Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. I and Mike Spofford, joined as always by my partner in crime, Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming to you hear from our studios at lambeau Field, and Wes, we are here to talk about a victory. Twenty to three. The Packers defeat the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeoufield on Sunday. It breaks the four game losing streak, It gets the Packers record to three and five, and a lot of
positives to talk about from this one. Certainly, not a clean game, not a pretty game. Plenty for the Packers to work on. But when it comes to the things that went well, I'll let you take it where you want to. If you want to start on offense, defense or special teams, you pick it. Let's go.
Let's start with Pahad. All right, let's start with this thing, because I was breaking down the game as only I can with my father afterwards, the original Packers on Scripted and one of the big lessons I took away from this, I'm glad you brought up the fact it wasn't a complete game. It wasn't a clean game. There's still things to clean up with it, but the Green Bay Packers finally get to do that now after a win. It feels different when you do that after a win. When
you make mistakes, you overcome them, but you find ways forward. Yes, I know the Los Angeles Rams didn't have Matthew Stafford. I know they were missing their starting running back. I know there was a lot of things working against the Rams. The Green Bay Packers have had plenty working against them
too this season, including in this matchup. I mean, how often is it, Mike, that the Green Bay Packers are going to practice on Thursday and Friday and they lose a starter after each of those basically where you end up not having those guys available in Rudy Ford and Kuway Walker. So what happens, what has to happen. Guys
have to step up. Isaiah McDuffie, I thought played a whale of a ballgame next to Devondre Campbell Dre being back, I don't that is a surprise that the run defense is playing as well as it has since Campbell got back in the lineup. On the back end, you lose a guy like Ford who's been one of the big playmakers for this team so far this season. But in comes Anthony Johnson Junior, the rookie seventh round pick from Iowa State who's been playing the position for just over
a calendar year. He makes a critical interception late jyr Alexander gets over the back injury. He's making plays out there. Carrington Valentine has to be thrown into the perimeter starting corner position with Rasul Douglas's trade, and then if that wasn't enough, Mike the only position where it seemed like the Green Bay Packers were actually good on the defensive line. They lose their two time Pro bowler Kenny Clark at
the end of the first quarter. There's a lot to talk about, there's a lot to dissect, but defensively, the Green Bay Packers rolled with the bunches better than what the Rams offense was able to do. And Mike, they only gave up three points. And I said it to you one of the first comments I made when I came into the on Monday. I looked at NFLGSIS Green
Bay Packers defense going from twentieth to tenth. It's not the end of the season, a lot of games left, but it should remind you that in this game in the National Football League, things can change in a hurry, and the Green Bay Packers made sure to take advantage of that opportunity on Sunday.
Yeah, you really had to like what you saw from the defense. And yes, it was against a backup quarterback and Brett Rippon who was a bit overmatched. And as we had talked about last week, the Rams were trying to figure out something with their running game. With losing Kyron Williams, their leading rusher, he remained on injured reserve. They're trying to piece it together with a running game.
They were missing their starting right tackle and Rob Havenstein who was a scratch at the ninety minutes before kickoff with his injury, and the Packers defense. The Packers defense did what it needed to do. It looked like it needed to look in this type of matchup. And you can't say enough about the young guys who made some
things happen out there. You already mentioned a couple of them, with Anthony Johnson Junior stepping in at safety, with Carrington Valentine stepping in at cornerback, Carl Brooks and Kolby wooden't on the defensive line the two rookies there, Brooks deflects a couple of passes. Wooden gets a stop on fourth and two when the Rams were trying to keep a drive alive. You mentioned McDuffie stepping in for kuay Walker,
and he stepped in previously for Devondre Campbell. Now he was stepping in for kway Walker two weeks in a row. Now wes the Packers run defense, and yes, against a Vikings offense that was struggling to run the ball, against a Rams offense that was struggling to run the ball, but the Packers kept those teams struggling. And those are things that over the last couple of years. Sometimes that hasn't always been the case, where you go, okay, you should be all right here because this team doesn't do
this very well, and then suddenly the profile changes. If the Packers defense can continue to do what it's done the last couple of weeks against the run, even if maybe the rushing yards might increase against teams that run the ball better, but when you're not getting gashed against the run, it makes everything else look a heck of a lot better.
