Rachel from Minneapolis, MN
I may not be superstitious but I am a little stitious. Glad fans aren't the only ones. I'm okay if we don't go on to Cincinnati for a good, long while.
Nicely done.
Aaron from Scottsdale, AZ
You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop: Cincinnati, OH.
I totally jinxed it early last week when I asked for sanity in the 'Nati this time. How foolish. Get your tickets now for 2029 because it's gonna be a doozy.
Dave from Bentonville, AR
Ain't nothing easy in this league, is there?
Even if the Packers hadn't given up the long TD at the end of the first half, I would've said that game was going down to the wire. As I pointed out in my game recap, the thing to remember as a Packers fan is all the big-time, clutch plays the Packers made to give themselves those game-winning chances.
Curt from Oronoco, MN
Dang. My first thought at the end was, those II boys deserved to be present for such a day as this.
In all honesty, I think it would've been tough to concentrate on work on the bus and plane rides with all the noise I assume was part and parcel of the postgame travel.
Rafal from Zielona Gora, Poland
Everyone deserves a second chance. And the third. And sometimes even a fourth. Have you ever seen the weirder 10-11 minutes performed by kickers?
Absolutely, positively not, nor have I ever seen your location arrive in the Inbox, if it's real. The stretch run in that game felt rather unreal.
Kate from Ravena, NY
Not a question, I just wanted to send some love to Mason Crosby. As someone who stood in the front row for this game proudly wearing my Crosby jersey, I heard a lot of unsolicited comments during the game. But, it's funny how some people talk trash about him for every missed kick and then suddenly shut up when he kicks the game-winner in OT. An off day, yes, but he's still Mason and he still has ice in his veins. I know he'll easily shake this one off and be back to his usual self next week.
It takes some guts to look at your coach when he specifically walks over to ask you and not give off any air of doubt. We all know Crosby is mentally tough enough to move forward, even if he had to wait another game for his redemption.
Jessi from Sterling, KS
Wild. Absolutely wild. It's not over till it's OVER. But really, when did you think it was over?
I was convinced Crosby was going to make the 51-yarder on the final play of regulation. The completion to Davante Adams, the spike, the distance … all exactly like San Fran two weeks ago. And he absolutely crushed that kick, but it barely slid outside the upright. He was as shocked that he missed as McPherson was about his own in OT. It's just a funny game sometimes. Or all the time.
Simon from Baltimore, MD
Glad the Pack pulled out the W in the end, but boy, there is going to be a LOT to go over and clean up in the film from that game!
No doubt. The Packers left a lot out there, and not just the field goals. But the Bengals are darn good, too. More games like that (well, maybe not QUITE like that) are coming down the road.
Steve from Colorado Springs, CO
Not really a comment, more of a question. Did someone not calibrate the laser goal posts?
I was really hoping when McPherson's OT kick clipped the flag at the top of the upright, the ball was just going to vanish.
Jerry from Mesa, AZ
Last week the network screwed me out of the first quarter. This week they cut away with 2 minutes left in OT. So did anything exciting happen after that?
Moral of the story: Never abandon the blog. I won't cut away unless and until the game is decided.
Valerie from Toluca, IL
Nice pictures of players' lockers at Cincinnati. Does equipment staff head to out-of-town games earlier than team to have uniforms, etc., in place then team arrives? Either that or a super early trip to opponent stadium. Appreciate all your input.
The equipment staff flies with the team. Depending on the trip, sometimes they go to the stadium as soon as the team gets to the hotel to set up the locker room. Other times they just go earlier on game day than the team buses.
Richard from Madison, WI
What did you think of those defensive masterpieces in the college game on Saturday? Texas A&M 41, Alabama 38; Mississippi 52, Arkansas 51; Oklahoma 55, Texas 48. Where will the NFL be getting its linebackers and secondary players from next year?
From some of those teams, I'm sure. But the NFL doesn't draft entire defenses, just the best individual players. Many college programs have been putting the majority of their better athletes on offense for a long time now.
Braden from Arcanum, OH
What a game! Huge fan in Ohio and this was the first time seeing the Packers in person. A couple observations I made…1. Stokes is the real deal. Ja'Marr Chase made a couple of great catches with stokes in coverage, but Eric Stokes did a great job not giving him space. 2. Being a defensive coordinator in the NFL is crazy difficult. NFL offenses are more creative and diverse than ever. To have to guard four receivers and then worry about a block and release from a RB/TE is just nuts. Kudos to Joe Barry.
Worthwhile sentiments to be sure. Stokes' tackling is a tad inconsistent, but there's way more to like than not with his game. I saw more strides from Barry's defense, and it was a solid first effort without Jaire Alexander. Plenty of work to do yet, but another step forward in my book.
Carmen from Trimbach, Switzerland
Good morning. I seem to recall the 2019 Packers defense was pretty good in the red zone. They obviously aren't this year. Can you tell what they're doing differently? Thank you for all you do and for sanity in your coverage...even if it couldn't be found in that last game.
