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Packers vs. Bears Week 14 Preview
0 Playsin 1 hour
In this episode, we dive headfirst into the Week 14 rivalry showdown between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. We break down the biggest keys for the Pack to get the win, go through the injury reports (aka “who’s duct-taped together this week”), and make our official Over/Under predictions for the game.
It’s Packers vs. Bears — the oldest rivalry in sports — and we’re giving you everything you need before kickoff: matchups to watch, what the Packers must do to come out on top, and a few spicy takes along the way.
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Transcript
Intro
Excitement for Bears Week and Historical Significance
00:00:21
Speaker
Aloha and welcome back to the Ohana Packers Edition podcast where Iowa Joe and I are prepping for Bears Week. Honestly, the first important Bears Week in...
00:00:31
Speaker
It's been a while, maybe the 2019 opener, like in terms of where expectations are high for both teams. I feel like that was the last one. i guess, you know, you had the back to back season openers. You had 2019 LeFleur's first game. 2018 was Mani.
00:00:50
Speaker
But then, you know, the last game where it was late in the season and there was any sort of playoff implication, It was the 2013 season, the season finale, you know, Rodgers to Cobb game and stuff. So it's interesting to see the Bears back.
Bears' Newfound Stakes and Division Importance?
00:01:07
Speaker
You know, we'll we'll go into a lot of the matchups and stuff, but Joe, how are you feeling that the Bears have something right? They have like, they have stakes in a game other than trying not to get embarrassed by the Packers again.
00:01:24
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it's pretty sad when your head coach isn't even really
00:01:31
Speaker
glowing about how certain parts of your team are playing right now. I mean, the Bears are always going to be left rough. I mean, you can just take a look at last year. Had it not been for the finger the tips of the fingers of Carl Brooks, you know, that game would have been completely different. And then, of course, it happened again in in the game that I don't remember because I was sick and can it was all a fever dream.
00:01:59
Speaker
So it just... You know, this is a heated rival. I can't remember what the overall record is, but I know they've been playing since like the ninth, since the inception of the Green Bay Packers.
00:02:12
Speaker
So of course it's always going to be a meaningful game, whether or not the records reflect that or not, but you are right where both teams are at the top of the NFC North. This is technically a battle for, uh,
00:02:28
Speaker
oh maybe the NFC number one seed, perhaps, maybe, because of the Rams losing last week. So, you know, there is a lot of money on this one. And this is also another one in the long line of the divisional games that we have coming up. and And you said it the last couple weeks that these aren't just games you can take lightly. You have to be in them and you know that because they are division rivals, they are going to play you tough no matter what.
Packers vs Bears Strategies and Implications
00:03:05
Speaker
Yeah, it's like like I said, you know, Packers fans can say whatever they want about, you know, how much of a paper tiger the Bears are you know, how legitimate their record is.
00:03:16
Speaker
As it stands, they're the number one seed in the NFC. Bill Parcells is famous for saying you are what what your record says you are. And, you know, Packers fans can say whatever they want, but if the Packers don't go and win these two games,
00:03:31
Speaker
Bears fans get to puff their chest out because basically if they win those two games, that's the division at this point. Like the Bears would have to... Like, okay, so the Packers would be two and a half behind the Bears. And I guess if they lost their other three games and the Packers won their three games, they would still win the division by half a game. This is it's going to be a really interesting final five weeks because, because of who the Packers play between the Bears and, you know, we go Bears, Bears at Broncos at Bears, Ravens at Minnesota.
00:04:08
Speaker
And on the other side of the docket, it's really funny because the Lions are going to be cheering for us. And and the we're going to be probably cheering for the Lions come week 18 because in all likelihood, whether it's to...
00:04:28
Speaker
like if I get the feeling that we will take care of business, but because that road to Denver, you know, that road game in Denver home against Baltimore, those are going to be, I don't know what Baltimore is going to be playing for come week 17. There's a chance that they're just out of it. And maybe they're like, screw it. Like, let's just, you know, Lamar is still not healthy. Let's just punt kind of thing.
00:04:51
Speaker
I get the feeling they're going to be in the run of it, you know, in the thick of it. So that game is going to be real. And, yeah, you know As much as Minnesota is probably just going to be you know licking their wounds in Week 18, we thought the Bears would be like that last season, and they weren't you know they had fired their head coach and all that kind of stuff, and they still came out, gave a tough game against the Packers in Week 18. Yeah.
00:05:16
Speaker
So I get this feeling that it's going to come down to week 18, but in the sense that like we're going to be rooting for the Lions because if the Lions win, we don't have to win kind of, you know, then it's like just for overall seeding in the conference. But, you know, like I said, like you mentioned that I had said, and I'm going to say it again.
00:05:37
Speaker
The Packers just have to take care of business and control the controllables. If you win these three division games, it I don't want to say it doesn't matter, but the two AFC games more become about playoff seeding.
00:05:52
Speaker
McCarthy used to say it all the time that if you can go 6-0 in the division, which is a tough thing to do, you're more than halfway to making the playoffs because... I know we're in a 17 games, but back in the 16 game season, if you go six and O in the division and your aim is to win like 10, 11 games, you're over halfway there and stuff. And, you know, the Packers have had their slip ups this season, but I do expect them to wake up and take the bears seriously. you know, it, it,
00:06:22
Speaker
The other times that they've had slip ups, it's been opponents that everyone has deemed inferior. The only concern I do have is like, we've been at this this crossroad before the season. You open the season against the the Lions and Washington, two playoff teams that you know are were expected to do well this season.
00:06:41
Speaker
Everyone's on a high. You go to Cleveland, lay an egg, and then you go to Dallas, bust you blow that win, and you get the tie. Then you come out of the bye, you beat Cincinnati you know by two scores. you come You have to come back against the Cardinals, and then you have a pretty convincing win against the Steelers.
00:06:58
Speaker
And then you lay an A against Carolina. Tucker gets injured. You're kind of listless on offense because, and then the next week you just look lost against the Eagles.
00:07:09
Speaker
And now again, you've clawed your way back with three straight wins against the giants, Vikings and lions.
Injury Reports and Strategic Adjustments
00:07:15
Speaker
And the big key for me this week is, are the Packers going to be able to keep their momentum going? It's something that they haven't done. You know, they haven't won four in a row yet this season. It'd be a nice frigging time for them to do it for the first time in 2025. But, you know, i know I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, but...
00:07:37
Speaker
like that That just speaks to how important this game is. and Back when we did our season preview, we kind of joked, like who knows what Chicago's going to be by the time we get to this point in the season. you know Is Caleb even going to be starting, whether it's due to health or poor play? we We're kind of saying, like is Caleb going to be having the season JJ is jj McCarthy is having kind of thing. like That was where our heads were at.
00:08:00
Speaker
So kudos to Ben Johnson for getting that team here, but... Before I get into the injury report, Joe, like any just off the cuff thoughts that you have going into this one that like, you know, just in terms of how the team is, you know, the vibes that you're feeling from the team or, you know, what you're seeing out of Chicago overall that needs to be said before we kind of go through our usual skeleton for the episode.
00:08:24
Speaker
I'll say, since we're getting in getting ready to do the injury reports anyway, I'll say that you know it seems like the Packers are starting to get a lot of guys back that should help out a lot in the coming weeks, as long as you know there's no setbacks or anything.
00:08:39
Speaker
Now, we can go ahead and jump into the injury report, but I'm going to throw this question out there. I've thrown it out to a couple different shows, people, and all that, and nobody's answered me it.
00:08:51
Speaker
So I'm going to hit the button and then we'll, we'll jump into the injury report and or I'll throw in the question and then we'll jump in the injury report. Excuse me. I'm in need of medical attention.
