#696 Packers Unscripted: Fight to the finish

at three pm Sunday at lambeau Field. Obviously, the Packers haven't seen the Vikings since Week one at US Bank Stadium, and the irony of that game, if that's the right word, is the Vikings beat the Packers by two touchdowns that day. They have not beaten anybody else this season by more than eight points. Yet they are twelve and three because they have won eleven one possession games. This is a team that wins games late, that plays well in the

fourth quarter. If you're going to beat them, you have to beat them for all four quarters. Doing it for three quarters won't be good enough. And no lead is safe. I mean, we learned that with the Indianapolis calls. There is so many people out there, and I get it. I saw what the Vegas lines are on this game.

There are so many people that are quick to disrespect the Minnesota Vikings, and I've stopped short of doing that because what stands out to me the most, Mike is you can talk about the one score wins, you can talk about the comebacks, you can talk about the greatest comeback in NFL history, But what you need to pay homage to with this Minnesota Vikings team is they got five more wins and the Green Bay Packers, however they

got there, However they did that. The quality of opponents, the strength of schedule, whatever you want to talk about, they did it. They're the NFC North champions. They will be playing in the playoffs, and the Green Bay Packers are trying to make that journey with them. This is

the biggest game of the Green Bay Packers season. And as much as people want to talk about fun playoffs scenarios and you know, the running the table two point oh and all that, all that can end if you don't take care of business, if you don't take this team seriously. I go back to Week one, Mike. I think about that game against Minnesota, the fact that they did have a multiple score win, what Justin Jefferson did defensively, what they accomplished, the areas of the game, in which

Minnesota executed in green Bay did not. So many people want to talk about the rookie not being able to catch that seventy yard touchdown right off the bat. Wasn't about that. I think so many people use it as sort of a sin eating sort of thing of Okay, well that that's where else. No, the Packers didn't execute in so many different other areas of that game too. You have to get the job done. It sounds like it's going to be a beautiful day, beautiful night at

lambeau Field. So I don't know if we're gonna have your traditional January football game. But all that being said, the Packers are at home and they got to take care of business. Yeah, they absolutely do. And the games just keep getting bigger for this Green Bay team, right we after week, and now you're playing the team your division rival, the team that has already clinched the division. Vikings are fighting for playoff seeding. There you know, right

in the mix. You know they're they're they're essentially the front runner for the two seed right now. They would rather not, uh let that go clearly. Um, But back to your original point about having to give this team respect, You absolutely have to twelve and three. You don't you don't win twelve games in the NFL, twelve out of

fifteen because of some kind of fluke. Yes, an insider inbox reader sent in a statistic and they weren't disparaging the Vikings that they were just stating effect, Minnesota has had the lead at the end of the third quarter only six times this season, if they're games. This was the sort of his comment or hers. I apologize because

I can't remember the name of the individual. If the Minnesota Vikings games were forty five minutes long instead of sixty, they'd be six and nine right now, you know, But the games are sixty minutes long, these guys, and this is it's not exactly the same thing, but to me, there's a similarity too. The Packers and Matt Lafleur's first season in twenty nineteen. Because the Packers won a bunch of close games that year, there were a lot of

people that didn't necessarily respect Green Bay. It was like, oh, well, you had Carolina at home and you only beat them by eight points, or you had you know whoever, and you know you had to pull it out in the last you know, three minutes or five minutes or something like that. Well, you know, guess what, the Green Bay Packers were one of the last two teams standing in the NFC that year, for all the disrespect that was thrown at them in nineteen, just because they were winning

close games. And yes, a lot of games in the NFL can go either way, but we saw it with the Packers in nineteen, and I think it's the same thing that's happening with the Vikings in two. When you start to win those close games, you learn how to win, You learn what it takes that crunch time. A team develops a belief that somehow, some way, when the game is close at the end, they're going to find a way.

