#693 Packers Unscripted: Staying alive

But we're here to talk about a twelve victory by the Green Bay Packers over the Los Angeles Rams. And the bottom line is the Packers are six and eight and they're still alive. They are and that was what you and I talked about all last week. You couldn't look past the Rams. You had to win this football game to make the rest of this thing count. Green Bay came out and did that on Monday night. To my eye, you know, I know, as Aaron Rodgers talked about, and as a lot of people mentioned, this is the

type of team they needed to beat. Right. If you're gonna actually say you are a playoff team, you had to turn back a banged up and be leaguered l A Rams team. But it was how they played throughout the course of the game. I think that impressed me the most because I thought offensively, they had an identity, they had a game plan for how they wanted to attack l A. They executed it masterfully. Hundred and thirty eight rushing yards Mike, and only one of those carries,

uh the longest one was for fourteen yards. I don't even know how many double digit uh you know, yardage plays they had off runs, but they were consistent with it throughout the ballgame. Romeo Dobbs comes back, leads them in receiving, they got five sacks. Defensively, you look at how they were able to dictate the temple of this game. Keishaw Nixon did Keishaw Nixon things on returns. The green Bay Packers are going to have to play better to

beat the Miami Dolphins. But I thought coming off by and coming off the win over Chicago, this was the type of encouraging performance green Bay needed to build up some of that confidence going into South Beach. Yeah, like you said, there were a lot of things to like

in this game. Um My, my list is is pretty long. Actually, I start with the way they ran the ball against what has been a pretty good rushing defense even without Aaron Donald and Donald did not play in this game for the Rams, but when Donald has been out, the Rams have still been pretty stout against the run. But Aaron Jones ninety yards rushing. A J. Dillon only ended up with thirty six before leaving for a concussion evaluation,

which he ended up clearing. Actually, so it sounds like all is good with with Dylan and he'll beyond the practice field this week. But A J. Dillon with two rushing touchdowns, and as you said, it wasn't it was. It was actually over a hundred and forty rushing yards until the neel downs at the end dropped them back under a hundred and forty. But it wasn't a hundred and forty rushing yards with a fifty five yard you know, explosive one in there. They they they pounded away and

and the Rams made it tough at times. There were some tackles for loss in there, some tackles at the line of scrimmage, some minus one and minus two's, but there were times that you saw the holes were there, and Dylan would make the cut into the hole or Aaron Jones would explode through the hole like he often does. And to be able to on a fairly consistent basis get six and seven yard runs against a pretty good run defense, I thought was a was a tremendous sign.

You mentioned the five sacks from the defense most on the season, um and the Packers that only had one game this year with even three sacks during which Rashan Gary didn't get at least one of those. So the fact that you know to get five sacks and a season high without Gary was a good sign because that pass rush needs to needs to move forward. And then what more can we say about the special teams return

return game dynamo in uh in Keyshawn Nixon. I tell you he had the there was the one called back on the penalty that that was a disappointing call to a lot of people. But he made an impact on kickoff returns. He made an impact on the punt returns. The Packers are winning the field position battle in these games that they're winning because of Nixon and that return unit.

I asked uh Aaron Jones after the game about Nixon and how that changes the complexity and and sort of the composition of an offense when you are starting at midfield or they're abouts and as Jones pointed out, what you don't think about when you're at the fifty yard line is first and foremost, you get two first downs, you're in field goal range two. You don't know. You know, it's not easy to not turn over the football at this level. Packers have had one of the very best

doing it for fifteen years at the quarterback position. But there's a lot of teams that they kind of have a little bit of their you know, a nod in their throat, trying to make sure they play clean football. The reason I say that is a lot of teams the twenty five yard line to the fifty yard line, you're going through some shark infested waters. They're trying to make sure you maintain the possession of ball, let alone

get a scoring drive going. Having a returner like Nixon takes away all of that, and it gives you a little bit of a spark offensively in that you know you're not starting off at your own thirteen yard line. You know you're not having to dig yourself out of anything. Uh second, right now in the NFL in kickoff return yardage average, Kenny wanga Wu from Minnesota's tops at twenty six yards per per return. He Shaw Nixon four. Wanga Woo has a touchdown return on his schedule yard or