00:09:05
Speaker
So, and we'll get in depth with the medical report when or the injury report when, after the question, but right now there are what four guys that they've act, they've, uh,
00:09:22
Speaker
designated but you know yeah the 21 day window is open yeah so you got brenton cox jaden reed uh uh colin oliver and marshall why did i blink on lloyd because everyone's wanted to forget him already yeah but so you have those four guys that and with reed and and maybe Lloyd a little bit closer than the others because they're actually fully participating. And i mean, they're listed as limited it in the report, but for all intents and purposes, they're full participation because they're in pads, they're running drills and all that stuff. And kind of like you're alluding to
00:10:08
Speaker
they're the two that we've got clips of. Like, yeah all the reporters are like, look at these two guys. And to that point, like, Reid looked way better than he did when he started the season when, you know, I was on here going like, he doesn't look at all good. Like, I don't know what they're going to shoot his foot up with, but that doesn't look like a guy who can play. And Lloyd...
00:10:29
Speaker
Like, I had no idea what to expect out of him. And, you know, it's that clip Snideman posted where he's catching like a little sit route in front of the quarterback. And I'm like, that looked pretty good. He turned around pretty quick and like, got out of there. Like, you know, but different people are getting their shots in like all the like, oh, it's his first practice and his last kind of thing and stuff. But I'm like, yeah.
00:10:54
Speaker
I kind of think I know where you're going, but please finish the question. So my no, actually, you might not know where my question is going to. So the question that I've been asking and something I want to touch on real quick, the Lloyd thing, it's listing him has a calf and we know it's the hamstring. So I wonder I've already seen and heard some people take shots at that at old grade. He's already suffering from another injury.
00:11:19
Speaker
But anyway, the question is, you have those four guys. You just brought in a free agent off the practice squad of the Giants, and youll you can talk about him a little bit too, that takes the Devontae Wyatt spot.
00:11:35
Speaker
Who are we getting rid of to bring those four guys back? Okay, so, and I wrote an article about this for the website. So, Jordan Riley, the defensive tackle, they signed off the Giants practice squad. He actually isn't taking Wyatt, well, okay, he's taking Wyatt's spot in the D-line room, but in terms of 53-man roster spot, he is taking the spot they opened when they released Shepard, because they released Shepard yesterday, and they just signed him back to the practice squad today.
00:12:08
Speaker
so, and I thought that, okay, so because they worked a couple, a few, they worked like six guys out yesterday. so and so this is Wednesday, sorry. So on Tuesday, they worked like six or seven guys out, including two defensive tackles,
00:12:24
Speaker
One former Nebraska kid. One former guy that we definitely are, or that I definitely liked coming out of the draft. I realize that predates this show, but Ross Blacklock from d TCU, who I really liked as a potential player.
00:12:38
Speaker
day two pick for the Packers in 2020 has, you know, never found his way with Houston bounced around like four other teams. And I think has been out of the league this season, maybe was on a practice squad, but when they didn't immediately sign him or the other guy, they worked out. i was kind of like, okay, they've released Shepard. That's a sign that Jaden Reed is like going to play this week. I know that there are reports that he was really pushing along with Golden, but Golden's already on the roster. But the two of them were really trying to like plead their case to get to play on Thanksgiving. You know, Golden even worked out before the game.
Roster Management Challenges and Strategies
00:13:15
Speaker
So I thought Shepard's release was to bring Reed up.
00:13:18
Speaker
But then they turn around and they announce that they signed Jordan Riley. So he's taking that roster spot. So Devontae Wyatt is not on IR yet. So that's one spot for the four guys.
00:13:29
Speaker
So... The players that I... oh Maybe I should open my article to make sure I call out the right ones. But so, in order, the the the guys that I listed were Malik Heath.
00:13:42
Speaker
That one is purely... like it the The main one is it's a numbers thing. At this point of the season, and with all the other injury issues they're running into, they can't keep seven wide receivers on the active roster. Like...
00:13:58
Speaker
I shouldn't say they can't, but I don't think it would be the most prudent use of 53 roster spots. Now, that's not to say that they won't cut. Well, and that's the thing is like, Reid can just take Wyatt's spot.
00:14:10
Speaker
Like, that's the easy one is Reid is probably the closest guy to being ready. And so Wyatt's going on IR this weekend. there's no like there's no There's no reason for him not to at this point.
00:14:23
Speaker
So whoever's most ready is getting that roster spot. Then when you get past, let's just say it's Jaden Reed, when you get past that, then it gets into the, okay, the five names that I listed are Malik Heath, Donovan Jennings, Jacob Monk,
00:14:42
Speaker
Aaron Mosby and Christian Welch. And so already started going into Heath. And like I said, it's just a numbers thing. Maybe he hangs on for a couple weeks, you know, depending on how long it takes for the guys after Reid, you know, whether it you know it's kind of who gets their first kind of thing.
00:15:02
Speaker
And like Reed's going to be on a pitch count as much as they're saying Golden's ready to come back. You don't know. And Savion didn't practice on Wednesday. And that's another like one where they could go. The only in terms of like Savion going on IR, the only reason I don't think they would is they should have put him on before Thanksgiving. If that was the case, you missed the game.
00:15:25
Speaker
Like and. so unless they're like uh like it's not getting better or he aggravated it in like rehab or whatever kind of thing you know then that like takes care and he will still have a spot on the team so that's why e was my first one with jennings the packers have nine offensive linemen on the active roster right now you activate eight on game day because you get the extra day active spot if you have an eighth lineman and so like
00:15:55
Speaker
Jennings has been a healthy sit for like a month, basically. it Basically, since Monk has come back, he's been a healthy sit pretty much every week, I think, at this point. Except for one of the a couple of the ones where Belton was injured. So...
00:16:10
Speaker
so because And then you still have like Banks, who was on the active roster for a cup of tea. He's back on the practice squad. they And Lucita Smith. And that's why i also said Monk is a potential cut for the same reasons as Jennings.
00:16:24
Speaker
But then you still have Lucita Smith on the practice squad in case you're like, oh, shoot, we need a center. And if someone else picks up Monk, I can't see anyone doing that because they'd have to claim the rest of his rookie contract.
00:16:35
Speaker
Not that he's like earning that much, but like if he's so like the way teams look at is like if Green Bay is cutting bait, like why are we going to pay his draft pick contract when we could like wait for him to pass waivers and then we approach him and sign him for like that the prorated vet minimum kind of thing.
00:16:54
Speaker
So I do think Monk is less likely because even though you have Smith on the practice squad, Monk is the backup center right now. like you know Ryan was the backup before and Monk was kind of the third center. But because Jenkins is on IR, Monk is the second and he's been active on game days. So like that's why I have him less likely. I'll give you another reason why he's probably not a candidate. They would have never put him as a designated to return. Yeah.
00:17:24
Speaker
Yeah. And then Mosby and so like Mosby and Welch kind of fall in the same bin because they're more there for special teams. I have Mosby higher on the replace list because one, both Cox and and Oliver are listed as D linemen. I know Oliver was announced as a linebacker at the draft, but he's probably going to be a defensive pass rush specialist when he when he initially comes back, especially because he's missed so much time to this point in the season.
00:17:53
Speaker
But it's like, you can't have seven, different like it's the same idea with Heath. It's even harder to have seven defensive ends. And I know that Mosby is up there for special teams, but...
00:18:05
Speaker
and And Cox doesn't play special teams. But I think in that sense, it's like, Colin, if you're going to get on the roster, you're going to play special teams. Like, that's your only way to guarantee you're going to get playing time. Plus, I know they were cross-training Baron Sorrell at a bunch of the same spots where Mosby would be playing and stuff. I think there's a route to cover Mosby's snaps.