And just like the Packers in twenty nineteen, not every single time, but the Minnesota Vikings in two are finding a way more often than not. And you have to give him a ton of credit for that because they've earned exactly where they are. Yeah, and the fact that that Kevin O'Connell is a first year head coach has been able to keep his team's head in it as well as he has into those second halfs, into those fourth quarters. Yeah, I look at that game against Indianapolis.

And I won't say who the representative was of the Green Bay Packers that said this to me, but it was thirty three to nothing and half to him like, wow, I mean Minnesota has just fallen apart. I mean this is a terror. This is gonna be a terrible loss. And someone was like, no, I mean it's not over yet. There's still thirty minutes left. We've seen enough of this with them this year. And then sure enough, low and behold, look what happened. I Uh, I look at this in

a lot of different dimensions, Mike. The first one being is that the Vikings in a lot of ways, Uh, they're just so good at knowing what they are and what they need to accomplish to win. And I think that's a combination of a lot of returning veterans on both sides of the ball, and also I think an offensive minded head coach that has sort of instilled a new kind of swagger with with those veterans. I mean, Minnesota, when you look at their box score this season, Michael,

it is what it is. Kirk Cousins is the quarterback. He's gonna have a couple of turnovers, but I still think he does a tremendous job of taking care of the football. I think he's I mean, I think there's almost no question he's having the best season of his career, right, I mean, And it's not just the wins and losses. It's like when you watch him, like Kirk Kirk Cousins absolutely fully passes the eye test this year as a

winning quarterback, and the numbers back it up. And obviously the wins and losses are there to prove it, yea. And I think you look what happened when Washington let him walk and what happened in Minnesota. Minnesota has won a lot of games during the Kirk Cousins era, for as much pressure as he's been under. Dustin Jefferson is the pre eminent young receiver in this league receiving yards. Dalvin Cook has kind of shifted Mike in my mind.

He went from this guy that when his first couple of seasons he always struck me as like this big home run threat and a guy that you know is explosive and everything. And you can see over the years he's just turned himself into a smarter running back, a more complete running back, and that he's been the face of it for them this year. They go as he

goes um, the offensive line will see what happens. Defensively, they've been going through some struggles as of late, but at the end of the day, with what Cousins and Jefferson and Cook have done offensively, along with throwing in t. J. Hackinson into the equation, Minnesota has a plenty of ways in which they can beat you, and honestly, in these twelve victories this season, they've used basically all of them

in order to do it. Yeah, the Vikings, I mean right away, starting in Week one against the Packers, they showed Kevin O'Connell with this offense and Cousins, they showed they're going to be very creative with how they're going to use Justin Jefferson. They were gonna devise ways for him to get open, for him to eat coverages to uh, they were always going to have a counter for what you're doing coverage wise in order to get Justin Jefferson open.

And as you said, he's got over sure receiving yards. With two games to go, he's had a hundred and twenty three catches. You know, just if he sticks sort of with his his average numbers, so to speak. He's gonna have, you know, a hundred and forty catches in two thousand yards. When when this thing is all said and done, Dalvin Cook, He's he's over even yards rushing. He strikes me. You you said complete running back, and and I agree. He can. He can catch the ball

out of the backfield. But he can he can also be either the pounder or the game breaker, right, I mean he can. He can grind out the yards between the tackles. But then part of their big comeback in Buffalo, he rips off an eight yard touchdown run right to get them right back into into that game. And when he's in the open field, he's not He's not easy to bring down. They pick up t J. Hockenson from the Lions at the trading deadline. Mid Sea is in.

