#638 Packers Unscripted: Browns coming to town

seven and seven this year, right in the thick of things. Uh, they went from having a chance to be in first place in the a f C North had they hung on and and been able to beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night, But by losing that game on a walk off field goal, they dropped all the way to last place in the a f C North because

things are bunched up so tightly in that division. The intriguing thing about this Browns team, though, is, and I admit I haven't watched a whole lot of their games, but you look at their results, you look at the way their season has gone, a lot of injuries, guys on the COVID list, all this kind of stuff. It just feels like you don't really know what you're gonna

get with the Cleveland Browns. You might get the team that absolutely dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round last January, or you might get the team that a handful of weeks ago lost forty to seven to the New England Patriots and was never really in the game. Um, and I guess that's how you end up seven and seven and and fighting for your playoff life here the

last three weeks of the regular season. Well, and in that division too, Mike, doesn't it kind of feel like it's gonna end up coming down to some kind of tiebreaker that ultimately decides a ten or maybe even a nine win team from winning that division. Just how this thing has started gone in in the a f C North, And who knows with what the Steelers having that one tie on their record, like that's going to factor into all the positioning and whatnot as well. Yeah, and obviously

the Steelers aren't out of this suddenly. So that's been my main takeaway this season from the North as it's just it's been this weird sort of thing where each of these teams looks really good at times and then also can look really bad. And from Cleveland's perspective, it's kind of you know, Kevin Stefanski has done a nice job with them there, Alex van Pelt, the offensive coordinator, they have the right core, it would appear, uh and

in the direction in which they're moving. But unfortunately for the Browns, for the last basically fifteen years, it's been very much the same story. They've had some glimpses of hope, and then as soon as it looks like they've turned a quarter and are going to become a contender again, they take a step back. Now. Now, certainly this year, the questions with Baker Mayfield, the fourth quarters, you know,

the comebacks and in the failed comebacks. Now the COVID list that extends to what fifteen players, it would appear there's been a lot for the Browns to overcome. But as I was telling our readers an insider inbox this week, offensively and defensively, they have guys you have to be aware of. I mean, Nick Chubb is in the conversation for the top five, top three running backs in the National Football League right now, and they still have a lot of weapons in this offense. Despite the fact that

Odell Beckham Jr. Left. So it's going to be a battle. And I think that's the number one thing that Mattel Floor is probably gonna be talking these guys about, is this is a Browns team that is basically going to be playing for its season because there is not a lot of wiggle room if you don't win that division. It's going to be a log jam is trying to get those wild card spots and every win is gonna matter. Yeah. Absolutely. There there are three names with this Brown's team that

jump off the page at me. You've mentioned one of them already. And Nick Chubb, Um, this guy is a dynamic running back. And this is a Browns team with Kevin Stefanski at the helm. They are determined to run the football. They like to run the football. I think that's going to be one of the key elements to this game is how well the Browns potentially can establish the ground game in in carving their way toward a potential upset of the Packers. Here the other two names,

Baker Mayfield obviously at quarterback. Everybody one dring you know, will he be coming off the COVID list and be eligible to play on Saturday. My understanding is the Browns are expecting him, expecting to be able to activate him from the COVID list before Saturday's kickoff, and that he would play. Um. Now, that would be putting him out there to play essentially without having practiced for the last

couple of weeks. Um and the Browns had to go to their third string quarterback in the Monday night game, the rescheduled Monday night game against the Raiders this past week, with with both Mayfield and case Keenum on the COVID list, and so they had to turn to Nick Mullins. And then the other name that you have to talk about with these guys is Miles Garrett, the pass rusher. He's got fifteen sacks this season. Now, he injured a groin in the game against the Raiders on Monday Night, is

not practicing to this point this week. His status is very much up in the air. Um, if Myles Garrett can't play, that definitely changes the look of this Cleveland Browns defense. But if he is out there, this guy's big time pass rushing well, and a big reason for that is, you know, you know, Tach McKinley had his injury now, so I think he's basically out, you know, moving forward, he blew the Achilles, blew the Achilles. Yeah, so then you know Jadeveon Clowney is their next leading

