Jeff from Janesville, WI

Always a good day when you humiliate the Bears.

Awfully quiet down in Chicagoland, ain't it?

Ron from Riverview, FL

Good morning, Mike/Wes. Guys, I see this question every year but here we are five games into the season, and no one has opened that can yet so I will do so now. What is this team's identity? I'll let you guys deal with the fallout.

I think you saw it Sunday.

James from Appleton, WI

If you don't have a first-round pick, just draft a second-round pick who plays like a first-rounder. Is there anything about Brandon Cisse that makes you think, "He's got to work on that," or is his path one of just continuing to gain experience?

The Packers have been winning this way for decades – from Forrest Gregg to Elgton Jenkins, Jim Taylor to Eddie Lacy. And don't even get me started on Green Bay's history drafting wideouts in the second round. Cisse looks like another Round 2 find. The Bears challenged him out of the gates Sunday and Cisse answered the bell. He has a belly full of confidence with a ton of pure athleticism. Cisse is legit and his play so far has settled that side of the secondary.

Mike from Vancouver, WA

The decision to successfully throw long early and score is something I have been waiting for, and it reminds me of Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson. And it sure beats starting out in a hole. Not looking past the Cowboys, but in two weeks, we face the Lions on the road, and I believe that will be a good indicator of where we stand in the division. Other than fine-tuning our kicking game, what should be the team's focus in preparing for an equally strong showing against Dallas?

Explosives and takeaways are what the Packers' offense and defense are built around. But you gotta light the fuse to make the firework go bang. There's where the run game comes in. The Packers must keep improving on the ground while continuing to stop the run. Dallas is 30th in rushing offense but fifth in passing with Dak Prescott behind center. You can't permit a QB of his caliber to have the entire playbook at his disposal.

Benjamin from Bear, DE

As I've said many times in the past, my glass is always half full. With that said it's time to fill my glass and take advantage of a terrible run defense next week. The reason for my optimism is MarShawn Lloyd. He ran angry, looked more decisive and remember this, he's kinda, sorta still a rookie. He's going to get better and I'm predicting the Packers' best Sunday night, thanks to Mr. Lloyd. Let's see if I'm close. Seventy-five yards on 14 carries with 35 yards on four receptions and two total TDs.

It's early in the week, but I feel like that's where this game against Dallas will be won and lost. The Packers need to win the battle on the ground and Lloyd is a big part of that. He ran behind his pads more Sunday but also did so with authority.

Robert from Columbus, OH

What are your thoughts on the play, and use by the coaches, of Mark Redman? I'm not fluent in the Xs and Os, but he seems to be showing up in positive plays more often than not; an example was his big block on Lloyd's second touchdown against da Bears. He is an aggressive, mauling blocker and to me epitomizes the term "selfless player."

Redman was again a great change of pace. I don't have the time to break down players snap by snap, but it sure seems like the Packers are moving the ball with efficiency when Redman is on the field.

Tyler from Dubuque, IA

I constantly hear criticism that MLF's play-calling and offensive schemes are falling behind the times (and I don't necessarily disagree). But yesterday was refreshing. The fourth-and-1 call early in the second quarter stood out: Jordan Love in shotgun, Mark Redman in motion, then Redman diving behind the center at the snap to help Pierre Strong Jr. convert. An innovative twist on the tush push…a premature tush push, if you will!

Matt LaFleur was in his bag Sunday whether it was that play, opening with the flea-flicker to Tucker Kraft, the 46-yard pass to Kraft off play-action or his get-back-to-on-track calls in general. In our "Takeaway" video, I used my fifth note to tip my cap to LaFleur's and Jonathan Gannon's play-calling. It was a work of art.

Santijav from Staten Island, NY

The one thing that I think really came out of the Bears game was Love stepping a little more out of the shadow of Favre and Rodgers. The deep passes, rollouts and those dump passes to TEs and HBs he looked like a Gunslinger.

Jordan Love is his own quarterback and a damn good one at that. I love the confidence he showed in his throws. This game allowed Love to showcase his million-dollar arm.