His production is continuing to grow to the point that he had two touchdown catches last week UM against the New York Giants. Kirk Cousins is the one who's uh, who's calling all of it. Packers had a rough time with Justin Jefferson in Week one. He had the hundred and eighty some yards whatever it was. The uh, the coverage is broke down quite frankly, I thought the Packers secondary looked lost in terms of what they were trying

to do. There's a combination here where I think I think the Packers will come up with some different plans, but regardless of whatever plan they devise for Justin Jefferson, the players have to execute it. And there there was a complete lack of execution in Week one at Minnesota. So this is this is this is a two way

street here. This is this is about coming up with some coming up with some variety, coming up some with some better plans, but also the players executing it to not let Justin Jefferson completely take over this football game. And I think some humility to write. I think the Packers defensively went into the season really hard, charging and

just thinking we're gonna roll the ball out there and dominate. Uh. They were humbled the middle of this season through injuries, through inconsistency, through miscommunications, and honestly, I feel like where they're at and how they've kind of peaked here at the end of the season and especially in that second ay, I just feel like there's a lot more awareness. I don't know what Joe Berry is going to devise for going up against Jefferson. But I will say I will

say this seasons on the line here. If it's me, I want to see as much Jaire Alexander over Jefferson as possible. I just again, I understand you're gonna mix coverages. You can't just be trailing guys when you're doing zone concepts. But I want their best to beat our best if that's what it's going to come down to. And I just felt like when we got out of that game in Minnesota, They're just you just didn't feel like you saw the best effort against what certainly was a fantastic

performance from the Vikings offense. So I'm very curious to see how they handle that. And then conversely, I know this will be your next transition point here, but how the Packers perform in the other phases of this thing, how they attack this defense at Donnitell's defense that's been struggling as of late special teams. I mean ken A Wongu, I mean he is. It's right there with Keishaw Nixon as far as the most dynamic kickoff returners in the league.

As much as we're gonna talk about Cousins in the headlines are gonna be about Cousins and the Packers defense and Jefferson. A three phase football game, and the Packers are gonna have to win each one of them in order to come out there with the w. Yeah. Absolutely. I mean on the on the injury side of things, we're still waiting to see, you know, with regard to Keishan Nixon, he did not practice on Wednesday. Christian Watson

with the hip injury, did not practice Wednesday. Aaron Rodgers miss practice with a knee injury from uh from a sack in the Miami game, but he said, you know, he expects to be practicing Thursday. Good to go for the week. It's not gonna going to affect his availability. We did see David bak Try returned to practice at left tackle on a limited basis for the first time since his appendectomy. And josh Naiman, who left the Dolphins

game with a shoulder injury. Sounds like that was just a shoulder stinger, not so much a you know, like some sort of structural shoulder injury. He was back at practice on Wednesday, so um so a good sign there. We'll see exactly what the Packers lineup is going to be from a health perspective, but um, this this Vikings defense, it it, it just it just strikes me as so curious. Was because you look at things. You've got Zadarius Smith and Danil Hunter both in double digits and sacks. You

still have Harrison Smith patrolling in the back end. You've got Patrick Peterson on one of the corners. You've got Eric Kendricks in the middle of all this thing. Those are some awfully big names on the defensive side of the ball, yet six of Minnesota's last seven opponents have put up four hundred plus yards on these guys. Their defense, their defense is struggling. They haven't been able to put it together yet. They haven't figured it out, I think

for the Packers. And we'll get into more specifics as far as some keys to victory here in a minute, but it just feels like, especially with the Packers coming off of the Miami game where they were just two for five in the red zone, only two for four in goal to go situations. Now you're facing a defense that has given up yards and let people drive up and down the field on them for the last two months.

This game might come down to can the Packers finished drives, you get inside the twenty, you get in goal to go. For the season, the Packers have only been about fifty red zone goal to go. Both of those not where the Packers have been under Matt Lafleur and and historically really not where the Packers have been. If if Green Bay can finish drives in this game and not play to that fifty percent in close profile, um, I think the Packers can put up enough points to win this

I think that's the biggest difference from Week one. I just think the way that this offense has matured and and the getting stuffed at the goal line in Week one was sort of the start of you know, all the start of what is now fifteen games in and you're sitting at and goal to go and red zone. It all started against the Vikings back in Week one. Yeah, and now certainly you look at last week and there

was points left out there. They had to rely on, you know, Mason's Crosby's foot, probably a little bit more

than they wanted to to win that game. But all that being said, I just feel like the identity of this team is so much more cemented than it was in Week one, and Week one when you look at that pass to Watson, I just felt like that was an offense trying to find something to to sort of build on earlier in the season, and the Green Bay really struggled with that through injuries, through some of the inconsistency, and obviously the if you look at the structurally, there's

a lot of changes right now with this unit then there was sixteen weeks ago. The other aspect of this too that's gonna be very fascinating to watch is to see, Okay, first and for most Christian Watson, how's he doing with the hip? Can he be out there? If he is out there, how much is he gonna be available? Those are things Green Bay is gonna have to figure out. But you know, Romeo Dobbs getting back involved in this thing.