00:18:26
Speaker
Welch, I have there because they've already cut and they've already signed, cut, released Welch like 40 bazillion times at this point. But I don't think the only way I can see him getting cut is if Oliver is actually going to play linebacker because right now Welch is the fourth linebacker. And we saw, you know, to the dismay of many that when...
00:18:52
Speaker
Edge, you know, Quay was out with the stinger on Thanksgiving, so they went into the game with only three linebackers. And when Edge got his stinger, it was well, or they only had four linebackers on the rest, sorry. But when Edge got injured, it was Belch who went in a nickel next to McDuffie, not Hopper. And I know that a lot of people were like, whoa, but I'm like, I think that speaks to where Hopper realistically stands with the team is like, you gotta remember the dude like played like maybe two defensive snaps all of his rookie season, if that.
00:19:25
Speaker
I think he was a healthy scratch a bunch of weeks. Like, you know, you and I have a higher opinion of Welch than a lot of people do, but, like, he's been in the system for three seasons, basically, at this point. And, like like I said, it speaks a lot that when you're starting linebacker, the the your one, like, high rep starter who who was in the game goes out, they put in Welch over Hopper. So, to me, that is another what reason why, like,
00:19:55
Speaker
they they would probably cut Hopper before they cut Welch at this point, which I know a lot of people would be like, what? But just in terms of both special teams and defensive impact, I know Hopper's gotten more overall snaps than Welch, but I think they trust Welch to do more of the multiple positions if there are like multiple injuries at the linebacker spot. So that's why like I listed those five names, but like Monk and...
00:20:25
Speaker
Welch are really more four and five than they are like three and five, like how I listed them out in the article. I do think in no particular order, the three to watch are Heath, Jennings, and Mosby. Like those are the three names that if you if I had to tell you three players, I figured if all four of those guys make it back, because like I said, one of them is getting Wyatt's spot when he goes on IR.
00:20:49
Speaker
Keith Mosby and Jennings are the three that I'm like, those are probably the ones that are going to go. Some other names that I listed in the unlikely category are the two running backs in Chris Brooks and Emmanuel Wilson. I just, you know, especially with Jacobs banged up.
00:21:06
Speaker
I don't think you can cut Wilson. Lloyd's injury with history, you can't, like, okay, like, he's finally healthy. Like, you you can't count on that at this point. And with Brooks, it's like, I know he's not a dynamic runner or receiving option, but what he does as a pass blocker is way too important.
00:21:24
Speaker
to cut him loose. And we saw him as a, we haven't seen it yet this season, but as a lead blocker, he was pretty awesome as well. And we have, we i I think due to all the injuries, we just haven't seen that aspect of the offense come back either. So I think they're safe.
00:21:38
Speaker
I don't want to say no matter what, but basically they're pretty safe. Like I said, there is the option that Savion goes on IR. I don't think it'll happen because they should have done it last week, but who knows how his injury is progressing or not progressing kind of thing. And on top of that, they didn't need to waste the spot.
00:21:57
Speaker
Yeah. They didn't have anybody to fill it. So that's true. Why IRM when you don't need the spot? I guess that's true. But they have gone with 52 or 51 players for a week or two at a time this season.
00:22:11
Speaker
And then. Oh, yeah. But I get that. But like, it's one of those things that they've been awful quiet on the injury. Yeah. And it's like the lose situation where they're right. If it was.
00:22:24
Speaker
If it was. like uh jesus i'm blanking on names today if it was like elton or if it was like davante or something like that where we know there there's no chance in hell that they're coming back they just automatically you know slap them on ir and call it good whereas they've been kind of mum on the savi on one so i wonder if that could be the move for jayden and and go from there just to and you know who knows if it's not a season ending they still have four weeks that and then he can be back that's right yeah you know it it is what it is but uh the one other name that other people might not think but i i've i've got a feeling on could be possible and he could be probably snuck through
00:23:20
Speaker
the waiver wire and brought back on the practice squad is Stackhouse.
Defensive Adjustments for Returning Players
00:23:25
Speaker
And the reason I say that is because I think he only played like five snaps total on Thanksgiving.
00:23:32
Speaker
And now they just brought in a guy that is bigger than him. more experienced version of him. Yeah. Yeah. And not just Thanksgiving, like he only played like three snaps against the Vikings. And I know one of them was important. it was the fourth you know he Or two of them, I guess, because there was the back-to-back third and fourth down stops that killed the one drive.
00:23:54
Speaker
But even against the Giants, I think he only played like six snaps or something. like So he's he's not he hasn't played 20 snaps in like and and like a month, like over a month. So...
00:24:05
Speaker
And then the other two names I did list, were which I thought were unlikely, is Kitan Oladapo and Zane Anderson. I just like, I'm i'm just like, oh, like you know those are guys that don't play defense. But I think they're just such core special teams players. that And they have, like, Kitan's just been a steady contributor on a bunch of the units. And Zane, like, has been he has been one of the few special teams guys who has lived up to his reputation. like you know the international man of mystery has come through more often than not i mean he's the one who recovered the fumble against minnesota the muffed punt so yeah i i think it's a fair question to ask and i'm really curious to see how they go because like i said
00:24:49
Speaker
At some point, I don't think they can carry seven wide receivers on the active roster, but I'm not sure if that'll organically take care of itself. You know what i mean? Like whether it's saving- fruit is, is they have.
00:25:02
Speaker
Right. And that's what I'm saying is like, I'm saying is if if six of them are fully healthy, the six of them are fully healthy the six not Heath ones are fully healthy, I don't think they'll keep Heath.
00:25:15
Speaker
Savion's foot continues to be an issue. Reid needs to ramp up kind of thing and stuff. Like, it does hurt that he doesn't play special teams. But I think that if two of the – or, three you know, and like Golden, we still don't know how many snaps he's going to play when he comes back either. So, like I said, I can see a world where – like the easy one is Reed just gets Wyatt's spot this week. And then, you you know, we have – I'm pretty certain – they haven't said, but I'm almost certain Brenton Cox got core muscle surgery. That's the only way i can see him being out from week one –
00:25:52
Speaker
to now because it is like a two month rehab thing for for core muscle surgery for sports hernia surgery. So he you can't condition with that. Like you can do like water work and stuff like that. But like if you've ever pulled an oblique, like, you know that you don't want to move kind of thing and stuff. But they keep listing it as a groin. Would that have anything? Yeah, that is sports hernia. Like, like, okay yeah. winner And like, they, I can't say every one of them, but groin is part of the core and like core muscle surgery is another, like, they're not the same, but it's like a rectangles and squares thing is what my brother has told me. And he is a doctor. So,
00:26:37
Speaker
We need to get him on here so he can explain this shit to us I know. I'll try. But I think he's working right now. and so often he's a doctor. how often how much does he actually do? yeah But suffice it to say. sorry it was a bad joke, but I had to make it. It's there. It's good. I do think the two defensive guys are going to take most, if not all, of their 21-day window. And there's a chance that but either or both of them don't make it back. like I think people need to understand that that's a potential reality as they open the window and you just don't come back.
00:27:13
Speaker
Lloyd, I think, will like, I really think Lloyd will be back maybe as soon as Denver or the second Chicago game. Like, he he looks that good. And I know that, like, the the the feedback we've gotten seemed really positive. Like, LeFleur mentioned that it seemed like he got himself sorted out when when he went back to California. Lloyd...
00:27:35
Speaker
basically echoed those sentiments and he said like, oh, it felt really great to get back out there. I felt good. You know, I know that's what every player is going to be. But I mean, we had Zach Tom saying like, oh, like, I don't feel great and it doesn't feel good to run earlier this season. So suffice to say. The one other thing that I'm going add about Oliver is I believe that LeFleur was asked about him because he opened up his window.
