#636 Packers Unscripted: Battle in Baltimore

was moved into the late afternoon time slot. The Baltimore Ravens West. This is a team much like just a few weeks ago, and we're talking about the Minnesota Vikings, although the Ravens are in much better playoff position fighting for a division title. But this is a team that has been in a ton of close games, nine one

score games so far this season. They've lost three of their last five, but their last two losses back to back have been by a total of just three points um and uh their last four games have have all been decided by one score or less. This is a team that has played a lot of games the full sixty minutes all the way to the wire. And that's what you kind of have to expect here with the

Packers going to Baltimore Sunday. Yeah, I mean, I think the iconic image of this season to this point has been you know, John Harbor and Lamar Jackson and just the number of times they've embraced after some of these absolute nail biers that they've been playing throughout the course of the year. And you know, you go back to training camp and in the off season program, they had about forty eight different running backs go down with season

ending injuries. Um, I mean DeVante Freeman I think as their leading runner this year and he wasn't even on a team there for a while, aside from the quarterback jack Aside from the quarterback, absolutely, but I mean they're running back, but they still have a lot of weapons, whether it be Hollywood Brown, Mark Andrews Is you know, making a bid now to be probably considered among the best, if not the best tight end of the game, especially coming into his own and after he got that contract,

and defensively, they just do what they always do. So the question all week, Mike is going to be the health of Lamar Jackson, where he's at with the with the ankle injury, how much he's gonna be able to do, how much they're gonna have to change the game plan. But I think when you're as battle tested as Baltimore is. I was asked the question insider inbox, who are these four teams are you most concerned about down the stretch. Yeah.

I get why people would say the Browns. They just beat Baltimore, But to me, it really is the Ravens because they almost are kind of like an enhanced version of the Minnesota Vikings, where they found ways to win late, and they found ways to win creatively. Yeah, and I'm with you in terms of that question about these last four games, and I say it's I say it's the It's the Ravens, not only because it's the one right in front of the Packers, but because this is a

game on the road. And I take nothing away from the Browns the Vikings, who obviously beat the Packers, but the Packers are gonna get those teams at home. This is a game. This is a game the Packers have to go on the road against a team that is that is fighting for a division title, fighting for playoff positioning in the a f C. And as you said,

the biggest question is regarding quarterback Lamar Jackson. When you look at the statistics with regard to this Ravens team, they're one of the top rushing offenses in the league and one of the top rushing defenses in the league. The offensive side comes with the caveat that Lamar Jackson,

their quarterback, is their leading rushers. So now the expectation, it sounds like, is that he is going to play on Sunday, But you just don't know with that ankle how close to a percent he will be or how far away from a percent he might be in terms of the running and the scrambling or designed runs or those kinds of things that are built into their offense.

But on the defensive side, this is a legitimate, top level run defense, and I think that's what's gonna cause going to create a major challenge for the Packers, because, as I continue to say on this show and in our Insider Inbox column, this Packers offense is at its best when and it first goes through Aaron Jones and a J. Dillon, and the Packers don't want to get into some sort of just a straight drop back passing

game against this defense. You've got to be able to run the ball even against the top rushing defenses, and that's going to be the challenge on something it's such a veteran name defense, Like there's just so many guys. You break it down and you look at who's playing

for them. I mean Calias Campbell, who, in a lot of ways, I almost kind of consider him to be like the defensive version of Mercedes lewis a guy that the years passed and he just finds a way to keep getting it done and playing at a really high level. I think there's a number of times people have kind of written him off and he's just come right back and showing I can still be this player well into

my thirties. You know, Justin Houston is playing for them, um justin meta book, I can I'm never pronounced his name right, but I mean, you know, and then Patrick Queen is the big guy that was you know, obviously gonna probably to some Packer fans always going to be in the back of their mind based on how draft played out. Not a ton of sacks, but I mean in terms of just what they've been able to do, uh in forcing teams into long down and distances, and

obviously being able to control the tempo up front. It's a challenging unit and I feel like Matt Lafleur really summed it up perfectly. He said it on Monday and he kind of reiterated again on on Wednesday. They will challenge you in both sides of the ball with schemes that no one else really does. I mean nobody else does.