on Thanksgiving Night. When you look at whatever it is now eight returns of more than thirty yards three, I think of fifty in an area of the game that has been largely eliminated the National Football League because of how they've pushed back or pushed up the kickoffs. It's incredible. Keishaw Nixon is added, and as I talked with j Alexander about after the game, the fact he's doing this while playing the nickel corner position. Um, there's no days

off for him. Right now. I'm blown away, Mike, because the Packers have had talented returners twenty five point four yards per return. If that ended right now, that would be the Packers best stat with a guy that's had at least twenty returns since Randall Cobb in two thousand twelve. It's pretty astonishing what Keisha Nixon has been able to do on his twenty returns in a very short amount

of time. Yeah, absolutely, very impressive. And you mentioned that he's playing nickel corner on defense and my what you might have missed piece with some video clips that's on the website right now. I actually took a look at how he's playing defensively at that nickel corner spot, and he's he's a solid, a very solid, steady presence in this defense for the Packers in the secondary. You can

you can check out the video clips. I mean, what the the impact that he's making in two phases of the game is significant, and I thought this game essentially was decided after halftime. It's ten to six at intermission. The Packers had deferred on the opening coin toss, so they're getting the ball to start the second half. They drive down the field and get a touchdown. A couple of crucial defensive penalties on the Rams that helped that drive,

but the Packers get a touchdown. It's so it's seventeen to six. Then the defense gets a three and out with the help of a holding call that put the Rams in a long yard situation. And then the field position comes into play because Nixon returns the punt to midfield. There's also a face mask on the Rams that puts the ball on the law, so Angeles thirty five yard line and just uh, a handful of snaps later from the thirty five the Packers are in the end zone again.

So you come out of the second half touchdown three and out touchdown, and suddenly it's twenty four to six and the Packers for the most part, we're we're in command the rest of the game. UM. Shout out to Preston Smith for his second sack of the game. That was maybe the one moment uh. Later on, it's two to twelve and the Rams had crossed midfield on a past interference penalty and then Preston Smith kind of snuffed out that drive with his second sack of the game.

But other than that moment um, you know, from twenty four to six on, the Packers were in command of this thing. And it was it was it was that sequence of complimentary football, the offense doing good things, the defense getting a three and out, the special teams giving you the field position, the offense taking advantage. That's how

you take control and win games in the NFL. And it's a lot gonna be a lot harder to do against the Miami Dolphins and a team that's right in the thick of the a f C wild Card chase. But that's what you have to have, that type of stretch in a game where you take command of things. And and the Packers need to do that again if they're going to continue this winning stream. Well, and I thought too. You know they tried to do the double double before halftime. You know that all going to goes awry.

Rogers gets sacked on the attempt at Hail Mary. Things are just not going great. You're only up ten to six at that point. You are getting the ball, but you know, a lot of things can happen. We've seen a lot of things happen this season and the and the Packers. As I had mentioned last week, the Packers hadn't been great with production on that opening drive of the second half. They've done it nine times. They had had only one touchdown and two field goals in nine

tries before Monday night. They got their second touchdown, fourth time, scoring out of ten tries, getting that first possession um taking the opening kickoff of the second half, and uh and it worked to their advantage this time. I'm gonna throw some stats at you. You're typically the stack, all right, I'm gonna throw stats at you. First drive twelve plays fifty two yards, six minutes and fourteen seconds. Second scoring drive eleven place seventy four yards, six minutes and fifteen seconds.

Third scoring drive the one you illustrated out of the halftime eleven place sixty eight yards sixty eight I'm not even talking about the fact they were able to run out the clock on the game last eight before the nail down. There was a great stat that pr Maven. Tom Fanning, who had never won credit but I'm gonna give it to him anyway, came up with the first time the Packers have had and back to back games in the same season three scoring drives of eleven or

more plays in the same game this year. Before that, it was two thousand and eight. As cool as it is, everyone loves seventy five yard touchdowns, there's gonna be defenses like l A that are gonna make you go the full length of the field. They're not gonna lapse. They have speedy guys in the secondary. They're gonna be able to catch up. The defensive front goes without saying, they're not going to give you the big play. They're gonna make you take your time and the Packers made it happen.

They made it happen with a J. Dillon on the field, and when Dylan unfortunately had to get you know, cleared for the concussion. They did it with Aaron Jones who was banged up, and they did it with Patrick Taylor who had just been signed to the fifty three man roster hours earlier. Aaron Rodgers makes a great throw to Romeo Dobbs on the twenty three yard gained during that series.

