Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spoffer, joined as always by the one and only Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from our studios at Lambefield to preview this Sunday's three twenty five pm Central Time kickoff at Lambefield
against the San Francisco forty nine Ers and Wes. I don't think anybody thought that the forty nine Ers would be five and five at this stage, But what I can tell you is that there is nobody in that Packers locker room who's looking at five and five as any indication of the opponent that they are facing.
I wish I could remember the forty nine Ers journalist or member of the media who had tweeted. I tweeted, it's snowed in Green Bay this morning. I don't know if you coul tell. When we were driving in, I tweeted out a video of Lambeufield and the snow that's encapsulating everything. And there's a bunch of San Francisco media of them picking up on that, and somebody from the San Francisco Media Corps retweeted it and it put as far as the text that went along with it, basically
acknowledging it's tough game coming up. But they said five and five about as desperate as a team can be at this point, backed into a corner. And I felt like that was such a good summation of this because Michael, I'll tell you what if you just look at the statistics and then you go through everything at the very end of it, say okay, what is this team's record very easily could be a seven eight, nine win team. Yeah no, and then you dive farther into it. Five
and five four losses by three points or fewer. They've been in every single game they've played this seas and they've weathered so many injuries. And we'll go into all the breakdowns of positions and phases, but the fact that they got through eight games though Christian McCaffrey, they developed Jordan Mason the way that they did that he could be a lead back, would have easily probably been a fourteen hundred yard rusher if you had to play out
the whole string of the season. Here. It just shows you the innovativeness of Kyle Shanahan, the adjustments they've had to make defensively to a slew of changes. They just are always competitive. So yeah, in a lot of ways, Mike, I look at this game as, yeah, it's it's seven and three verses five and five. But very easily this could be a playoff preview type matchup.
Yeah, it absolutely could. And yeah, I think the forty nine ers probably are are about as as desperate as it gets now with the way things are going in the NFC West, They're not going to be out of anything, no, because nobody's running away with that division. The leaders will talk about their big matchup later. The Cardinals are six
and four, sitting on top of that division. So the fact that the Niners are just one game back of the division lead, but that actually the reason the Cardinals are in first and the Niners are in second is very interesting to look at because one of those four
very close losses you mentioned was to the Cardinals. It was at home for San Francisco, big divisional matchup, and they were going in for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter that would have given them a two score lead, and they fumbled the ball inside the ten yard Yep. Kyler Murray then takes the Cardinals the other way, the
Cardinals end up getting the victory. On the other end of things, that fumble inside the ten yard line is one huge play that is defining San Francisco's season right now. They had the four close losses. The other loss was to the Kansas City Chiefs, I think by ten points or so. You know, certainly no shame in that. But looking at where the Niners are, they are as far as total yardage goes, they are the number two offense in the NFL. They are the number six defense in
the NFL. Everything about this team says this is pretty much the same team that went to the Super Bowl a year ago and nearly won the Super Bowl, except the record, accept the ability to win some of these close games. Brock Perdy dealing with a shoulder injury sounds like he's going to play, like he's not in danger of missing the game, but he is limited in practice to this point, and we'll see where things are health wise.
I think the thing that's impressed me the most about their offense, and not that this is all that different from previous years, but you look at the weapons as far as Purty spreading the ball around in the passing game, Juwan Jennings, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel. Samuel is just ten yards away from five hundred receiving yards on the season, and all three of those guys would be over five yards then once once he gets there, So that certainly
stands out. And you mentioned Christian McCaffrey is back. Jordan Mason seven hundred rushing yards in Christian McCaffrey's place. That was a heck of a job by that young man. But Packers had their trouble with McCaffrey in the playoff matchup last year. And you know, I think brock Purdy. The other thing I'll say is, hopefully the Packers kind of getting burned a little bit by Caleb Williams and his legs and the scrambling and the zone read stuff.
Hopefully that was a little bit of an alarm bell, a wake up call for what Brock Purdy might do with his legs, especially if his throwing shoulder is bothering him. He might be a little bit more inclined to get away from the pressure and not take a hit on that bad shoulder and try to take off and run.
