Andy from Cadillac, MI

I withdraw every complaint I ever had about Micah Parsons being held and no flag being thrown. Keep the flags. Give us back the knee.

You can only laugh or else you'd cry.

James from Appleton, WI

I'm not a doctor but I've seen a man play one on TV, and I think Micah Parsons is young enough that the time he isn't running while he rehabilitates won't markedly decrease his speed when he comes back. Also, he'll somehow be taller?

This sucks. I'd be lying if I wrote anything but. Micah Parsons was having an NFL Defensive Player of the Year-level debut with the Packers and it's over in the blink of an eye. It hurts, but it's also not over. The Packers didn't make the trade for Parsons with one season in mind. This move was made for 2025, 2026, 2027 and beyond. Parsons, who doesn't turn 27 until May, alluded to a "September" return in an X post on Monday. Micah Parsons is here for the long haul and, like his social media post said, he will rise again. I'm confident he will. If you need proof, look no further than Christian Watson.

Marteen from Reno, NV

I can't even imagine the plane ride back to Green Bay after the game. It was great to hear Watson could travel back with the team. This team has all the pieces and attitude to beat the Bears. Once treated for their injuries, are players allowed in meetings, practices to continue supporting the team? I can see Parsons in the defense training room helping in any way he could to continue to motivate this team. He made such an impact when he arrived. Time for coach to get creative. Go Pack, Go!

Yeah, and many players do their rehab at the team facility during the season. We'll have to see what Parsons' plan will be, but he can still make an impact on this team even if he isn't out there on gameday.

Michael from Independence, KY

I remember the 2010 season when the Packers had a ton of injuries and lost games that they probably should have won and barely snuck into the playoffs. Then they got hot and ran the table. Can they do it again this year? That is my hope and what I'm hanging my hat on. Go Pack Go!

The postgame locker room was understandably somber, but one quote stuck out to me. It came from a battered-and-bruised Josh Jacobs: "Any day could be anybody's game." It's true. This season has proved that whether it's Evan Williams, Kingsley Enagbare, Emanuel Wilson, or Dontayvion Wicks. Nobody can replace Parsons, and nobody will be asked to. However, the Packers had championship aspirations for this season prior to his stunning arrival. It won't be easy, but it must be done.

Morgan from Fort Collins, CO

What can you tell us about how the coaches' schedules all change when the injuries pile up like they did Sunday? I'm guessing the game planning takes a pretty serious turn for what a tough job with long hours is already.

What dictates if the Packers go "above the neck" with practices has more to do with the health of the active 53 than just the significant injuries the Packers sustained Sunday.

Steve from Crestwood, KY

If I hear Matt LaFleur say, "I should have given Jacobs the ball more," I'm going to explode. Just do it already!

You should've been in the locker room after the game. How Jacobs is doing this right now is beyond my understanding. The term "Warrior" doesn't even begin to cut it.

Lucas from Stevens Point, WI

Do you think Hafley will pick a player to try to replicate Micah Parsons as that "chess piece" for the defense? I think Quay Walker would be a great option, if so. While I don't think anyone except for Myles Garrett could replace Parsons, Quay has a similar body style and athletic profile. I've also seen him burst through the middle of the line on many occasions. We have the LB depth to support this with Edgerrin Cooper and Isaiah McDuffie as standard LBs and Quay as the chess piece.

The inside linebackers, as a unit, will need to take on a greater role in the pass rush whether it's with simulated pressures or blitz packages. Jeff Hafley spent the entire offseason building a defense without Parsons. He'll have to revisit those ideas once again. It could be Walker. It could be Cooper. It could be both. But I expect this adversity to bring out the best in Hafley's defense.

Phil from Los Angeles, CA

Caleb Williams almost beat us in Lambeau, in part because of his out-of-pocket play, particularly rolling to the right. Parsons hounded him all day but couldn't quite get home. How can the new-look pass rush keep him bottled up?