Levi from St. Paul, MN

Good morning II. Good win with many big-time stats. The one that stuck out the most to me was 4-25. Penalties-yards and one of those was a garbage OPI. Keep it up in that department and you will improve all around.

The OPI on J. Michael Sturdivant is what it is, but I felt like the Packers played a much cleaner game than their previous four. In addition to the reduction in penalties, Green Bay wasn't having to burn unnecessary timeouts or scrambling at the line of scrimmage. The Packers played like you'd expect from a home team.

Stephen from Canada

I have a question about penalties and the consequences after the fact. It wasn't caught during the game, but on Matthew Golden's return at the end of the second, as he was running back onto the field, Santos appears to intentionally try to trip him. It was a ticky-tacky action and irks me. Can the league fine him for that? If it had been caught by the officials, would it have been a penalty? Thank you.

It was petty on Santos' part, but I don't care what the NFL does. I would find it funny if the league doesn't fine him, though, considering rush teams get penalized/fined for being within a cologne whiff of the kicker on field-goal attempts.

Gavin from Albuquerque, NM

Excited to see my first game at Lambeau Field this coming Sunday night. Even more excited because I'm bringing the wife and kids. We're a divided family with two Packers and two Cowboys fans. Any word on Micah Parsons returning? I would love to see that return to the field in person! GO PACK GO!

The Packers are still waiting for the green light on when Parsons can return to practice, so it would appear unlikely he'll be back for Sunday night's showdown with his former team. Spoff provides a more thorough explanation here.

David from Janesville, WI

Gents, great win, great unis and great atmosphere at Lambeau. From my way-up view in the south end zone, it looked like there was a vast discrepancy between the pass and run blocking. Hopefully the good pass protection can also lead to opening some holes moving forward. I was a bit surprised when I saw the PFF grades, it appeared Anthony Belton put together a strong game overall. If he settles in at RT, maybe he can be the mountain they move behind and get some runs going?

I didn't see the PFF grades but felt like the Packers' offensive line – especially Belton – held up its end of the bargain. Jordan Love had the time he needed to cut up the Bears' defense. Like I said, the O-line and backfield need to keep working together to get more out of the run offense. But again, Green Bay is making progress while picking up wins. That's want you want during the first half of an NFL season.

Preston from Tallahassee, FL

Mike, "While improvement is never guaranteed, it's always possible. Why is that such a difficult concept for some to grasp? I'm not trying to be a smart aleck. I'm legitimately asking. Is it the video-game culture? The on-paper-only nature of fantasy football? Something else?" My profession has taught me too many in our society base all of their opinions on little more than a headline. The football equivalent is one game. The idea of depth of perspective is largely missing in both worlds.

I know Mike was just Spoff-balling as to where all this disenchantment comes from. He's onto something with fantasy football, but really, I think it's gambling that has driven fans mad as a hatter. It also doesn't help that people of every age have access to laptops with zero consequences.

Don from Boise, ID

What is up with all the Achilles tendon injuries these days? Have we trained to the point where muscle strength exceeds tendon strength? Is it a weakness in the bone at the point of attachment? Are we approaching the physical limits of the human body in this sport? Or am I imagining a trend that does not exist? Hope Edgerrin Cooper and Javon Hargrave heal quickly and fully.

I don't know, that's now four Achilles injuries for the Packers dating back to last December, including Jordon Riley and John FitzPatrick. It sounds like Riley is nearing a return, though, and his return probably will come with good timing.

Eric from Bemidji, MN

Did Kevin Zeitler take any snaps on special teams against the Bears? (Wayne and Larry alluded to the possibility on their radio call, but I never heard them confirm either way.)

Zeitler made his Packers debut on special teams, playing six snaps in field goal protection. He said after the game that he's "definitely closer" to getting work on offense.

Michael from Thomson, IL

Leaving seven points off the board cost the kicker his job last year. Should young Trey Smack be a little nervous this week?

Spare me the Kit-Kat bar. The Packers wouldn't be 3-2 right now without Smack. He had a rough Sunday, but it's now Tuesday. Onward. If the organization cut/fired every person against whom this forum has protested, the company would be down to Roger from Facilities.