00:27:58
Speaker
And he said because he hasn't been able to do anything until recently, that there maybe it wasn't LeFleur. I know it was during one of the press conferences that they're going to keep him strictly as an edge rush guy to let him ramp up into what we want him to do. So I don't know if that answers any questions to anybody, but I know that's what they said initially.
00:28:27
Speaker
I think and i think you got like it's not the same, but you got to look at it like how they used Edge last year. like You know how he missed like the first month of the season with injury. and Or not the whole, but he missed like a big chunk of the first month or so of the season with soft tissue injuries. And then it was like he was out there to blitz.
00:28:47
Speaker
Or he was out there to do like one thing. And it was like, you have one job on every play. Like there's no read and react. There's no like scan half the field kind of thing. It's like, you're here to blitz the A-gap.
00:28:58
Speaker
You're here to cover that tight end. You're here to set the edge against this tackle kind of thing and stuff. And yeah, the way I took LaFleur's comments is similar to how you did where it's like,
00:29:10
Speaker
it's going to be bare bones simple for him because like you said, he has like, he can't practice. Like you're on p Pup and IR function the same way in that regard where it's like, you can go to all the meetings, you can do all the mental rep stuff, you can rehab in the facility, but you cannot practice. And yeah, like, I don't care how brilliant you are, like of a football support. I think they have to have limited conversations with them. They can't have like Yeah, that rule has always confused me. Like, i I think he can go to every organized meeting, but he can't have, like, you know, like when you're in college, there's no office hour or there's, like, limited office hour time. Like, there's limited contact outside of practice or the meetings that he can have with the coaching staff. At least that's how it was before. I don't know how they've changed it since COVID and stuff, but you're right. That that that at least used to be part of the IR PUP rules. So...
00:30:02
Speaker
Yeah, like it'll like it gives them another dimension if he can come back and contribute, but it'll be a narrow, a narrow, a narrow band of his contribution. But, you know.
00:30:17
Speaker
I joked before the Parsons trade that depending on what Dallas demanded, you know, because we joked about it this past week that at need at no point did we think Parsons cost was going to be what it was and that low. like And I joked on a couple like message boards that like,
00:30:36
Speaker
We all know what's going to happen. The Packers are going to be mentioned in the trade. But then Gutekunst is going to be like, I'm not parting with four first-round picks, and I have a Micah Parsons at home in – a Micah Parsons light at home in Colin Oliver. And I got shot to shreds for saying that. But I'm like, I'm mostly joking. But on some level, they're going to be like, we don't have to pay this kid $50 million dollars a year. And in a very tight vacuum can offer some of so the similar things that Micah does.
00:31:07
Speaker
And what that does, what that what his return and Cox's return would open up is more interior snaps for Micah, more snaps at three technique for Rashawn, Inaugbore, and Lucas when he comes. Lucas especially is the one. And I wish they were getting him back this week, but they've got to just take it super slow. Like, I appreciate that they're treating it the way that we wanted them to treat Zach Tom's injury. And, you know, it's a different injury. yeah And some people are like, oh, like, I don't like... I think Lucas is just being honest that I don't think there was a setback, but I do think he's being honest that he's like, yeah, shit, we thought it was good to go, but fuck, like, it really hurts now. wonder it's Cliff Frank...
00:31:53
Speaker
m I hope and or plantar fasciitis or whatever. That's the one plantar fasciitis, not Liz Frank. Why did I? this frank is' bad it My mind is kind of like gone today. But the plantar fasciitis, I wonder and if it's that because I've dealt with a little bit of it and it can be like that where you feel good, you're feeling better. And then all a sudden you go out and start doing your normal shit and it's like, nope.
00:32:17
Speaker
but And it's like it's it's it's very much similar to what we said about Jaden Reed, but honestly worse, where it's like you can't really inject your foot because there's you know there's not a lot of like places for the needle to go in.
00:32:31
Speaker
And then there's not enough there's not a lot of blood flow. So like it's hard to use painkillers there. And then like you know With Reid, it was like, okay, he has to cut, but Reid weighs a buck 90 soaking wet in the rain kind of thing. Lucas is 270, and he has to take on 300-plus pound linemen every play. so I do think it's kind of like managing itself in terms of like when he'll realistically be able to come back, but...
00:32:59
Speaker
With Wyatt out, Lucas's impact is going to That's where Lucas's absence is going to be felt more. It's in that pass rush. Like I said, the faster they can get Cox and Oliver back, the more flexibility they have to move Inaugure and Gary are inside. and
Defensive Flexibility and Resilience
00:33:14
Speaker
we saw them... We've seen them do that a little bit, but not having that third guy who can they trust to play outside and inside is limiting their flexibility in that regard.
00:33:25
Speaker
And... We haven't really talked about Riley except for what you mentioned. Yeah, you're right on the nose that he is another nose tackle type. Don't look up his RAS card. It's red. It's it's nothing to see here. Leslie Nielsen, nothing to see here. But, you know, Baldinger has some like clips of him so setting a double team, you know, standing up a double team. He he knows what he is.
00:33:51
Speaker
and he's not going to get shoved off the ball. And like you said, there is a chance that he could... And that's the thing is like, when you're a run-stuffing nose tackle... There's not a lot of a scheme you need to pick up because it's like the only call you need to know is are we slanting left or right? Like if you call a call, which way are you expecting me to go? And you can just tap the guy on the butt cheek for the first couple weeks to let to like make sure he knows which way kind of thing. But oh otherwise, it's like when I was playing when I played that year was if I'm not in the right spot, just slap me in the ass and and tell me which way I got to go. Yeah.
00:34:27
Speaker
and And so it's like, we're we're just hold up this double team and don't get reach blocked. like There's simple rules for nose tackles. and you know like There's nothing sexy about his highlight film, but then as much as I wanted them to get more of a three technique type,
00:34:46
Speaker
They do need just bodies they can rotate in and, you know, keep... but That's the thing is, like, they don't have a guy who can win lightning quick from the defensive tackle room, but you do need bodies to then keep the guys who are the better pass rushers in that room, in Wooden, Brinson, and Brooks fresh for passing downs.
00:35:07
Speaker
And then this gets back to... what we were talking about after the Detroit game where it's like, if you're able to get up on opponents, just let the dogs loose and live with the results because you're you're a divot away from having to replace another defensive lineman.
00:35:27
Speaker
And you've just got to play with a little more fire in the belly at this point. We saw LaFleur do it last week. And we need to see Halfley. And the thing with Halfley is I think he does his better coaching when he's down a couple of bullets from, you know, he you when he's short a couple of bullets, because then he starts to be like, okay, if I do this, this, and this, I can emulate the same thing I was getting when everyone was healthy. So, cause I think when everyone was healthy,
00:35:59
Speaker
Halfley was a little bit content to be like, eh, my front four will get there eventually. And, eh, like, they're going to respect the run, but it's okay.
Packers' Offensive Strategy Against Bears
00:36:07
Speaker
We're going play sound defense. Now I think it's like I have to push button A for pressure. I have to push button B for run stop. And I have a few sliders that I can get a little cutesy and mess around with the opposing, you know, the pre-snap looks and stuff. But I think that... Halfley is going to get a little creative.
00:36:27
Speaker
And I know everyone is going to roll their eyes at what LaFleur said go you know about the game plan this week. But I don't have a problem with him saying, like, we're going to probe this defense. Because I know the talk is about how the the Bears lead the league by a, like, wide-ass margin in turnovers, turnover differentials, all that kind of stuff.
00:36:50
Speaker
But when you peel away, and I know that you can't just peel it away, but when you peel away their turnovers, this is a shit defense. And I know that they've been missing key players for a bunch of the season. They got Jalen Johnson and Kyler Gordon back this past week, but...
