#620 Packers Unscripted: Five in a row

at Soldier Field. A lot of places we can go with the discussion here about this game, but I want to start with this one to punch the Packers have in the backfield on offense, because hundred and nineties six yards I believe it was against Pittsburgh yards from scrimmage Dight eight at Cincinnati, Aaron Jones and A J. Dillon combined for a hundred and sixty nine rushing and receiving yards against the Bears. That's five hundred and fifty yards in three weeks out of out of those two guys.

This um, this offense, this offense is is starting to find it's you know, it's extra gear, starting to hit its stride, and it starts with those two running backs. Right now. There's so many times, Mike, on draft night where you and I will get done we'll start working on our features. You'll figure out what you're doing, what I'm doing, try to get as much content up on

packers dot com as possible. So many times those stories are based on projection, where you see player A fitting into the green Bay Packers in the grand scheme of things. I would challenge you, as you were sitting in your office in Green Bay, as I was out in Swamico in mind, because we couldn't be anywhere near each other during the NFL drafts, I think you and I would have both agreed that at some point down the line, this was the picture perfect pairing the Green Bay Packers

were hoping for. Certainly, Jamal Williams is an exceptional players having a good year this year in Detroit, But when they made the decision to draft A J. Dillon, it was because they felt like this guy was going to be a good compliment not only for Aaron Jones, but also this Packers offense and Mike. I don't know any other way to say other than this is exactly how you pictured it working out for Green Bay. Time after time after time, You're seeing two guys play interchangeably get

series by themselves. A J. Dillon this You're just getting series in the middle of the game by himself. And the thing that stands out to me is that moment is not too big for him. His assignments aren't too big for him, and he's more than just a north and south runner. There's a shifting nous to him, as Aaron Jones talked about after the game, There's an explosiveness with him when he's in the open field. Those numbers

are not by accident. Aaron Jones and a J. Dillon have been two of the better players on the Packers roster right now, and they're getting the production they need

out of that tandem. Yeah. Well, I rattled off the combined rushing and receiving yards from the last three games, but I would say personally, for my money, what these two running backs did against the Bears was the most impressive, even though was it was the fewest in terms of the yardage total because the Chicago Bears came in defensively, came into this game allowing just three point nine yards per carry on the ground to the opposition, which ranked

I believe eighth in the league. Aaron Jones and A J. Dillon averaged five point six four carries for a hundred and thirty five yards, pounding the ball in the ground. The other thing too, the Bears run defense had allowed. The longest run it had allowed all season was a twenty nine yard or a j Dillon ripped off a thirty six yarder, Aaron Jones ripped off a twenty eight yarder. That's two of the three longest runs the Bears have allowed all season came in this game against the Packers.

You can't ask for better production, and the Packers did it again with more shuffling up front with the offensive line. Elton Jenkins comes back uh steps back in at left tackle, but on the opening series of the opening offensive series of the ballgame, Josh Meyer's the rookie center, goes down with a knee injury. Lucas Patrick has to jump back in there after really not getting any reps with the

number one offense during the week. He had obviously played center the previous week, but with Myers coming back from the finger injury, he was getting all the reps with the number one offense, So Patrick has to get thrown in there and then lo and behold. Number sixty two ends up the highest graded offensive lineman when the coaches go through the tape and do their usual grades. So once again this Packers offensive line stepping up to the challenge.

And um, and I just I can't say enough about how much I like what they're doing with these two running backs. And I want to give a little shout out here to Lucas Patrick. And in a couple of reasons for that one, the Packers are gonna need him at the floor mentioned on money, it looks like that knee injury that Josh Meyers sustained, While it will not be something that sidelines him for the rest of the year,

he could miss some games with it. That means Lucas Patrick is right back in the middle of the heart of this thing. And Lucas is a really interesting guy. If you ever had a chance to talk to me about understanding where he comes from, not just the undrafted background, but just where he comes from as a human being. The guy is all hard work in appreciation. And he went into camp this year competing for a starting spot at right guard, and when Royce Newman emerged there, then

he's suddenly competing for a spot at left guard. He ends up sustaining the concussion. John Runyon has been great in that role. Lucas Patrick goes back to the bench, fifth year veteran guy that's been around for a number of years now. He didn't sulk, he didn't drop his head low. He he wasn't complaining. The guy just shifted his focus to all right, what does this team need me to do? And he had a real salient point.

