Greg from Perkasie, PA

Best word to summarize the Packers season so far? Frustrating.

I get it wasn't the most satisfying win, but Thursday games are never the cleanest nor smoothest. Take the dub and move on.

James from Austin, TX

Who else felt like they were watching an episode of "Monday Night Raw" seeing Christian Watson come out of the ambulance and run back to the ring, I mean field? I could just hear good ol' J.R. screaming "HE'S HERE! CHRISTIAN WATSON IS HERE!"

Wes is the WWE guy, not me, but I don't think I've ever seen a player leave the stadium in an ambulance and come back to finish the game. That's a new one.

Brian from Urbana, IL

I get that MVP voting is all borked because it always goes the most impressive instead of the most valuable, but Jordan Love puts this team on his back week after week and at some point one would hope that effort is rewarded with something tangible (aside, I guess, from a lucrative contract).

What he's done to get this team to 5-3 amidst the inconsistent pass protection and absence of a running game is truly impressive. The offense is way too reliant on him, though. That has to change, and pronto, because more balance will be needed against the better defenses the Packers will soon be facing.

Paul from Farnborough, UK

Hi Wes/Spoff, the lack of a running game is going to hurt us more and more as the season ramps up. I always thought Josh Jacobs was an average RB and the others just aren't good enough. I do not care who is great in the locker room or a great team guy, just get somebody in who can run up the field reliably and add a potent weapon to an offense that will come more alive as the season progresses.

Jacobs isn't fully back in form yet, in my opinion, though there was a flash of it with his footwork on that short TD run. But there are just too many run plays getting blown up at the point of attack, and I agree, it's going to hinder the offense the longer it continues. I don't like to write Debbie Downer columns after a win, but I had to focus my Rapid Reaction piece on the lack of a ground game, because it's the biggest thing holding this team back.

Josh from Playa Majagual, Nicaragua

26 carries for only 66 yards against the worst rushing defense in the league. How should we expect a better result going forward if that's all we could muster?

Good question. I don't have an answer.

T from Cedar Falls, IA

Coleman Owen, Trey Smack, Matthew Golden, and even Watson, the five-letter word for this game was T-R-U-S-T.

And it was rewarded.

Ed from Mundelein, IL

As a manager/director in my professional career, I've always admired LaFleur for his leadership. This game was a great example of great leadership when it came to inconsistency. Owen fumbles the kickoff and he's there for the next return. Smack misses the first point after and he comes through on the next. Golden drops that right side end zone shot and scores the next play. Keep going back to them and keep the confidence up. They're not perfect (who is?), but I love this team.

I'll be the first to admit I wouldn't have the patience for the gig.

Jessi from Sterling, KS

This team is good at giving anxiety! But, Ty'Ron Hopper?! Wowza, talk about stepping up.

Hopper put on a show. He's coming into his own. The convergence of development and opportunity is on display.

Butch from Donna, TX

Great win! Six sacks? Hurry up No.1…

I love Gannon's creative pass-rush plans. He keeps offenses guessing and that hesitation more often than not creates a free runner at the QB out of a blitz look, even when the offense has enough blockers to handle it. Fun stuff.

Luke from Fargo, ND

The dentist will see you now.

Somehow Dani Dennis-Sutton is the guy the Panthers kept forgetting to block in some of those blitz looks. It was amazing how many times he was in a dead sprint going after Bryce Young.

Eric from Westerville, OH

The illegal linemen downfield on the Tucker Kraft 20-yard screen that could have helped ice the game, why does that rule exist? It seems like one of the calls that could be made on a lot of plays but it's not called, amirite? I felt for Kraft on that one, play called back for something that had no difference on the outcome. Rough call. Luckily the defense stepped up and held them on fourth on the following drive. I love this team! Thanks Mike and Wes for giving us access and insight through II.

It's one of the few rules that keeps it fair for the defense, which isn't required to decipher who's an eligible receiver downfield and who's not. If you aren't an eligible receiver, you aren't allowed to be more than a yard downfield until the ball is thrown. It's not complicated, and not following the rule is just a result of poor timing/execution.

Marty from Rancho Cordova, CA

Watching the game, I had the feeling that the NFL Oracle had a conversation with the zebras before this game. Am I the only one that felt that?

No, that's a common sentiment in the Inbox. I certainly expected Scott Novak's crew to throw more flags, but lo and behold they let the players decide the game.

Mike from Geneva, IL

I submitted this on the live chat, but it wasn't posted. Last week's officiating crew was reassigned from this Sunday night's game. It sounds like the NFL is admitting they made mistakes and are being punished without saying it officially.

I mentioned it during the brief pregame portion of the live blog. Clearly the league doesn't want a storyline in a primetime standalone game to be Alex Moore's crew after that nationally televised disaster last Sunday. Embarrassing CYA move.

Dave from Comer, GA

Question regarding Carolina's decision to go for two on their last TD. Would it not make more sense to kick the PAT and go for the win on the next score? Missing that conversion forces you to go for two just to tie. No chance to win. Am I missing something?

I don't fully understand it, but it's the common strategy now when down by 14 points, going for two on the first TD. I guess the thinking is if you get it, you're going for the win on the next drive, but if you don't, you can still tie the game with another try for two later.

