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Inbox: This has to mean something, too

Nobody on that sideline is ever going to lose faith now

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Steve from Scranton, PA

Eight solid-to-great quarters of football, and four less than stellar. 2-1 sounds about right … on to the Lions!

That's one way to look at it.

Jerry from Las Cruces, NM

Wow, going to be an interesting and fun year.

That's another.

Rachel from Minneapolis, MN

Is this why you throw out any submissions sent during the game? The Inbox headline from Saturday rings true, this team believes.

Indubitably.

Scott from Norwalk, CT

G'morning II. Missing four of the top five most important starters on offense as well as an All-Pro defensive back before the game, and then losing two key contributors on defense during the game – tough enough. Then add in four lousy quarters of football in a row. Mike and Wes, you've each wanted to withhold judgment on both Love and this team until we see how they react to adversity. If this isn't an answer I don't know what is. Pleased and proud.

I'm still trying to make sense of that game. I've witnessed plenty of comebacks in my day, by both the good guys and bad. I don't know if I've ever seen one for which there was no legit reason to believe. Zero. Zilch. None. That fourth quarter offensively was as out-of-nowhere as anything I've ever experienced. When I think about 26-3 in Dallas with a backup QB 10 years ago, I remember the big Lacy run on the first play of the second half, a jolt that provided some sliver of hope. This one? This team believed more than I did, I confess.

Dale from St. Cloud, WI

So, are there more questions worrying about all the bad, like penalties and quiet three quarters by the offense? Or enjoying the comeback and pulling themselves back up? Either way, the youngins grew up a lot, and did it without some key players. They have some moxie.

Good word. They didn't have that quality last week, but every game is a new one. There's plenty to be distressed about from the first three quarters, especially the penalties. To say the offense was "quiet" is too kind. But these are the types of games that bring teams together. I said after last week they had to make the failure mean something. This has to mean something, too.

Margo from Solvang, CA

Wow! How did THAT happen?!?

I don't know, Margo. Sorry, couldn't resist. But honestly, I'm not sure. The back-to-back DPIs for 67 yards were the first time I thought, OK, maybe they've got a shot. Before that? The offense couldn't get out of its own way. I don't know how they review and try to fix everything before Thursday. I don't think they can. But I know this team will show up and play. For 60 minutes.

Mike from Charlotte, NC

It just seemed unfair that the Packers were going to have to go at it yet again for a last-minute drive after the go ahead drive they just completed. Then, the Saints' kicker missed wide and it seemed like the Football Gods had agreed with me. Thank goodness for that. A lot to clean up, but it felt good to get that one-point victory. I also like the ability Love has shown; he just doesn't get frazzled and doesn't give up. The arrival of Clements last year surely has helped that, would you agree?

I think the arrival of Clements has done wonders for Jordan Love's fundamentals and mastery of the offense. The doesn't get frazzled part is just who he is.

Bob from New Britain, CT

Baseball HOFer Reggie Jackson once had a game where he struck out four times but also hit a grand slam. Afterwards he quipped, "I don't know if I had a good day or a bad day!" Couldn't think of a better way to describe this Packers game. Terrible play across the board and more stupid, stupid penalties for the first three quarters, followed by an inspired comeback and victory in the fourth. As thrilling as it was, I'm sorry – we've got to play better than this if we want to contend this year!

Nobody's denying that. It's hard to see the Packers pulling off this comeback if the Saints don't lose their starting QB, but the injuries Green Bay has been dealing with are enormous as well. That's how this game goes. A 24-12 lead doesn't mean squat if you can't finish. A 17-0 deficit is surmountable if you can get it together at crunch time. Everything's a learning experience, but I want to see this Packers team with its best players sometime soon here.

Ben from Madison, WI

The unsung hero of this game? Brian Gutekunst.

Both teams had their depth tested considerably, and it got pretty ugly out there. I'd say the Packers' mistakes in this game might've been more numerous, but the Saints' were at worse times.

Graeme from Tucson, AZ

After last week's loss, there was a lot of conversation about whether this "young" team needs to learn how to win. Boy did they figure that out in a hurry! Amazing comeback from a backs-to-the-wall situation. I'm still in shock if I'm honest. Momentum is a crazy thing – last week it went against us, this week it came to our aid. What was the turning point in your mind?

Love's 24-yard tip-toe scramble up the sideline took a big chunk out of the 80 yards needed for the go-ahead score. That play made finishing the deal feel realistic. I thought it really got the Saints on their heels.

Caleb from Knoxville, TN

Most impressive moment in the comeback?

The most impressive play to me was Jayden Reed's diving catch for 30 yards to set up the game-winning TD. He let a couple of catchable balls get away from him, but not that one.

Randall from Manasquan, NJ

Apparently you keep throwing the back-shoulder fade until you strike gold. Exciting win to say the least.

Looked to me they switched from trying the over-the-top fade to the more direct-line, back-shoulder. Romeo Doubs just needed to get his hands on the ball because once he did, he wasn't letting go.

Tom from Dollar Bay, MI

Mike, did you hear a collective groan from the rest of the division? J-Love can play. Our defense kept us alive and all mistakes aside, our squad did enough. Great team win.