Obviously offensively what Lamar Jackson can do, and even the backup, whether it was r G three before or now Tyler Huntley, since that torch was passed from Joe Flacco to Jackson, they've committed to this is the face of our offense. This is how we're going to operate. It doesn't even matter if Lamar is available or not. And defensively, there's just been such a big blueprint there that's been built for the better part of two decades that they continue

to hang their hat on. So certainly a team that's going to be very interesting to face for my money, and not that we're gonna get into, you know, keys of victory yet, but it really comes down to the mistakes Jackson's made with the football this year and defensively finding ways to make plays against because when you look at Baltimore's defense, there's just not gonna be a lot of big plays to be had. It's just not the

way they operate. Yeah, I think from the Packers defensive perspective, the really interesting challenge that's created in this game is that combination, assuming Lamar Jackson does play, the combination of Lamar Jackson with that tight end. Mark Andrews is having a big time year. I think he's around seventy five catches, nine some yards, whatever it is. But the reason I mentioned those two guys in tandem is because we're getting

asked by lots of fans and insider inbox. Okay, so Lamar Jackson is going to do all this running around like, okay, don't you just put a spy on him? Right? Okay, So that's one potential solution, and one guy who could be a spy would be Devandre Campbell, you know, the guy in the middle of the Packers defense. But then

who's covering the tight end, who's covering Andrews. If you're going to spy the quarterback with your best inside linebacker, that's the challenge I think with regard to this Ravens defense and It's one of the reasons that Mark Andrews has really come into his own and become one of the most productive tight ends in the league because there's a there's a matchup issue here with how you how you try to contain Lamar Jackson and keep an eye on him with all of his running around, but then

deal with with that matchup at tight end, because you know, not to say that that Adrian Amos or Darnell Savage couldn't cover Lamar Jackson, but you're talking about a big size difference there and and then a bigger target for Lamar Jackson to throw the ball at. And this is where it goes back to the ankle and how much is that going to restrict him? What is going to

be his flexibility within the pocket? You know, I don't want to use that just a traditional You got to force him be a pocket pastor because I feel like Lamar Jackson doesn't get enough credit there when he has to play that way. I think he can play really well, but his biggest strength is what he can create in allowing his playmakers downfield to to create some big plays.

You look at the way they've built this thing, Mike, Yes, it is about Andrews, but Hollywood Brown was drafted for a reason, Sammy Watkins was brought in for a reason. You know, Rashad Bateman just is coming off his first hundred yard game now that he's back from the groin injury. And Devin Duverney, who the Packers are gonna have to contest without special teams, also can be a dynamic playmaker

for them. They are a home run hitting offense. They aren't a team that's necessarily gonna be like, Okay, Freeman, Murray, we're gonna set you up. We're gonna just run the ball a couple of times, try to get in third, manageable and create. No, they're gonna just throw the script at you from the very beginning, especially sometimes as you mentioned, seven hundred plus yards already this year on the ground for Lamar Jackson. They are going to look to hit

you with big shots. And that's where I feel like finding out what that first quarter looks like and what the game plan that the Ravens are gonna devise is really going to be telling, because again, as I wrote an inbox this week, only the Ravens really know what Jackson can do right now, how limited he truly is he would be. I know he left the game in the walking boot, but Mike, you and I saw it for an entire season. We saw Eddie Lacy or a half season in two thousand thirteen. Every day in the

locker room was in a walking boot. But then on Sundays he was good to go. So you never really it can be too quite sure. But the fact of the matter is, no matter how you boil it down, it's a boult Lamar Jackson and the Packers how they defend him preseason in two thousand nineteen. A couple of those guys in this defense we're here for that, they saw him for two series. They saw how dynamic he can be. Yeah. Absolutely, and you mentioned it as well.

Special teams John Harbaugh, as we all know, he cut his teeth in this league as a special teams coach. The Baltimore Ravens have always traditionally been one of the better special teams units in the league. The Packers struggling mightily in that area, as we know. I'll say this, remember back after the Packers victory over Washington and the defense let Taylor Heineke, the Washington quarterback, run around a little bit too much and the following on a short week.

