Inbox: He would've been a much bigger story

Ummy from Two Rivers, WI

So we're all in with the cards we're holding. I kinda like it.

The moves to shore up the O-line were made six weeks ago, when the urgency existed. An upgrade at running back wasn't really available, at least not at a palatable price. And the trading deadline "acquisition" will be a top-flight defensive player who's ramping up in practice. There's reason to believe in this team.

Robert from Verona, WI

I'm guessing the Inbox will be full of Kirk Cousins submissions. While I'm bummed the Vikings upgraded their QB room, there are no guarantees a 38-year-old Cousins will be a difference-maker. Then again, he may just need to be serviceable for them to make a run. That being said, what I appreciate the most about Cousins (and his agent) is ability to negotiate fully guaranteed contracts. He's made $340 million in his career – third most of all-time! Do you find that insane?

Slightly. What's insane in a weird full-circle way is Cousins' last game as Vikings QB was at Lambeau Field in 2023 when he tore his Achilles. Welcome back, Kirk.

Eddie from San Antonio, TX

I think we all agree that the game this upcoming weekend against Minnesota will be huge. Do you think the NFL will move the game to a later time slot?

That decision would've been required last week. Time changes are made with at least 12 days' notice until Week 18.

Jason from Port Charlotte, FL

With the Vikings coming up what difference do you see between the team now and the team that played against the Vikings Week 1?

The Packers are in a completely different place with their offensive line, and Gannon has gotten to call nine games with his defensive personnel.

Sean from Chicago, IL

Good morning Insiders! Jordan Love and the offense had a day for ~3 quarters against Brian Flores' crew before the wheels fell off. Really excited to see what a modicum of stability up front can do for them in the rematch.

Me, too.

Steve from Birchington, UK

With the Vikings coming to Lambeau this weekend, how important is this game in setting the tone for the remainder of the NFC North race, and what do the Packers need to do differently to make sure they come away with the win?

More specific than "setting the tone," winning this game would give the Packers a realistic chance to take the division. They would leapfrog the Vikings in the standings and stay right on the heels of the Bears and Lions, with one game remaining against each. What do they need to do differently? Finish drives and finish the game.

Jeremiah from Middleton, WI

Jordan Love has handled the blitz pretty well this year. Even in the first Vikings game, despite what the final score might indicate, I thought he did better than a lot of the QBs that the Vikings defense have faced this year. Do you think Brian Flores might alter his approach for the upcoming game, or stick with his "blitz forever" strategy still?

Flores and the Vikings aren't about to change who they are. As much as Minnesota's offense is struggling, if anything that defense is going to push the issue even more to try to force mistakes. Protecting the quarterback and the ball are jobs 1A and 1B this week.

Bruce from Lakewood, CO

Gents: After watching the Vikings' defense I hope we start our best blitz pickup running back. Who is that?

The Packers' best pass protector in the backfield is Chris Brooks, so hopefully he comes off IR this week, and the coaches also have no qualms with Pierre Strong Jr. in that role. LaFleur and Stenavich have both mentioned Kaleb Johnson has better knowledge of the protection calls now, too.

Mark from Greenville, SC

Sunday's game with the Vikings will likely set a record for number of blitzes by two teams in a single game. Buckle up!

I have no doubt how Flores is going to play this game. I'm less certain about Gannon, because he's not nearly as predictable, and he may need to see how KOC is calling the game for Cousins to solidify his approach.

Eric from Bemidji, MN

How much of a difference does it make for the players that Green Bay will have an extra day of rest compared to Minnesota coming off their Monday Night Football loss?

It's more than just an extra day. The Vikings' defense was on the field for 80 snaps and 42-plus minutes Monday night. I have to believe that's going to show up in the second half Sunday.

Mike from Novato, CA

Quick thoughts on Kevin Zeitler/Aaron Banks. Whatever you think of Banks' performance, it's pretty well established that he can't stay healthy. He's been coming out early even in games he's healthy enough to start, and Sunday had to come out for some snaps. With Zeitler playing well, why not sit Banks? If he's really only going to reliable for a few snaps a game, I'd rather they were later, in the event of injury substitution. Does that make any sense?

Plenty.

Mark from Westminster, CO

Mike's "baby steps" comment regarding the run game made me laugh out loud. This is the NFL in Week 9, not OTAs or junior varsity. Half the season is already gone. At this stage you don't get credit for learning how to walk – you either move the chains and impose your will in the run game or you don't. Pass protection improving is real progress, but calling the run blocking "baby steps" after nine games feels like grading on a curve we can't afford if this team is supposed to be a contender.

I hear you. The Packers should've figured this out by now. But all the moving parts up front and in the backfield have conspired against that. Nine games in is a long time, but there are still (at least) eight left. This league is about winning enough games until playing your best football when it matters most. As long as the former is happening, I'm willing to be patient with the latter.

Tyler from Dubuque, IA

With MLF mentioning Nick Niemann by name in the postgame locker room, I wanted to give him another shoutout. We always hear "next man up," but at this point, Nick is the next, next man up! For him to play every snap on special teams and once Ty'Ron Hopper went out, every snap on defense. Kudos, Nick!

As I mentioned on "Unscripted," if it weren't for the one play Stevenson beat Niemann on the wheel route, and all the other headline-grabbing performances, he would've been a much bigger story from that game.

Larry from New Auburn, WI

I think why Love doesn't seem to get the recognition he should is he makes it seem too easy. One pass after the other long, short, off the back foot, sideline, all perfectly placed, he lulls people to sleep. They really don't realize what they have just witnessed.

Also noted on "Unscripted," the recognition comes with team success, particularly in the playoffs. It's really that simple. If I were to ask where did Love throw for 323 yards and four TDs with no turnovers in a playoff game, most would say Dallas. But it was at Chicago last January, and nobody remembers or cares.