Ray from Phoenix, AZ

My biggest takeaway from the Bear game was the big change in play-calling. Many more passes on first down kept us out of second- and third-and-long. Big improvement in pass blocking and few holding and pre-snap penalties added up to a successful passing game. Do you see more of the same till the run blocking settles in?

The Packers were creative with how they attacked first down and won the cat-and-mouse game Sunday. When the safeties were back early, Lloyd was getting the four or five yards necessary on first down. When Chicago loaded the box, the Packers attacked through the air.

James from Chicago, IL

Let's take a moment to give the gold season ticketholders some props for not selling their tickets (at least not to Bears fans). My wife and I really thought we'd see A LOT more Bears fans in the stadium. Let's also give some props to the Jordan Love and the rest of the Packers for not giving the ones that were there an opportunity or reason to start their "Green Bay sucks" chant.

The gold ticketholders balled out again. Just like last year against Washington, fans made their voices heard from the beginning to the very end. While I saw a few Bears jerseys in the stands, they were surrounded amidst a sea of green, gold and alabaster. I hope Packers fans in attendance enjoyed that one because they earned it.

Tallon form Castle Rock, CO

Best refereed first half all year followed by the usual bad calls later. I loved your response about Smack and how all that matters is how he responds. Thank goodness those points weren't needed. Was it a windy day in the stadium? Couldn't tell from the broadcast if Lambeau was having its normal swirling winds.

I'd say it was wonky more than windy inside the stadium bowl. Cairo Santos missed the same exact 43-yard field goal to that end zone. You gotta keep swinging.

Tom from Fort Myers, FL

Does Trey Smack get to practice in Lambeau?

Once a week, according to LaFleur (and Smack only kicks twice).

Harry from Rochester, NY

With so many offense and defense pass interference calls, do you believe the NFL needs to put in a coach's challenge on those calls?

They'd still find a way to mess it up. Or worse yet, simply refuse to overturn ANY challenge on offensive pass interference like the Al Riveron admin did in 2019.

Fredrick from Okatie, SC

All these high-fives need to wait until we put a second game in a row together. I tend to think the Bears had a terrible game, and we were able to capitalize on it. We barely won our two other games against weak opponents. I want to see more from GB before I start believing they have fixed their flaws. I still question why the coaching staff hadn't done more to get the team righted earlier. I hope they can come together and be the team they should be.

OK.

Tom from Saugus, CA

I certainly don't want to dampen the positive enthusiasm we have seen here after the convincing win on Sunday, but I think we should dial it back a bit given the Bears were without their athletic starting QB and standout RB. Things might have gone differently with those two players out there. We certainly have had our own significant injuries and absences, so it was very encouraging to see the level of play by our guys. Here's to further improvement in performance and no more injuries! GPG!

I'm not directing this squarely at you, Tom, but some of you have erected spectacular Minecraft castles in the land of hypotheticals, haven't you?

Michael from Rosendale, WI

Jordan Love's pass to Christian Watson on third-and-22 was an amazing play, no doubt, but was a bad decision. This is the one area Love's needs to improve: situational football. He failed to see the huge running lane against the Jets that would've set up the winning FG and again this week, he had 15-plus yards available to set up another FG. It worked out this time, but that's a low-percentage attempt that could've shifted the entire game. If we're fortunate to have a December friend, gotta choose points.

…which Love did. You lost me on this one, Michael. On third-and-22 from minus territory, the Packers wanted to go deep and called their quarterback's number. Love trusted his arm and broke the game open. He's a quarterback, after all. Not a running back. On a tough day at the office for Smack, I'm not sure a 56-yard field goal attempt would've helped matters, either.

Claus from Norway

Wes, I am sure you have seen this statistical quirk, but many readers might not have. Yesterday, Tyson Bagent posted the stat line (87/0/2), which was last posted by J.J. McCarthy (NINE), also against the Packers, and has happened exactly NINE times before. Bagent was relieved by Case Keenum, whose stat line (108/0/1) was also most recently done by McCarthy and has happened 18 (two times NINE) times before. No math in the Inbox, but that seems almost impossible.

Class dismissed. I have an enormous headache in my eye.

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