Bones from Ripon, WI
Wes said the Packers had one goal this weekend: rest, recover and reload. I know there is no math in the Inbox, but I believe that's three goals.
And we're off, so we might as well get going.
Paul from Palm Desert, CA
Vikings stink.
Lotta season left, but that was a game the Vikings simply couldn't afford to lose at home. Hats off to Cooper Rush and the Cowboys, who proved they're going to be in this thing for the duration.
Brad from Northport, MI
Greetings Mike & Wes. I promise I'm not chortling but more curious as to when the last time was that an NFC North team had a 3-4 game lead near the halfway point of the season? On to KC!
I'm the last person who's going to have a database on the history of division leads after eight games. But the Packers obviously are in an enviable position and now must take full advantage. Don't let anyone else in the division think they have a chance.
Gordon from Newport Beach, CA
Mike, NFC: 'Cream rising to the top' or 'most of the milk curdling'?
I see a bunch of quality teams in each other's whey (sorry, I'll see myself out). There are five teams in the NFC with six or more wins, and they have six losses among them. Four of those six losses are to one another, and the other two are to New Orleans, who's 5-2. Buckle up, folks, November football is here.
Mark from Ocala, FL
Good morning II. Just a celebratory comment. With the Packers showing the way, the Badgers played with the same determination and desire to upset a rested Iowa team. Bucky can play ball also. Congratulations to the Badgers, and stay the course Green Bay. GO PACK GO
I took advantage of the weekend off to go to Madison and take in the Wisconsin-Iowa game. It was a real treat to see that Badgers defense in person. Wowza.
Wags from Marinette, WI
What are the keys to beating KC?
The first one that comes to mind for me is to score and don't stop. The Chiefs have had a hard time stopping people thus far, and if the Packers bring their best brand of balanced efficiency to Arrowhead, they can put the onus on Mahomes to keep up.
Joshua from Houston, TX
I hope our team gets healthy this week.
That's the plan, Stan. I mean, Joshua. At least get healthier than it's been.
Ronald from Edison, NJ
Will David Bakhtiari be starting on Nov. 7?
We don't know yet.
Jeff from Muskego, WI
How long is Josh Myers going to be out?
Yet another thing we don't know. He has to miss at least one more game based on the timing of his IR placement, but there's been no suggested timetable on his return.
Rusty from Eustace, TX
Hope you guys got a little down time to enjoy your families, you've earned it! KC has been struggling, but is still a dangerous team. Other than Mahomes, what's your biggest concern?
That the Chiefs are going to get back to looking like the Chiefs at some point. I'm fine if they wait another week. But I'll also point out to those who think every scheduling quirk goes against the Packers – the Chiefs will be entering next weekend coming off a Monday nighter while the Packers got the extra rest from playing on Thursday.
Richard from San Diego, CA
I worry that getting our starters back would give the majority of the team an over confidence, that they can't be beat. Do you think that is a valid concern?
All they have to remember is Week 1. That game could, and should, continue to pay dividends all season long.
Matt from La Crosse, WI
Good morning Mike/Wes, I hope you enjoyed your Sunday off. With how well Eric Stokes and Rasul Douglas are playing, where do you see Kevin King fitting into the lineup when he is able to play again?
Great question, and a popular one. I don't speak for the coaches, but I don't see a need to mess with Stokes' and Douglas' roles right now. King played some in the slot earlier this season, so he's another option there along with Sullivan. His return also would allow the Packers to play their dime with four corners instead of three safeties if so desired.
Ryan from Centre Hall, PA
The Lego highlights are so well done. That shot of Rodgers post-roughing the passer. Priceless.
The genius of the Lego highlights is in the details. Always.
Dan from Herriman, UT
Mike, I hate to beat a dead horse but, did you see the phantom personal foul at end of Jets game to keep the ball away from Bengals at the end? Seriously, something has to be done.
And I hate for my face to keep getting bluer, but until the league decides it's in the best interest of the game for all safety rules/fouls to be reviewable, calls like that are going to continue having a major impact on results. The use-of-the-helmet rule is well-intentioned and makes sense, but it's application is tricky and calling it correctly at full speed is guesswork at best. As the late, great Kevin Greene used to say: "You can't control an accident."
Doug from Quakertown, PA
Does Patrick Taylor get moved to the active roster as the third running back to replace Hill? I assume that it would be taking a chance to go with only two running backs available for games.
I'm anticipating Taylor getting elevated, and they might take a look at him on kickoff returns, too.
Tim from Rochester, IL
Good morning! When a neutral zone infraction occurs, what determines whether the play is blown dead or Aaron Rodgers is allowed to run a free play? Thanks for all you do to make us more knowledgeable fans.
It should be based on whether or not the defensive player's early movement causes an offensive player to move early. If not, it should be a free play, and Rodgers thought he had one early the other night. The other way it gets blown dead is if a defender is "unabated to the quarterback," as a safety measure.
Chuck from Gold Canyon, AZ
Good morning, Mike. The loss of Robert Tonyan and Kylin Hill was very unfortunate. Tonyan seemed to be trending up in recent weeks. The Packers have a lot of diversity in the TE room but none of them bring the down-the-field options that he did. Clickbait articles have us showing interest in Engram but I don't see Gutey giving up draft capital to acquire him. Do you think there will be adjustments to Allen Lazard's role to compensate for Bobby's loss?
