Inbox: Success needs to prove it can travel

Matt from Waunakee, WI

Would be nice if the Brewers could play one game above .500 the rest of the year.

Works for me.

Gary from Davenport, IA

Did you know that the 2026 Packers are the third team in NFL history to have a winning record after the first six games of a season without having a single player rush for 50 yards in a game? The other two teams are the 1935 Packers and the 1941 Packers.

I did hear that. Hopefully the 50-yard individual and 100-yard team milestones get eclipsed soon with the running game.

Sean from Chicago, IL

Good morning Insiders. The Lions lead the league in sacks (before TNF) with the bye week included. They're also leading the league in pass yards allowed per game. The ultimate feast or famine defense. It'll be imperative that the offense take advantage when opportunities arise.

The protection for Jordan Love will determine how Green Bay's day goes offensively.

Markus from Aurora, CO

Insiders, what should I look out for on Sunday against the Lions?

That offense and its weapons. Gibbs is on pace for a 1,500-yard rushing, 20-TD season, plus another 750 yards in receptions. Goff hasn't thrown an interception yet with a passer rating of 111.3. St. Brown is doing his thing, while Williams and TeSlaa are together averaging 17 yards per catch. No tougher measuring stick for Gannon's defense than this bunch.

Scott from Palos Park, IL

Gibbs is obviously a huge challenge due to his skill sets. He is averaging over five catches a game, so he is a threat on passing downs as well. His ability in space makes him a real threat on third-and-medium situations. Does this potentially lead to more zone coverage to keep more eyes on the ball so the back end can rally to the ball on the checkdowns?

Sure. The Packers play more zone than man anyway. But you bring up a good point about checkdowns, because Goff won't hesitate to dump it to Gibbs on third-and-8, figuring if he can get it to fourth-and-2 they'll probably just go for it.

Tallon from Castle Rock, CO

The Lions' primary receiving weapon is St. Brown, who from my knowledge plays almost fully in the slot. With him being a slot guy, who do we normally have cover him and how have we performed at covering him in the past?

Javon Bullard could get a healthy dose of St. Brown in the slot, but I could see other matchups taking place, too. In nine games against the Packers, St. Brown has topped 60 receiving yards only twice, though in two of those under-60 games he found the end zone.

Patrick from Paducah, KY

Our last win in Detroit was a result of leading in nearly every offensive category while converting on some huge fourth downs. Is the key this week to replicate a similar offensive performance or is the defensive play going to be even more vital to securing a win on the road?

Well, the last three trips to Ford Field, the Packers won when the defense held the Lions to 24 and 22 points (Thanksgivings of '23 and '25, with the defense scoring its own TD in '23), and they lost when Detroit scored 34 (TNF in '24). Green Bay's scoring output in those games was 31, 31 and 29.

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John from Stevens Point, WI

Why have the Lions seemingly slipped the past couple of seasons? They were rolling, the talk of the NFL a couple of years ago. Now? They seemed to have dropped to NFL mediocrity. Is their fall a cautionary tale for other NFL teams, including the Packers?

I wouldn't say they've dropped to mediocrity just because they missed the playoffs last year. This is still a team to be reckoned with. That said, they're one of many examples of how difficult it is to win consistently, and how tough it can be when playoff opportunities get away. They've had a ton of turnover on their offensive line, and their defense has fallen off where it was at the end of the '23 season. Nobody stays the same in this league.

Jake from Madison, WI

Mike, how are we supposed to root for an organization that has basically ignored the off-the-field issues of one of its star players? How are we supposed to take them seriously when they talk about "character" and "doing things the right way" when they simply slot that player right back into his regular role like nothing happened? Winning isn't everything. And I'm disappointed that this organization seems to think so.

You're not alone in how you feel. I posted your submission to acknowledge this segment of the fan base and its sentiments. How the fans feel about this is their own business. I will only say that I would not want to be judged based on my worst moment.

Chase from Diamond Springs, CA

When there's a new QB or offensive coach that has early-season success, one test is whether they can continue to produce once there's been enough tape for the defenses to study. How true is that for a defense like ours this year? I know with Xavier McKinney they stopped throwing the ball in his direction, but now we have so much talent that's matured that it's not that simple. Obviously Gannon needs to have a plan that puts these guys in a place to succeed, but I imagine that's second to instincts.

Gannon talked the other day about letting his guys play "fast and free," and not overloading them mentally. There's a lot to be said for that, because thinking hinders instincts and slows down reaction time. Yes, schematics and dialing up certain X's and O's are involved, and opponents will be mining the film for where the weaknesses are in certain calls. But his guys know where they are, too, and can adjust as needed thanks to not being mentally bogged down. All that said, it still comes down to playing fundamentally sound across the board, and this defense has failed in that regard only once this season.

Mike from Novato, CA

As you mentioned, Gannon didn't let up on the pressure at all during the game, even in the "prevent" defense towards the end of the game. Then it hit me; he can do that because we might have the best 2-3 safety combo in the NFL with regard to being assignment sure. You can keep firing if you're confident you won't have a rupture on the back end. Throw in an underrated Keisean Nixon and an improving Brandon Cisse, and you have to be impressed with Gannon working with his "no scheme."