And last week ten third down conversions, this week three I'm sorry. Five third down conversions. I sounded so tough when I was saying that too, and then I'd botch it. But it shows you that, yeah, there's gonna be some third and long completions. Certainly the Packers had some stuff to clean up after that game against Minnesota, but if you get the job done on the first two downs, it will pay off on the money down. This game, in particular, I thought was really interesting Mike, because, as
you said, you had to keep them struggling. I think back to that game in Vegas, Raiders were really struggling with the run game. Yes, you think back to this past week the Raiders win, still struggling with the run game somewhat. What was the two differences in that they were able to run the ball well with Josh Jacobs that it made a difference. The twenty four yard carry Jacobs had against Green Bay made a difference. Last week what he did against the Bears made a difference, and
it tilted the game. Brett Rippen, what he wanted more than anything was for LA to establish the run and be able to build off the rest of it from there. Green Bay gave no quarter in this game. It didn't matter if it was the runs. It didn't matter if it was some of the simple screens that they were trying to run, whether it was Puka, whether it was
Cooper Cup. They were unable to get that going. They made a couple of plays throughout the course of the game, but by and large Green Bay was able to dictate how they wanted to play, and in addition to that, they got two big takeaway opportunities. The green Bay Packers converted both of those into points and ultimately came out with the victory.
Yeah, the thing that the thing that I liked, in addition to the run defense, the other thing I liked about the way the defense looked in this game is that, yes it was against a backup quarterback, but you and I watched the games from the press box, we can see the entire field, and other than the one third and long conversion that Rippin hit to Cooper Cup down the scene, it was not as though we were watching two very good receivers in Cup and Puka Nakua running
free there in the secondary and Rippin just couldn't get them the ball. You know, Rippin couldn't get them the ball because the Packers were making it difficult for those
guys to get open. And I thought with all the adjustments that were being made in the secondary because of the injuries, because of the trade of Douglas and all that, I thought that was a really positive sign moving forward for this Packer secondary because you know, whenever, you know, assuming Rudy Ford is not going to be out long term, assuming that kay Walker's not going to be out long term, but getting these young guys experience, then you know the
next time, the next time that something happens, even if it's during a game and somebody has to miss one series like John Runyan misses one series on offense, Sean Ryan steps in at right guy and the Packers go forty one yards for a touchdown, most of it on the ground and some of it running right behind Sean Ryan, who just came off the bench and stepped in for
some of his first NFL action. Those kinds of things are important signs to see with a young team moving forward, and I thought we saw a lot of them on both sides of the ball in this game.
And while Carrington doesn't need a mentor someone to look at, you know, Anthony Johnson Jr. Has talked about all these safeties he's learned from. But if there was actually a kind of a poster child for this, I actually think it is Isaiah McDuffie because this is a guy that came in as a six round pick two years ago and Mike every single time he plays on defense, he's gotten better. And I thought in this game it was
pretty simple what they had to do. You had Campbell taken over the mic again, he's relaying the defense, but you saw McDuffie being so much more active out their vocal. He made some big TFLs too. I think that five yard tackle for a loss that he had was probably as important as anything in that game for to pack defense being able to stop them right from the get go. I think in the third quarter they have had guys
step up. And when you do that consistently and you play that role and you wear that hat numerous times, you feel like a more confident football player when you have to go in. And I thought, for the Packers defense, you hope everything's cool with Kui here. He caught up a little tight on Friday morning. He wasn't able to get right with that groin injury going into this thing. But the Packers have guys they can turn to, and ultimately I think that's what helped them win this football game.
Yeah, well, on the offensive side of the ball, a much more uneven performance. You know, there were plenty of the miscues that we have seen in recent weeks that have gotten frustrating quite frankly, for the fans, for the coaches, for the players, for everybody, whether you know, for whatever reason.
It's a discussion for another day, But like this lining up off sides on fourth and one thing that suddenly the league has decided apparently that they're going to call every every inch of the neutral zone in that regard. But even setting those aside, which were crucial penalties because the Packers had converted both of those fourth and one sneaks, but there were other penalties. There were the two fumbles,
one by Dontavian Wicks, one by Aaron Jones. There were missed opportunities to put points on the board earlier in the game, to try to stretch out the lead earlier in the game, whether it's you know, Malik Heath dropped a pass, Jordan Love took a sack on you know, a play where there was good protection and in that situation, late in the first half. You can't take a sack there and you know, and and hurt yourself. Andras Carlson unfortunately missed a field goal at the end of the
first half. So there were there's there's a lot of stuff that the Packers are going to be looking at this week to continue to clean up moving forward. That being said, the offense got a touchdown in the first half for the first time since Week two. They found the end zone. The ground game with Aaron Jones back to a a full complement of snaps, not being held back on a pitch count, whatever you want to say.