00:37:06
Speaker
With how the Packers have run the ball the past two weeks, especially last week, or really the Vikings, we saw what they did against the Seahawks on defense. You know what the the Vikings defense did against the Seahawks where they did hold the Seahawks in check for most of the game. It was that they're off and stabbed them in the back too many times. Yeah.
00:37:25
Speaker
And this past week, Green Bay was having a success on the ground against a much better defensive front than what the Bears bring. And that's the thing is like the Bears paid all this money to a bunch of veterans.
00:37:39
Speaker
And like for as much as Packers fans are belly aching over what Rashawn Gary is or isn't doing. Montez Sweat is making more money than him and they have the same stats. And I know that a lot of people are gonna say like, yeah, well Parsons, you know, Gary plays with Parsons, blah, blah, blah. But I'm like, yeah, but we were told that Sweat was so much better than Brashan and he single-handedly was gonna make this pass rush work.
00:38:06
Speaker
That's the part of about the Bears that I just do not, it it I can't wrap my mind around is like, this team has a bad front seven that doesn't stop the run well.
00:38:17
Speaker
They can't rush the passer with any sort of consistency, and yet they lead the league in interceptions by like eight or something stupid like that.
00:38:28
Speaker
And I know they've played a few teams that are turnover prone, but it just further emphasizes how Jordan just... Take your shots when they're there, but don't play hero ball. And Josh Jacobs, for the love of everything holy, tuck the fucking football away this weekend.
00:38:47
Speaker
He had a couple against Detroit where it was kind of like, eh, you could kind of see that thing loaf of bread itself a little bit. And I'm like, This Chicago team knows they're not good on defense and that their only weapon is like, we will punch, kick, scrape, claw at the ball with at every opportunity. So like Jacobs, Wilson, the receiving options, take care of the football and Jordan just like be smart this weekend. And I don't have a problem with LaFleur if he treats this like the Minnesota game in a sense where he's like, if we can just road grade these guys, we will take it. And I like, that's the thing is like, everyone's like, oh, but the passing, i was like, he did throw more in the first half and kind of in the beginning of the third quarter. And then once they figured out like Minnesota can't do shit on offense,
00:39:39
Speaker
LeFleur was like, sim to end. Let's just get to Thursday and stuff. And Love should be another 10 days healthier than he was even on Thanksgiving. You know, what's it called? Hopefully you're getting Golden back. You're getting Reed back and stuff. You know, Jacobs is 10 days removed from Thanksgiving as well and stuff. But like,
00:39:56
Speaker
I know a lot of people are going to complain that right after a game that we were just lauding LeFleur for and giving him his flowers, I do not at all have a problem with his comments on Wednesday where he kind of said like, yeah, you know, we were aggressive on Thanksgiving, but we still have an identity we're start trying to establish and we want to see what we are able to do against the Chicago front seven. To me, that's LeFleur...
00:40:20
Speaker
through the nice out exterior saying like, we don't think your run defense is worth shit. And we're gonna test that comes come Sunday. and then I really like having that attitude going into this game.
00:40:34
Speaker
For sure. But since I derailed everything, should we actually touch on the injury reports before we get far gone? Okay. So we've kind of touched on the DNP. So obviously Wyatt is a DNP because he's going on IR. And Lucas and Savion have matching foot injuries.
00:40:53
Speaker
as we said no real update on savi on it's kind of like it's it's one of those he's just dealing with it kind of injuries it feels like and then with lucas you know damovsky has the the report you know he has the he has the tweet of lucas's response to it the way i take it he's back to being fringe week to week to day to day and it's like like you said it's like it probably is some sort of plantar fasciitis thing where it's like At some point, it's going to just be he's just going to have to deal with it. And that sucks because Lucas has been on a really good run. He was on a really good run this season.
00:41:30
Speaker
It's been a bummer that you know he's basically missed half the games at this point. But they... Like, I want him back sooner than later. And at the same time, if this team is going to make a deep run, they need him for the playoffs. so like And I think Micah wants him back because ever since Micah showed up, he's done nothing but rave about Lucas Van Ness. so Yeah.
00:41:53
Speaker
And it's really funny because I see like people being like, oh, like he talks about Devante and Lucas, but he doesn't talk about Rashan. I think you know part of that is just like the those are two guys that he's like, I can bring these two young guys to another level. kind of like Rashan is older than him. And not that like you know he and Rashawn can't have a good working relationship, but I think he's like like, I know who that guy is. He knows who he is kind of thing. like Cool. We respect each other. Rashawn has only had like good things to say about Micah being in the building. So I don't think Micah not saying anything about... I think he just looks at it like...
00:42:29
Speaker
Lucas and Devante are two guys who have not tapped their potential yet. And Micah's like, I can help them get there because they are so physically gifted. And he knows he's not getting Devante back this season. So it's like, you're right. Like, you know, if if Micah could massage magic massage Lucas's feet, he would at this point.
00:42:50
Speaker
and And on top of that, I think, Micah also sees the versatility that that Lucas can bring, like you were mentioning earlier about how he could drop to the three technique, how he could be, you know, you know i go back to oh my my favorite friggin' lineup out there. You know, you have Rashawn on one side, Micah on the other, and then Lucas at D tackle. And I think Micah sees that and it's like, yeah, yeah, because that's going to stop these triple teams. That's going to stop these, and you know, and I think, and I think an angle that not a lot of people have talked about is if you go back and watch the early season, especially against Detroit in week one against like a not super mobile quarterback and a little bit against Cleveland,
00:43:41
Speaker
The thing that Lucas brings is he is the best zone dropper of the defensive line outside
Bears' Offensive Analysis and Challenges
00:43:48
Speaker
of Micah. Micah's different Micah's a linebacker. But out of everyone else, Lucas was the guy that if Halfley wanted to only bring four, but he wanted to blitz one of Quayre, Edge Cooper, or or Edge, it was always Lucas that was dropping into cover. You know, like the first third down of the season, it's Lucas who goes and makes the like tackle slash pass breakup on Jameer Gibbs in the flat.
00:44:11
Speaker
And, like, we've seen Inogbure and Garrick try to do it. And, like, you know they know where to be kind of thing and stuff. But Lucas is definitely the most fluid of those three guys moving backwards and laterally. So I do think that is a part of where a little bit of an explanation of where the A-gap blitzes have gone.
00:44:33
Speaker
And at the same time, I think Halfley's got to push that button in regardless. And... said it I said it since last week's episode, last week's review episode.
00:44:43
Speaker
This is a week where it's really funny because Bears fans are all saying, like, make Jordan love beat us. Like, like let's dare Jordan to beat us kind of thing. And they're not even saying it in terms of, like, so we can get turnover. It's like, they just think Jordan is so crap or so dogshit lucky that, like, he's going to be the one to crumble. But it's like, no, that is how Green Bay should approach this game is, like,
00:45:06
Speaker
make caleb have to throw from the pocket against you and if guys beat you guys beat you kind of thing but like don't let chicago just lean on you in the run game or be undisciplined and let caleb run outside the pocket but
00:45:25
Speaker
oh no no we were doing so well
00:45:29
Speaker
Okay.
00:45:31
Speaker
We were doing so well. I know. As I was saying before, i was rudely interrupted by my internet. The Packers have just gone trigger happy listening, limited limited participants, you know, to as we've joked, to avoid potential fines for incorrect injury reporting and stuff. But obviously you have the guys coming who are designated to return from PUP or IR who are limited for obvious reasons.
00:45:55
Speaker
But around them, you know So the ones that I'm not too worried about are Bullard, Cooper, Jacobs, Jordan, Sorrel, Zach Tom, Quay, I think looks a lot better. And then the remaining limiteds though. So Wicks...