sack guy. I think he has five on the season or maybe six. I mean, this thing really runs through Garrett, and it's been that way for a number of years now. When you come in with a guy that's as Harold as he was, he's lived up to that hype as a as a top pick and and being able to contain him. When I looked at this matchup on paper before we knew anything on Monday, I was like, that's going to be the primary objective here for yash Nijman or however it works out with who's going to be

defending him? Well, then lo and behold. Now he's banged up. That's what this season is though, right, and we've seen it at every corner, whether it be the COVID list or whether it be just with people's injury reports, it's going to be a battle. So certainly, I'm sure from the Packers perspective, if Myles Garrett decides not to partake in this football game, they are not going to be

really too upset about that. But but certainly, as Matt Lafleur is kind of talked about, and some of these other defensive and offensive players have have assessed, you've got to just sort of look at what they have. And you know, Nick I should say Eric Stokes was the one that touched on this on Wednesday, is that you watch the film, but what these teams look like when they have all their pieces and then you kind of

draw in and fill in the rest from there. And the thing is is that when Cleveland was a d percent, when they had what they felt to be their full complement of players, this was a legitimate contender in the a f C. So I think that's the version of the Browns you have to be prepared for because again them coming in on Christmas, them understanding that time as a ticking this is going to be a basically kind

of almost a playing game for them. In relation to the in relation to the postseason, Yeah, absolutely, they're playing.

They're playing for their season. And I think with everything that's gone on with this team, with the injuries and the COVID and stuff like that, particularly if you get your quarterback back, if Baker Mayfield comes back, even if he hasn't practiced but if he's activated and he's able to play, you know, that's the kind of thing that that provides some juice to a team, right that energize is a team that's been going through all of this, all this turmoil as far as who's going to be

available and and who's not. So I think the Packers have to be ready, even though the Browns are on an even shorter week than the Packers are, with playing with a Saturday game, with the Browns just having played on Monday night, I think you have to be prepared for a very energized Cleveland team with everything they have

on the line. And I want to see Baker because obviously we, like you said, Mike, we don't get a chance to watch a lot of the Browns basically because of our jobs and the fact that they haven't played him since that overtime game in Cleveland in two thousand seventeen. This young man, you know, he's kind of been maligned at times, but I still think there's a lot of

potential there and there's a lot of talent. So I just from my own two eyes, just kind of understanding what he looks like, I am in a way sort of rooting for him to play in this game. But certainly, you know, that's the way this thing has gone with COVID. We didn't expect that Kenny Clark was not going to be available last week when you and I were going about our week. This week, I wrote about MVS. After the game, we all thought, Okay, well here we go.

There's the key to this whole thing that defenses are doing against Davante Adams and then Marcus Veldi Scantling ends up on the COVID list. It's the nature of this season. And you know, hopefully for the Packers, they've been on the decent side of it when you look at the rest of the NFL so far. Yeah, and it'll be interesting to see, uh, whether or not the Packers can get back either MVS and or Kenny Clark off the

COVID list to play in this game on Saturday. Um, the possibility is there, but there's also not necessarily any guarantee that that's going to happen. And and and if they if either one is able to come off the list, what kind of impact, um, they would be able to have so very much kind of a if he just feels like a wait and see thing um, you know, waiting up until kickoff on Saturday, if the Packers are

gonna have these games. Matt la Fleur always plays these things pretty close to the vest, but kind of like Mike McCarthy back in the day with the hard pressed, you know, somebody so and so will be hard pressed to play in this game. The floor sort of has his little idiosyncrasies too in terms of how he relates, you know, talks about players. It does sound like there's