I thought Romeo, the way he's bounced back from that ankle injury, he looks strong, he looks confident, he looks like a guy that has really began to find his niche in this offense and kind of what his jigsaw pieces to this whole puzzle right there. He hasn't had these numbers, He hasn't had a you know, a hundred fifty yard games since he came back, but it's just his accountability. Both of these last two games, he's he's made some of the biggest plays that Green Bay has

needed to win. UM that impresses me. Alan Lazar doing all the little things once again, so much of the wide receiver one is hung on. Okay, what are the stats. Well, you look at last week he had a forty yard catch down the sideline and he also had a block that level three people. That's this Packers offense, Mike. When you think back to two thousand, nineteen and twenty, that's how they built this reputation up. Yes, Davante Adams is an exceptional Hall of Fame caliber player, but he wasn't

the only skill position player out there. It was the contributions they were getting from the other spots too. That is what is different right now. I feel than in week one, when it was like, Okay, well we got Aaron Jones and a J. Dillon, who's going to be the next guy to step up? I just feel like the identity is much more established than this one. Yeah,

I think I think that. I think the place that they're they're struggling to find their identity is what are they going to hang their hat on when they getting close? What is that? What? What are the go to calls when it's first lewis that's all you gotta do? What? What are the go to calls when it's first intent from the seventeen yard line? What are the go to calls when it's first and goal from the six yard line?

Those kinds of things to be able to finish drives because because I mean we talked about how you know, the Packers took a knee on the one yard line against the Rams to close that game out, or they would have you know, you punched that in for a touched on your over thirty points. They scored twenty six in Miami, certainly had plenty of opportunities to get above

thirty points. This team, this team is right there. This team is right there where you you almost feel like, okay, you know, unless they're playing you know, one of the top defenses in the league, so to speak, this is a team that should be able to put up thirty points. You know, if you've got Christian Watson in the game, if you've got your guys healthy, and we have to see how that plays out. But it feels like and I get the sense from you know, the way Aaron

Rodgers talks at his locker. He senses the offense is playing better, but it's still not quite there. But the point totals, the point totals are almost there. And and and this is the game where hey, if, if, if you can, you can hit that thirty point mark, score thirty three, thirty five or thirty six, something like that, you're gonna put yourself in a great position to uh

to potentially make the playoffs. You know, the most bizarre thing about the red zone issues this year is that in the past, when Green Bay was really good at it, they still didn't necessarily run the ball overly well, especially on the goal line. This year, I actually think they seemly really found more in that area with a J. Dillon feels a lot more confidence, you know, if they're inside the five yard line. But now it's been kind of the passing game where you're trying to catch up again.

It's a there's only so many wooden pegs you have. Trying to figure out which holes to put them in is always the challenge. Um And this is gonna be an interesting matchup against Minnesota because as much as I think explosive plays could play a role in this based on what Minnesota's put on film the last month. A lot of times it does come down to, okay, first and fifteen, first and ten from the fifteen, what are

you gonna come up with here to punch that thing in? Yeah, well, we've seen as far as the in the keys to Victory category, I mentioned the offense needing to finish drives. On the defensive side of the ball, this is a Packers defense that over the last during this three game winning streak, generated eight takeaways in the three game winning streak. But we've also seen the defense give up the explosive plays. Um even in you know, the games in Chicago, the

game in Chicago, the game in Miami. The Packers still managed to win those games. So on the defensive side, what do you see as the biggest key to winning this football game. You have to do something to disrupt Kirk cousins rhythm. You know, Kirk Cousins man. Again, as I talked about earlier, I think there's a lot of Packers fans out there that don't really give him the credit he deserves because they've played him nine times in the regular season. They've only beat him three of those.