But it's no different than any other year when you face the forty nine Ers where you can't just go into it and say, Okay, we're gonna try to take this guy away and let other guys beat us, because whom do you pick?
Yeah, juwan right, I mean that's what kind of happened last year in the playoff game. I mean this is you know they lose Brandon Ayuk. Now, well, Jennings has become a primary target for them in this offense. George Kittle was telling the media this week, when you play the Packers, you want they're up on the schedule, you want to be out there. Although he's been battling kind of a lingering hamstring injury for at least the last month.
There's so many different things to point to with this offense and in the ways that they can generate yards and production and efficiency. I talked to last month when the Packer I actually say earlier this month, when the Packers are getting ready to face the Detroit Lions. Why were the Lions successful in that game? Well, it was kind of that blueprint that the forty nine Ers have sort of set for the league, which is run the clock out, take the air out of the ball, win
the game of possessions. This is still the number one ranked average time of possession team at the National Football League. The forty nine Ers have gotten away from some of the things that they've done well in the past. They've given up too many explosive plays defensively while buying large still playing well. You talk to about the missfield goals, you know in some of these matchups, and Jake Moody having an injury that kind of sidelined him for a minute, fumbles,
those type of things. It's just the forty nine Ers just haven't They've had one or two things go wrong in most of these games that they just haven't been able to overcome, and that's why they're sitting where they are. But you know, Christian McCaffrey is two weeks back now in this offense. He's still getting his feet underneath him. This is not the game where the Packers want to help him be able to do that. I think there's a very clear line here and things that have to
happen for Green Bay to come out victorious. And a lot of it is picking your poison. In another part of it is making sure that whatever you do emphasize you shut that aspect down. That's how green Bay got off to the start they did last year in the playoff game. They weren't able to continue it for the full four quarters, but that's how they were able to
control the tempo early on. And I feel like being back at lambeau Field, a place where you know they've had success against the forty nine ers, even during the Kyle Shanahan era. You have to use all that to your advantage.
Yeah. Absolutely. On the defensive side of the ball, it sounds like Nick Bosa, the star edge rusher for the forty nine ers. To steal an old line from Mike McCarthy, it sounds like Bosa will be hard pressed to play on.
No disrespect to Bosa, I just I love that McCarthy when when McCarthy would say that you knew, all right, well pretty much count that guy out for Sunday.
Yeah, he's he's dealing with kind of a hip oblique type injury. It sounded like he was trying to play through it last week, then he aggravated it, came out of the game, and then frankly his absence on the final drive for the Seahawks where Gino Smith took Seattle right down the field and Gino Smith then scrambled to the pylon and scored the winning touchdown to beat San
Francisco with just twelve seconds left. Bosa's absence was was crucial in in that loss, and he's he is their their leading pass rusher with with seven sacks on the season. The biggest thing that sticks out to me defensively about this group of San Francisco forty nine ers is they have nine different players with an interception. Yea, they have eleven interceptions, which is a lot, but only two guys
with two interceptions. There are nine different guys who have picked off a pass on this defense, and that's certainly something to keep an eye on come Sunday.
Yeah. Indeed, Leonore, who I think just got an extension if I remember correctly, with the forty nine ers, has been just a revelation for them. And that was one thing that even you know, whether it goes kind of even goes back to the Harbaugh days. Yeah, they played really good defensively. You knew all their names for their their defensive line and then their linebackers, but then they sometimes wouldn't have the star cornerbacks or anything like that.
They just they won a lot with that front seven. Well, well, Leonore is a guy that has added a lot. He's been a real fine for them, a former fifth round pick I think in twenty twenty one, and then you go to Fred Warner. Certainly Dre Greenlaw losing him in the Super Bowl I think has affected them. That has been a a huge challenge for them. Obviously, they tried to sign they did sign DeAndre Campbell Debandre Campbell to
be able to try to offset that absence. I think they're going to get Greenlaw back at some point this season, it sounds like, but by and large, I mean, you still have to be so cognizant of what this defense can do and how they can hurt you, and when you have Warner there like that's I say this. Every time the Packers have played the forty nine Ers, it's been This will be the seventh time, I believe in the last five years. It doesn't matter what the year is.