The following week, the Packers were gonna have to face Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, and I said, sometimes sometimes you get the reminder, you know, you get kind of you get kind of that kick in the pants with regard to, you know, letting something get away from you. Now, the Packers, Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, these running, you know, scrambling running quarterbacks, they've done a pretty good job and I think the game against Washington was the

type of reminder they needed. Now. Special teams have been an issue in a lot of different areas throughout the year for the Packers. But maybe at some point you gotta hit rock bottom and then you've got to face a team that is going to throw everything they've got at you in that phase because they're really really good at it to get you where you need to be in that phase. Maybe this is this is the right kind of challenge for the Packers to uh to get ready for the stretch run and to be where they

need to be. It's so much credit in New England for their special teams and the core special teamers that they've had for a number of years, you know, drafting the long snapper, all that stuff, right, I really feel like people forget just how good of a special teams coordinator John Harbaugh was before he became of the Ravens, you know, more than a decade ago. And in some ways he's also committed himself to a core group of special teamers, one of whom is Anthony Levine, who was

with the Packers a long time ago. I remember talking to him in the in the auxiliary locker room when he was trying to make the team as an undrafted free agent. He's been a core guy for them now for a decade. You know, justin Tucker, for my money, the best kicker in the game right now, who I think, But if you know, if he can keep the longevity side of it up, I think he's gonna be end up being right there with that Invent Terry and these other greats in terms of just what he's the span

of his career and what he's accomplished. You know, Sam Cook, Uh, you know the record that Mason Crosby has right now for kickers with consecutive games played, Cook is the one that stands in front of him with how many games in a row. He's played for the Baltimore Ravens, So they're all across the board. They're stolid, and DuVernay is sort of the the catalyst to all this um kickoff return wise was probably not a lot that's gonna stun you,

but fourteen and a half yards per return on punts. Yeah, and especially coming off of what happened last week, you've gotta imagine that the Ravens are going to be really looking to maximize those opportunities. And Mike, how many times do we say it, It's not just special teams. It can be on offense, it can be on defense. If you put something on film that isn't great, that doesn't look good for you, the opposition is going to look

to attack it. So green Bay has to be prepared for that, because what the raven saw last week that's gonna be something has them lock in their chops. Yeah. Absolutely, Well, I want to get to our keys to victory in this game, but first a little bit of sponsored business.

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or maybe or two priorities. West keys to victory here for the Packers to come back from Baltimore at eleven and three, just win the turnover battle. It is that simple. Uh. Baltimore is a team that doesn't take the ball away a whole lot, and they give the ball away more than the average team. I think they're twenty nine right now, about like minus eight or nine in terms of net differential. Uh, that that has to be the key. As stout as Baltimore is in a lot of these phases, they're kind

of unspectacular in that way. There isn't, you know, the big plays to to be made defensively, So that's pretty remarkable that they're actually that far in the whole internover margin for the season. Yet they are right there to to potentially win a division title in the a f C. Nor they're really the only team that's kind of contending right now. That has a differential that's that low. Washington is in the mix, but mostly for a wild card spot.

Cincinnati is also in that division with them, they're in that lower third as well, but otherwise you're kind of down there with the Detroits and the New York Jets of the world. So that I feel like that's so whether it is Jackson or maybe if you see Tyler Huntley, either one of those guys, I think you gotta pressure them.

You've got to get the ball out, and when you get opportunities, you have to make a play on the ball because if you don't make the Ravens respect that, it is going to be a heck of a long afternoon in Baltimore. Yeah. Absolutely for me. For me, the keys to this boiled down to two things I already mentioned. One, you've got to find a way to run the ball against a really really good rush defense. You've got to find a way to run it. You've got to you've got to stick with it even if it's not working.

You have to make them honor the run for four quarters. And the other thing to me, and this this goes to the special teams issue, is it's about field position. This Packers defense, if they have seventy five to eighty yards to defend, they're gonna be pretty darn good. You know.