Aaron Jones was a focal point of this offense, and between Jones and Dylan and then some clean up yards late from Emmanuel Wilson, the ground game churned out over one hundred and eighty rushing yards. And so how does this happen, Wes, Well, it's because it's because even with the mistakes that were made and the opportunities that were missed, the Packers weren't playing in some desperation ketchup mode two
minute hurry up offense for the entire second half. Matt Lafleur made the comment on Monday, they were in their normal offensive plan throughout the course of the game, and the vast majority of the mistakes were made in the first half beginning of the second half, and then when they started to find themselves, it wasn't just because they were in desperation hurry up mode. It's because they started to execute and they started to move the ball consistently.
And yeah, you don't want to settle for two field goals in the red zone there in the second half, but you had to take those field goals because the score was only seven to three. You stretch it to thirteen to three, you get a two score lead. Lots still for the offense to work on. But the fact that they got to play a four quarter game off of the call sheet, so to speak. I think that's something that could be really important for this for this young offense moving forward.
I wholeheartedly agree. And for the Packers' offense. I don't know the statistics, but you can make an argument that might have been one of their worst third quarters, if not their worst third quarter of the season. But why did they survive? Yeah, they got that touchdown in the second quarter that certainly helped. Yeah, but it was also the way the defense picked them up there it. Don
Caper's always called it adversity defense. Matt Lafleur threw a different one out on I can't remember what he called it of have to look it up, but.
Yeah, Capers also used to call it a sudden change sudden change defense as well, like he would use both. He would use both terms. But yes, the Packers' defense responded in a couple of tough when the game was just seven to three in the third quarter and could have flipped, could have turned the other direction. The Packers defense didn't allow that to happen, which allowed the offense to find itself.
And the coolest thing that happened. I mentioned it on Twitter, I know. Aaron Nagler tweeted out the video. Two. Dantavian Wicks has just a rookie mistake, just a regrettable gaff to start the second half. Get a fifty one yard kickoff return from Keyshawn Nixon, the longest of the season. You're starting at midfield. Yep, the Packers have the most
dominant third quarter offense in the league. Right now, you think everything's going to be going swimmingly, Wix ends up fumbling trying to extend for the first down, doesn't get touched down, so the ball ends up being rolled to fumble. He's walking to the sideline, his head is down. Aaron Jones quite literally pulls his head back up and talks to him. Yeah, the next series happens, starts raining a little bit. Maybe Aaron doesn't have the right gloves on
at that point. Be that as it may. He fumbles, they lose. The amount of guys that were coming over to him on the sideline lift them up. A team that doesn't have a solid foundation, doesn't have a culture, has a pointing fingers mentality. I don't know what happens in the fourth quarter, right, but the green Bay Packers kept their head amongst themselves defensively, I think they were feeling dominant and they executed the way they needed to execute.
And best of all, Mike, what I love the most to close on this offensive point, you were talking about how they stayed within the game plan from beginning to end. I would offer to you the touchdown passed to Luke Musgrave in the fourth quarter doesn't happen if Green Bay isn't building towards what they were doing earlier in the game. The pony package was back on that particular play to Musgrave. They have Jones going out left, they have a screen
set up to Dylan on the right. They're challenging those linebackers that to make a decision with where they're going to cover, and when the inside linebacker breaks, that's what opens up the sea for Luke Musgrave. Musgrave made two huge catches in this game. The touchdown was one of them. Downfield pass was also one of those plays that him and Love weren't connecting on earlier this season. Three catches,
fifty one yards and his first touchdown. Packers closed this game out the way they need to close it, and you hope that's something they can build on now.
Yeah, and that final touchdown drive. The other thing I mean that the double fake screen and the slip of Musgrave over the middle. That's the thing of beauty. It's actually it's one of my bonus plays in what you might have missed, which is on the site, I kind of diagram.
