Inbox: This defense has some really intriguing pieces

Ryan from Satellite Beach, FL

You wanted to see a finish? Are you not entertained!? Just win, baby!

I was going to start the column with that famous "Gladiator" line, but you beat me to it.

Ron from Round Lake, IL

Mike, I hope your medical insurance covers ulcers. Wow!

Just another typical NFL Sunday. Given all that had transpired since the Packers' last victory, it was practically a certainty it wouldn't come easy or pretty. I didn't have it scripted as … ugliness for three quarters, followed by a comeback, then blowing two potential opportunities to win late in the fourth quarter, before finally winning in OT … exactly. Not quite anyway. But this was not a beggars can be choosers kind of day.

Davy from Watertown, WI

The team heard the "play better in the fourth quarter" mantra, and unfortunately decided the easiest way to do that was to play so badly in the first three quarters that the fourth looks good by comparison.

I'm not going to argue, and I balanced all that in both my Game Recap and Rapid Reaction pieces. All I know is this team has a TON of work to do, but I'm glad they're doing it at 1-1 instead of 0-2.

James from Superior, WI

Why do the Packers have so many penalties and injuries?

Ha. If I knew that I wouldn't have to make my living this way. Seriously, though, the injuries just stink. I pray that Jayden Reed and Zach Bako-Bewele will be OK. Both of those were tough to watch. The Packers have a lot to overcome in the weeks ahead, plenty that's their own doing with the penalties and other sloppy play, and other stuff beyond their control. Buckle down, somehow get another win in four days, and then take a breath to reassess where this team is.

Kevin from Kirkland, IL

All these games Sunday with so many penalty calls make it almost impossible to watch.

September football is never great football. Find a way to survive it and keep pushing through.

Kevin from Tinton Falls, NJ

First of all, those officials should be embarrassed taking every opportunity to make that game about themselves. Second, the Packers should be embarrassed playing so wildly undisciplined. Third, those injuries are going to be a problem. Fourth, thank goodness all wins count the same. That was the ugliest one I've seen in a long time.

Nothing top of mind that comes close in that regard. I'll think on it some more.

Reed from Myrtle Beach, SC

If there was one thing to get irked about – besides 16 penalty flags – it was running two plays up the middle after the 63-yard punt return. Throw the ball! Go for the TD. Go up by four so they have to score a TD. Settling for the tie gave the Jets three minutes to get in FG range to win the game. Too conservative again.

The run on first down gained four yards. I think they were just looking for another two or three on second down so the whole playbook would be available on third, with how much duress Jordan Love had been under. But two guys went unblocked and the run got stuffed. Two guys unblocked is not the design of the play call. Sure enough, on third-and-7 they had a rusher in Love's face. They didn't want to settle for the field goal. Execute the play. Don't confuse results with intent.

Kevin from Littleton, MA

Captain Obvious here: Too many penalties but thank goodness for the resiliency of our defense.

Emblematic of the whole team, there were some rough moments out there on defense – I believe I counted four third-down conversions of nine yards or longer by the Jets – but holding them to a field goal after the MarShawn Lloyd fumble and playing lock-down defense thereafter was really impressive. Any more cracks in the defensive armor down the stretch and the Packers are 0-2.

John from Canada

Good day, Mike. I think it's clear why Trey Smack was drafted. Nothing has been too big for him. Not even a game-winner in OT on the road.

It was nice to make it a chip shot. I don't know what his range would've been on that final possession of regulation, but when the best the offense could do was give him a 63-yard try, it was prudent to pass that up and play overtime.

Detlef from Germany

Since you will be hearing enough about the bad stuff (which there was plenty), let's talk positives: 1) Jordan Love being unfazed by all those hits. 2) Lukas Van Ness finally playing like he is supposed to do. 3) Edgerrin Cooper terrorizing offenses. 4) Special teams! Although not perfect with still some return penalties, but man, Cam Achord really seems to get them playing on a level we haven't seen here forever. 5) The losing streak is finally over, no matter how ugly, let's hope it jumpstarts this team.

Van Ness was a beast in this game, to go with another dynamite outing from Cooper. This defense has some really intriguing pieces. Moore did what he was brought here to do, provide the return game a boost, and he did it in a clutch moment. I thought he was going to score.

Collin from Brookland, AR

This one feels so good. And I am so glad you answered my question a month ago about who was the going to be the new bad boy of the Packers. And you were right. Javon Bullard. Absolutely love how he plays. Since when is talking smack a foul in professional football? (Sometimes 15 yards is worth it?)

You can't give away those 15 yards when you've got a third-down stop, though. LaFleur said he was woofing at an old college teammate after that play, but you just can't do it. I absolutely love the way Bull plays from snap to whistle. Now just celebrate appropriately.

Brad from Bozeman, MT

LVN played like a first-round draft pick all day. He dominated the line of scrimmage. Equally as impressive was the veteran leadership on defense. ICYMI, Zaire Franklin pulled the defense together on the sidelines after the first series and gave a fiery impromptu call to action. Bullard went up to him immediately after the speech, so it seemed well received. Micah Parsons prowled the sidelines all game giving encouragement and coaching. This defense could be very special when all are healthy.

It feels like it's close.

Curt from Pine Island, MN

Do you get cc'd on the Jets' II questions? I'd like to have a quick look at those…

Good one.

Tom from Woodbury, MN

Packers gained 199 yards on offense and 156 yards on penalties. Is that called a balanced attack?

Everyone's a comedian today.