Hat's off to the defense. The Saints didn't have a first down for three straight drives (sound familiar?) and only had four after Carr left the game. I felt their struggles factored into playing it very conservatively once they got into field-goal range, rather than risk anything, especially with Rashan Gary having posted three sacks. Made for a long-ish kick, and the Packers were going to have time to counter anyway.

Ron from Long Beach, CA

Hi guys, not pretty, by a long shot, but I'll take it. Am I the only one concerned with ML's clock management? I hoped the end of the half in Chicago was a fluke, but today it seemed like he could have used his timeouts more effectively and saved JL more than 1:08 to put together a game-winning drive. We didn't need it thankfully, but is he thinking the TOs would be more valuable on offense? The TO was one of many things (penalties) I was screaming at the TV about. Guess he didn't hear me.

Given how last week went when Love had 57 seconds and no timeouts, I think saving what he could for the offense was the priority. You're also in a situation there where if you burn too many timeouts and they get another first down, they run the clock down for a walk-off kick and you have no shot to get the ball back.

Don from Swaledale, IA

There isn't much that doesn't need improvement is there?

True statement.

Ryan from Colfax, WI

Jordan seems to be consistently a step ahead of Luke Musgrave on his throws. With more practice that duo is going to be pretty darn good.

Plenty to smooth out there, but I couldn't agree more.

Will from Glendale, AZ

Great win but I feel like the entire roster is going to appear on the injury report with foot problems after how many times they shot themselves there.

Ah, now we're cracking idiom-injury jokes. Speaking of humor, I loved LaFleur's honesty about not really knowing what to say about the defensive performance: "I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to get a first down most of the game." Absolutely had to use that one.

Lori from Brookfield, WI

New T-shirt! It was like a nightmare that went to a dream.

That line was darn good, too.

Joe from Lake Mills, WI

No, the completion percentage isn't where it needs to be. But that fourth-quarter comeback is going to serve J Love well for a long time to come. Confidence is everything, and he seems to have it in spades.

The coaches believe in him. He believes in him. His teammates believe in him. Not every comeback is going to be successful, but nobody on that sideline is ever going to lose faith now.

Tom from Lisbon, WI

Does anything show Love's mindset more than how he handled the aftermath of his touchdown? He chose to forego his first Lambeau Leap and immediately got back in the huddle to go for two. Down by two scores, he was more focused on what was left to accomplish than giving credit to himself. This guy is the real deal.

That call to go for two there takes more guts than I've got. The analytics say it increases the odds for victory, I get that. But it still feels really bold to me. I guess I'm already an old codger or something.

Jerry from Des Moines, IA

It's a week-to-week league. Last week Packer nation was lamenting letting a win get away. This week it'll be Saints nation lamenting. It sure feels a lot better being on the winning side! GPG

That's the other crazy thing. I don't know if I've ever seen a total flip-the-script game the very next week like that. Weird and uncanny.

Jim from Mundelein, IL

What an amazing first three weeks. Should have beat ATL; should have lost to NO. Here is an open-ended question for II: What impressed you most about the first three weeks? What concerns you most (injuries not included) about the first three weeks? Thanks for an amazing experience for GB fans.

I'm most impressed with Love. Hands down. Far from perfect but so, so much to like from what we've seen so far. Aside from health, my biggest concern is the penalties, in all three phases.

Check out photos from the Week 3 matchup between the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023.

Dave from Hollywood, MD

The penalty issue seems to be getting worse. There are likely a number of reasons – frustration, young players trying to do too much – but they all boil down to a lack of discipline. The coaching staff can emphasize the need for improvement but the solution rests with the players. Can significant, and lasting, change happen on a short week with so many other things to work on?

Valid question. Hard to say. I agree it's up to the individual players.

Darren from Wakefield, MI

Hi Mike, fourth-quarter questions answered. What new injury is worst and who you think is coming back by Thursday? Big game.

I have no idea who's coming back, if anybody, but since I expect Elgton Jenkins to be out multiple weeks and there's constant uncertainty with David Bakhtiari, Zach Tom's knee injury late in the game strikes me as the most potentially troublesome new one.

Doug from Neenah, WI

Good morning, Mike. Thanks for calmly dealing with a potentially hostile live blog during the Saints game. Will you be able to reproduce that performance on a short week's rest?

Ha, I've got no choice. Potentially hostile? Surely you jest.

Gary from Belle Mead, NJ

Thanks to Steve from Frederick, MD, for the tip on getting the WYMM videos to load! For Android Packers app users, the equivalent is to go to the Packers app info (press and hold on the app icon then select the info button). Click the Force Stop button in the lower right, then click on Storage, and finally Clear Data. The only downside is you'll have to log in again if you were logged in before.

Posting this for those still having trouble if this solution applies. Thanks for the feedback.

Margeaux from Tallahassee, FL

If a Packer fan screams in the privacy of their own home do they make a sound?

Depends when the scream occurred maybe.

Nathan from Williamstown, MA

Well, the roller coaster has not jumped the tracks just yet.

And the ride has barely gotten started.

Bones from Ripon, WI

So, this is what it's going to be like for the next three months, isn't it?

Happy Monday.

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