I wish I knew the answer to that. I'm sure Joe Barry does, too. They just haven't made it tough enough for teams to score when they get close, and that's the biggest thing missing with this defense for all the growth it's shown through five games.
James from Ottawa, Canada
Morning, guys! Russell Wilson's injury officially ends his consecutive regular-season starts at 149 games – or 10 years without missing a game. Just an incredible feat. When you compare it to Brett Favre who made 297 consecutive regular-season starts – or 18 years(!) – it makes what Favre did even more miraculous. Especially when less emphasis was put on QB safety back then. Is it realistic for a QB to even make 200 consecutive starts anymore, let alone hone in on 300?
I think it's more realistic now as the rules continue to evolve, but it'll still be an incredible feat. Philip Rivers just ended his career with 240 straight starts (252 including playoffs). I wouldn't rule it out.
Izzi from Raleigh, NC
Two quick questions: Where would we be without De'Vondre Campbell? And where would we be without Adam Stenavich?
The signing of Campbell is the personnel move of the year for this team, as far as I'm concerned. He's made an incredible difference in the middle of this defense. With Stenavich, it's impossible to be surprised after what his unit endured last year, but you extend kudos nonetheless.
Cindy from Mesa, AZ
Good morning! In a recent interview Campbell said that on other teams, he played Robin to others' Batman. Would you say this is due more to the scheme or the personnel on the Packers vs. other teams?
Personnel. I heard that comment too and found it rather intriguing.
Jeff from Vandenberg SFB, CA
25-22 is an unusual score and two games on Sunday finished with that score. Wonder if that's ever happened before?
So much weirdness Sunday. The Lions went for two and the lead with less than a minute left, got it, and lost anyway. Lightning on Sunday night. And then there was also …
Gerbie from Elk Mound, WI
Chargers v. Browns. Have you ever seen a defense intentionally pull a running back over the goal line forcing a score? That was a game that saw our crazy and said, "Hold my beer."
After a long, wild day, that made me laugh.
Michael from Madison, WI
First time ever 300-yard passer, 200-yard receiver and 100-yard rusher in one game. How do you like them apples?
Anytime there's a statistical "first" for a team that's been around as long as the Packers, you take notice. Still hard to believe a 59-yard pass to Adams and 57-yard run by Jones produced a total of three points, though.
Tony from Merrill, WI
Can we just call this win a character-building win?
For me that was two weeks ago. This one was really a sigh of relief, frankly. I thought the Packers were the better team for a large portion of the game. Offensively, Rodgers & Co. were insanely good in the red zone last year, and that's left them this year. They have to get that back.
Troy from Ninety Six, SC
I'm curious if you know the origin of the term "Cardiac Pack"? Thinking this year's team may be the resurrection.
I recall that from the 1989 team that started the season with four straight games decided by three points or less, and then had five more as the year continued. Two out of five so far this year doesn't come close, but I guess we'll see.
Sonia from Fairbanks, AK
Just a thank you Wes for the book recommendation. "Bottom of the 33rd" was a perfect read for my favorite sports time of year, when baseball's fall classic overlaps with the beginning of the NFL. The back stories of the players in those two Triple-A ball clubs, their efforts to get those few coveted spots to the show, the wives, girlfriends, owners, managers, bat boys, announcers…a classic. Good luck to your Brewers.
I actually recommended the book, but glad you enjoyed it regardless. I wanted to read it because I saw that Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken had both played in that marathon game, but I enjoyed way more of everything in the book that wasn't about the future Hall of Famers.
Tyler from Grantsburg, WI
Adams stunningly had 206 receiving yards yesterday, which from what I've been able to uncover would rank seventh in Packers history for receiving yards in a single game. Can you fact-check this to see if it's accurate? What an accomplishment by Adams!
It's actually tied for eighth. Here's the list: 257 (Howton), 237 (Hutson), 229 (Beebe), 209 (Hutson, Nelson), 207 (Hutson twice), 206 (Lofton, Adams). When he had three guys chasing him on that deep ball, I decided there's officially nothing he can't do.
Kevin from Jenison, MI
Note to O coordinators, stop having your young QBs be out there running like a running back! Joe Burrow, Justin Fields, and Daniel Jones all injured to a certain degree while running. I don't understand putting "the franchise" in such a dangerous position.
Trey Lance, too. Did you see that hit he took at the goal line? Those plays on which they're getting drilled aren't necessarily calls by the coaches, though. Young QBs have to learn how to protect themselves while trying to make things happen.
Jim from St. Petersburg, FL
Is that the first time Derek and Dean had essentially the same line in their poems?
Never question the forces of the universe, or of the Inbox.
Rich from Hayward, WI
"Unfortunately, Spoff and I have to dress ourselves." Gentleman, that has been evident from the get-go.
I read this to Wes. His response: "That's fair."
Mark from Charlotte, VT
So, was that more of the romance of football?
No, that was the absurdity. But either is immensely entertaining.
Austin from London, UK
And I'm spent!
Ditto. Happy Monday.
