Jeff from Green Bay, WI

Hey Mike, I'm not sure why you haven't chewed gum in such a long time. If you need some Lloyd Braun is your man!

Serenity now.

John from San Diego, CA

Leave it to someone posting on the Insider Inbox to finally question the meaning of the term "untracked." For years I've been going off the rails trying to figure it out. Here's hoping the Bears become unglued this Saturday.

I think the phrase is actually "come unglued," unless you're just having your own fun.

Jeff from Green Bay, WI

Hi guys, that is one crazy factoid that Cliff had regarding the 1941 playoffs. Attendance was 43,000-plus in Chicago for the matchup to see if the Packers or the Bears would go to the championship. When the Bears advanced there were only 13,000-plus in the same venue to watch them in the title game with warmer weather no less. Wow, does that speak volumes about the rivalry!

Take a listen to the factoids Wes shared about that game on "Unscripted."

Al from Green Bay, WI

I just looked at point spreadsheet for the weekend games. Curiously, four of the six visiting teams are favorites to win (including GB). What do you make of this?

Gambling remains illegal at Bushwood, but two of the four are 5-4 seed matchups where the visiting team had a decidedly better season than the home team, so I'm not surprised.

Ryan from Chicago, IL

Is there any factor more likely to determine the outcome of Saturday night's game than the turnover battle?

Probably not, and if it's a wash, I like the Packers' chances.

Darren from Wakefield, MI

Here's to hoping Williams brings a lil Cutler to his game. He was one of the best players on the Packers' defense. We always say turnovers come in bunches. Wouldn't this be a great time for that to happen?

I do believe Williams will throw the Packers one Saturday night. They must catch it.

Dave from Lake Zurich, IL

Weren't the Packers 0-5 in the red zone against the Bears? I believe the touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs went for more than 30 yards.

You're correct. I was conflating the 1-for-4 in the red zone in Denver with the 0-for-5 in Chicago. Either way, the point still stands.

Jeffery from Monticello, WI

Hello II, I believe the key to winning this game will be Josh Jacobs or Emanuel Wilson pounding the rock for 60 minutes. Now's the time to run the ball and the Packers have one of the best to do it. What's your key to winning this one?

Other than what I've already emphasized – protecting the ball and finishing drives – the next item on offense is the ground game. The Bears ranked 27th in the league against the run, allowing 135 rushing yards per game. Beat that number, which will signal a balanced offensive attack, and the Packers should be in good shape.

Josh from Arvada, CO

Seems like a great time for Josh Jacobs to get his first 100-yard game of the season, eh?

I was going to include that in my answer to the last question but will let you say it instead.

Dave from Phoenix, AZ

A lot of talk about the advantage the Packers have with resting their starters and the Bears played a hard-fought game and now playing on a short week. I think an overlooked advantage is the Packers' playoff experience the past couple of years while the Bears this is all new for them. Your thoughts?

I'm not dismissing that, and I'd rather be the team with playoff experience than the one without. But I think the home crowd negates some of that for the Bears because anything that goes the wrong way for them won't be accompanied by a huge surge of energy in the building.

Bob from Jensen Beach, FL

Insiders, has there ever been a year where all three lower seeds advanced to the next round? I could see that happening this year in the NFC.

To date, the Packers remain the only 7 seed to knock off a 2, and when they did it two years ago, all the other higher seeds/home teams won in the opening round.

Steve from Scranton, PA

Mike, wanted to expand on a point about the importance of our LBs in your Mid-Week Chat. For years, I've been envious watching LBs on teams like SEA and SF plug holes up the middle on early downs, then run sideline to sideline or take deep drops on passing downs. With Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper, we now have that athleticism, and it will be needed Saturday night, both in stuffing the run game and dropping into coverage (especially vs. the TEs) in the pass game. Hopefully a national "coming out" party!

He's had a good year, but with Edgerrin Cooper, I still feel his best is yet to come.

Conner from Flagstaff, AZ

I have full confidence in Jordan Love going into this tense matchup. Christian Watson will undoubtedly be the key factor in the pass game and everyone wants Matthew Golden to play a bigger role. However, I think the biggest sleeper in our pass game is Jayden Reed. We haven't seen his capabilities in full this season and I want to hear his name called a lot this Saturday.

I'm with you. We definitely have not seen Jayden Reed in top form this season, so far. My One Last Look column on Saturday morning will be on several players I selected with mini-redemption stories pending here, and he's one of them.

Steve from Flagstaff, AZ

Congrats to Myles Garrett on the sack record but what really blows my mind is the fact that Reggie White had 21 sacks in a 12-game strike-shortened season. Can you imagine what could have been if he played a 17-game schedule? I would think the record would be more than 23. Just saying, the fact he had 21 in 12 games is inconceivable!

No argument. White was held without a sack only once in '87, and he had two or more sacks in eight of the 12 games. He had 14 sacks in the last seven games that season.

Marty from Kingston, Canada

We now know that we will be playing the Rams in LA in 2026. The Rams know they will play a regular-season home game in Melbourne, Australia. Are we eligible to be chosen for that game or does the recent sojourn to Brazil exclude that possibility?

The Packers are certainly eligible, and the organization is expecting an international game in 2026. But I wonder if the league will pick another West Coast team to meet the Rams in Australia just for the considerably shorter flight.

Jake from Elkhart Lake, WI

It appears Black Monday for NFL head coaches/coordinators has evolved into a multi-day or even weeklong event. So now what do we call it?

Week 19?