You could take me back twelve years. They always they don't just have good linebackers. They have the best linebackers in the National Football League. The job that they've done developing them and the way that now Nick Sorenson is using them, they are a real problem to deal with and there's a reason why every single time the Packers played them, Aaron Rodgers would pay his respect to Warner and what he brings in the type of sideline sideline player he is, but also the way he can attack
the runage. He's a complete five tool linebackers. So yeah, and then with the litany of guys that can intercept the football. I mean it just there's so much in this game on running the ball well, protecting the football, and making sure that you don't give the forty nine ers any extra opportunities.
Well, let's dive right into the keys to victory then for this one, I'll start. There are a few on my list here, but I'm going to start with this one. I think the Packers have to get a takeaway in this game, nineteen takeaways. The Packers have been stuck on nineteen for a little while here because not just because of the bye week, but because their last two games against the Lions and the Bears, the defense did not
take the football away. So that's been that's been a change in terms of in terms of what we saw earlier. And the other reason I bring it up for this game in particular is because I think if the Packers get one takeaway off of Purdy last January, they win that game going away. Darnell Savage had an interception maybe a pick six that hit him right in the chest. Keishawn Nixon had an interception that he certainly regrets letting
get away from him. Either one of those plays. If the Packers get the interception off of Purdy, I think Brock Purdy is the goat of San Francisco's season because the Packers are going to go in there as the seventh seed and knock off the one and it's going to be because of one of those interceptions and the Packers just didn't hang on to the football. You've got to be able to make that play in this game when Perdy gives you that chance.
Yeah. I mean that's also the difference in the type of safety play too. I mean, Savage wasn't able to make those type of plays here. But you look at a guy like Zabra McKinney now at six, I mean that if he's in that position, what potentially could happen. Evan Williams the way that he played, he's back, it looks like the hamstring injuries behind him. That's now become a strength as far as positions for green Bay. So
I agree with you one hundred percent. There's two things that stand out to me about this, and you already read one of them in my inbox column. The one area whereas offensively San Francisco has struggled this year is in goal to go. It's in the red zone area, and they're pretty much the same kind of boat that Green Bay is. Where they move the ball well, but when they get inside the twenty, it's been kind of
a grind trying to turn those into touchdowns. I feel like whoever is able to win that aspect of this game wins this football game. The other thing, too, I don't expect snow out here on Sunday like we had this morning at Lambeufield on Thursday.
I don't think that's in the forecast.
But it's still going to be right around forty. What does that mean, Well, kickoffs and there's going to be more opportunities Keishawn Nixon, you know, this is where he typically has been able to heat up late in the season. San Francisco's thirtieth in the league right now. On kickoff return def coverage, I mean there's a potential there for
Nixon to break one. And when you look at game changing special teams plays, we saw it last week, and maybe there's another one in there for Green Bay this one.
And Nixon had a big return last January in that playoff game. He ended up fumbling the ball at Eric Wilson makes the great recovery, but Nixon almost almost broke that one. And that long kickoff return in the playoff game did set up a touchdown for the Packers. So you're definitely, you're definitely onto something there. The other two things that stand out to me in this one, and I already already suggested one already, and that's too that's to not let Rock Purty beat you with his legs.