Gave some extra to the fans.
Yeah, I kind of diagram what to look for on the defense in terms of how that happens. Because it's really interesting because you have you have the two inside linebackers who are in the middle of the field. When Aaron Jones goes in that looping motion behind the shotgun quarterback,
those guys start to shift toward Jones. Then at the snap, with the lineman and aj Dillon leaking out the other way to set up a screen, they both over commit to the other way and then to Muskgrave's credit, and this is kind of something that Matt Lafleur had talked about in the past in terms of learning the nuances and the timing of everything, Musgrave sells his block on the edge rusher long enough to allow those linebackers to commit, and then he slips in behind him if he if
he gets over anxious, which young players do. Jaden Reed got over anxious in the slot and fall started when he was going to get the slant pass at the end of the first half. It happens right if they get If you get over anxious and you blow the timing of it, you're not going to be as open. And that's a much tougher throw for Jordan Love and it probably doesn't, you know, rupture into into a touchdown. But with everything happening, he timed it right and the
two deep safeties. They're so concerned about seeing two running backs both split and two wide receivers both split, that the two deep deep safeties kind of open things up as well, and that's what leaves leaves that lane for Luke Musgrave to score. The other thing before that, I think that was really important, though, was the thirty seven
yard catch by Christian Watson. I mean not just for Love, not just for Watson, but for this entire offense to make an explosive play like that in an important situation. It was on a third down. The score is thirteen to three at that point, so ten point game. You know, in the fourth quarter, the game is certainly not over at that point. There are all kinds of metrics out there. We've talked about it, Wes. With regard to the Packers haven't made those plays for Jordan Love, for this offense,
the contested catches haven't been there. Christian Watson made a heck of a one that looked like the Christian Watson who was making his share of contested catches as a rookie when he went on that scoring binge last November. Those are the kinds of things when you talk when you talk about building and growing and stacking and everything that you want to say about about all the young players on this offense with a first year starting quarterback.
Those are the kinds of things that just, I mean, you can't You're not gonna be able to replicate it every single week. I mean, it's a it's a deep ball downfield, it's a one on one play, Christian Watson
went up and made it. But it's the it's the kind of thing that just it It provides a foundation, you know, psychologically, there's a there's a confidence level to everybody when those plays get made every once in a while instead of every time that deep ball goes up and it's a contested play and then oh it's incomplete and everybody kind of sighs like, oh, it didn't work
that time. Right. Those are the kinds of things that we saw in this game that hopefully the Packers can build on them push things forward, because, as we're going to talk about on our next show, the competition is the competition on the schedule is getting stiffer here over the next month, and the Packers are going to have to play better than they did against the Rams if they want to stack another victory to chalk up another one. But it feels like they have so much more to build on now.
They do. And for that particular play for Jordan and Christian, I think is important because yeah, everyone looks at the speed and the vertical and all that stuff, but Christian Watson just went and made a football play, got a little banged up on it. It sounds like from what Matt Lafore said on Monday, he is okay, no concussion.
But I love the way he played that ball, in the aggressiveness he showed because I think Christian Watson knows he's six foot four, two hundred and eight pounds or whatever, but he made the defense back feel it on that play, yep. And understanding that hey, if I'm this big of a human being and I can have a vertical in that forty range or whatever he's at, I can get up there and make that play. I think that's what makes
them special. And for the Packers last sale, just close on this another reminder two of what Romeo Dobbs gives this offense. Because Dobbs' stats are not going to jump off the page at you, but he was just as integral to that win with some of the third down plays he made, some of the plays he made when Jordan Love needed to get the ball to him. And I don't think there's a better pass catcher on this team right now than Romeo Dobbs.
Yeah, he's he's been, he's certainly been been the most reliable. And yes, some of the third downplays he made in this game where we're highlight reel worthy. For sure. I'll take care of sponsor business here West before we run out of time. Serious XMNFL Radio delivers hard to hear and a hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL news that true football fanatics need twenty four to seven,
three sixty five and had cousin subs. We have something for everyone like our Wisconsin cheese curds, mac and cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite sub or submon a bowl cousin subs, fifty years of better quickly before we go, just taking a look around. We talked last Thursday heading into the weekend of how many really intriguing big matchups there were in the NFL in Week nine, and as it turned out, it was the home team's holding serve in all these big matchups.