a really legitimate optimism there that Clark could be available. Certainly, you've got to go through the process this week, and the s is the one that because and the reason I think that too is because on a normal timeline, this would have been within the boundaries for Clark to play. MBS now becomes sort of the guinea pig here because you start to wonder, Okay, with these new COVID rules, what does that mean in terms of when he becomes asymptomatic or when he's available to be you know, back

out there. That's the stuff over these next couple of weeks, Mike, we're just gonna have to kind of figure out because until that happens, where a guy test positive but then plays in the next game. You're you're kind of just sitting here wondering, you know when that that other foot

is gonna drop? Yeah, absolutely well, a little bit of 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 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 alright. A couple of items of Packers news to get to

before we focus on our keys to victory. Pro Bowl announcements came out the Packers with three Pro Bowlers in the initial selection process. Aaron Rodgers sets a franchise record with his tenth Pro Bowl selection. He now surpasses Forrest

greg and Brett Favre, who had nine a piece. Davante Adams gets his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl selection, which, as I believe you wrote about, is now one shy of James Lofton's streak of six consecutive for a Packers wide receiver, and then Kenny Clark gets his second Pro Bowl, not his first one as an original selection. Um certainly well deserved for all three of those guys, but I'm particularly happy for Kenny Clark because he's just He's a guy

who plays that position. The stats aren't necessarily there, but his work, his impact on games on a regular basis when he's in there, is being recognized. You have to be able to understand, and I've said this so many times this year, Mike, to watch Kenny Clark is to know what kind of impact he's making on a football field. You can't just look at a box score and understand how talented this guy is and in how much he's

affecting the opposing team, in the opposing quarterback. The other reason I really thought that Kenny Honor was fantastic was from the standpoint of first time since Henry Jordan's Mike, going back to nineteen sixty six when he wont when he got to his last Probo believed the last of his five, that's the last time the Green Bay Packers have actually had a defensive tackle that's been able to go to multiple Pro Bowls. It's a difficult position to

get accoltes. Think about all the tremendous defensive tackles the Packers have had over the years. The Gilbert Browns, the Mike Daniels, you know that. You know, the Brian Picketts, the b J Rodgers. It's not easy to do. So for Kenny to get that recognition, I think is well deserved. I think the one that jumps off the page to me, though, is the Davante Adams one, because now you start to stack these up, you would imagine here, in a few

weeks you'll be all pro again. He's starting to put together that resume that could potentially give you that door into Canton. And that's been the thing that I thought was illuminating because for the first time, you know, Aaron Rodgers, people give him credit. You know, people talk about Davante and and how he is one of the best now,

if not the best receiver in the game. But when he was speaking to the media, and I can't even remember if it was to your question who asked it, but when he was talking about that, the thing he thinks about the most now is the gold jacket. To my recollection, that was the first time Davante has uttered those words out of his mouth and for him to

start being able to channel that a little bit. That shows you the confidence the young man, but also the self reflection and understanding what he's accomplished in his first eight NFL seasons. He's right there now. And I think when you think of guys that could potential to keep stringing this together at age thirty one, I don't see why. Davante Adams. I don't see any signs of him slowing

down here, especially with that synergy that he has with Rogers. Yeah, it certainly doesn't look that way by any stretch of the Packers also did have some alternates um to the Pro Bowl roster, Aaron Jones was named a first alternate at running back, and then um, there are other alternates you know down down the way that aren't specified exactly what round they are, but cornerback Russeul Douglas and punter

Corey Horkez. And was there another Gary? That's right, I knew I was forgetting one with Shawn Gary as well at edge Rusher. So for alternates total, the one here that of course jumps out at you is Russeul Douglas because and a lot of a lot of folks are asking asking me in the inbox, and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to be able to necessarily nail this down one way or another. But a guy who starts a season on a practice squad and ends up as a Pro Bowl alternate, I don't think I've never

heard I've never heard of that happening before. But hats off to Rasseul Douglas. Obviously we talked about him a lot on this show already. But but that type of that type of path, that type of journey within one NFL season to be on a practice squad and then end up as an alternate to UH to the NFC Pro Bowl roster. Heck of an achievement. Resul Douglas was signed seventy nine days ago at the time in which

