Inbox: If that's just the start …

Marty from Rancho Cordova, CA

"Uno"? Now, that is one funny response.

Not on a short week. I just can't.

Jim from Muskego, WI

I am laughing so hard I'm crying. I was joking. You guys are great and have taught this old guy more about football than even the great John Madden. You once answered my "who would win in a cage match, Wes or Mike." Keep it up boys and to all those readers out there, thanks for all the great questions.

Glad we got that cleared up, but you sure have a weird way of cracking a joke.

Austin from Appleton, WI

I understand the frustration of seeing too many Lions fans as a player or a coach, but doesn't the organization have to admit some culpability on this issue? The past decade plus has been spent making Lambeau Field a world class football destination – a once-in-a-lifetime football experience. There's no math in the Inbox, but those football tourists need to sit somewhere.

I'll take that under advisement, but boy do I regret even bringing this up. I've developed nausea reading the number of excuses proffered, so I'm dropping the subject.

James from Chicago, IL

Caleb Williams and the Bears starters played a lot in the preseason. I'm just sayin'.

Ha. It looked to me as soon as Ben Johnson got through all the openers on his call sheet, the Bears' offense could no longer function effectively.

Kristen from Glendale, AZ

As if we didn't already know the North would be tough. Wow! What a battle.

J.J. McCarthy certainly showed some moxie, but I also saw a total three-phase meltdown by the Bears, and two end-of-game strategic errors (so maybe that's four phases). With only one timeout left, Chicago has to just kick the field goal, and far enough on the plus side of two minutes to have any realistic chance at the comeback. Scoring the TD with 2:02 left hamstrung them. But even then, if the kicker can't bang the kickoff all the way through the end zone, he has to kick it out of bounds to preserve the two-minute warning as a timeout.

Brian from Pensacola, FL

What is your take on the North after Week 1? If we're playing a division opponent Week 1 I'm glad we all had the same. Seems like a good litmus test.

I think the Bears and Lions have to do some early soul-searching while the Vikings and Packers, in the words of a highly successful football coach, need to handle success the right way.

Keith from Bakersfield, CA

We fans have not had nearly enough time to bask in our Week 1 victory before needing to turn our attention to Thursday's opponent. I will file a grievance with the NFL Fans' Union about these short weeks. Meanwhile, what challenges do the Commanders present on offense and defense that are different from the Lions?

As many have written in about, it's the mobility of Daniels at QB. That changes the whole landscape.

Tyler from Cornell, WI

How do you think the defense attacks Washington differently than they did Detroit? It is as simple as lane integrity to keep Daniels in check, or do you think there will be some pressure packages made just for him?

You definitely can't attack Daniels the same way as Goff. Daniels will be looking for escape routes, and the Packers have to limit them. Easier said than done, but that's the biggest defensive challenge in this matchup.

Darin from Greenfield, WI

What are the biggest adjustments Packers can make going from the Detroit game to the Washington game?

My hope is they can get Josh Jacobs going early. Washington ranked 30th in the league against the run last season. The Giants couldn't run it last week, but I think the Packers pose a stiffer test in that regard. If the Commanders are going to sell out to stop the run early like the Lions did, then don't run into brick walls and let it rip. But establishing the run early could go a long way in this one.

Tom from West Salem, WI

We all know about Jayden Daniels but what else can we expect from Dan Quinn's team?

Daniels has a couple new weapons around him in Deebo Samuel and rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who join McLaurin, Ertz and Ekeler. So they can really vary their attack personnel-wise. On defense, which Quinn revamped last year, Wagner and Luvu anchor the unit at linebacker, and their front really got after Russell Wilson last week. Repeating last Sunday’s exemplary pass protection will be no easy task for the Packers, especially if a couple starters are down.

Tom from Waukesha, WI

I know it is time to move past Detroit and just beat Washington but if I could make one more comment on Sunday's game. My stat of the day was no stats. As in Aidan Hutchinson did not show up in the stat sheet, save for a declined penalty. The Packers' O-line did a fantastic job on one of the best in the league. Credit to our O-line coach and the guys in the trenches.

Hutchinson was credited with one tackle and one QB hit, which was on the pass almost intercepted by Anzalone. The Packers chipped and thumped him with tight ends all day and rendered him a non-factor. I'd also say he looked rusty, and not his usual explosive self, after the long layoff from the broken leg.

Matt from Fitchburg, WI

Regarding Jordan Love's pick-six that was called back, how much of that play do you think was impacted by the defensive hold? Do you think his interception was influenced heavily by the hold? It was hard to tell on the tele. Also, I'm curious what your thoughts are on the decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 when they were up 17-6 in the fourth quarter? A field goal would have put them up 14 with about eight minutes left in the game. It obviously worked out, but man I was nervous. I probably would have taken the three every time.

The defensive hold was on the same side of the field, but on Romeo Doubs' route. It wasn't an egregious hold, but certainly enough contact it removed him as an option for the QB. Lots of folks asking about those two back-to-back plays. Love said the Anzalone one was indecision on his part, staying on one read too long and then trying to get rid of it quickly when he realized he was going to get rocked. On the nullified INT, Branch made a whale of a play in my book. Gotta give him credit. As for the fourth-down call, I said in the live chat at the time I wouldn't've had the guts to go for it. But I don't get paid the big bucks to make those decisions.

Tom from Columbus, NJ

Being that this is a short week with playing on Thursday night, do you think we can expect to see more, less, or about the same PT for Micah Parsons?

I would anticipate something similar, but 29 snaps in Week 1 was more than expected, so who knows.