00:46:13
Speaker
I don't know if that's the same ankle he's kind of been, you know, that that's the same ankle to the same calf that's been dogging him all year. But we saw him bolo it a little on the touchdown the first touchdown catch, but he did stay in the game, make all the other plays and stuff. So, well, you know, if he keep his shoes on, we wouldn't have this frigging problem.
00:46:32
Speaker
So there's that one. Quay looks like he'll probably be back this week. What's it called? Hobbs, LaFleur had some positive comments on. I think after how poorly it went early in the season, they probably just sit him until maybe the Denver game. I think they're going to want him to have.
00:46:50
Speaker
From what I've been seeing, they say he's pretty close. Yeah. And like I said, I just think that, you know, they were so like, and, you know, people are going be like oh they're trying to justify the contract.
00:47:02
Speaker
I think it was, we want the two best tackling corners out there. And Hobbs is a good cover guy. We're going to let him work through whatever he's working through. And honestly, I think the MCL sprain against the Eagles was actually, or against Carolina was kind of a blessing in disguise because,
00:47:21
Speaker
It took the decision of sticking with an untenable situation out of both Hobbs and the team's hands. It's like, well, you're injured and you can't play. So let's just get you right, as right as you're going to get.
00:47:35
Speaker
The clips that a couple of guys posted from practice, he did look to be moving a lot better than he was in the game. So you hope that he can carry that forward. The couple big names to watch for me are Carl Brooks because of the D-line depth.
00:47:51
Speaker
And what's it called? And Matthew Golden. because And Golden, it's hard to tell because it's his wrist. like like He's going to move around fine in practice because his wrist is on his hand. We did see him catch the ball well.
00:48:07
Speaker
But that was what I was kind of shaking my head at when, I forget if it was, which reporter it was, but they're like, oh, here here's Golden warming up before the Thanksgiving game. He's moving around really well. But I'm like, isn't it his wrist? Like, I don't know. He's not catching. And that was the thing is like he wasn't catching passes in the few clips that everyone was posting. So I was like, i was like, well, like, what are we seeing? So it's good to see him catch passes in the clips. But that is and from what I've heard is that he was pushing to play on Thursday. But the team said, let's just wait another week. And so I'm hoping that he is back this week.
00:48:44
Speaker
Slap a cast on it and Antonio Freeman that shit. Just don't dislodge it dunking the ball over the goal pole. I know you can't. I know it's a penalty nowadays, but I do remember in Super Bowl 31, it was like, oh, Antonio's been holding that wrist since he dunked the ball over the goal poles. And it's like, what are you doing? Oh but man, I could go on and on about that season because I just remember that he broke that arm, they slapped the cast on it, and that was like his best season he ever had.
00:49:17
Speaker
And I just remember, because that is the clip that's the play that goes with the clip of Holmgren yelling at Favre, you broke his arm.
00:49:27
Speaker
That is one of my favorite Home Run clips ever. Because it's it's the way he's like, you broke his arm. You broke his effing arm. So listen up. We're going back to square one. And we're running all our basic stuff. And Andy Reid is just kind of like hiding in the background. what But over to the mirror.
00:49:46
Speaker
Yeah. I just remember from that point on, it was, let's just break his arm again. Maybe he'll have a better, he'll play better or something. and Yeah. But anyway. Go ahead. The Bears side of things.
00:49:59
Speaker
They have a short much shorter injury report, but their DNPs are a little interesting. That said, the Bears didn't. They had a simulated practice on Wednesday. So DNPs.
00:50:12
Speaker
What's it called? ro Ruben Hippolyte, rookie linebacker. But Kyle Madungai, Romo Dunze, and Tyreek Stevenson, so running back, wide receiver, cornerback, all were listed as DNPs if the Bears had practice. And not with rest, with an ankle, foot, and hip injury injury.
00:50:33
Speaker
respectively we'll see how that tracks the rest of the week but if any of those especially the two guys in manunga and odunzi if they're at all limited that really puts a hamper on what the bears want to do on offense because manunga they need manunga to give that two back punch because swift is not a like bell cow back and odunzi is kind of their watson where they ask him to do a lot of like run game inserts and like they ask him to dig out edge players and stuff like that so he's in and not just being the wide receiver one limited participants linebacker tj edwards who has missed the last several games he was limited with a hand and hamstring
00:51:20
Speaker
He was the only limited participant, and then everyone else was a full participant. Though, kind of curious that they list two guys with concussions as full participants in an estimated practice. I'm not sure what Billings and Robinson did last week, or if this is like their second week of coming back from a concussion. And then debi or cornerback Jalen Johnson, full participant with a groin. And then linebacker Noah Sewell, elbow.
00:51:46
Speaker
So the Bears, they're relatively healthy overall. Like I said, it's hard to say because they didn't hold an official practice on Wednesday, but it's not great that they listed three starters with injuries and not just rest as for reasons they would have been a DNP if they had practice.
00:52:08
Speaker
In all likelihood, they probably are limited participants the rest of the week. and are at worst questionable. But like I said, those are three names to watch moving forward for the rest of the week.
Historical Rivalry and Packers' Game Plan Confidence?
00:52:22
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that that's solid. I, like I said, we kind of derailed this whole show anyway. So yeah. I mean, like,
00:52:35
Speaker
I feel like that this one is a weird one to talk about. So, you know, all the all the the the emphasis is on you know, the the Bears won last year in Lambeau.
00:52:46
Speaker
If you're not a Green Bay fan, the context has totally left as to how that game happened and how Green Bay honestly was just so over that game once, especially when, like, I know Love left the game with the the stinger issue, but really it was the Watson injury where once that happened,
00:53:05
Speaker
you could just see it none of the packers wanted to be on that field jacobs was already not playing that game and it's like once watson blew his knee out i was honestly shocked they came back and it speaks to how bad the bears were that this packers team that like clearly did not want to be out there and then was already like okay we made the playoffs but christian just disintegrated his knee and now you're telling us we got to finish the rest of this dumb game And we got to go to Philadelphia next week.
00:53:36
Speaker
Fuck. like Like, you could see that palpable attitude on the whole team that was left on the field there. And...
00:53:46
Speaker
I trust this team to wake up against a good division opponent. Like, they didn't last year, but this year they have woken up for every divisional game. And like I said, they could have easily made the Minnesota game dumb, stupid, and ugly.
00:54:01
Speaker
It was ugly in the sense that Minnesota couldn't move the ball and Green Bay was like, we're totally fine with the three three yards and a cloud of dust approach. And it was the right one for that game given the short week. But...
00:54:12
Speaker
they have had a game plan that has made sense for all these divisional games and stuck to it and executed and because they're three for three two for two in the last two weeks i expect them to have that same mentality and execution level come sunday in lambo against the bears and that's why i like you know we could go into like You know, that's the thing is Johnson does a lot of the things LaFleur does. There's a lot of pre-snap window dressing. There's a lot of motion, eye candy and all that kind of stuff.
00:54:48
Speaker
The Bears did a lot of work. You don't just get two 100-yard rushers in the same game by like you know by dumb luck. And at the same time, watching that game, Philly's defense looked like a defense that was like, once their offense did nothing for a quarter, they were like, well, screw this. Like, you... like Those three defensive tackles who have been stalwarts in Jalen Carter, Mauro Ojomo, and Jordan Davis, those three guys got dog walked by this Chicago O-line. I know they're improved. I know that they're playing with a swagger and yada, yada, yada. But these are still flawed players. I think Dolman is the best lineman on that O-line and Wright is the next one after him.