Bruce from Neenah, WI

On Monday Night Football, Minnesota was spiking the ball to stop the clock. A Buffalo defender literally dove under the center and almost caught the ball in his hands. If he did, would that have been considered a turnover or is the attempt or intent of spiking the ball make the play dead? I don't recall ever seeing that happen.

It happened in a high school game once in Colorado, which is where NFL players picked up the idea. Jalen Carter nearly intercepted a Patrick Mahomes spike three years ago.

John from Columbia, TN

Sorry to bring up a still-raw officiating subject, but did you ever see a replay on the Dani Dennis-Sutton RTP call near the end of the game? In the live view it looked like nothing. Did he make helmet-to-helmet contact?

That's the only thing I can figure. Looking at the game film, you can see Maye's head snap back a little bit, but it's very difficult to tell if that was due to direct helmet contact or not.

Tyler from Watertown, SD

Where do the refs go during halftime? Do they have their own locker room?

Yes, at every stadium, and it's guarded like Fort Knox before, during and after the game.

Sue from Wausaukee, WI

My question is regarding officiating. I watch a lot of football games and I am starting to get very confused as to when a coach should throw the challenge flag or when does replay assist kick in? It seems to me that it is just an at random instance for replay assist – how does the coach know? I would assume that the flag would be picked up if it went to replay assist? It just seems very inconsistent.

I wholeheartedly agree. Maybe the communication to the coaches during the game is clearer than it is to the fans on the broadcast, but replay assist to me remains this enigma that might fix something or might not. Like Monday night, on two straight short-yardage plays, the spot of the ball was wrong, requiring the Vikings to challenge on third down and the Bills to challenge on fourth down. Both challenges changed the calls. Where was replay assist?

Charles from Fond du Lac, WI

Going to the question about the sky ref overturning a hit on a wideout versus on a QB: Going on memory but after the Lions game, Rich Eisen podcast had Dean Blandino on. He spoke about what the Sky Ref (SR) is allowed to overturn or not. One of the things they can is if the call is helmet to helmet; the SR can buzz in and say no, but the minute the wording is forceful contact to the head/neck the SR can't say anything.

Thanks for sharing. That's equal parts informative and galactically stupid.

Tallon from Castle Rock, CO

I'm gonna have to fight Ray from Phoenix about who predicted that we would play the Chiefs in Germany first. Mr. Policy was kind enough to answer our inquiries on it and he didn't shut it down. International games are becoming inevitable so playing it as a road game and in Germany would be pretty cool. What did you think of Rodgers' idea of a week where all games are international?

Not feasible, nor of any interest to the league, which wants most international games in an exclusive broadcast window.

Kyle from Osceola, WI

I know WYMM is dead and buried, but I always felt like that was more interesting after a big win than at any other time. Nonetheless I'll ask: A few days after the fact, are there any insightful moments we might have missed between all the highlights?

Xavier McKinney's second interception was dynamite. He's running with a deep receiver behind the tight end crosser and breaks on the shallower route at the perfect instant Maye has committed to the throw but while McKinney still has enough time to get there. The deep route is supposed to clear the safety, and McKinney made Maye believe it had worked as intended.

Steve from Bloomington, IL

Great game. The Packers obviously made a lot of great plays. But I think another huge factor was making fewer mistakes. Fewer dropped passes. Fewer costly penalties. It wasn't perfect, never will be, but it was certainly an improvement and the results showed.

The positives shine brighter when there aren't enough negatives to attract the spotlight.

Brad from Crifton, MD

Such a satisfying win! But wasn't the coolest part of the game learning that Evan Williams' mom babysat TOM BRADY?

I didn't hear the whole story, but readers in the live blog mentioned it. That's nuts.

Hannes from Glendale, WI

Not one, but two 150-yard plus receivers in a single game, in 1942? That's even more unbelievable than the game we just witnessed.

Speaking of nuts, I looked up the '42 game. It was a 55-24 win over the Chicago Cardinals at City Stadium. Here are the stats: Hutson had five catches for 207 yards and three TDs. Uram, a running back, had four for 174 and three. Cecil Isbell was 10-for-21 for 333 yards and five TDs – 40, 73 and 65 yards to Hutson, and 64 and 36 yards to Uram. Halfback Joe Laws threw one pass, a 62-yard score to Uram for the sixth TD toss of the game. The really crazy part? Uram had 420 receiving yards in '42, so he had just 246 in all the other games that season.

Lex from Mequon, WI

Spoff wrote: "I'm trying to remember if there were any road stadiums other than Gillette where Rodgers never won a game for the Packers as starting QB." The Packers have never won a game in Buffalo. They are 0-7 there.

Yes, thank you. I knew there was another. David from Lewisburg, PA, also mentioned Buffalo, and Robert from Schaumburg, IL, brought up Indy, where neither Rodgers nor Favre won for the Packers.

Austin from Denver, CO

I personally like the idea of the division winners being rewarded with a playoff spot, but do you think the NFL will use an atypical year like this to review that idea? The NFC will surely have at least 1-2 strong teams not making it this year. I would imagine the NFL wants the best teams out there come playoff time.

Some version of this argument/issue comes up every year, and I just don't see it changing. Maybe if the NFC South winner is 7-10, they'll be compelled to look at it and require a division winner to be at least above .500 or something to make the playoffs. But I'll believe it only when I see it.

Matt from Sioux Falls, SD

With how bad the NFC South is currently, that 5th seed in the playoffs is really appetizing. The 2nd and 3rd seeds will be against really goods teams that are better than the South. Just a little food for thought.

Just beat the Vikings. Happy Veterans Day.

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