bay to really put this one away. Yeah, big third down conversion there on the one series for

Randall Cobb. That was actually a couple of a couple of conversions, one of those on a free play when Rogers caught the Lions with twelve on the field, and another third down conversion to uh to Cobb later in the ballgame. A little bit of historical perspective. You mentioned Aaron Jones the three touchdown receptions first time since nineteen two, So Andy Yurum, if I'm saying that correctly, he was the last Packers running back to have three touchdown receptions

in the game. It was in ninety two. You remember in two thousand three one a Mon green And broke off that ninety eight yard touchdown run. Okay, that's the longest touched on run in franchise history. The guy who had the longest one before that, Andy Europe seven yards in ninety nine. So I just wanted to say that because I looked it up in the record book. If you've never heard of Andy Uram, now you have. And he has a couple of rather prominent places in uh

in Green Bay Packers history. So with that, we'll go to a shout out to our sponsors. Here West Serious x M NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL news that true football fanatics need seven three six and a Cousin Subs. We have something for everyone, like our Wisconsin Cheese, Kurt's Mac and Cheese, Golden fries, and creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. Cousins Subs. We believe

in better. I can't get over that. That's that's where we need the lower third on the spot stats in and Ems Packers Hall of Famer. It's not like he's a complete but I'm just saying the modern day, the modern day fans have probably never heard of him. I just I thought I thought I would throw that in there, and that much amount of time. Let's passed. I mean, that's that's remarkable. But but kudos to Aaron Jones um. And also I don't know if we're gonna get back to it, so I just want to throw it out

there too. A monumental night for him and his family. Yeah, to be able to for him to get four touchdowns like that. He had fifteen members. You know, his mother was there, his brother, his son, Aaron Jr. We all know the story of what happened with Alvin Senior, Aaron's father this offseason, unfortunately passed away at fifty seven years old. Aaron had a little pendant that he was wearing. We found out after the game they actually lost it. He

believed it was on that second touchdown grab. Fortunately though the reports out this morning, I believe it was on Steve Saban show that he mentioned that he did find it. Credit goes to Brian fleet ingold Packers trainer, was able to actually get that back forth flee out there hunting around in the end zone around quarter to two, just just shy of two a m and uh, and he did find it. So Aaron Jones has necklace and the

pennant back. Another quick historical note, only four players in Packer's history with multiple hole four touchdown games now Paul Hornick, Jim Taylor, Sterling Sharp, and Aaron Jones. That's some pretty good company right there. On the defensive side of the ball, West, it was not a good first half. The Packers were really struggling to find themselves defensively. There was one stop in the first half, thanks mostly to some Lions penalties that put them in a very bad down and distant situation.

The other three possessions in the first half two touchdowns in a field goal. Then the defense comes out in the third quarter. After the Packers take the lead on that opening possession of the third quarter and the Lions are moving again fourth and one on the green Bay twenty five yard line, the Packers get the stop Eric Stokes tight coverage on Quintus cefas Jared Goff's passes incomplete.

It felt like that play just completely changed things for this Green Bay defense, and it also helped that the defense was playing with a lead for the first time all season here in the middle of the third order of Game two. Yeah, I asked deve Andre Campbell, Packers inside linebacker, about that. After the game in one of the Zoom rooms, and he mentioned, I mean it's just to be able to get a stop like that, just the confidence builder that that was just a momentum changer.

And credit to Eric Stokes. I mean, this rookie, first round pick out of Georgia, he had an impressive outing with you know, a little bit bigger of a menu of plays. The biggest adjustment really that they made defensively was in that Nickel package. They brought in Stokes as the perimeter corner now opposite Jaire Alexander, and they moved

Kevin King into the slot. There was some miscommunication there early on on one of the touchdown passes the Sea Fast, but in the second half, as the Packers started to dial up the pressure a little bit more, you got to see what Stokes can do as just a natural man corner and and just had some really fantastic places. You mentioned the fourth and one, you know, kind of quote unquote garbage time at the end, but a remarkable PBu at the end of the game against Trinity Benson

Um that kept points off the board. That's what the Packers wanted to see from this young man. He has remarkable speed, good size, for cornerback, but can you step up in those moments? And I thought he passed a big test in this one. Yeah. Absolutely. I think we're going to see some some more of Stokes now. The Packers are going to face deeper receiving corps than than the Lions. As as things move along here, the Lions still trying to piece together exactly who they're um perimeter weapons,

their top perimeter weapons are going to be. But that beingstead said Stokes with an impressive performance, I thought the I thought the fourth and one, if Anthony Lynn, the Lion's offensive coordinator, was watching the film on the plane on the way home, he's gonna want that call back he had he had Jared Goff in the shotguns single setback.