Aaron from Portland, OR

It's a short week, and GB doesn't have a traditional bye due to the Thanksgiving Eve game at LAR. However, in an odd scheduling quirk I haven't seen before, after the home against Carolina, these are the following days between games for the next few weeks: 10, 7, 10, 11. That's a nice stretch where the players get a mini-bye three times interspersed with four games. That bodes well for getting and keeping guys healthy, barring the serious injuries. Can't hurt for Micah Parsons's return.

Indubitably.

Laurent from Canada

A win feels good, especially going into a mini-bye. However, we still haven't fixed any of our issues. Dropped passes, special teams problems, poor running game, inability to close game and a few silly penalties. At least our defense is solid and we were able to bounce back from a horrible start, but this team needs to learn how to get out of its own way and give itself a better chance to win games. This game was a loss against a better team or on the road.

No argument there. Again, I don't make overarching judgments from Thursday games, because that one a month ago didn't resemble the Packers at all. But the issues you outlined continue to show up. Maybe the extra rest coming over the next month, as noted above, will help in some way. We'll see.

Pat from Peoria, IL

Wow! Enough cannot be said about Brandon Cisse! On second down just before half the Panthers were trying to steal some points and they took about a 15-yard shot at T-Mac and Big C was man-on-man and he never turned his head once! He just read T-Mac's eyes and waited for his reaction before he reacted! Just wow!

The young man can play.

Dave from Middletown, CT

I enjoyed Mike’s story on Cisse and have been extremely impressed with Cisse's play to this point. Rules question regarding his push-the-receiver-out-of-bounds-before-he-lands play: If the receiver were a yard shallower in the end zone, could Cisse have caught him around the legs and effectively carried him out of bounds?

I don't believe so. Catch-and-carry would give the officials the latitude to rule him in bounds.

Johnny from Davis, CA

Now that the Bears have added a stud in Simmons on the DL and the Seahawks have added a great OL in Nelson, is it time for the Packers to make a move. If the goal is to get the 7th seed, then stay status quo. For me, there seems to be a huge talent gap between the Packers and the top three or four teams in the NFC. You have to play to win every year, this year is no different. Draft choices are not going to make you competitive this year.

14 months ago the Packers traded two first-round picks for a future Hall of Famer and the top defensive star in the game, and handed him a record-setting contract. If you think the Packers can sacrifice significant draft capital and/or cap resources on an annual basis just because some of their best players (Parsons, Zach Bako-Bewele, Edgerrin Cooper, Jayden Reed) are injured, to steal a line from John Smoltz, you're living in la-la land.

Tristin from Morristown, TN

Hey Mike/Wes, about Micah... I know this subject has been tiring, but if Parsons were to return to practice next week, how likely is it he plays Week 9, or 10, kind of as a soft launch to get him back on his feet?

I have no idea. I don't know what the plan is for Parsons and haven't known all along.

Chuck from St. Augustine, FL

Why don't the Packers open up Lambeau Field on game days when we are out of town so that Packer fans can enjoy a watch party? The Brewers just did it again (Wednesday) night. We could have 30K fans there and people who maybe can't afford a game ticket could experience the excitement and the bonding that our stadium delivers.

NFL broadcast rules prohibit teams from hosting stadium-sized watch parties. That's why nobody does it, not just the Packers.

Thomas from Gold Canyon, AZ

Sal Frelick did a Lambeau Leap. How cool is that!?

Seeing that trophy come out of the tunnel was a really neat moment.

Mike from Winchester, TN

Hi Mike, I'm so happy for the Brewers, their loyal fans and yourself. Congratulations! Any tears of joy fall at the Spoffords'?

There's no crying in baseball, nor at the Spofford household over the game of baseball. Just pure joy to see a lifelong desire realized and a month of intense, daily anxiety released.

Thomas from Folsom, CA

Last night after winning the World Series, Christian Yelich said when asked about the team culture that when you set a standard, the culture will follow. I may have that wrong but I think it was something to that effect. Good advice for the Packers I'd think. Am I wrong? Thank you. Love the Inbox.

That's exactly what he said. The standard comes first, and the culture stems in part from holding one another accountable to the standard. It's the ideal way for any sports team to operate, but it isn't as easy to implement as it sounds.

Rob from Hartland, WI

If after the Packers won the Super Bowl in 2011, someone told you that the Bucks and Brewers would win championships before the Packers would even make it to the Super Bowl again, would you have believed them?

The Brewers I might've believed, because in the fall of '11 they came within two wins of making it to the World Series and that homegrown group of position players with some savvy pitching acquisitions was peaking. But then they went through another dip. With the Bucks, Giannis didn't become an All-Star until 2017, so definitely would've said no there.

Randall from Grand Junction, CO

Mike, congratulations to the Brewers. Cap or not to cap is the question?

I'll let the players and owners duke that one out. I'm not holding my breath for meaningful change to the economic structure of the sport, but maybe I'll be surprised.

Riley from Manassas, VA

I just ordered a drone off Amazon to get us free timeouts whenever we want. Could you pass my phone number along to LaFleur?

And with that I need to start my weekend.

Larry from Woodridge, IL

I wasn't able to catch your game cast and the broadcasters didn't follow up. Was the drone over Lambeau shot down by the laser goal posts?

Happy Friday.

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