The Packers defense really was, as I said in our last show, felt like the defense was on its heels all game because of what Caleb Williams for the Bears was doing with his legs. You can't kind of be put in that position again. And I do think. I mean, Purdy is certainly, you know, a capable scrambler regardless, but the fact that his throwing shoulder is not one hundred percent not to say that he's that he's going to
hesitate to make any throws. But it's more to me, it feels like if he's going to be hesitant to take any hits, you know, because you know, one hit in the wrong spot, the you know, right slash wrong spot could you know, could really change things for perty. So he might be even more inclined to take off get out of the pocket. And the Packers have really
got to contin and him in the pocket. And then the other thing is and I know I said, we've been talking about the whole pick your poison thing, but man, if there is one through line in these games in the Matt Lafleur era against the San Francisco Forti and Ires, it's been George Kittle. He does damage against the Packers
every single time. The only game that Kittle has played in his career against the Packers in which he was not a factor, not a significant factor in my opinion, was the twenty nineteen NFC Championship game where Raheem Moster had the huge game and Jimmy Garoppolo only threw eight passes, so there wasn't anything in the passing game for Kittle to do. All his other games, he missed the game
in twenty twenty. He was on ir All of Kittle's other games against the Packers, there is significant production usually comes with a touchdown. I think you've got to find a way to limit him better than the Packers have done in the past. And is that a cure all, No, because you got McCaffrey, you got Deebo Samuy, you got Juwan Jennings, and there plenty of other weapons to deal with. But I would like to see a Packers defense not let George Kittle beat him for once.
Yeah, for sure. And if I may to bring it back to pretty to a little bit as well. The one thing, you know, this year it's been a little bit more up and down for him. I mean the stats don't jump off the page obviously, as you mentioned, he's also dealing with the shoulder now. But why he's been such a good fifty You know, people get so
tied up in the fact he was mister irrelevant. I think sometimes you forget about why he fits so well into Shanahan's offense and a lot of what he does is similar to what Jared Goff is doing in Detroit now. It's efficiency, it is protecting the football, it's making the plays that are there, maybe not having all the incredible highlight reel Sports center type plays, but being able to matriculate the ball down the field. And that's where he's
really excelled. And to bring it back to Kittle, the ability for him to come in from day one and be able to maintain and build that chemistry with his tight end. I mean, yeah, Ayuk has been in and out. He had the holdout this past year. Deebo Samuel is using a variety of different ways. But when you think of this San Francisco offense, even before Christian McCaffrey got here,
George Kittle was the constant. He's the fifth round pick that became a superstar, and seeing him really be able to grow with Purdy has been something I think one has helped kind of make his own case for a Hall of Fame career, but two is what enabled Perdy to be able to come in as a rookie and second year player and ultimately make an impact. We've seen it time and time again. The best friend of a young quarterback in the National Football League is a tight end.
It's happening in Green Bay here right now with Tucker Craft and Jordan Love. When you have that type of guy you can turn to. That's where you go when you need a first down, that's where you go when you need to make a play. And Kittle's always been that guy.
Yeah, last year, last year, in that playoff game in January, it was it was Kittle, Kittle and McCaffrey that did a lot of damage when Deebo Samuel left the game with an injury. We'll see, we'll see how close to full speed, full strength Kittle is with the hamstring injury, and playing in forty degree weather isn't always the greatest thing for hamstring injuries either, So you know, we'll just have to see how that plays out.
Kittle's a tough son of a gun, but I is. But I do want to mention this is something he has been dealing with. He's miss games already with this hamstring injury. He took a week off. We'll see if it helps him, if it's gonna be something that is going to allow him to play more. But Michael, you and I have been covering this league for a long time. I covered track and field before this. Those things just don't go away. Yeah, it's not an injury where it's
like six weeks for a bone to heal. It doesn't work like that. Sometimes you tear it in different spots. I mean is it is probably one of the biggest storylines to follow going into Sunday and throughout Sunday.
Yeah, without a doubt, a little bit of sponsor business here West Sirius XM NFL Radio delivers 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 Chief Kurds, mac and cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. Cousin Subs. Fifty plus years of better All right, Week
twelve in the NFL. First, we'll take a look at the NFC North and an interesting matchup. The Bears playing their third consecutive home game. This one will be against the Minnesota Vikings, and as frustrating as that loss was for the Bears last week to lose to the Packers on the blocked field goal, you get the sense that the Bears are back in that spot where they feel like they got something to build on with their offense and with Caleb Williams. This Minnesota Vikings defense is going
to be a huge challenge in that regard. This will be an interesting matchup the first.