00:55:33
Speaker
i don't like their guards i think they're like very one-dimensional players and i think the packers are just gonna want this one way more than the eagles and like you just think of where the two teams were the eagles have honestly been in the doldrums for the past month and going into that game they're coming off like blowing a 21-0 lead to the cowboys the sunday before the packers are not, you know, and that's the thing is like, everyone's like, and I said it too, like they've slipped up in this scenario, but they weren't even at the halfway point of the season when they had those mess ups. Like, you know, you had Rasheed Walker talking about going undefeated when you blew it against the Browns and you were coming off the high of beating Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh and, you know, like, you know, your first place in the conference and all that kind of stuff.
00:56:27
Speaker
Now it's like we have got to win to take the division. And I don't think they're going to sleepwalk into this one. I think they're going to come out with both eyes open. I'm expecting great things from this team moving forward and their best football ahead of them.
00:56:42
Speaker
And frankly, like Johnson is going to do his stuff. I expect they're going to have a trick player to up their sleeve because that's what he does. But honestly, win the line of scrimmage.
00:56:57
Speaker
And if Packers can stuff them in a locker and control the tempo of this game, I have no problems if this is a 40-carry, 22-pass game for the Packers offense.
00:57:10
Speaker
Because if you're just chewing up this Bears defense, which you should be able to, because like I said, when you look at their stats outside of the turnovers, this is a bad rush defense.
00:57:22
Speaker
They're giving up... They are giving up a hundred just under 134 yards at yards per carry. like that is horrible and like i said they are to the point where they know they suck and so all they do is they're like you're gonna run by us but we're gonna try and rip the ball out of your arm when you go by kind of thing like or we're just gonna start jumping routes in pass coverage because we can't hang and we can't rush the passer but so our only survival instinct is we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna just jump routes and take so
00:57:56
Speaker
Expect a lot of double moves expect max protect from the Packers or honestly like test the waters with straight pass protection. You shouldn't have to go mass max protect. You should be able to get five out in the route. And if you're able to do this against this defense, Jordan should have a fricking field day and it should be a massacre. Like,
00:58:18
Speaker
And I'm allowed to say we're allowed to have those kind of expectations because we're fans. We've seen this offense go. I know that we've seen it struggle. But the thing this this Chicago defense can't take away or do the things that have given the Packers fits this season. They they can't rush the passer anywhere near what the the the the. Browns did or even the Panthers did to them. They can't stop the run like the Panthers or Browns did or what the Eagles did to them on that Monday night game. And the Packers O-line is in a much better place than it was back when they played Philadelphia on that Monday night game. So like, I know this sounds like it's coming from a place of hubris, but Green Bay should dominate the line of scrimmage in this game. And if you do that, you're going to eviscerate this Chicago team because and and
00:59:07
Speaker
Like I said, I and know this is going to kind sound of kind of sound like contradictory, but where I'm saying like dominate with the run game on offense, but your best defense against the Chicago run game is putting up points. You're putting up a touchdown, getting up multiple scores on Chicago.
00:59:25
Speaker
cool, you can do all your pre-snap shit and stuff like that, but you can't run the ball if you're down 14 the whole game kind of thing. So this is one definitely for LeFleur.
00:59:36
Speaker
Take the ball first, put your best sequence of plays together, and put a touchdown on the board on them. Put the spotlight and magnifying glass on Chicago from as early as you can in this game.
00:59:50
Speaker
So that's my yeah that's my thoughts and strategy. Right. And, you know, there is going to be a little extra to it because, you know, Ben Johnson's introductory press conference, you know, well, I like beating the Packers twice a year. So I want to keep doing that.
01:00:07
Speaker
So, you know, there is going to be a little extra there. And just like you said they got to come out it it doesn't necessarily have to be like a 100 perfect game but it's got to be it you've got to at least come out and do 85 to be able to win yeah and you know like i said earlier it's pretty sad when the head coach of the team is even not raving about his how his starting quarterback is playing and you know they
01:00:43
Speaker
I know you said the Packer fans are kind of saying this, but it is kind of true. They're paper champs right now. They're paper tigers right now because, you know, all advanced metrics, they're not that great. And you've just got to go in there and exploit those things.
Lineup Stability and Player Performance Predictions
01:01:00
Speaker
And don't get qy with too cutesy with anything, especially, you know, don't go back to this rotate in, rotate out offensive linemen. Don't,
01:01:12
Speaker
yeah I think that's over. I think i think that they recognize during the stretch run, Belton, he you know he's made some mistakes. a couple like the The deep shot they missed to Watson is because Belton kind of got beat for pressure and stuff. But...
01:01:29
Speaker
I think they recognize that this is the stretch run and you've got to get belted as many snaps with the rest of the O-line. He needs snaps at guard and he needs the rest of the O-line needs snaps with him in there to gel. and So like the rotation stuff is over at this point. to me It should be over.
01:01:47
Speaker
It should be, but you know how things go with yeah with the way LeFleur works. so Like I said, just don't get cutesy with anything. You should have some reinforcements coming in with You know, hopefully Golden and hopefully Reed gets, I hate this whole thing that they're going to wait until they absolutely can't wait any longer to activate him, just to activate him and call it good.
01:02:09
Speaker
And, you know, everybody knows he's coming back already. And unless something major happens, then, you know, whatever. But should have some playmakers coming in, should be able to push the ball like you said.
01:02:23
Speaker
And don't do anything stupid. Keep your head. You know these bears are going to frigging do everything in the world to irritate you. Keep your head.
01:02:35
Speaker
Play smart. And it should be a victory. Yep. So, shall we? we're We're pushing an hour because we've gone on tangent after tangent. Shall we go to our over-unders?
01:02:48
Speaker
Yeah. Never tell me the odds.
01:02:52
Speaker
so i don't know. I I've been struggling putting these together the last couple of weeks just because you've got some good ones here. Like I understand why it's because there's been so many weird injuries that it's like, what are what's going to happen? Weird injuries. And then like weird,
01:03:09
Speaker
games You know, like Romeo disappeared there for like two or three games and, you know, Watson stepped in and covered and shit like that. So, yeah, it's just been hard to come up with them. So I do have a few. I do have Micah over under half a sack.
01:03:27
Speaker
I'm going under because, yeah i I am doing all the reverse of Juju and Jinxing and all that kind of stuff. So i will continue to go under because it seems to be working.
01:03:40
Speaker
I'm going to go over. i think he can have another one and a half two sack game this game just because he's he's finally found his groove. you know and and maybe with you know I know I have to temper my expectations because you know the type of the player that they're bringing in this late but it it does kind of remind me of a howard green pickup where you know he comes in fills a spot but i have a feeling now that this riley's in there that can eat up double teams and stuff like that that should open up micah from not having to deal with triple teams and and you know
01:04:23
Speaker
that That should help out a little bit. So I'm hoping that he can have at least one and a half. But, you know, I said it. at I was going to put it at the one and a half. i was like, no, that might be a mobile quarterback and how much is Haffley going to green light them and stuff like that. And I think that's the other thing is, is because it is a mobile quarterback that it does open up Micah into being able to possibly get more. Right.
01:04:51
Speaker
So it is what it is, but I took the over on it. Over under Watson, 55.5 receiving yards. Now, I set it at 55.5 over the 45.5 from last week because he has been, like i said, Romeo kind of disappeared for a couple weeks. It has been more of a Wicks, Watson type thing.
01:05:12
Speaker
i so I'm also setting it a little bit high in hopes of maybe doing a reverse jinx type thing that they do get a golden back and he can get some of, you know, I'm still hoping for that first career touchdown. I do want to say these guys that are already trying to portray golden as a bust, you're fucking idiots. Just shut up.
01:05:37
Speaker
But I've got it under just in hopes that he you know i think he's going to get at least one or two decent sized ones, but I'm just in hopes that these other weapons are going to come in and and you know Jordan will be able to spread the ball around a little bit more.
01:06:00
Speaker
I think Jordan is going to spread it around. He has done that against division opponents a lot. But also, Watson just has a lot of these guys' numbers on this on this Chicago defense. If you look at how he's performed against them in...