If the Bravens are getting the ball at the yard line the way the Bears were um on Sunday night, if you're losing the field position battle that way, that that's gonna put this defense in a tough spot against Lamar Jackson and Mark Anderson and these other these other weapons. So for me, it's running the ball and doing a better job in field position compared to the last game. Yeah.

And then the other side of this too. You know Aaron Rodgers, and it's so simple to say that, but I mean, when you look at how he's played, I came up with that stat. I mean, anyone could have come up with it, but it was something I drew

on my story last week fourteen passer rating night. Right now, in these four games where he's dealt with the toe injury, whatever is going on with that little toe, the little foot massages or whatever he was the toe massages he kind of was joking about on McAfee show, it obviously is working for him, and you hope whatever he's dealing at the pain. That's kind of you know, happening for him on game days. He's finding a way to get

above it. And I think if he's able to sort of penetrate in dismantle this defense the way he did last week against Chicago, different challenge, different unit, But I think this team Green Bay being in the driver's seat now, everybody understands a sense of urgency here and I think you're going to see the best version of twelve. Yeah,

it's it's really remarkable. What uh And we probably haven't talked about it enough in some respects, but the job that Aaron Rodgers has done, the production that he has had, despite the fact that he's not practicing. I mean, he and Matt Lafleura and Nathaniel Hackett and Luke Getzy are essentially putting together a game plan without Rogers really taking any full speed reps in in practice throughout the week.

And yes, there have been slow starts and whatnot, but you know, um, imagine what I mean if they had actually gotten off to a fast start against the Bears, with where that game went from the second quarter on, I mean, what the offense might have might have done against Chicago last Sunday night. I do want to talk about some other games around the league that that are

in the playoff picture. But first, Packers fans, if you're looking for holiday gift ideas, team historian Cliff Crystal's book The Greatest Story in Sports is now available at the Packers Pro Shop. The four volume hardcover books set tells the true complete story of the Packers first century, from humble beginnings to heartbreaks and triumphs. By air copy, online or in store today. Alright around the League West, here are the games involving the other NFC contenders that are

up there in this mix. For U, for the number one seed, with the Packers currently sitting in the driver's seat, you have Arizona is at Detroit. Dallas is at the New York Giants. I think we both know both of those would be major upsets if the if the home teams, if the home teams were able to Troit trying to keep its playoff hopes alive. Okay, um, Seattle is at the l A Rams in an interesting one. They're in

the NFC West. And then I believe it's going to be right after the Packers Ravens game, after the late Sunday afternoon window was over. The night game on Sunday as New Orleans at Tampa Bay. The Saints having beaten the Buccaneers. Um, they are responsible for one of Tampa Bay's three losses already the season. The Saints now going down to Ampa um looking for the season sweet but um, your thoughts on any of those games that are involving the NFC contenders, this could be the one that gives

the Bucks the biggest fit down this stretch. Maybe we were asked about the Packers and which one is concerning you, and there are some really intriguing matchups right for them. I mean, when you look at this game, this is not a give me by any means against Baltimore team that is destined looks to be headed towards the playoffs. Yeah, you know you're gonna have Cleveland that's still in this thing.

We know the challenge already with the Vikings. You saw it last month when they beat them, and we know the Vikings are going to be fighting for a wild card spot. And then Monday night they have Chicago, So I mean they're they're going to probably be in the thick of this thing as well. If if they are able to take care of business there. As far as the Bucks are concerned, it's not like that. Uh, this

is probably their biggest test. I think things are really going in the wrong direction right now for for Carolina, and they get to see them twice. Uh, just seeing if there can be some tastom hill magic something there that could challenge Tampa, because otherwise they look like they're

just steamrolling towards the playoffs right now. San Francisco and Atlanta is a really interesting game because I think you were the one that mentioned, I mean San Francisco the team that I don't know if anyone really wants to play them right now, because you're never really can be sure what you're gonna get from them, but you also know you're gonna get a tough game. And Atlanta very

quietly has kept themselves in this thing. It has not been pretty down there and for the Falcons, but they've still found ways to win the games are supposed to win to be in this position. And certainly, as you touched on, I mean Arizona, this is the week where the Packers probably you're gonna have to keep pace because you just I would be really difficult to first see a scenario in which the Lions are able to give