Pete from Gulf Shores, AL

Here's one for you. Who was the last team that had 14 penalties and zero third-down conversions…and won.

For the record, the Packers had one third-down conversion, in the fourth quarter, in nine overall attempts.

Jim from Hudsonville, MI

Mike, my apologies for you having to take a beating in the Live Chat from us pushing the panic button way too early in that game. Seriously though, is "just" getting a win all we really needed? I say yes.

Time will tell. The Packers can't keep playing like that. Finding something at crunch time is better than not, but that is no way to live. Honestly, the reactions and frustrations in the blog were understandable, for the most part. That was an awful game to watch. Me personally, I just get in the mode of never giving up hope when the score and clock says it isn't over, because this league is so crazy. Proves itself every week.

Paul from Glen Rock, NJ

What do you think our chances are for figuring out our O-line problems?

They don't have a choice. As LaFleur said after the game, it's simply a reality they face. It looks like right tackle will be Anthony Belton's for a while now, so he's got to seize this opportunity. We'll see what gets sorted out at left guard. Maybe it's Jager Burton. The Packers have played rookies plenty before. Regardless of who was in there, I thought the unit did better in the run game than last week, and that sparked some things. Defenses are going to continue challenging their pass protection calls until it looks cleaner. As I keep saying, lots of work to do.

Jim from De Pere, WI

Greetings Mike and Wes. It was mentioned in the Inbox that at times scouting for the next, not upcoming week's opponent, begins this week. Which makes sense with the Atlanta game being on Thursday next week. Who on the coaching staff is responsible for scouting Atlanta?

Usually the quality control coaches are getting head starts on the next opponent, and then with a short week coming up, once all the prep is done for the current game, some of the position coaches work in advance, too.

William from Newburgh, IN

In response to why Love doesn't run the ball like the Bills' Allen, Love has a great QB build but Allen has about 20 pounds on him and is built like a TE. Plus those hits add up over a course of the season and no reason to add hits on your QB when you can get the ball in the hands of your playmakers. Don't get me wrong as a QB can really wreak a defense with effective runs but there is only one Allen in this league.

Those who don't grasp this are just conveniently forgetting the games Love has missed due to injuries (knee, groin, concussion) in his career. He took a shot to his elbow Sunday when he tried to run, too. Yes, he absolutely should have run up the middle into the open field on the final drive of regulation, and he admitted as much. Said he got locked onto Matthew Golden because he liked the route concept. That would've been a very safe run with room to slide. But I don't want Jordan Love trying to run like Josh Allen, no thanks.

Bob from St. Germain, WI

Guys, I have heard you say Love has to be the person he is, in terms of how he handles his emotions, but doesn't leadership involve showing emotions also? Inspiration and enthusiasm work together. We know leadership when we see it in action and for me I wish Jordan would show it more during crunch time when things are going sideways. Just my opinion but sometimes words are needed to change actions. Fire it up, Packers. And thanks for allowing me to express my thoughts. You guys are appreciated.

I think it must be understood that while fans only see the players on the game field, the players see each other, work with each other, practice with each other, and interact with each other day after day after day. If how a player acts around his teammates suddenly changes on game day, it'll be flagged as false and phony, and it won't work. The players who know Love well know how much of a competitor he is, even if he doesn't show it outwardly. I don't get why people want him to somehow flip a switch and throw his calm collectedness out the window. It's safe to say it served him and the team well Sunday.

Carl from Onalaska, WI

What does it say about safety calls when players who weren't penalized get fined and players who were penalized were not?

It's been happening for years, and it's an officiating/discipline disconnect that really impacts games. But don't make me any bluer in the face about it.

Jakester from Bradenton, FL

Hi Insiders: I fully understand why the victim in the Josh Jacobs debacle wants to keep her identity private, but the video that is currently sealed could be digitized to protect her privacy. I also understand why the league wants to see that video before determining the length of Jacobs' suspension (remember Ray Rice). My question is, do you think Goodell will come down extra hard if the video is not released to the league? Thanks.

I have absolutely no idea.

Nick from Prescott, WI

Are my lying eyes deceiving me, or have teams been running a lot more plays under center the first few weeks of the season? Is the old school the new thing to do?

I did see an SI story after Week 1 about the percentage of under-center snaps being up considerably around the league. Apparently it was the highest percentage in one week since 2017, and the league came one TD away from setting a Week 1 scoring record. Going under center makes a wider array of run plays possible, and more effectively sets up play-action. Now we'll see how defenses adjust. Often, threatening the double A gap blitz will get the QB to go back into shotgun for protection.

Chuck from Sun Prairie, WI

Throwing a slider your direction today with a baseball question. Which Brewers pitcher do you see stepping up as the No. 3 in their playoff lineup? I'm hoping it's Woodruff. If no one successfully fills the role, what chance do you give the Brew Crew of winning it all?

Gasser sure made a bid for that spot over the weekend. But I expect the Brewers to get creative with openers and bullpen games when needed anyway.

Alan from Fresno, CA

I hope all the doubters from Week 1 were paying attention in Week 2. This division is wide open and winnable. The leading Vikings only scored nine points. The night-flying Bears offense came crashing down. And the Lions aren't who they used to be and are beatable. GPG! Beat the Falcons.

Night-flying? That's a new one.

Andy from Wisconsin Rapids, WI

I just wanted to point out the Ketchman Cover 11 defense at the end of the first half. That is all.

It was pointed out in the live chat, too. The Ketchman Prevent is a good place to start my Happy Monday.

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