By rushing to contain, maintaining gap integrity and not allowing Williams to get past them. Williams is going to earn second chances with his feet. That's a spoiler, not a prediction. What the Packers' defense can't afford is giving him third and fourth chances to make a big play.

Al from Green Bay, WI

With emotions still raw from the injuries and irreplaceable loss of talent on Sunday, the team focus is now on Chicago. The division is still within GB's control. I expect to see inspired football the rest of the way as the wagons get circled. I'm saying we will see Lukas Van Ness step up big. Who else is on your radar?

Van Ness is a big part of it, but I've also been thinking about Brenton Cox Jr. for a while. The third-year vet provided a major lift during the second half of last year. Cox had seven quarterback hits and four sacks in just seven games. He's missed three months but his return window ends this week.

Rin from Wichita, KS

Hi everyone! No one can replace the motor that Micah Parsons provided but, I saw Collin Oliver working out at the joint practice in Indianapolis, is his speed equal to Micah's and do you think his activation will provide the Pack that DL off the DL tree that Vic used to talk about? I love your insight, keep up the good work.

It's difficult to say considering I've never seen Oliver in an 11-on-11 period, but opportunity is there. The same goes for rookie fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell. The Packers just lost an All-Pro pass rusher who's playing roughly 80% of the defensive snaps. Whoever wants the work, it's there for the taking.

James from Chippewa Falls, WI

I just want to give a shout out to the Packer fans at the game Sunday, they were heard. Do you think Matthew Golden can pick for Watson on the deep routes?

Reports appear promising on Watson's forecast. His dad even posted on X after the game that "'9' is fine." Green Bay needs Golden, too, though. Sunday showed the Packers can keep their entire playbook open with Golden on the field. Green Bay is gonna need its bevy of pass-catchers now more than ever.

Ben from North Garden, VA

Hey guys, tough loss (quite an understatement). I maintain that it wasn't the talent, or scheme, against the Broncos, but rather an issue of energy and injury. The energy, I'm referring to the crowd and the altitude. I believe that once that crowd gained momentum, as well as the inability to kick it into the next gear like the Broncos in the third and fourth, that is the change of the game. I think this game showed we have (healthy) the most talented roster in the NFL. I'm proud of these men.

I wouldn't disagree. Xavier McKinney complimented the Mile High crowd afterwards for their performance. Like Spoff and I talked about on the plane ride home, it's going to be tough for any AFC team to go in there and win if the Broncos do indeed secure home-field advantage.

Bryan from West Salem, WI

One way to defend against an elite pass rush is to successfully run the ball, is it not? And, against a team like Denver that we all acknowledge are hard to put away, wouldn't it also make sense to kill as much clock as possible, and letting your defense rest, rather than take such a big risk? I don't want to pretend like I know what I'm talking about here but that just didn't make sense to me at all in the moment and still doesn't now. Got greedy and it bit us this time.

Spoff offered a superb answer to this question Monday. Explosive plays are the Packers' bread-and-butter. With all the coverage breakdowns Denver had through the first 35 minutes, LaFleur wanted to attack a reeling defense. Also keep in mind Green Bay didn't know who all would be available in the backfield all week. Josh Jacobs was already banged up, MarShawn Lloyd didn't practice Friday and Emanuel Wilson was added to the injury report Saturday with an illness. You can't exactly tailor your game plan to 30-plus run plays under those circumstances. The Packers danced with the girl that brung 'em and it didn't work out. Period.

Paul from Green Bay, WI

It is depressing to think about the number of INT opportunities the Packers don't capitalize on. That depression was magnified in Denver when I watched the opposing defense make the plays the Packers routinely don't. Do the Packers lack true playmakers on the back end? If not, why, more often than not, do they fail to make the plays afforded them?

They have the playmakers to do it, but the takeaways haven't happened with enough regularity. That and the red-zone defense are two areas Green Bay has struggled with this year, and both factored into the loss Sunday.