The Packers were kind of spread out defensively. Now, whether he was whether Jared Goff should change that to a run or where, whether Anthony Anthony Lynn should have just called a run, or if he did and Goff decided to throw it, I don't know. But you're looking at that one from above. I was stunned that they didn't hand the ball off there on fourth and one. I think I think they definitely want that back, but quick

fade like that. It just wasn't. It just wasn't. Yeah, that that's that's a that's a tough timing play for sure in that situation. But after that, the next three possessions for the Lions offensively, Golf has the fumbled snap on first down right when the rain started falling and started coming down during that commercial break, and then sure enough the very first snap, Golf can't handle it, Chris

Barnes falls on it. So the Packers catch a big break there, a one play possession with the fumbled snap. Then you get a pressure quasi sack on third down from Shawn Gary on the next possession to snuff that one out, and then with the Lions essentially abandoning the run because they're so far behind, you get an interception from Campbell with with with Golf also under pressure and

trying to scramble out of the pocket. So after the fourth and one stop, three more possessions where the Lions really don't get and it don't really get much movement at all in terms of offensive production and UH and the Packers defense, for as much as it struggled the first quarters of this season, they finally have just at least a little bit to hang their hat on, a little bit of momentum that hopefully they can take into

week three here in San Francis. Yeah, and to add into your comment about Campbell, the fact that that was Jonathan Garvin, the second year guy, former seventh round pick, was the one applying the pressure to golf. You gotta imagine he feels really good about that on Tuesday morning looking back at that film, understanding, Okay, I can do it. I can get after these guys at this level. The biggest difference to me, Mike was pressure. And I don't

have all the stats. I don't know how many more times they blitzed right now, but that was the difference. They were a lot more creative that you saw more games in the second half. You saw some more blitz is from DeAndre Campbell in some of the dime looks. I just felt like they let their hair go back a little bit and they just felt played with a little bit more confidence. Yeah, And it was and it wasn't.

It wasn't throwing the kitchen sink at Jared Goff necessarily, but it was definitely picking spots to send that one extra guy, whether it was Campbell, whether it was Adrian Amos. I think even one time I saw Kevin King maybe being the extra guy that was sent. So just sending that fifth rusher seemed to speed up golf's play clock. And and uh, and the ball had to come out early.

The Lions were not pushing the ball down field, and and the whole the whole narrative defensively changed and it certainly helped that the Lions basically had to give up on the running game because of what the Packers offense had done and building that second half lead. Yeah, and I mean the other thing, the big difference in this game was just execution. It applies to both sides of the ball. I mean, the Lions in this game, as we mentioned, oh for two on fourth down. Last week

New Orleans two for two. Uh, you know, four for nine on third down, which was, you know, margin markably better than last week against the Saints. And realistically it also just disciplined, Mike, the Packers played with a lot more discipline in this ball game. The Lions, as you said,

there were instances where they hurt themselves with penalties. Green Bay took advantage of those, and they didn't really do the same on the other side, and if they did have a holding call or something, they found a way to pick themselves back up on the next play. I believe Tonyans even his twenty two yard touchdown catch was

a part of that. Defensively, do you have to hope that this is something that now when you go into Sam for Cisco, because they're gonna see a lot, you know, stiffer tests in the weeks to come, with next week, everything that Kyle Shannon can throw at you the week after that. You know Ben, you know Roethlisberger, one of the sharpest minds in the game. It's going to get more difficult and they're gonna have to do some of these things on the road. But at least to get

a feather in their cap here. You gotta imagine that feels good for a defense that did kind of take it on the chin the first six quarters. Yeah, well, truly a team victory because the Packers also got a significant contribution on special teams and primarily I'm talking about rookie seventh round pick Kyle and Hill with a forty one yard kickoff return in the second quarter. Now, mind you,

this is what the Packers down four seven. He kind of runs into the pile, bounces off, keeps his balance and makes his way down the sideline and suddenly, even though the Packers are down by seven, they're starting a possession on their own forty four yard line, almost twenty yards further ahead. Then then you'd be with a normal touchback.