we are taping this episode of Packers unscripted. What he has accomplished in just over two months time, not to learn a defense, not to get you know, kind of brought into a locker room, but to make the plays that he's made for a team that has legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. You'll see this a lot in the past, Mike. We did the stories ourselves back in two thousand and eighteen when the Packers were out of playoff contention, things

weren't really going the right way. We'll see guys that kind of pop up on a roster and make an impact late in the season. They make for good stories. This guy is a game changer. This guy at some intervals could be considered the best player on this defense at times with what he's been bringing in the points in which he has been generating, with some of these turnovers, I've never seen anything like it. And well, we'll get

down the road here. The Packers are going to try to win a Super Bowl and this will be something way down the line will reflect upon. But the job that Brian Goodkins has done his scouting department have done over the last twelve months, given the salary cap sort of limitations that they're under, has been nothing short of extraordinary. And for Matt Laflour to take that talent along with his coaching staff and make their scheme adjustable enough to welcome in guys mid season to have them be able

to play it their full at their best. This is how a team with three Pro bowlers gets to be eleven and three. That's how you do it, and it's been incredible to watch. Yeah. Absolutely, I want to make one more announcement here. With Christmas right around the corner, anyone looking for a holiday gift. Idea of folks, team history and Cliff crystals book, The Greatest Story in Sports

is now available at the Packers Pro Shop. It's a four volume hardcover book set that tells the true complete story of the Packers first century, from humble beginnings to heartbreaks and triumphs. Buy your copy online or in store today. And I got an update for you, Mike. I was just down in the Pro Shop. I picked up my NFC North Champions hat in T shirt. I gotta go do that, man, you do Yeah, I can't do that for you. There's a checklist I have to go. I have to go do that. But they got a new

batch of these books back in there. It was getting pretty bare there for a second. These things were flying off the shelves hot cakes. I'm telling you, Mike. Uh. The fact that they got some more down there. Cliff Crystal was nice enough, generous enough, gracious enough to sign my book as well. So, yeah, if you haven't had a chance yet, we're running short on time here. If

you celebrate Christmas. You gotta pick up a book. Just a couple of days away now, All right, West Saturday lambeau Field, Packers, Browns, Keys to victory here for Green Bay. We all know what's on the line for the Packers. You're looking at as of now. If you win out, you're the number one seed, you get a buy, you get home field and all that. We talked about everything that's on the line for the Browns. There's certainly plenty on the line for the Packers. What do the Packers

have to do? What is the top priority? Two finish things? On Saturday night at twelve and three. I think there's two things that need to happen, and I'm probably gonna end up stealing one of years, but I want to address this. If they can get Kenny Clark back, I feel like this Packers run defense is a championship quality caliber unit. Times have it changed? You're not seeing the thousand pound line anymore of picket Raji Howard Green. You've got guys that are a little bit more versatile, a

little smaller, but yet still really stout. And when Kenny Clark is in the ballgame, like how many times this year, I wish there was a stat I'm sure PFF has it whatever, But I mean, how many times have we seen it where he gets in the backfield and it redirects a runner off of what his assignment is. That's big time football. So if Kenny Clark is back, I think stopping the run as paramount. But as I've continued to say, I think getting off to a fast start.

I think if you can break the will of the Browns right off the bat, if this offense can get into a rhythm from series one, like you saw what happened in the second half of that game. Offensively, you get it's a momentum driven game. You get a feeling of Okay, is this going the direction you want to go or is it not really going the direction you go? Do you feel like the Packers can move the ball downfield or does it feel like it's gonna be difficult

getting a yard. I had no qualms, no doubts, no confusion whatsoever what the Packers were able to do in the second half of that game against the Ravens. So yeah, I think this is a game in which you start fast, you put your foot down on the pedal, you come up with that twelve victory. Yeah, my initial thought at the beginning of the week when I was asked an insider inbox, are the keys to winning this game for the Packers? And this is what I wrote. I said,

block Myles Garrett and tackle Nick Chubb. Those are the to me, that's what this game comes down to, those two things. Now, we don't know if Myles Garrett is going to play or not, so we talked about that before.