The Packers were just so dang efficient in this game, and Mike, that's what you're gonna have to do now, going down to Miami, facing a playoff caliber opponent and being able to take care of business. It was a perfect complimentary performance in terms of everything we've asked for, with the Packers defense holding its ground on the opening possession, the Packers offense giving them a little bit of wicker room early on, and then l A having to play

from behind from there. Well, the other thing we're seeing as this season has unfolded. You had mentioned Romeo Dobbs was back from the ankle injury. You look across the board, both sides of the ball, the and and even been special teams to a certain extent to which I'll mention the draft class, this rookie draft class. Their fingerprints were all over this victory. Romeo Dobbs and Christian Watson combined

for nine catches and a hundred and one yards. Quay Walker gets a sack and a forced fumble, the first full sack of his career. He had a half sack earlier in the season. He gets a He gets a sack and a forced fumble, also has another tackle for loss. Davante Wyatt gets a half a sack, sharing one with Justin Hollins. Zack Tom at left tackle is filling in

for David Baktierra. We don't even mention his name. He his name doesn't even really get brought up um all night long, except for, you know, being part of that big pile that pushes a J. Dillon pushes a J. Dillon into the end zone in the in the big scrum there Kingsley Nigbari at edge rusher, who's getting obviously a ton of playing time right now with with Rashawn Gary being out for the rest of the year. He

gets a sack, almost almost an interception. Um oh and and kuay Walker broke up a couple of passes to almost almost had a pick. Trek Carpenter, the seventh round pick, is making tackles on special teams. I mean, this draft class is all over the place, and the Packers are gonna need absolutely everything that this rookie draft class has to try to make a run at this thing here starting with uh a victory on on Christmas and Miami.

You get this one, and then you know you're coming back home for two games against division rivals that are indoor teams, coming to Lambeau in the cold, everything starts to feel a little bit more realistic. Packers are gonna need everything this rookie draft class has on on Christmas Day in Miami, and the way they performed on Monday night was a great sign for what they might be

able to do. The other thing I really liked about this game, Now, certainly you want, you know, consistency for all four quarters, but it was how guys stepped up on almost specific series on plays. You look at Kingsley Nigbari, the play that he gets the first down sack on, he also nearly has an interception on the third down on this attempted screen. At the very least he broke

it up. Davante Wyatt gets the stop on first down in the fourth quarter, then combines with Justin Hollins on the sack, which you know Baker Mayfield runs right into their lap. But that's football. As Preston Smith said afterwards, you know, sometimes it isn't about the plays that you're making. It's about making those plays and then seeing what comes to you. I mean that was kind of Preston's things. Preston's had some good rushes this year that he hasn't

statistically been rewarded for. But then you look at you know, his first sex. Someone's helping flush him to him. You know, that's what this defense needs to get out of this group, and you know, so many of these guys have been put in some really tough situations. You know, Kingsley and Ningbari wasn't even really the next guy up at the beginning of the season and now he's the starting outside linebacker with Preston Smith. Zack tom As I wrote last week,

had only played in five games. I think that's the thing that people forget about. He has these three spot starts. He sat the other eight games before last week. It's these guys being ready for the moment. And that's ultimately going to take you far in this league, because if you can be ready in adverse moments, you're going to be ready for the ones that you're prepared for too. And um, it's exciting to see. Certainly, you know, you

look at Kuaywalker hundred tackles on the season. You know, Christian Watson has been a completely dynamic and and causing defensive past interference penalties and blocking on the Aaron Jones touchdown round and catching passes. But it's when you're getting contributions from the fifth round picks, from the fourth round picks and you're getting those immediate returns. Doesn't get any

better for that than that for a football team. Yeah, this uh, this this draft class showing all kinds of promise. I want to get to. Um, what was a crazy weekend in the NFL. After a little bit of sponsor business here West Serious x M NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and to the minute NFL news that true football fanatics and seven three and at cousin subs. We have something for everyone, like our Wisconsin Cheese cards, mac and cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes, all paired with

your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. Cousin Subs fifty years of better. Alright, West, I don't know where you want to start with regard to everything that happened in the NFL prior to the Packers and Rams on Monday night. You have the crazy comeback by Minnesota. You have the absolute madness of a final play in Patriots Raiders. You have just absolutely brutal clock mismanagement by the New