That was a significant moment in the game because then the Packers did take advantage of that field position, drive down get the game tied up there at fourteen in the second quarter. Dante Adams had a really high praise for Kyle and Hill after the game. He kind of went out of his way to give it to him too. It was a question I asked just about the response, and he immediately pointed towards the special teams and he basically said, he's, like, you know, just based on the

situation and the weapons they have. Kylan Hill didn't have a huge role, probably could have had a bigger role, but the spark that he gave them, especially on that forty one yard returned the longest return the Packers have had since Tyler Irvin's back in December of two thousand nineteen, which was longer longer than any kickoff return last year that the Packers had so for for Hill to do that, to bounce off makes something out of nothing and honestly

a breakdown on Detroit's coverage. That's what green Bay needs to take advantage of. It's not about a guy with just four three speed running past everybody. It's when somebody you know loses they lost containment on the edge there. You have to be able to turn that thing off field and hey through in a nice little hurdle two over Austin Siebert the spice. You know, get these guys going into that next series. Yeah, absolutely, well that that's

a good sign Corey. But horqu was also um Bojorke has excuse me for the Packers with the punting game we saw. I was really impressed with the punt he had late in the game because it wasn't one of those like super high hang time ones. But he launched that thing with a ton of distance, decent hang time,

but put it like right along the sideline. I mean, the biggest punt returns that happened against you are when the ball is kicked down the middle, when the returners get to catch the ball between the numbers right And even though that one maybe wasn't the you know, the matching the hang time with the distance like they you know, they like to say, if you can place the ball all the way over on the sideline like that, you're not going to give that return or chance to get

much more than than maybe eight or ten yards, which even if he's getting ten yards on a fifty five yard punt, you're taking that. Yeah, I mean the fifty six yard of the sideline was exceptional. It's one of the better punts I've seen. Also, that was the one where I finally noticed. I was like, oh, that's a left footed punter punting to the left sideline from the left hash and you saw how much of a weapon that can be for that young man. I wish the

coverage would have been better there. That's the only issue we talked about, you know, help punting your coverage at kicking your coverage. This was kind of the opposite of that. At Bjork was basically did everything you need to do. The gunner just didn't get there in time. But because of how good that punt was in the placement of

it still ended up netting them forty six yards. Also had one of the opposite sideline I've been really impressed early on with how much touch he's shown along the sidelines. That's been one area or Green Bay. It wasn't just j K. Scott, it was before that too. They've really struggled to get that directional punning game going. But Hoork was It's a very small sample size, but I thought

that was a really promising development. Yeah. Absolutely, Well. Looking at the rest of the NFC North here before we sign off West, the Packers one on one tied for first place with the Chicago Bears, who defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Chicago in their home opener. The Justin Fields era has begun, apparently do mostly due to a knee

injury to Andy Dalton. Um doesn't sound like it's a season ender for Andy Dalton, but Justin Fields is going to be the man for the time being, and you wonder if if that will be a more permanent thing now going forward. And then the Minnesota Vikings a second straight heartbreaking loss. Um after losing an overtime in week one. They are set up for a game winning field goal thirty seven yards right in the middle of the field and Joseph misses the kick and Arizona survives with a

one point victory. So the Lions and the Vikings both oh and two. Packers and the Bears are at one and one. Vikings one of those really bizarre games where they basically outplayed the Arizona and really every capacity. I mean, now, Kyler Murray had a fantastic game, but you know, Dalvin Cook was much more effective on the ground. It seemed like they had a better rhythm. But at the end of the day, when games are that close, it comes down to situational football. And this kicker thing has been

a deal. You know, it's been an issue for them now for going on five six years, and it came back once again at an unfortunate time. Just yeah, and the one point was a missed extra point from earlier in the game. He gets a chance for redemption to kick a game winning field goal and misses that. So um a tough one on the chin for the Vikings. But on our next show, take a look before our next show later this week, the schedule for the NFC North in Week three, the Packers are playing the Niners.

Look at the other teams at the NFC North, um teams are playing. It's going to be a really really interesting week in the division. But we will definitely get to that on our next show. For now, we'll call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team on packers dot com for West, I'm Mike. Thank you for tuning in, everybody, See you next time.