I felt Mike back in training camp when he was kind of asked about competing with all these young guys and the fact that he hadn't really carved out his starting role yet. He said, the way I look at it is if I'm competing with somebody and they beat me, that makes this team better if I'm you know. And

that's his disposition on everything. But what a luxury it is, Mike in this sport that you can turn to a four or five year veteran to come off your bench and play as well as he did in that game, to be able to be a center, the access point, the pivotal spot in this Packers offense, and he came through with flying colors, as you mentioned, grading out his highest paid player. I think that's a testament to Lucas Patrick. And like we've said, all all season, Mike, the depth

of that offensive line, Yeah, absolutely well. The latest news is that the Packers could be getting David Baktieri back soon, Matt Lafleur saying that the five time All Pro left tackle, who has been on the pup list with the knee injury, had the reconstructive surgery after the a c L injury last December. He is scheduled to return to the practice field, but no timeline as of yet as to when he will be ready to step in and play a game.

Matt Lafleur saying there will be a ramp up period here to get Bactieri back in the swing of things so he can get confidence in that knee. You need to practice, you need to play some football. It's not just okay, go through you know, a few reps on a Thursday and Friday and get out there on Sunday. That's not what this is when you're coming off of

an injury like that. But again, we'll see, We'll see what happens then when Bot does come back, and and uh, what the Packers decided to do with the lineup up front, shifting gears to the defensive side of the ball. I thought the biggest thing that stood out to me in this game for the Packers from a defensive standpoint is the Chicago Bears deferred when they won the coin toss, so they want to have the opportunity for the double up. Right at the end of the first half beginning of

the second half. They got exactly what they wanted. They got the opportunity they wanted. The Packers had a ten to seven lead and the defense stopped the Bears at the end of the first half, Dean Lowry getting a huge sack that pushed Chicago out of field goal range. There did not score before halftime, and then they get a quick I believe it was just one first down and then three and out after that on the opening

possession of the third quarter. So the Bears set themselves up for the double up and they get no points out of it, and then the Packers eventually take a two score lead and uh and take control of the football game. I thought that was the key stretch for this defense where they said they they said, all right, we've we've got this one excellent point. Key stretch because

you talk about the double up. If you look at that as like, you know, back to back on each side of that book, ending it We're Packers scoring drives now. It was only a thirty eight yard field goal before that. Packers weren't able to punch that one in. But then they come back with arguably their best drive of the game, uh, ceiling that with the touchdown pass to Aaron Jones, the route runner of the past catcher. Aaron Jones has become Mike.

I'll be honestly, I don't know if we've really seen much like it in terms of where he went from in two thousand seventeen. Is a pretty raw, shifty slasher running back to an all around playmaker now. But defensively, I just think that gave this whole entire roster and a huge boost this game, Mike. So many guys are missing, right, you know, Zadarius Smith and r Alexander there too, all pros from last year. Neither was available for this game.

Kevin King has a shoulder injury, and while it doesn't appear like you'll need to go on I R with it wasn't available in this one. So Isaaci Adams starts. After the first series, they make the switch to Resseul Douglas, who's been here for all of thirteen days he plays competitive football. Darnell Savage has the concussion, Preston Smith leaves with an oblique strain. What do you when you look

at this whole unit, Mike, what's left? What is the one area where the Packers had their full reservoir of players? It was the defensive line. And in this game, whether it was the way that Dean Lawry finished that first half seven tackles now sack and a half in the last two games, to pass deflections, Dean playing great ball, and then the way that Kenny Clark finished this game. I felt like, Mike, the defensive line set the tone

in this one. And when guys are out, you need your veteran, top players who are available to step up. And Kenny Clark definitely did that. Yeah, what Clark did down the stretch in this game, the Packers with a ten point lead to fourteen, the Bears trying to trying to get that score to make it a one score game, and you know, in the final four or five minutes and in a span of three plays, Kenny Clark gets two sacks. I believe they accounted for twenty three yards

or twenty five yards something like that. I mean not just We're not just talking about two three yards sacks. I mean he was getting Justin Fields way in the backfield for some significant lost yardage. Clark with uh Clark with those two sacks. And also to have to point out Jonathan Garvin Um, the second year outside linebacker, seventh round draft pick out of Miami a year ago, a raw player came in here with a long way to go. He's getting a heck of a lot more snaps now

with Darius Smith being injured. As you said, Preston Smith ends up leaving this game. Jonathan Garvin gets his first full sack um in this game, after having a half sack previously, and then also on the open drive of the third quarter, he chases down Justin Fields on a scramble. Doesn't get credit for a sack because Fields was able to cross the line of scrimmage and game two yards, but it was on a third down play just the

two yard game. On the scramble, Garvin makes the tackle and the Bears have to punt there, which then, as you said, the Packers respond with the touchdown drift to go up by two scores. Those are the kinds of things and whether you're talking about whether you're talking about Jonathan Garvin, whether you're talking about Henry Black stepping in for Darnell Savage when Savage goes out with an injury.