I mean between Washington and Minnesota, he only has thrown five picks in nine regular season games, hundred and eleven passer rating career against Green Bay. And this guy's had a lot of success. And I'm telling you what I know. The personnel changes defensively, but all of that is in the back of his mind as he steps onto the field on Sunday that I've been here, I've done that, and I have something to prove with trying to take this Minnesota team into the playoffs and actually, you know,

get some wins and make a run. So I think I don't care if it's the pass rush. I don't care if it's the secondary, I don't care if it's trying anything possible to get him out of his rhythm that to be accomplished, because we've seen him, Mike. We've seen the Packers shutdown Delvin Cook. But then it's Kirk Cousins going off for three and fifty passing yards. Whatever you have to do, whatever you need to dig up. This starts with making sure that you contain Kirk Cousins.

Because here's a little secret for you, Mike. Passing yards this year receiving yards for Justin Jefferson. He doesn't get that production if it's not Kirk Cousins delivering him the football. Yeah, and those those two have, those two have certainly developed a chemistry that we've we've seen certain receivers in the Green and Gold developed with their quarterback. As well, a

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good show, Buddy, I really appreciate it. This is where you're just going to do Path to the Playoffs, right, You don't need me anymore, No I need I need because I was gonna say, I mean this is ultimately where. Okay, so Mike talks about the playoff implications and I just regurgitate everything I read from Path to the Playoffs. Well, you actually path the Playoffs. For those who aren't aware

it has returned. Path the playoffs was posted Wednesday afternoon on Packers dot com, so you can certainly read there, but we will also we will also discuss it here. The most important games as they relate to the Green Bay Packers. Indianapolis is at the New York Giants. Cleveland is at Washington because the player the Packers playoffs scenario is this, two victories over Minnesota Detroit to get to nine and eight. If that happens, then one of two

things needs to happen. Either Washington needs to lose a game or the Giants need to lose two games. Okay, that's where things sit right now for the Packers in

terms of making the playoffs. And what's and and what's really interesting about this from a timing perspective is the Giants and the Commanders both will be playing on Sunday in the early window the noon Central time kickoff, so Packers fans and the Packers themselves are going to know the results of those games before they take the field against the Vikings. And what's really interesting because of the situation with Washington is if Washington wins, then the Packers

are officially eliminated. If they lose to the Vikings. If Washington loses, then the Packers actually take the field for the first time throughout this late season push controlling their own destiny. If Washington loses, the Packers take the field against Minnesota knowing if they can beat the Vikings and beat the Lions, they are in the playoffs. They suddenly

have that control. So the Washington game and that result against Cleveland in the early window on Sunday is really the key one to pay attention absolutely, And it was funny listen to a couple of guys in the locker room, you know. DeVante Wyatt was one that we talked to about this, about how much are you gonna pay attention to that noon game, and he admitted, yeah, you have to. I mean, it's just you'd be lying to say you

don't care what happens with the Washington game. The part of it is that no matter what the outcome is, the job doesn't change against Minnesota. But if Washing, if Washington, if Washington wins, as I said, if Washington wins, the Packers are eliminated with a loss. But if Washington wins and the Packers win, the Packers are still very much

alive heading into week eight team. Yeah, because I mean, as much as you want to look at your Powerball numbers, you still have to go to work the next day, right, I Mean, it's just the way these things go. But but all that being said, I'm really curious about where Washington has headed. We saw it this week, Mike, they're making the switch back to Carson Wentz. Yeah, we were talking about that on our last show. Which way were