Jeremy from Weston, WI

How long until we see Micah Parsons playing a full complement of defensive snaps?

Before last week, I would've guessed Week 4 or after the bye. Now I'm not so sure.

Ron from Buckeye, AZ

The real test of our defense is how they do when Parsons is not on the field.

When you watch the game film, there was plenty to like. As I mentioned on "Unscripted," the regular front four of Rashan Gary, Devonte Wyatt, Colby Wooden and Lukas Van Ness was highly disruptive. Wooden and Van Ness jumped off the screen time after time, and the other two had multiple big moments as well. Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker were flying around, all over the place. When they're free to run, their speed is mesmerizing. If that's just the start, sign me up for more.

Nolan from Barnum, MN

I saw the Cs on jerseys on Sunday. Jordan, Josh, Tucker Kraft, Xavier McKinney, and Rashan. Did I miss anyone else? I haven't seen a story or full list anywhere this year.

Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie also have them.

Thaddeus from La Jolla, CA

I know we are going to have a lot on the defense and offense. What about Daniel Whelan? 54.7-yard average?

That's called justifying a new contract, pronto.

Carl from Onalaska, WI

The weirdest part of the taunting crackdown is where did it come from? What coach, player or fan wants calls made like the one on McKinney? I just don't know where the NFL got the idea they needed more of those penalties.

It came from the league's image police.

Adam from Wausau, WI

Do you feel like this taunting emphasis could turn into what happened a couple of years ago, when we didn't know if it was a "gentle enough sack" or roughing the passer? I sure hope not. Unless a player is mocking (or spitting) directly to another player, let it go. Sticks and stones...

The inconsistency with these calls is just beginning. Brace yourselves.

Alan from Butternut, WI

I think the most surprising thing to me about the game was that our offense and defense both were more physical than what has been one of the most physical teams in the league under Dan Campbell. Do you think this is who we are, and that it will be the identity of this team?

I think that's what Gutey and LaFleur have been building toward for a few years. It doesn't happen overnight, and it's difficult to sustain (as the Lions just found out with so many changes in the trenches, as I noted in this space Monday). There's a reason LaFleur refers often to "style of play" in his press conferences. He's pushing for it to look a certain way on both sides of the ball.

Mike from Somerset, WI

I found it interesting that Darian Kinnard not Jordan Morgan replaced an injured Zach Tom at right tackle. I thought I would see 77 lining up only to be surprised by seeing a 70. It will be interesting to see who is in that spot Week 2 if Zach Tom can't go.

Morgan mostly practiced in camp at left tackle and right guard, as well as left guard when Aaron Banks was out, and that's where he stepped in Sunday. I don't know what the answers will be this week, but the Packers traded a draft pick for Kinnard for a reason. They wanted another experienced and versatile player, along with Morgan, for depth to give them options, and Kinnard jumped in there at right tackle just fine.

Kenneth from Lakeland, FL

There was a lot of substitutions on the offensive line. What was the official snap count for each OL player?

Rasheed Walker and Elgton Jenkins played all 48 snaps. Banks played 43 (he got rolled up on from behind on Jacobs' TD run), Sean Rhyan 33, Tom 30, Morgan 20, Kinnard 15 and Anthony Belton three.

Ky from Santa Cruz, CA

Strategy question from the Bills/Ravens: At the very end, the Ravens called their final TO on third down with 35 seconds left. If they had waited until say 17 seconds then the Bills (who were out of TOs) wouldn't have had time to fire-drill kick after another kneel. Harbaugh could've bought the Ravens a final play or two, no? Maybe 13 seconds?

That's a tricky question and a tough one to figure, but you Cali folks are all over it (Chase from Diamond Springs, I saw you, too). I honestly don't know what the right number is there. Maybe Harbaugh thought since they just brought in Prater a few days prior they wouldn't risk the fire drill and just kick it right away. But after what happened I'm sure he's got a number pegged now for when that situation comes up again.

Dave from Lake Zurich, IL

Announcer said the 41-40 score Sunday night was the first such score in NFL history.

Scorigami!

Sandy from Green Bay, WI

Good morning! Are field goal kickers kicking longer field goals successfully in recent years? It seems like there have been quite a few records set that seem like crazy long attempts.

It's definitely trending that way, and it could continue. I heard the league is now letting teams "work on" the K balls the way they work on the game balls. I'm not talking Deflategate stuff, but rubbing them up, breaking them in a bit, etc. The K balls aren't coming straight out of the box and plastic anymore.

Matt from Allouez, WI

Please tell me you haven't cancelled "What You Might've Missed."

Unfortunately we have. The piece lost its sponsorship, and it became too labor-intensive on the technical side for me to continue getting the assistance needed as department co-workers branch out to take on other duties. It was a great 13-year run for WYMM and I appreciate the audience it had. I'll still be watching the game film and sharing those observations where I can (mostly here), but as an old friend once said, "It's time to be new."

Theresa from Sylvania, OH

I loved the crazy stat column. The data geek in me thrives on those details. Can we count on this type of news addition every week?

We'll see where it goes. Thanks for checking it out.

Vern from Omaha, NE

Would love to keep soaking in the awesome Week 1 performance, but we gotta turn the page quickly. Given the way the schedule lay out, this feels like a must-win game to carry momentum forward into four of the next five on the road including an early bye, then later three of the last four games away from Lambeau Field. The schedule is going to be tough to navigate. What do you see as the most critical three- or four-game stretch?

Just beat the Commanders. That was too easy. I can't go all new. Happy Wednesday.

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