That's the type of impact the Packers are going to have to have to continue to weather this injury storm for however long it's going to take to hopefully get Jayar Alexander back, Hopefully you get Zadarius Smith back. We don't know. Um Darnell Savage. You hope he's okay with the concussion, but you never know how long that could

keep somebody out. Preston Smith with this oblique the guy's never missed a game in his career, but he's in he's in danger of possibly missing a game, even though he obviously wants to play against his former team Washington

coming up this week. But it's those types of contributions from these guys that the Packers are going to have to continue to rely on as you you try to navigate through this and get to where, hopefully by the stretch run, you know, Thanksgiving on through December, you can sort of get back to the personnel on the field

defensively that you've been hoping to have all year. Interesting juxtaposition with the offense right, because offensively, you had Lucas Patrick, a guy who's one of the longest tenure players on this roster at this point, subbing in for Josh Meyers a week earlier. Randall Cobb, you know, one of their most veteran players to jump in. Defensively, it's been a lot of young guys and Jonathan Garvin, a seventh round pick last year, got draft in the league at twenty

one years old. Henry Black and undrafted free agent a year ago, a guy that made a run in a roster spot before starting the year on the practice squad, but very quickly making his way to the fifty three. I just think you're seeing young talent really emerge, and Garvin is probably the one that's the most satisfying, I think because he took his lumps. I mean, were a lot of times last year where he was just a

healthy scratch. He only played in like seven games his rookie season, but he came back and he got so many reps during camp. With Darius Smith being out, they were very careful with Rashawn Gary how much they practiced him during camp, and the young guy just built off of it. And when you get a sack like that, when you make plays like that, And I tweeted this during the during the game as well, it's one thing to get a sack, right, Everybody looks at the box

score afterwards. Oh, Jonathan Garvin had a good game. But it was how disciplined he was on that sack, because the thing you and I talked about before the game was you had to stay in your rush lanes. You had to rush to contain. He never lost his leverage. He didn't allow fields to cut back inside. He stayed in front of him, kept the play in front of him. And it was one of the bigger ones of this ball game. Yeah, classic draft and developed prospect. There. You

take a guy in the seventh round. He he comes out early, a lot of people wondering, you know, from the scouting point of view, should he have stayed in school another year, you know, and and continued to develop his game. The Packers draft him in the seventh round, and here he is in year two. Injuries have thrust him into a larger role than he could have expected. And uh, and he's coming through on the defensive side.

One more thing before I give a shout out to our sponsors with eighty two yards Corey borcs, are you kidding me? Eighty two yard punt? Second longest punt in Packer's history, Folks, Don Chandler ninety yards back in nineteen sixty five. We'll have to try to see see if we can find the video of that one. But eighty two yards in a sixty two yard net is that ball scooted into the end zone for a touch back. So I watched the Don Chandler punt. Go and watch it if anyone has a chance to bring it up

on YouTube. I haven't seen it yet. The parallels between those two punts is like it's almost like a circle in time, like they just kind of come back together. They looked the same, and it was the same situation where I mean give credit to Chandler to boot the ball the way he did and to get behind the defender. Heck of a play, basically just ten yards back from where Bjork has hit his but bo Joe blast Man. The first day that Maurice Strayton came in and talked

about this acquisition, he mentioned hang time. I like hang time, I see Hank time. He was really excited about that and you're seeing why. I mean, but Hark has mentioned a week ago when he was talking to the media a week or two ago. Yeah, he can blast all these balls as far as he basically wants to. But

it's about oh, kicking your coverage. Well, this was one particular instance, punting it as far back as he did, with the snap coming in a little bit low, he just let that thing go and I think it was Grant was on the return, just kind of missed it the ball, let it go over his head, and then it took the bounce that you're hoping for if you're if you're the Packers. So Grant had no even though he probably has some room there if he can get

his hands on the ball because of the distance. But but Grant couldn't pick it up and generate any kind of a return, and the ball ended up going all the way into the end zone. You take a sixty two yard net anytime. Well, And honestly, Mike, if the Packers would have been backed up another ten yards, it probably would have been a ninety two yard punt with that thing wasn't stopping. It got the right bounce afterwards.