The Baltimore Ravens really took it to the Seattle Seahawks. The Philadelphia Eagles defended their home turf against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys going from what was it, first and goal on the six yard line with twenty seven seconds to go and a chance to win, they go from that to throwing basically like a hail Mary to try to win the I mean, it was just an incredible, hard, incredibly bad sequence when they had a chance to post a big time victory and the Cincinnati Bengals hold serve at home over the Buffalo Bills in a big matchup in the AFC. Home field doesn't always, but this past week,
homefield mattered. In the NFL, it definitely did.
And as I forecasted on Thursday's episode, you can go back and look at it. I told everybody Tampa Bay and Houston, man, this is a must see television game. Wherever you are, sit your children down watch it. It's gonna be the best game of the season. And lo and behold that's how it turned out. But no, I mean, c J. Stroud, I mean that's a Rookie of the Year type performance, and.
I mean broke the NFL rookie record for passing yards in a game. I mean they Holy cow.
You know how I was talking with Rippin about how he was hoping that you get the run game going. Stroud did not have that. Texans could not run the football against Tampa's defense. It was all on the rookie and he performed like a top draft pick. An exciting football game. The former Packers running back Badger's.
Yes Starry a Goobawale. He made a field goal, made the the yeah had to step in for the injured kicker, and drilled the twenty nine yarder, which and hey, that was in the second half, Like there was there was a lot, there was a lot of the line on that kick, and a goomble Walle put it through, no doubt her.
Yeah, but just quickly, You're absolutely right about the home field advantage and everything. The Baltimore Ravens just ran over Seattle. That was incredible to watch. But I want to touch on this because I think this is important for Packer fans to realize the vikings. In one of the situations where the home team didn't come through, Josh Dobbs shows up, you know, minutes before the game.
Unbelievable plays is hard out.
I mean some of the stuff that they were saying in terms of how Kevin O'Connell was relaying the play calls and basically having to explain the play calls yeah to do and then him, you know, just doing some incredible stuff to make plays happy.
Well, and and the fact that he did that, all the plays that he made in the second half to pull that game out for the Vikings. When you look at the highlights of that game when he first came in and during the it was a disaster. They were turning the ball over. The Falcons simply couldn't get any touchdowns off of those turnovers. They kept kicking field goals
and kept the Vikings in the game. And then when Dobbs kind of settled down and you know, stopped, you know, stop putting the ball in harm's way the way he was early on, and got the Vikings offense moving, then suddenly they pull it out at the end. I mean, absolutely incredible, incredible victory by the Minnesota Vikings, and it looks like they've found their quarterback for the rest of the twenty twenty three seasons.
And seeing where it takes them this year. But just very quickly. I mean, you have two juggernauts. I would say right now in the NFC, you got failing, you got Detroit Detroit. You give him the credit for winning the games. They're already at six wins. It may only take nine to make the playoffs. And this thing be fewer. We'll see. But with the with the Vikings beating the Falcons, with the Saints a very methodical victory over Chicago, they're
now atop their division. Dallas loses again, they're at five and three. You have the forty nine ers at five or three. This is a wide open field right now. In the NFC. I know you don't talk about playoffs until you get to ten wins. I stick to Mike McCarthy's old apps. You know, it's maximum on.
That bobbly in the seventeen game season. Now you can say nine.
Nine probably works. Yeah, but be that as it may.
Seventh playoff spot. I should say, as well.
Yeah, you know, but I mean be that as it may. I think it's another reminder that Packers have played good football. They played bad football. They are what their record says they are. But my goodness, it only takes a couple of weeks to pull yourself back into this thing, especially in the age Now that seventh playoff game.
Yeah, well, well, the Packers have a big one to see if they can actually start a winning streak heading to Pittsburgh, a team that is very intriguing. We will talk lot about the Steelers on our next show. They are having one of the more interesting, head scratching yet intriguing seasons that we've seen an NFL team have in quite some time, and we will definitely get to that on our next episode, but for now, we'll call it a rap. On this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure
to follow all of our coverage of the team. Lots of content review of the previous game we'll have previewing the next game coming up. Lots of stuff for you this week on Packers dot com for Wes, I'm Mike. Thank you for tuning in, everybody. We will see you next time.