Time that Caleb Williams is seeing this Brian Flores defense as well. Yep. So there's parts of it that I wonder about, you know, certainly the diagnosing of that front, where your pressure points are, how things are going to be thrown at you, finding your pursuit angles and finding your escape you know, zone from the pocket. All those things are going to be so critical for Williams. But I will say this, the guy could not have finished the game any better. I mean, he was making throws
he absolutely had to make. He was putting it where only as receivers could catch it, and he was allowing guys to make plays. And you wonder when you start getting some of those more explosive type games. We were talking about him and how much you know, going into that game, everything was so close to the line of scrimmage against New England, you wonder if that's going to
potentially open some things up for them. I think what I probably am more curious to see is this Vikings offense, which has been I don't want to say stagnating, but they've started to hit some skids a little bit. How that is going to match up with a Chicago defense which has been really tough, I mean tougher than a two dollars stake this season and figuring out that chess match.
I think as much as it is about Williams and the first overall pick and are they going to be able to get this offense going, I think it's actually that phase and that matchup that's probably going to determine whether or not one Chicago can pick up a much needed victory, and two where exactly Minnesota is at in Sam Darnold.
Yeah, absolutely, Packers fans becoming Bears fans this weekend in the early window there, seeing if the Bears can knock off the Vikings. The other one in the NFC North, the game that I didn't think existed Detroit at Indianapolis because I I misjudged that whole thing missing, that that AFC South matchup that remained there for the Lions. But they go to Indianapolis and you know, you say, Okay, yeah, they're on the road, but they're going on the road
in another dome. They can practically just take drive a bus to Indianapolis. They don't even have to get on a plane. I mean, you know, I know the Colts are fighting, you know, for a potential playoff spot in the in the AFC. But you know, none of these AFC South teams have have really done anything against the Detroit Lions.
So Houston made it close.
Yeah, yeah, in the first half, that's true. Houston had the big lead on him and they got it, you know, and then let it get away. But yeah, hard to see the Lions losing this one.
But to quickly recap for those of you who have not been watching the NFL this season, the Lions beat the Tennessee Titans fifty two to fourteen, came back to beat Houston Texas twenty six to twenty three, and last weekend handed the Jacksonville Jaguars the worst loss in their team's history fifty two to six. This does wrap up the AFC South. Want to make sure we mentioned that as well. I will say this is where all eyes are going to be on Anthony Richardson. Ye kid, he
makes sense of the chaos. And I feel like, what did I say when they made the switch to Flacco. I said, I don't like this Richardson was hurt. You want to make sure he gets healthy when he's back, when he's ready. He's the quarterback again. One, you spent a really high draft pick on him. Yeah, in two. He can win in unconventional ways. And honestly, this is why I'm not counting the Colts out from this. Now their defense is going to have to have an answer
for everything that Detroit is throwing at teams. But offensively, I think there is an opportunity for this. I mean, listen to some of the comments this Peak this week. I think it was Alex Pearce who said, we believe in this guy. He is the future of this team. And you know, just seeing how it all plays out is going to be very curious to watch. But I'm just gonna say, next Tuesday, you and I are sitting here and all right, the Indianapolis Colts pull because there's
a thing. Colts are still in this thing.
Oh yeah, no, the Colt, The Colts, The Colts right, plenty, The Colts have plenty to play for. They are fighting, They are fighting like crazy in UH in that AFC South to UH to stay in the playoff picture and uh and yeah, this for a team like that with a young quarterback, uh, playing at home in front of your home crowd. I mean this can this can be one of those games that that can turn your season and define your season. I mean there is, uh, there is.
It's it's a certainly an opportunity for the Indianapolis Colts to uh to get people to take notice.
One hundred percent. And they have the weapons to do it. Like that's the weirdest thing. They have veteran offensive linemen, they have really good receivers, Jonathan Taylor as their running back. Yeah, but it just it's been too inconsistent.
