Inbox: They'll have to find a way

George from North Mankato, MN

Hey Spoff, love the "wicked smart" line for Keisean Nixon's INT. Just curious, "Do you like apples?"

Nicely done, but I'm not giving you my number, George.

Tyler from Vadnais Heights, MN

First the NFC top seed, now the AFC top seed. No better way to get battle-tested.

Why not knock them both off their perch?

Tom from Springfield, MO

I see Spoff just couldn't resist pointing out that we've averaged 27 points per game over the last four games in his latest article…

It's actually 27.25, but why quibble.

Glen from Bellevue, WI

Previous Inbox questions about leaving early for away games stated that the logistics, disruption to routine, and cost were prohibitive. With the altitude and body's time to acclimate, would Denver be an exception for leaving a day earlier?

McCarthy altered the travel schedule to Denver in 2015, leaving early Saturday morning and holding a half-speed practice at a Denver high school in the afternoon. The (then) 6-0 Packers proceeded to play their worst game of that season, getting blown out 29-10 and outgained 500-140 by the eventual Super Bowl champs.

Troy from Menomonee Falls, WI

The Broncos and Bears seem intriguingly similar: winning a lot of close games, often with fourth-quarter comebacks, inconsistent offenses but good defenses that keep them in games, and very similar (at least on paper) young QBs. The Broncos sound better at stopping the pass, which suggests more Josh Jacobs and Co. What do you see as their differences from the Bears?

This Denver defense is nothing like Chicago's, whose success is predicated on takeaways but otherwise is ranked in the bottom third of the league in other major categories. The Broncos have just 10 takeaways all season (to Green Bay's 11) but are third in yards, fourth in points, first in yards per carry, tied for first in yards per pass attempt, first in sacks, and the list goes on. They simply make life difficult, and any flaws in the opposing offense's execution get exposed.

Steve from New Lenox, IL

Hi guys, the Broncos' defense is in the top five as they have given up only 235 points, and average of 18 per game. How should Jordan Love and the offense attack them?

It's paramount to protect Love, but that starts with running the ball effectively, and I'll be curious how they decide to try. Mix in the end arounds and jet sweeps to keep them chasing laterally? Load up with tight, jumbo formations? Spread them out to look for running seams? All of the above? They'll have to find a way because going one-dimensional against that pass rush won't work.

Nathan from Nashville, TN

Eight of the Broncos' 12 wins have been by four points or less. Obviously they have a great defense and like to grind out wins. In your opinion, what are the Broncos' tendencies and what are the Packers' keys to winning on Sunday?

It's actually seven of 11, but who's counting. Offensively, the key is staying in manageable down-and-distance situations to try to keep them honest. Dig yourself a hole on any given series and it's really tough to get out. Defensively, be mindful of Bo Nix's aggression. He'll lull a defense to sleep with the simple receiver screens and then take his shots, knowing that defense will back him up if a risk fails. Cortland Sutton is the main target and a tough cover, but Nix will also spread the ball around. He completed passes to 11 different targets last week.

Rachel from Hudson, WI

All of this (rightful) handwringing about Micah Parsons not getting calls, but what can the Packers actually do about it with the league – send tape, talk to Roger? Is it true that Parsons has not drawn one holding penalty this year? If so, that is insanity at its highest order.

He has drawn two to my recollection, both early in the year. The Packers can send plays to the league and bring the issue to the officials' attention in pregame meetings, which I'm sure they've done. There's little else, and I doubt LaFleur will continue addressing it publicly because then it becomes a distraction. What he said after the game should be plenty.

Jimmy from Chicago, IL

A central part of the discourse in Packer-friendly corners of the media related to the egregious non-calls against Micah Parsons. Essentially, a generational talent is being punished for that generational talent by confusing the refs, failing to "sell it," or simply blowing through holds that would stop a lesser player. Regardless, it's a bad look for the league, and continues to impact games. Have the Packers submitted formal inquiries? Can they? Something's gotta give here...

Speaking of generational talents, the reverse storyline with Patrick Mahomes has finally died down. It only took a handful of years. We can always hope.

Matt from Eau Claire, WI

Christian Watson's return has been nothing short of spectacular. He's currently on pace to have his best statistical season of his career. I'd say that contract extension looks better and better every week, right?

The Packers are getting him at an absolute bargain price for 2026.

Tim from Clear Lake, IA

I noticed that Malik Heath was recently released. Is there more of a story behind that? I know we just got Jayden Reed back, was that the reason? But then we have a CB (Bo Melton) playing in the game as a WR. I guess I'm just sad to see Heath gone.

The Packers' receivers are getting healthier, and Heath didn't play special teams. It was really that simple.

Steve from Wabasha, MN

Spoff’s crazy stat article was interesting to me because I didn't get to see the entire game and had looked at the box score very closely. I was struck by how close the QB stats were but how far apart their ratings were.

I tried my best to give a quick tutorial on passer rating. Hope it helped. With that, there were a number of quick-hitting leftover topics from the Bears game I wanted to cover before it was too late, so here goes …

Tom from Palatine, IL

In the name of complementary football, how do you balance time of possession with chunk plays in the interest of giving your defense an opportunity to catch their breath? The offense had four touchdown drives but most of them were relatively short in time of possession and the defense was totally gassed on that last drive. Obviously, if the chunk plays are there you want to take them. After all, chicks dig the long ball. All said and done, scoring too fast is a nice problem to have. GO PACK GO!

Scoring too fast was not the problem. Going three-and-out twice in the second half was.