But Nick Chubb is going to play. And this is a this is a run oriented Brown's offense, and it's not an opponent you know that you see, Like, like we said, two thousand seventeen was the last time the Packers face these guys, right, and and we saw last week facing a somewhat unconventional Baltimore Ravens offense, it gave the Packers some problems that you know, both early in

the game and then also late in the game. So to me, to me, if you can, if you can prevent Nick Chubb from being the guy that's sort of controlling the tempo and controlling the down and distance and whatnot, then I I like the Packers. I like the Packers chances to win this game because if the Browns don't get nick upgoing. I just don't see them being able to score enough points to keep up with Aaron Rodgers.

And where this Packers offense is the fact that this Packers offense has scored thirty plus points, not including Rasul Douglass pick six is has scored thirty plus points in the last two games. And yeah, it would be great to get Kenny Clark back, but I also think the guy that the guy that's taken this Packers run defense to a different level from what we've seen in past

years is Devandre Campbell in the middle of things. And I know a lot of fans are wondering, how does Devandre Campbell not make the Pro Bowl and all this? And look, Deveandre Campbell has had a Pro Bowl caliber season, there's no denying that. But in the NFC, there are only two inside linebackers selected on the Pro Bowl team, and they're Micah Parsons and Bobby Wagner. You can't have any qualms about those two selections, quite frankly, and that's

nothing against Campbell the season that he's had. But if Devandre Campbell is going to make the Pro Bowl team, then either Micah Parsons or Bobby Wagner is not going to make it, and that to me, it's just not realistic and and uhum, And I say that not taking anything away from the player Campbell is and the impact that he's had for the Packers, particularly with the run defense. The only thing I was gonna say is with Michael Parson's maybe you can make an argument it could be

an outside linebacker. Very kind he ends up getting slotted in the roster as a as an inside linebacker, and you're right about that. Maybe maybe that's not exactly where he fits and it could have opened up a spot for something. But that's what makes Micah Parsons Micah Parsons, Yes, I have lived long enough. No though that I've watched Julius Peppers play inside linebacker in a Pro Bowl game.

So I mean, these are the things that happened with a very inexact science and imperfect And we've seen Clay Matthews play inside linebacker for half a season plus playoffs, so you know there's there's that as well. One thing to keep an eye on the AP voting is going to happen here in a few weeks. I'm telling you, man, even if you know Devondre Campbell doesn't make his way in the Pro Bowl. There are four spots for a

p first and second team and inside linebacker. I'd be very interested in maybe some people out there, some educated writers are able to take notice of it's a it's it's a tough group to crack. We were talking about some of the names the other day inside linebacker in the NFC. It's a tough group to crack. But as you said, the four spots first team, second team on the All Pro it will be it will be interesting

to see quick shout out to Corey Lindsley too. He's a first team All Pro center and now he can finally call himself a Pro Bowler. Here we go. Took the David Bakti pathwords, got got All Pro first and then and then Pro Bowl came later. A couple of quick thoughts I want to get from us. With regard to other games, the most important one on the slate as it relates to the Packers this week will be