them a game. Yeah, and just so the fans do understand the scenario at this point, If the Packers win on Sunday, they are the NFC North champs. The magic number is one. A Packers victory locks up the division. If the Packers were to lose, then a loss by Minnesota they play Monday night at Chicago. Lost by Minnesota

would would wrap up the division for the Packers. Hopefully green Bay can just take care of it um on their own and then you know, you can cheer for whichever NFC North rival you hate more, cheer against whichever one I hate more. One other one I'd want to ask you about because you mentioned San Francisco in Atlanta, which I do think is an interesting game as well. And this is another one that doesn't really affect the Packers per se, but is going to factor into the

wild card race in the NFC. And that's Washington and Philadelphia to NFC East teams. Um hard to know again sort of what you're gonna get necessarily week to week from these teams. But the winner of this both of these teams are six and seven. The winner of this game gets to seven and seven with three games to go, and it's going to be right in the mix here to be to be playing in the middle of January. I thought last year sort of sort of showed Ron

Rivera's brilliance as a head coach. I think this year has been even more impressive for for them to do what they've done for their plans early in the season, to get completely thrown out the door by this hip injury to Ryan Fitzpatrick. For you know, Ler Haneke, who has barely been with them for a year now. I think it was around this time last year you got

signed to the practice squad. Um. The issues they've had in the backfield, the issues they've had with their defensive front Jonathan Allen this week going on the COVID list. They've had so many things kind of working against them, and yet they find ways to win ball games. And they almost pulled off a crazy comeback against against the Cowboys last week when they fell behind twenty four nothing at halftime. Yeah, and in Philadelphia. I'll be honest with you, Mike,

probably more so than any team in the NFC. I don't know a lot about them. I just they've been so far kind of in the back pages this year. Obviously Gardner Minshew had to step in there for a minute. So like, it's I don't really know how to make heads or tails of this game, other than the fact that with seven teams making the playoffs now in sixteen team conferences, you're going to see teams like this who otherwise might have been looking towards an eight and eight season,

probably not a postseason bid. There's suddenly ain't going to be in contention until the very end. Yeah. Absolutely, that's kind of the way this is shaping up really in in in both conference is the way I mean, they're going to be, for better or worse, They're going to be a ton of games in Week eighteen. That that where teams are still going to be alive. They're not

necessarily going to be eliminated. Um, they're gonna be teams sitting there going, Okay, if we win our game and then if you know, A, B, C, and D all happened, like we can get in you know like that that that feels like where this is headed potentially both in the NFC and the a F s well. And this is if the NFL was ever to do the hey stick it hot kind of thing like this was the year to do it. Because I'm still not a fan of fourteen team playoff. I'm not I like I like

the system. I liked the system the way it was before. I wish I wish there were still the reward for two teams in each conference to get a first round by just because the regular season is is such a grind and it's such a gauntlet. And the fact that and and the fact that this is set up now that that the number two seed has to play the number seven. I mean, you know, so all of that work.

You could finish four or five wins ahead, four or five games ahead of that seven seed, yet your only reward is you you get to play him at home. You still have you still have to beat him to be able to continue your season. I'm not a fan. But what's funny about it is because the Jets, Houston

and Jacksonville basically all punted on the season. You have some parody right now going on in the a f C. You have three teams that are out of it, and then what ten teams with seven or more wins, So I mean, realistically, it's gonna be down to the wire for those six and seven. It's kind of like that Arizona Cardinals year when the Cardinals missed the playoffs with

ten wins. There's gonna be a team with a decent record that isn't gonna make this thing, just based on how things have gone to the a f C. As far as the NFC is concerned, I think it's definitely possible, Mike, that there's gonna be an eight win nine and eight and nine team that makes the playoffs. I think it's just the way it's going to happen. I agree with you. I think it will. So with that, we'll call it

a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team, including all the coverage from Sunday's game against the Ravens. Will have it all for you on Packers dot Com for West, I'm Mike. Thanks for tuning in, everybody. We'll see you next time. H