Dave from Phoenix, AZ

Was at the game on Sunday and one of the things I noticed was how well Bo Nix threw the ball, was very impressed. He seemed to place it exactly where he wanted (most of the time) and/or hit his guys in stride while Jordan Love seemed to struggle with his placement. A couple of times, guys were open and had a chance for YAC but had to reach behind or alter their route just to make the catch, thus killing their momentum. Will need to clean that up a bit and props to Denver, their fans brought it! GPG

That needs to be Green Bay's biggest takeaway from this game. That's probably the most complete team the Packers have played this season in all three phases. Like we talked about, Nix was going to give the Packers some opps. They did not take advantage of them.

Randall from Germany

What is it with the constant, season-ending ACL tears? Is the modern game just too strenuous?

NFL teams average roughly two per season. Unfortunately for the Packers, it affected two of their best players on the entire roster.

Scott from Palos Park, IL

I'm going to go out on a limb and state that being 1-for-4 the red zone is not something you want to repeat if you can help it. Also, I take exception to one of Mike's responses on Monday: I think a little song from the coach would be nice.

Independent of the injuries, that was my primary takeaway from Sunday's game. When the Packers play premier competition, they can't leave points on the board. Green Bay scored on its first five possessions but tallied only 23 points.

James from Fairview Heights, IL

Why do the Packers always play the Broncos on the road? It reminds me of Green Bay always playing the Cowboys in Dallas.

It's because of the NFL's antiquated way of scheduling the 17th game. Since it makes no sense for there to be a 17th game in the first place, the league resorted to scheduling a rotational cross-conference game against a team that finished in the same position in its division the previous year. Because the NFL tried to force feed us Mahomes-Rodgers in 2021, the AFC West was up again this year. Finally, because the league is using a true rotation instead of snaking the rotation, the Packers will always travel to face the AFC West and North every four years and host the AFC East and South in these games. Green Bay hosts the Broncos in 2027 as part of the traditional AFC West division rotation.

Ed from Minneapolis, MN

Hey gents, I don't follow the Bears. Have they put anything new on film in the past week?

Respectfully, I don't know if there's anything to be gleaned from that game against Cleveland other than Chicago handling the cold weather brilliantly and the Browns looking like an absolute mess. Saturday night's game feels like Game 2 of a possible best-of-three.

Chuck from Winthrop Harbor, IL

What's with the 12 men on the field penalty, do we not get time to substitute on defense when the offense substitute?

Defenses get a "reasonable" amount of time to match substitutes. The official will usually stand on the ball for a few seconds. Green Bay just ran out of time to get somebody down the field.

Jennifer from Middleton, WI

Hi Wes, my deep thought...Think of the collective number of hours in the building put toward this thing by hundreds of people. The missed hours of sleep. The time away from families. The physical workouts. The treatments and dedication to recovery. The discipline to eat and drink right. The never-ending grind and inability to exhale. All of it to get us here. We are all feeling sick. But no one feels worse than the team. Yet, luckily, they are also programmed for resilience. Let's go boys.

The Packers have worked eight months to be in position to compete for a championship. Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft, Elgton Jenkins, and Devonte Wyatt all did their part to help Green Bay get to this point. Those left standing must keep perspective and finish strong for them.

Rob from Louisville, CO

That was my first NFL game, and I have to say I was not prepared for the level of crowd noise. Was that normal, or did they really bring it? P.S. After wearing my lucky Spoffkiewicz jersey to the pep rally, I converted it back to Jordy Nelson for the game. Hope I didn't jinx you guys.

That made my weekend, Rob. Thanks for coming out to the pep rally and bringing a smile to our faces.

Shilo from Wildomar, CA

That must have been a tough game to be at, but I still hope you had a happy birthday, Wes!

Any birthday is a great day. An unfortunate result and even more disappointing on the injury front, but I'm grateful for wonderful family, friends and all of you here in Inbox. It's a new week and a chance to rewrite a few narratives.

Dyson from Austin, TX

Hey Wes, during the second half of the game, we should've hit the power button, ejected the game cartridge, blown the injury dust off, and put the game cartridge back in. Moving forward, just beat Chicago!

The beat goes on.

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