Sunday Night football the Washington football team at Dallas. The Cowboys, of course, looking to win the NFC East and stay

in the hunt for the number one seed. They are the team that is the biggest threat to the number one seed um that the Packers are trying to get right now, because even though they are one game, but I'm the Packers at ten and four, with Green Bay at eleven and three, they have the best NFC record, the best conference record, and they could steal that number one seed if they went out and the Packers were

to lose the game. Conversely, if Dallas were to lose another game, suddenly the Packers have the leeway to the extent that they don't necessarily have to win out in order to get the number seed. So that's an interesting one to keep an eye on here and Washington. Much like a lot of these teams in the NFC fighting for wild card spots, that squad has a heck of a lot on the line Sunday night, Yeah, Mike, And that's part of it that I think is the most

interesting here as this thing comes down the stretch. I was trying to get up the standings for everything, but our internet alright, T staff might have actually popped out for Christmas a little bit early. But uh that said, uh, listen, you know you're when you looked at your path to the playoffs, and I had a chance to thumb through it already. Dallas is such an interesting anomaly in this

whole deal because of how their season lined up. The Packers have to play Cleveland this week, all the Inner Conference, all the a f C stuff that's already behind the Cowboys. They have an interesting slate here to finish the season against the NFC. So you won't be scoreboard watching because you're a game up right now on everybody. You just want to focus on beating the Cleveland Browns and getting

onto the next one. But that being said, following what Dallas is going to do against the NFC is a really strange sort of anomaly that developed here over the last few weeks. And and certainly, you know l A is still very much in this Tampa Bay has a

very favorable schedule. There's a lot out there for these other contenders to get up back into the race for the first seed, but it's Dallas and and Dallas has been a team too that has kind of gone through its own issues, its own ubs and flows, and just seeing what that team looks like at the end of the season, because arguably they have the two most exciting young defensive players in the league right now it's it's

gonna be something to watch. Yeah, one last one to throw at you, Rams at Vikings, Rams on a very show actually having played on Tuesday night. Oh you got your connection back. But now I'm on week Rams at Vikings. And I just bring this up because I mentioned it in the Path of the Playoffs um piece, which is which is now posted on Packers dot com. The Rams are ten and four. They're one of these four teams that is just one game behind the Packers in uh that chase for the top spot in the NFC. If

you're a Packers fan, do you cheer? Do you cheer for the Rams to get another loss? Or because it's the Vikings and they're the NFC North rivals, do you not want to see your NFC North rival You do you want to see your NFC North rivals playoff chances take a hit? So you cheer for the Rams to

beat Minnesota? What are your thoughts? So here's a great question because I was talking to Stephen Huddy, our Packers social media coordinator, about this, because he was talking about how you really don't want to play the ram or do you really don't play the Vikings? Really don't want to play the forty nine years. The thing is that so many gosh darn teams make the playoffs. Now you're gonna have to eventually see some of these guys make it.

So my thought is, I think Minnesota in San Francisco, both of those teams are fully capable of winning in the postseason. I don't know if they're going to be able to win two games in a row, though, but they're good enough that they can create some chaos. So that's why in my mind I look at it as the Packers want to get that first seed. They want to get to buy. Minnesota doesn't threaten them with that right now. If you if you're if you're the Packers, if you get if you get the buy, you're not

competing against a against a seven team playoff field. You're competing against the fourth field because by the time you have to play, three teams are eliminated. So my thought process is, yes, would Minnesota be riding on into Lambeau feeling pretty good about itself if they beat the Los Angeles Ram, Sure, But if the Green Bay Packers are the number one seed right now in the NFC, that

shouldn't matter. You should take care of business against the Vikings, hit them down, get them back down there with the peasants. So my thought is is it's like the more distance you create with these other top contenders, the better. Same thing I look at with with the Cowboys right now. If the Cowboys can get knocked off the pedestal in one of these games, it gives you that much more

breathing room. My thought is if the Greenbay Packers can go into Detroit needing to win, I'm under no disillusions here that they're just gonna be able to be rest starters against Detroit with the way the set up works now. But if you're able to go in there and know that we just gotta beat this Detroit team that's gone through a lot of problems this season to have the one seed in the bye, that's all that's really the ultimate goal here, and then finally get that that by

get the get the week off. So yeah, I guess I tend to favor the Vikings in that matchup, all right, And with that we'll call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of Saturday's game against the Browns. Will have it for you on packers dot com for WES. I am Mike, Thank you for tuning in. Everybody, Merry Christmas. We will see you next time.