Well elsewhere, we hinted at this one before as well. A really big game in the NFC West, Arizona is at Seattle. The Cardinals on top of the division at six and four. Seattle right behind now at five and five after beating the forty nine ers in the final seconds last week. Am I correct that all three of the teams in the NFC West behind the Cardinals are five and five? Is that that's correct? So the Niners, the Seahawks, and the Rams all at five and five.
The Cardinals are atop that division by one game at six and four. This is a really interesting one. We won't be able to really see any of it because it'll be going on at exactly the same time as Packers and forty nine Ers. But this is a significant one in that division race.
I don't want to get into the path to the playoffs thing. We got a long way to go yet. But I was sitting here thinking about this because Philadelphia also plays the Rams this week. I think that's yeah, that' Sunday night football.
Yeah.
I think we're getting to the point now where it's like Arizona keep winning, Philly keep winning. Yeah. And you know when you you said the five and five thing about the NFC West, those are teams eight, nine, and ten right now in the standings for the conference. Yeah, uh, it's Packers are sitting there at seven and three, and I think who's seven, And there's a team that's seven and four Washington, Washington. So yeah, I mean, this is uh,
this is huge. And trying to make you know, trying to make sense that the Seahawks has been a real conundrum. You know, they had some injuries earlier this season.
They really start, they start out three and zero and then they lose three straight and fall the three and three. I believe and uh and going through these ups and downs and then they pull out a massive road win at San Francisco in the final seconds last week. It you know, the it's been the I think the most interesting thing to me about the NFC West is not just that all four of those teams are within one game of one another, but none of those teams playing
all that well at home. Like you know, you always think Seattle, oh, that's such a really that's a tough place to play. San Francisco tough place to play. Both of those teams are losing home games regularly this season. So that's what's been so hard to get a gauge on where exactly these teams are going.
And Seattle feel free keep losing games at home that I will be Karen and.
Bide fed by me, fined by me. As well. One other one just before we go, I want to get your thoughts on. In the AFC, Baltimore is at the Chargers carbol two. Yeah, Baltimore coming off of that tough loss against Pittsburgh Division rival the AFC North Battle there went to the Steelers, so they're looking to bounce back
from that. The Chargers blow the three touchdown lead against the Bengals on Sunday Night Football last week, but then pull it out at the end, and Jim Harbaugh Justin Herbert looks like a combination that could be pretty dangerous here in the NFL for a while.
Justin Herbert might throw for forderd yards in this game. It's just what the issues Baltimore has had with their secondary, very very two sided defense right now, really good against the run, not good against the can't stop the pain. And Herbert, I'll say this, man, it's not I'm not This is not a big epiphany to say, Oh, Jim
Harbaugh was a good hire. I mean he was the most people have been sought you know, he's been the most sought after coach in the free agent market in years, right, everybody for years they were talking about when he's going to come back to the National Football League. But he
has been perfect for Justin Herbert. Because Herbert, we've seen the flashes for the last four and a half years, and here he is now with one of the best quarterback minds that the league has seen in college football has seen, and he's being able to work with them and they've made the improvements they've needed to make offensively. You know, Lad McConkie now becoming a factor in this offense. Their their offensive line is much improved. We'll see how
they handle the Lamar Jackson experience defensively. But I just I look at the I look at the Chargers right now a lot like I like look at the Packers. I just I think this team can play with anybody. Now. The question is, and this is a real good litmus test for this can you beat that elite of the AFC? And this will be one of those first tests. Yeah.
Absolutely, I think that's gonna be. Uh, it's gonna be a really interesting game to follow. So with that, we will call it a rap. After I talk about that's my guy. The NFL Draft, Because mark your calendars, folks, the twenty twenty five NFL Draft is coming to Green Bay. Be among the thousands of football fans cheering on their team's picks by joining us April twenty four through April twenty six of twenty twenty five. Visit green Bay dot
com slash Draft twenty five for more information. And now we will call it a rap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team and of Sunday's game late afternoon kickoff from Lambellfield against the forty nine ers. We will have it all for you on Packers dot com for West Side Mike. Thank you for tuning in everybody. We'll see you next time.