But you know, let's just talk about the reality of this thing is that Horkes is giving something the Packers have been longing for. In the punt game has been perfect week earlier. There were a couple of little bits of adversity there, but overall he has really good power. He also has good accuracy, and I think he's given them a big boost. Covered unit's got to get better,

no question about that. But between the Horkes and Amari Rodgers making strides, I think you know as much as I wasn't sure what to expect with Kylan Hill as a kickoff returner, he's been fine. Um and Mason Crosby bounce back. So from the main specialist positions, the Packers are getting what they want. Yeah, there are some things. There are some things to shore up in terms of the coverage units on special teams, but we're definitely seeing

seeing the progress in a lot of other areas. UM quickly here West Serious x M NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to them in the NFL News that true full ball fanatics need seven three and at cousin subs, we have something for everyone, like our Wisconsin Cheese Kurds, mac and Cheese, golden fries and creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite sub or sub in a

bowl cousin subs, we believe in better all right. With this victory, the Packers are five and one, two and oh in the division and a two game lead on the rest of the division after six games, because now both the Bears and the Vikings are three and three. So that's a heck of a spot to be in considering where this team was after Week one obviously, which they as I said in inbox, they have put that

game in the ancient dustbin of history. Here with a five game winning streak, looking to make it six this week against Washington. But here's the other thing I want to talk about. Two though, we're seeing this, uh this NFC West. Five teams in the NFC either at six and oh or five and one. You have the Arizona Cardinals, who are coming up very soon on the schedule at six and oh. The Dallas Cowboys, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Green Bay Packers are

at five and one. Now, I am not going to say after six weeks that the rest of the NFC is fighting for two playoff spots, because that's not reality. But this NFC is looking like looking like it is going to be one heck of a battle for the playoff positioning and how this all might shake out when when we start talking a little bit more seriously about that in December, because there are a lot, a full

handful of really really good teams in the NFC right now. Yeah, I hadn't want to turn this into the whole thing about West doesn't like the one by system for the playoffs, but I think a season like this really shows why I thought there was a lot of value and having the two because ultimately, Mike, you are right, some of these teams are gonna rise, some of these are gonna fall from this current hierarchy. But there's gonna be probably

a team or two here that's gonna be challenging. Fourteen win thirteen wins for sure, um, and it's gonna be unfortunate when one of those guys ends up being the number two seed. That being said, I think this early part of the season you've seen teams really assert their dominance, and you know, I look at Arizona and I'm starting to see more parallels between them and like the two thousand eleven Packers, like that kind of offensively, they can

just play with anybody, and defensively they're highly opportunistic. So uh yeah, and then what do you say, I mean, Tampa Bay is steady as it goes. I mean, you've seen what the Rams have to offer, even though they had that one loss to the to the Cards, I mean, it's gonna be a really competitive conference. And in addition to the fact that I think you're seeing Dallas kind of run their division, Green Bay has gotten some separation, and there's that battle to be able to get those

wild card spots this year. It's gonna be a really competitive sort of fight right to the very end. Well, and you said it too. And we talk about these teams that are these teams that are five and one. Tampa Bay's one loss was to the Rams, right, Um, Dallas's loss was that also to the Rams. You can look at you can get that one. Let me ask, let me check. Um. But then as you said, the Rams, the Rams one loss, oh, Dallas loss in in Week

one obviously the kick off openers. So yeah, and then as you mentioned, uh, the Los Angeles Rams one losses to Arizona. So these losses that the teams have are only are only to each other. Um, and as we know, the Packers have both Arizona and the Rams on the upcoming schedule as well as some really tough a f

C games coming down the pike. So I'm like I say, I'm not trying to say that these five teams are in the playoffs and everybody else in the NFC is fighting for two spots, but we are starting to see a little bit of separation here that if if some of these other teams that are in that you know, three and three, three and two range right now, because the bye weeks did begin, Um, if they don't start to make a charge, you know they're they're gonna be

behind the eight ball here down the stretch. Well, let's make tie this back to the Packers, right. This is why we were saying this was such a critical stretch for them, not just to get on a big winning streak to win five in a row, but being able to take out the uncommon opponents. There. You've got Pittsburgh in Cincinnati back to back. The Cincinnati game kicked off this big roadstand. Obviously they're back for this game against Washington, but a lot of road matchups you wanted to pick

off as many of these wins as possible. You cannot look past the football team that is going to be a big game on Sunday. Green Bay needs to keep this thing going. But to get to six and one is the ideal recipe. Then, when you're going on the short week to Arizona against a team that is going to be highly competitive in that game and the rest of the season, you have to pick the games off that you're expected to win. That's gonna be the key

for green Bay. And then seeing how that month of November, that month November, I don't care what Seattle's quarterback is, that is still going to be a gauntlet for green Bay and they have to be able to build up that momentum before they enter into it. Yeah. Absolutely, Well,

next up is Washington. We will talk more about the Washington football team on our next show, 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. For West, I'm Mike. Thank you for tuning in everybody. We'll see you next time.