Andrew from Richmond, VA

The Packers' defense started to look a little gassed in the second half, but I love the intensity they played with. They were HITTING. I think it's important to give the Bears' offense credit as well. They were making plays. Kmet, Zaccheaus, and Duvernay all made extremely difficult sideline catches in this game. If that is what it takes to score on this defense, I can live with the results.

That's why I mentioned Monday the Bears' offense was more dangerous than I anticipated. The throws by Williams and catches by those you mentioned on off-schedule plays really stood out. The Bears were forced to make some tough plays in that game and made them.

Robert from Verona, WI

For a lot of us, the Bears confirmed they're for real – sometimes you just need to see it for yourself. Some of the plays Caleb Williams made on Sunday were Lamar Jackson-esque. What will be interesting to see is if he is able to improve on his completion percentage, because his 57.8% this year is slightly lower than Lamar's rookie season and well below every season since then. Regardless, the rivalry isn't going anywhere and it seems poised to be a battle for the foreseeable future.

Josh Allen's completion percentage didn't climb above 60 until Year 3 and hasn't dropped below 63 since.

Paul from Wichita, KS

After watching the Bears rip off 10-yard runs time and time again against the Eagles' defense, I was admittedly worried about the Bears' running game. Our defense looked so fast and always had several green jerseys on the ball carrier, but what did we do different than the Eagles schematically?

The Packers tackled better, which wasn't schematic. The Eagles missed a bazillion tackles against the Bears, which led to my disinterested comment about them from Black Friday. Chicago was averaging more than four 10-yard runs per game on the year, and Green Bay was the first defense to blank them in that category.

Tom from Southfield, MI

II, I am (was?) an absolutely firm believer that you do not go for two until at least the fourth quarter. But when the Bears went for two, and got it, it changed the entire complexion of the game. Was that an outlier?

I normally don't consider it until the fourth quarter, either, but in this case I understood Johnson's thinking. His offense had scored only three points on five first-half possessions, so when they got the TD midway through the third, trying to get within three points at 14-11 made sense.

Jason from Austin, TX

I'm not a time analytics expert, but there seemed to be a game of chicken going on between the coaches regarding the clock at the end. As the Bears got closer to the end zone, I kept wondering if the Packers would call a TO in order to have time left to get a FG. Then when the Bears started running the ball with less than a minute left, I almost thought they went too far and didn't leave themselves enough time if they got that first down. They would have had 22 seconds if they got the first.

Right, but they still had two timeouts, so Johnson was fine with the clock. The risk of calling timeouts on defense there is if you get called for holding or DPI on a pass play, you've left the opponent a lot more time with that fresh set of downs. It's a tricky spot defensively.

Mark from Ishpeming, MI

Did anyone ask Hafley or LaFleur why there wasn't more pressure applied on the pass attempts that gain 50-plus yards on two attempts on the Bears' last drive? Thankfully they needed more than a FG.

Those passes came on first and second down, respectively, when the Packers were focused on the run. That's the kind of pass protection a productive run game provides.

Cliff from Altoona, WI

Will the NFL review the Bears' neck grab of Nixon that did not get called or penalized?

Yes. Will a fine be forthcoming? I have no idea.

Tim from Windsor, CO

Not sure the adjective to use here, but it was absolute justice on the final TD by Josh Jacobs that it was all him, no "tush push" needed. What is your word or thought?

That it was real football.

Steve from Rochester, MN

I agree that aiding the runner should be banned, but given how pervasive it's become, I think they shouldn't enforce a yardage penalty, but just call the play dead at the point aid is provided. The urge to push is now so ingrained, it seems too severe to lose 5 yards as they transition back to what can be a questionable judgement call. Your thoughts?

I'm not asking for penalties. Just end the play.

Paula from Apple Valley, MN

Kudos to MLF for taking the high road. I thought he handled the postgame, pass-by shake perfectly. After the game, one of the commentators said it best: Well, Ben Johnson won the press conference, but Matt LaFluer won the game.

Does anybody remember anything from LaFleur's introductory press conference? I don't and don't care that I don't. Now, back to bigger-picture topics.

Gene from Jacksonville, FL

Strange stat on which I'm hoping you ultimate soothsayers may enlighten us. The game in which the Packers had their highest point total of the season and three of the four games in which they allowed their lowest point total, they didn't win. Lots of shouldas, wouldas, and couldas in there. Hoping higher points scored totals and lower points allowed totals still to come as we properly look ahead rather than in the rearview mirror. GPG.

Maybe that just means the Packers haven't played their best, most complete football yet.

Michael from Grovetown, GA

Short of someone else achieving a tie, all tiebreaker scenarios are out the window for the Packers, correct?

Correct, though I was starting to wonder during overtime Monday night when the Eagles got into field-goal range.

Dave from Germantown, TN

Which of the six NFC North and West teams has the toughest schedule as measured by their opponents' combined win/loss percentage?

Here are the combined records of the remaining four opponents for the following teams: Seattle 34-18, Green Bay 31-21, Detroit 31-21, Chicago 29-22-1, San Francisco 29-23, L.A. Rams 25-27. There are six games remaining in which teams from that group play one another. One caveat: The Seahawks and Niners both play an 8-5 Indy team that just lost its QB.

Mike from Geneva, IL

Right now it looks like the NFC East and South will have only one team each making the playoffs leaving the wild cards to the North and West. Of the six teams (GB, Chi, Det, LAR, Sea and SF), everyone has nine wins with the exception of Detroit who has eight. It is conceivable (and quite possible) that a team will miss the playoffs this year with 11 wins. Is there anything worse you can think of after a long season for players (and fans)?

I think 11 gets the Packers in, but just beat the Broncos. Happy Wednesday.

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