York Jets against the Detroit Lions. And then you have the officials inserting themselves and then not inserting themselves on the final drive of the Washington New York Giants game on Sunday night. It was a it was a nutty weekend of of NFL football. So I'll let you go where you want to go. Let's let's start off with the things that had packed the Packers the most first, and it was the Giants Washington game. In terms of this this wild card chase, I feel terrible for Ron

Rivera in that football team. I feel terrible for Taylor Heineke. I feel terrible, you know, for those receivers. One of the more peculiar in a season in which I think officiation officiating this league has been really poor. UM, I mean, what can you say about how that game ended? Um? And then reading the pool report afterwards, it's just I don't even one of the things I really liked. And I've said this numerous times when Dean Blandino was the head officiate in the NFL was even if his guys

got it wrong, and it's a it. We're all human in this game is moving at a thousand miles pro where I get it, But Dean Billandino would almost put out a statement every week commenting on the officiating. And since he left, and there's been numerous people in charge of the thing now, I feel like we're missing the accountability piece. And reading that poor report, I don't know

what was more infuriating the way that game ended. Terry McLaurin checking to see if he's on sides on the line on the line of scrimmage right, and then God only knows what happened in that interaction, and then for the receiver to just be completely manhandled on the play. It was strange. The whole thing was strange. And then the conversation afterwards with the reporter UM felt weird and

surly and Curt. I just if you're if you're the Washington Commanders and you're they're there fans, I mean, like, I just don't know how you come out of that not feeling like you just got completely jobbed out of that, or at least at least to the extent that that you know, not that anybody necessarily wanted to see the Giants and Commanders tie again in the rematch, but that game looked like it had overtime written all over it, right,

that it shouldn't have necessarily been decided in regulation that you go get the touchdown to the two points, you go to overtime tied at and decide what had been a pretty well played, entertaining football game and a very impactful game as far as the playoff chase. Decided in overtime, and see what happens with those two teams having already played an overtime earlier this year. And yeah, from that standpoint,

Washington was robbed at that opportunity. The Giants are one went away from clinching a playoff spot, and they didn't beat Washington this season. In this rematch, the officials beat the Commanders. Yeah that's a shame. Yeah, it is Um, the thing is, where do we go from here? Well, the thing is, and I don't I don't want to make it. I don't want to make it all about

the officiating. But um, you know, quite frankly, the fact that Minnesota pulled off the comeback from thirty three to nothing to win thirty nine to thirty six and overtime in some ways overshadowed another horribly officiated game because the Vikings had opportunities taken away from them by just some really really bad calls, and by the same token during the comeback, Minnesota keeps, in my opinion, kept getting free fifteen yards for supposed unnecessary roughness hits that you look

at the replay and you kind of go, oh, that's that's fifty. Like everything's happening fast, because Minnesota is in a hurry, and you know, they got to score a bunch of points, and it was like they're marching down the field getting free fifteen yards here and there, and and you get you get one look at the replay and you go, wait a minute, like, you know, the Colts are not playing well here, but Minnesota is getting Minnesota is getting a bunch of yardage that it doesn't

seem like, you know, is uh is legit. So it was that that started things and uh and I you know, I hate that the officiating is such a is such a story in the NFL. But um, but it is. It's not getting better. That's the problem. We've been talking about this for three years. It's it's not it's it's not every year. It's not getting better. The rule book keeps getting thicker. The rule book keeps getting thicker. And uh.

And I'll say this, I've I've said this before an insider inbox, I've said it to you, and we've had conversations as an as annoying and frustrating as it gets to see some of the things that happened on the field. Big picture, I don't blame those officials on the field. I think the NFL has given them way too many rules, way too much to manage. And when you have that much stuff that you've got to try to pay attention

to and officiate and get the calls right. That's how some of the obvious or which should be the simpler, more basic calls of the game are going to get missed more often because they've got them paying attention to too many things. With out a system that is robust enough to help them in the way it needs to help that. That's a game. Bring it back to the Washington New York game. I just I love that comment from I forget which official is even the head umpire

that they were talking to. But um, you know he's like, well, you know, he could be counting personnel. You know, there's a lot of different jobs that go along with this. It's not just seeing if the it's just like, oh my goodness, but and and and and it's not. I mean, come on, it's not as though. It's not as though there were a whole bunch of illegal formations being called