they going to go? Well, Ron Rivere's decided it's car It's the Carson Wentz Show now to try to get the victory or victories that Washington needs to get into the playoffs. And you know, if you look at it, I don't want to dive in all the numbers, but Terry McLaurin was a much more effective receiver this year when Taylor Heinike is his quarterback. Absolutely. So you're so I get what Rivera is doing because it's like you're basically saying, Okay, hey, we're gonna we're gonna do this

here in this week. We'll see what happens, all right, cool, and then if we need it, then hopefully Wentz builds up some momentum for the next game. I think the thinking is is that with Cleveland struggling as much as they have, is particularly on the offensive side of the ball, this is going to be our our build up some momentum game if we're gonna make a run here and Carson Wentz is going to be the guy. Yeah, Ron Rivera is counting on his defense to hold Cleveland to

like ten or thirteen points, and he's not. And he's gonna ask Carson Wentz basically to like not screw this up. Just score like seventeen or nineteen points or something like that. And and and they're gonna win this game and try to build the momentum you're talking about. I think that's what Ron Rivere's thought. And let's be honest, Mike. As much as I want to sit here and say, hey, go go Cleveland, uh, this is a god awful matchup for the Browns. I mean, the way that Washington can

defend the run. Oh that that that defensive front for Washington, Cleveland is gonna Cleveland is going to have a really hard time moving the football against these guys. But if they do, then the Green Bay Packers, as you said, that they can go into that game against Minnesota knowing that, all right, we take care of business here. We come out and do what we're expected to do by the linemakers.

Let's see what happens. Yeah, and there are some other games I talked about in the path to the playoffs in terms off if you want to understand some of the rooting interests and how they might pertain to Week eighteen, should the Packers beat Minnesota and and stay alive, etcetera, etcetera. I want to get your thoughts on one other game though, on the slate this weekend that has nothing to do

with the Packers, Jacksonville and Houston. No, because it's a game that is just screaming a f C playoff preview. And I'm talking about the Monday night game Buffalo is at Cincinnati. These two teams have been in the thick of it all year. They're gonna be in the thick of it over the next uh several weeks. This is a fascinating game to have this late in the regular season, when you know that it could just be a couple of weeks down the road they could be meeting again.

How in the heck did Monday night football get this game? Yeah, no kidding. Usually this is a time of year where it's like the Monday night matchups are like, oh yeah, they really you know, they really misjudged that one when they put the schedule together. Well, Buffalo and Cincinnati in Week seventeen on Monday night football, you can't ask for anything better than that. I was gonna say, like the ESPN Disney Exacts, They're sitting there with a fork and

knife in both hands, like all excited. Here, Wait, it's Monday night football. You can't flex it. This is our game for sure. Uh. Flex flexing for Monday night football might be in the future, but not not in or at least not yet. I'll make one big statement on this. Cincinnati has been so hot this season, the second half of the season, Joe burrow Man, I mean what they've done, not having Chase and I mean just being able to

continue this thing. They lost mixing for a minute, you know, Samari p Ryan is having to be their back and they kept finding ways to get victories. It's the type of thing you didn't expect from Cincinnati five years ago, and now they've become one of the teams that nobody wants to face. Yeah. Absolutely and and uh. At the same time, the Buffalo Bills for for their various ups and downs, and you're not you know, you know they're good,

You're not quite sure how good they are. Um, they still just strike me with with with Josh Allen as a team that could that could they could put up forty points on anybody at some time. That's that's just what its how cool. We gotta get out of here. But how cool is this? Those Carolina Tampa Bay You know the implications in the South. You look at the Jets and the Seahawks. Uh, those two teams were kind of the darlings in the first half of the year.

Now basically, whoever loses that, you're done. Yeah, whoever, Yeah, whoever loses that when you're out and the and the win, the winner is still trying to you know, trying to fight their way in the back door, so to speak. So exciting little weekend, Yeah, absolutely no question about it. With that, we do have to go though, so we'll call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team and everything from Sunday's big game at lambou Field.

Will have it all for you on Packers dot com. For West I Am Mike, thank you for tuning in everybody. Happy New Year to everyone out there. We will see you next time.