That sounds like a version of playing to the strengths of your players. Gannon has spent six real games now learning what his guys do best, while adjusting to the losses of Edgerrin Cooper and Javon Hargrave (plus other shorter-term injuries) and choosing the most effective ways, week by week, to attack certain foes. As I said the other day regarding the offense, success needs to prove it can travel as the opponents get better and the circumstances harder.

John from Portland, OR

Good morning. It seems (to my eyes anyway) that Tucker Kraft still has not reached his pre-injury level of play. Should that be a cautionary tale for all of us in terms of how much we should expect from Micah Parsons in his first few weeks back?

You answered your own question.

Bob from Rome, NY

Gentlemen, was there any postgame discussion about Christian Watson not down by contact, getting up and taking a few steps, then stopping? By him stopping was there a whistle? Thank you and GPG!

Apparently the official came in from the side asking for the ball, and Watson responded to him instead of just running to the end zone. There was no whistle as far as I know.

Wilbur from Boise, ID

I have Jordan Love on my fantasy team and noticed after the first drive against Dallas, he had registered 109 yards passing and a TD. I assume that is accurate because they had negative run plays and penalties, but it's wild to throw for 109 yards on a 90-yard drive. Is that a record for most passing yards on a single drive?

No. Mahomes had 116 passing yards on one drive in 2019. For the record, in the 2015 NFC Divisional playoff at Arizona, Rodgers threw for 101 yards (on two completions, both to Jeff Janis) on an 86-yard TD drive.

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Mark from Ada, OK

I must confess, after watching Rodgers out there for the most of my adult life, I still get shocked whenever Love throws an interception. It's like my brain forgot, somehow, that picks are a normal and frequent part of the game. Of course, 10 just lets it roll right off his back. A task that has to be made immeasurably easier when his defense picks him up like that.

It's a team game. But I continue to marvel at how nothing seems to fluster Love out there, whether it's a pick, a sack, a drop, a big hit … he's so emotionally stable when it's not easy to be.

Richard from Telford, TN

Killing time before going to bed watching Delaware vs. Missouri State. Delaware has a kicker named Tucker Smack. Coincidence, or is he Trey Smack's brother?

He is Trey's brother, but boy, if Delaware vs. Missouri State isn't a cure for insomnia, I don't know what is.

Ken from New York, NY

What are your thoughts about Jalen Hurts? That is scary s***. I'm still processing the idea that something could have gone very wrong during a game before the Eagles even knew the extent of the problem.

Me, too. Scary indeed. I just hope Hurts can get his health back, whatever the rest of his future holds.

Jim from Olympia, WA

How many roughing the passer calls have been called on the Packers this season and how many have been called on Packer opponents?

6-0.

Ben from Oakland, CA

There's been a lot of conversation around RTP after a slew of questionable calls this past week. I haven't heard anyone talk about a solution similar to how the NFL addressed punters. Namely, have two separate penalties: Running into the passer and roughing the passer. Your thoughts on if you think we could ever see this coming to fruition? Or would it be too hard to define running into the passer?

It's an interesting theory, but I don't think it's practical. A punter is protected from all contact, unless a rusher is blocked into him. There is legal contact on a QB after he releases the ball, so the type of distinction you suggest would lend itself toward a flag of some sort every time the QB gets touched after throwing the ball. Facetiously, we all say that's happening anyway, but it's really not.

Sean from Boulder, CO

As long as the aim is to protect QBs, there is going to be some overreach on roughing calls. I'm okay with that but given what we see with ABS, why not do a quick 10-second eye in the sky review as it would ease the angst towards the refs and fans would have an easier time accepting the outcome? It's a subjective call anyway but 15 yards is a massive punishment for a miscall compared to a ball or strike. In the end, player safety or not, the fans, I think, just want the right call made.

Preaching to the choir, Sean.

Will from Morris, IL

It seems you're well past blue in the face and deep into indigo.

I shared various thoughts about the officiating in my mid-week chat, so I'll direct readers there if they want more.

Shannon from Ovilla, TX

44 years of waiting ends tonight. The series schedule works great with the Packers' schedule over the next week. While I am thrilled with the Brewers and believe they will win, I am not sure how I would handle the opposite outcome. I remember crying as an 11-year-old when they lost in '82 and so badly want this team to win for themselves but also the fans. What are your thoughts and how will you be watching Mike? GPG and Go Brewers!

I'm off to Milwaukee this afternoon for Game 1, but I'll be back in time to catch the team flight to Detroit on Saturday and will be watching Game 2 from my hotel room.

Kevin from Indianapolis, IN

I am really enjoying this season. We're seeing Gutey and MLF earn their money in real time with the adjustments they are making based on the adversity we've faced. The bet we made on Golden by clearing the path to more opportunities is paying off in spades. The secondary has an edge to them that is palpable and exciting. It's nice to have years where the wins come fast and easy, but this kind of season builds a team ready to complete at the end of the season.

Happy Friday.

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