Not really. I think more will be asked of Dominique Dafney and Josiah Deguara, and the Packers are counting on them.
Tony from Chanhassen, MN
I'm glad we finally know what Rodgers (was) for Halloween. Now, the real question is: Will he cut his hair?
Am I not a member of the modern-day media if I say, with all due respect, I really don't care about any of it?
Dale from Prescott, WI
At away games, how soon do players arrive at the stadium to prepare for the game? Also, when the game is finished, how much time are the players given before they head to the airport?
The usual procedure is there are two sets of buses that leave the team hotel for the stadium. The first departs about 3½ hours before kickoff, the second 2½ hours prior. After the game, there isn't a time limit necessarily, but players are asked not to dawdle.
Nathan from New York, NY
It seems like a lot of these big time injuries have been happening on Thursday night games. It happened to the Panthers a couple of weeks ago. Should the NFL reconsider Thursday Night Football?
Yes, but it won't, especially not when an epic matchup and finish take place like last week.
Ignacio from Oceanside, CA
On the muffed punt could Ty Summers have advanced the football into the end zone prior to being touched by the Cardinals?
No. The ball was dead at the spot Summers first gained possession of it, which was the 3-yard line.
Andy from Wisconsin Rapids, WI
I couldn't help but notice we were able to prevent the double-up strategy once again against the Cardinals. I don't know if it's specifically part of the game plans, but it has been working all season long.
The Packers are on quite a streak of losing coin tosses and not only preventing the double-up by the opponent, but dominating those possessions that bridge halftime and being in better position to win coming out the other side.
Mary from Madison, WI
How does Rodgers feel about his viral meme from the Thursday night game?
He gave the only response anyone could after something like that: "The internet is undefeated."
Ron from Geneva, IL
People who look at one play and say the other team was lucky neglect to consider that there were several other plays that didn't go the way of that other team. They see fortune/misfortune all in one direction and that's not reality.
Bingo.
Steve from Dixon, IL
Comment on Kirsten from Madison's observation on the many online comments about how "lucky" the Packers were on the late interception. Having the guts to call an all-out blitz in that situation is not luck. The pressure was immediate and ready to get home.
That, too. As I said Friday, the Packers decided to force the issue – force the Cardinals to be on the same page to make a play. They were not and did not. That's football.
Jeff from Oceanside, CA
While LaFleur is certainly being unfairly dismissed for Coach of the Year because "he's got Aaron Rodgers," it's not the first time a Packers coach's accomplishments were treated this way because of the team's talent. Vince Lombardi was named AP COY only once – 1959 after his first season when he took the Pack from 1-10-1 to 7-5. That Lombardi was never named COY during the championship years is ridiculous! Matt is in the best possible company.
Let's hope so.
Bill from Clive, IA
Just for perspective, how many games did St. Vince win in his first 40 as a head coach? Granted, he was rebuilding, but still...
Lombardi won 28 of his first 40 in the regular season, compared to LaFleur winning 33.
See moments captured by Green Bay Packers team photographer Evan Siegle outside of the action in Thursday night's win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Tad from Two Rivers, WI
How about Brian G. for GM of the year?
I'm all for everybody getting deserved recognition, but let's allow the season to play out and then have meaningful discussions about it. No trophies are awarded after eight weeks.
Wesley from Kingsland, GA
Mike, the Packers are now 7-0 playing without Davante Adams. You never want to go into a situation where you are without one of your best players, but I am really impressed by the Packers' resiliency when he's not on the field. What do you think contributes to their continued success without having our premier wide receiver on the field for a game?
Well, it starts with not feeling sorry for yourself, which is all about being a pro. But after that it's different guys and/or aspects of the team coming through in a big way. We talked last week about how in previous Adams-less games, Aaron Jones or Lazard or Tonyan had a huge performance. This latest win I'd attribute primarily to two elements – the running game controlling the action and tempo, and the turnovers. The Packers should've been able to win it with a 2-0 edge in takeaways but ultimately needed the final tally to be 3-0.
Steven from Balsam Lake, WI
Uber Squad has a better ring to it than practice or taxi squad.
If Uber would be willing to write the NFL an endorsement check for that, I'm sure something could be arranged.
Bob from New Britain, CT
"Ball on the 5. Second and goal. Picked! Douglas! Oh my! Holy cow. Holy cow. My oh my. What a win. What a ballgame." With live blogs like this Mike, why even bother to watch the game on TV? This was WAYYYY better!
Ha. That's funny. I have zero recollection of actually writing that. I'm sure "cow" was not the word on my brain but thankfully it was on my fingers. Seriously, though, all I was thinking about was making sure the readers knew what happened, and signing off to write the bulletin story on the final.
Brian from Twain Harte, CA
Can you feature the Rasul Douglas interception on WMMM? I am sure there is a lot that occurred on that play (formation, coverage, pressure) that caused Green to be the hot read that we simply cannot see via the network replays.
All of this week's WYMM is focused on Douglas' outstanding game, and the big INT is at the end. It's getting posted today.
Dennis from Parrish, FL
It still feels to me that we have NOT played our best game and we have several bigger games left in the tank!
I wholeheartedly concur.
David from Cable, WI
After watching the analysis of the Cardinals-Packers game I feel bad for you guys. You will never be one of the national talking heads. You have too much sense and not enough idiocy.
So we got that goin' for us, which is nice. Happy Monday.