01:06:17
Speaker
Well, obviously, he got the two the last two Lambeau games, he got hurt. you know He tore his knee up last year. And in 2023, he was still out with the hamstring after he kind of fucked it up against the Chiefs that season. But in the two games in Chicago, he's tore them up.
01:06:34
Speaker
So, or his last two games. 2022 with Aaron and then 2024 with Jordan, he has torn up the Bears Chicago. So, he has torn up the bears in chicago so I think that we're going to see a continuing of that success. And I don't, you know, I think he's going to have like three catches, but I think one of them is going to be a 40 yarder kind of thing.
01:06:59
Speaker
And it could be. Like I said, i just I'm hoping that Jordan will be able to have more targets from other guys. And nothing against Watson, nothing against yeah all these others.
01:07:10
Speaker
It seems like the offense does a little bit better when you have those other options available. yeah So that's what I'm kind of hoping for. Love, over under 250.5 yards.
01:07:26
Speaker
I did go over on it because i have a feeling this is going to be a slugfest for a little bit, and it's just going to get to the point where he's going to have to throw it for a while. Now, whether or not that means that, you know, the slugfest ends at like in the third quarter, and then they can just kind of slow down with it or whatever, i don't know. But I do i have him set as an over.
01:07:53
Speaker
I've got him in as an over because, like I said, I think they're going to be able to dominate the line of scrimmage, and I think that means that they're going to dig deep into their play action pass pass. their play action pass package. And therefore, they're going to be able to take some shots and put, and loves, I don't think he's going to throw the ball around a lot, but I think he's going to cross 280. Like I put 287 and yeah, it's going to be like one of those, like you have like two touchdown 287 on like 70 something percent.
01:08:23
Speaker
And, you know it'll just be a like clean, efficient day at the office for him kind of thing. Yeah. And then my last one I've got is Jacobs over under 65 and a half rushing. I'm taking the over on it just because I, I, like I said, this offense is starting to seem to like it's getting its groove in. So, you know, might as well try to push as much as you can on it.
01:08:48
Speaker
Yeah. I've got him going over. I put one 20. I think that he is just going absolutely chew up this Chicago defense. I get that, but for some reason he has struggled trying to get that 100 yards game
Turnover Avoidance and Dominance Potential
01:09:01
Speaker
this year. So I don't know. I have a feeling that they're going be able to rotate in a lot of Wilson and Brooks and all those guys in that he's going to get his, but I don't think he's going to quite hit that 100.
01:09:14
Speaker
Fair enough. But anything else you got for today for not today's game, it Sunday's game, or you want to just put a bowl on it for both of us? I think we've pretty much covered everything. I just, I, where's this at? Is this at Lambeau?
01:09:33
Speaker
Yeah.
01:09:35
Speaker
I think that's part of but I think, you know, everyone's like, Oh my God, the spread is six and a half points. You know, the, the, the, they you know, why is green Bay getting all the love? And it's like, because green Bay is like, you know, and,
01:09:51
Speaker
people don't want to look at advanced stats and they're like, oh, Green Bay fans just parry, you know, they just throw around EPA and DVOA. And it's like, yeah, because the Packers are like fifth and the Bears are like 20 something. And you look at counting stats and you look, like I said, the Bears are like the 30th rush, you know, they're giving up 5.2 yards of carry on the ground. And in the air, they're giving up like 70-something or 67% completion percentage. So it's like, I understand that they're intersecting a lot of balls. They're also allowing a lot of them to get completed and for a bunch of yards. So it's like, and I get, like I said, I get that Philly was one of the best turnover-averse teams that they that the Bears have faced and they turned them over. But
01:10:39
Speaker
Like I said, Jordan, just you don't have to be the hero to on Sunday. Josh, tuck the fucking ball away. I know it's not the same, but Josh does have a tendency to reach for down markers, reach for the end zone. And we saw the Bears be opportunistic with pulling the ball away from the tush-push and stuff like that. So it's that kind of nuance that I'm like...
01:11:02
Speaker
Those are the details you need to focus on this week because Josh, your fumble-itis has been a problem this season and it can't be one on Sunday or in two Sundays after that. So tighten the screws down Packers and...
01:11:17
Speaker
That's the thing. It's a big if because of how good the Chicago has been at turning opponents over, but if Green Bay doesn't turn the ball over, they might win this game by 21 points. like i am not even like i i'm i can say that without a hitch that if they don't turn the ball over, they should steamroll Chicago because it is, the teams are that far apart on paper.
01:11:40
Speaker
And like I said, it's like, oh, if you take out that run or you take out that one negative play kind of thing, you can't do that. But it just goes to show like how dependent the bears are on turnovers to get them off the field. Cause when they don't get them,
01:11:58
Speaker
they're just like, oh, we're supposed to stop that? Or, oh, we can not let them catch the ball? Or, oh, am I supposed to tackle that guy? Like, that that is literally how their defense operates most of the time. So, like, play smart, Green Bay, and you can absolutely embarrass this Bears team on Sunday and, like, just take all those dumb Chicago fans and shove them in a locker and throw the key out kind of thing.
01:12:27
Speaker
yeah and and you know just as as a great poet once said the bears still suck so yeah
01:12:37
Speaker
what a what a fine note to end the night on but please check out the website ohana packers.org support us through our merch i am going to try and get my writer's cap on like i said It's a lot easier to write about the Packers when they're doing well, but I'm going to try to be better about that too and not only be a fair weather writer. We will take that all in flow. And there's a lot of stuff to write about right now. Like guys are coming back healthy. And there that means that
01:13:05
Speaker
There's a lot of good decisions for LaFleur to have to make on offense. Like i said, for Halfley, he's going to have to mad professor it a little bit, but I do like, that's my favorite form of Halfley is when he has to put the goggles on, the thinking cap on and get a little extra creative with things.
01:13:23
Speaker
So check us out there on the website. Please follow us on your favorite social medias at Ohana underscore Packers on Twitter at Ohana Packers edition on Instagram. Check us out on Facebook. Please follow us there. Haven't checked the count of followers.
01:13:36
Speaker
We can somehow get to 100 followers. We are live streaming the show after this week's game because this is we're in the the afternoon slate. You know, we're America's game of the week. So Joe and I.
01:13:48
Speaker
will be live for the post game show. So if we're able to get to that one hundred subscribers by Friday, we'll or by Sunday, we'll be able to live stream the show not only on YouTube, but also on Facebook. Please follow up. Please check us out on your favorite podcasting apps. Give us a like, give a subscribe and you bet your butts that we're going to be reaching out for comments, thoughts, questions before, during and after this Sunday's game. Because the Packers, I know that their path to the one seed, they're going to need help with these NFC West teams.
01:14:21
Speaker
But if the Packers win this week and in two weeks, they can effectively put Chicago's playoff hopes on life support. And as much as so many mainstream media people are trying to say, like, yeah, the Bears can be for real. They can prove themselves and stuff.
01:14:38
Speaker
The Packers can take that all away in a swoop. and really just snuff the light out of them especially like if you win close this week then it gets into the whole like oh if it was at soldier like we would have won kind of thing and stuff if you just snuff them out this weekend the doubt creeps in for a team like that so so fast and the luster comes off Johnson a little bit, the comments like, oh, we're winning. I know that it's a little out of context, but the the fact that he said the words, we're winning in spite of our passing game, that gets louder stuff.
01:15:17
Speaker
You can snowball this Bear team so badly if you just do what needs to be done con Sunday. Like I said, we've talked about this team in this regard, but I have a little more faith in them doing it this time around.
01:15:32
Speaker
But until then, as we say, gopa go Pack Go, Bears still suck, and aloha.