Austin from Manassas, VA

On Tuesday, there was a response about Flores being a HC next year. Really? I don't disagree with him having the coaching skills deserving of a HC job, but after what happened in Miami, will GMs seriously consider him?

It sure seems complicated with his lawsuit not having yet gone to trial, the Supreme Court potentially weighing in on whether it should, and the league continuing to push for arbitration. Who knows how this ends.

Stuart from Roanoke, VA

Did Baltimore get tired of winning? A kicker misses a 44-yard field goal and a Super Bowl winning coach is out of a job. Unbelievable.

Appreciate the homage to Vic, and it seems clear the missed field goal only expedited a decision that had already been made. That's another topic I hit on in my mid-week chat.

James from Appleton, WI

I can't recall a season in which the Packers' offensive line has been so often unsettled. Having a front five healthy and constant throughout the playoffs would be my biggest factor in the team going far.

When Elgton Jenkins took that shot to the chest and left the Philly game last January, the offense never really recovered.

Matt from UK

Hi Mike, once again lots of talk about offense and defense, little talk about special teams. The Bears got the best of us on special teams lately with the deceptive punt return, onside kick, etc. We did have the fingertip block. What do the Packers need to do in this game?

On special teams? Avoid the catastrophic mistake.

Tom from Fort Myers, FL

How does the Packer defense prepare for that inevitable Ben Johnson "trick" play?

No defense can really prepare for them. You train to be assignment-sure. Trick plays work when someone blows an assignment, otherwise it's just another play.

Shane from Philadelphia, PA

In the previous two matchups the Bears have scored 40 points in the second half. Whether it's halftime adjustments, urgency, or better execution I am not sure, but do you think Hafley will have in the gameplan some sort of mix for the second half to keep the Bears guessing? Ideally stopping them the whole game would be great but the second-half trend is concerning.

I get what you're saying, but I don't believe defensive coordinators think that way. Nobody empties their bag in the first half regardless, but the game is full of adjustments, either to what isn't working or what the opponent is doing. More scoring later has also been the Bears' MO this season. For the year, they've scored 50 more points after halftime than before.

Jim from Hudsonville, MI

As far as which team is under the most pressure, I'd call it a draw. The Bears are basically playing with house money, being ahead of the expected growth and development curve (not dissimilar from ML's first year). The Packers might have been under more pressure had we remained healthy in some critical areas, but things as they are, it'd say it's almost house money on our end, too. Anyway, it's probably irrelevant. Just beat the Bears.

As far as being ahead of schedule, Ben Johnson's first year reminds me more of Love's first as a starter, only these Bears didn't battle through the same level of early struggle. They just found ways to win a bunch of games at crunch time, which has fueled belief, and as I said on "Unscripted," belief can be dangerous.

Kit from Denver, CO

Hi Mike & Wes, I need the help of your cooler heads to help me understand how I should feel about our Packers. Should I A) be discouraged that the ceiling of this team is seemingly a wild-card seeding and first- or second-round exit? I watch this team and can't help but feel its underachieving, with absolute playmakers and talent everywhere, including the coaching staff. Or should I B) be encouraged that in a chaotic, injury-filled year our team's floor is a perennial playoff threat.

I leave emotions up to the whims of individual fans. I've said several times I thought this team should've won more than nine games. But it also got pile after pile of adversity dumped on it down the stretch. Feel however you want to feel, but this team will be remembered for what happens from here on out.

Jason from Austin, TX

As much as I prefer deferring and receiving the ball in the second half, if the winds are as bad as they're forecasted, do you think it would be a better strategy to receive the ball in the first half so that you can pick the preferred field direction in the fourth quarter? This game will likely come down to the wire so having the wind at your back might be better for the game-winning field goal.

It's worth considering.

Tom from Palatine, IL

Obviously, losing your last four games is not the kind of momentum you want going into the playoffs, but momentum is only as good as your next game's starting pitcher and it appears we should have a healthy Jordan Love on the mound. Hopefully, the rest of the roster got a chance to heal up a bit and seeing as we're matched up against a familiar foe maybe we can start a little winning streak. Gotta love this time of year. GO PACK GO!

I needed a good baseball reference this week. Thanks.

Kevin from Olympia, WA

I know, I know … just beat the Bears, but I know a few Packer fans that are champing at the bit to avenge two of our worst end-of-game meltdowns in the next two weeks. Is that OK just this once?

Kudos on champing, but I'm ignoring the rest. For now.

Josh from Seattle, WA

To get untracked, we need to get a frenzy of turnovers in these playoffs. If this year is going to be like 2010, remember there was a pivotal INT in every game and a QB and coach dialing up their best performances as well. That's my keys to success for the Packers in the playoffs and I am excited to see if it happens.

Aren't we all.

Zak from Huntington Beach, CA

If the Ravens' elimination was karma for the cheese-grater hats, as posited by Jim from Eau Claire, then perhaps the Packers late-season skid was penance for us having done the Vikings' celebration when we stomped 'em in November? If so, then that debt had been paid, ten-fold, and we enter the postseason unburdened. I don't believe in luck/karma, but the epistemological nihilist in me says one can never know anything for certain, so I say, "Bring on the good juju for the playoffs!"

That most certainly is the debut of an epistemological nihilist in the Inbox, but whatever works.

Derek from South Point, OH

If the "baloney" stops at the kickoff of the regular season, what stops at the kickoff of the postseason?

Excuses.

Glen from Eugene, OR

It's a week-to-week league. Last week: Nothing really mattered. This week: Everything matters.

And how. Happy Friday.

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