during the game. And then and then, with a minute to go in a one score game and two teams fighting for a wild card spot, you're going to decide the fact that Terry McLaurin is an extra two and a half feet off the line of scrimmage and that's a penalty that wipes out a touchdown when the when Washington scores on the play and is ready to run a two point conversion, Oh no, sorry, illegal formation. We haven't called it all game, and we're gonna call it now with the game on the line and take your

touchdown away. I'm sorry that there's an officiating problem in the NFL and the league has to start taking it seriously. The last thing I'll say on this um, this is how you know, the officials and referees got too far involved in the game. Minnesota had the greatest comeback in NFL history, down thirty three points going to the second half, and due by the time that game was over, I didn't care, Like I honestly like, I understand the whole implications.

You want the Vikings to be playing for something here. It was the most monumental comeback ever. And literally I'm watching that game going on Saturday, I'm like, I just want this to be over. It wasn't exciting to me. It was like more frustrating because it's like, who cares at this point? Yeah, it isn't. It kind of got it kind of became the theater of the absurda in

in a in a lot of ways. So hey, Chandler Jones had a speaking speaking of speaking of theater of the of the absurd, I tell you it's it's interesting. I mean we're talking about I mean Robert Sale's mismanagement of the clock at the end of the Jets Lions game, and then what the Patriots did on the final play

of a tie game. I mean, those those two things could cost both of those teams playoffs spots here that those those could be the moments that their teams, their fans are gonna be looking back on in the offseason if they don't make the playoffs and say, our season ended because of because of just you know, brainlock type of stuff. I mean, just you know, it's it's it's remarkable. I mean, the margin is so small in this league. We know that there's so many games that can go

either way at any moment. And if the craziness doesn't happen in the Patriots game and the game goes to overtime and the Raiders win, maybe the Patriots then still

aren't making the playoffs. But when you lose the game that way, when you lose the game the way the Jets did, when they're fighting for a playoff spot and they have to settle for a fifty eight yard field goal to tie, which misses, and their coach took a time out into the locker room with him after the game that they never used, and they had to settle for fifty eight yards, Like, come on, man, that's tough. The uh the Patriots thing just starting. They're really fast.

I mean I remember when I first saw it, I was like, oh, so that the Raiders were up. It's like, oh no, yeah, It's like when you first look at it, you're thinking, you're thinking, like, oh, like the Patriots were in desperation mode and this, this touchdown is only going

to impact whatever goes on in Vegas. You know, no, you know, no connection to the Raiders specifically, but whatever goes on in Vegas with all the gambling and the over under in the point spreads, and it's like, no, the game was tied and the Raiders just won the game instead of having to go to overtime, Like, you know, is there anybody that took a bigger l at the

end of that game than Mac Jones? One one, he the ball comes flying out to him, six ft five sixty pound Chandler Jones catches it completely, pie shoulders the ground, just face plants him. And then after the game they asked Bill Belichick about why they didn't throw a hail Mary, and He's liked, couldn't throw it that far? Poor Mac Jones, man,

He just he's just taking els all over the place. Um, if I can really quickly just to close up the thing on Detroit, I mean, dude, as much as the Packers are trying to make a run here, Detroit has been doing this thing for a month and a half. The Lions have gone from one and the Lions have

gone from one and six to seven and seven. Um. They're only loss in that time was was at the very end of the game on thanks coming to the Buffalo Bills, who of course are right now the number one seed in the a f C. That is the only game the Lions have lost over the last two months. They are they are winning the close ones, including the win over the Packers at Ford Field. They've gotten two two wins in the meadow Lands, beating both the Giants and the It's on the road now and um and yeah,

the Lions are. The Lions are feeling it and uh and they are. They are right in this playoff chase right now, one game ahead of the Packers and uh and if the Packers can can manage to stay alive, it could make things very interesting in Week eighteen at Lamber A lot more interested. I think everybody, including myself thought that Week A teen game was going to be yeah, all right. Well with that, we will call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to

follow all of our coverage of the team. We will have everything for you leading up to the Christmas Day game in Miami on Packers dot Com. We'll have another show this week also to preview that game and talk about the Miami Dolphins for Wes I am Mike. Thank you for tuning in everybody. We'll see you next time.