Dylan from Kansas City, MO

It was a freezing afternoon on NFC Wild Card weekend. The year – 1994. Tensions ran high as the legendary Barry Sanders found zero room to breathe, completely locked down to negative yards as the clock expired. It was a gritty defensive masterclass that sent the Green and Gold marching on. Now, if only this version of the Packers' defense can channel that exact formula against Jahmyr Gibbs, we'll be flying high once again!

The Packers don't have to be perfect Sunday, but they must be stout. Gibbs is going to get his. The challenge for Green Bay is not allowing his good runs to rupture into game-changing gains like they did against Atlanta and Bijan Robinson last month. The Packers actually have a decent track record against Gibbs. He's averaged only 3.9 yards per game with one rushing touchdown in six meetings. It's gonna take every defender on that field to keep Gibbs contained.

Michael from Las Vegas, NV

Can Jordan Love and his explosive wide receivers fully exploit the Detroit Lions' last-ranked pass defense?

That's the clearest path to victory, but you still have to earn those opportunities with a capable run game.

Leetta from Tampa, FL

Is Love going to be out for any period of time over his injury?

No. He's good to go. Full injury report is here.

Pete from Caledonia, MI

From my couch potato take, I see this Sunday's game as a true indicator of where GB (and Detroit) stand. The Lions and Falcons have similar skill-set players, with Detroit having a much superior QB. Avoiding the disaster of that Atlanta game, and holding the Lions' O in check, will really show what this D is made of. The Lions' D front seven is good, DBs not so good (although Brian Branch is back). I worry about GB O-line getting overwhelmed. Valid take? (P.S. My bro played center on Mazi Smith's HS team. Mazi is good).

Your concerns are valid on both sides. A difficult challenge grew more difficult Friday with the revelation that Zaire Franklin will not play in this game because of the shin injury he suffered in practice Thursday. Regardless of Franklin's availability, though, I felt all week that this is a game where the Packers need to put up 30 points to win. Jordan Love must be protected, the run game must produce, and the receivers need to catch the ball. You can't give this Lions team too many chances.

Andy from College Grove, TN

As a word nerd, I enjoyed seeing "facetiously" in an Inbox response. I had "abstemiously" on my bingo card, given Hod's predilection for root beer. The Packers will need a team win against the Lions. Which six players do you think are most important to that effort, who serve as the glue for their respective units?

Love, Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, andTucker Kraft are easy picks, but Isaiah McDuffie and Ty'Ron Hopper suddenly become essential to this effort. McDuffie has been there and done that as the defense's longest-tenured player. For Hopper, this is what he's been preparing for since the Packers drafted him in 2024. The time is now.

Vince from Warm Springs, GA

Thanks, Wes, for the article on Golden and Watson. I am a fellow alumnus with Watson from Plant High School in Tampa and am thrilled how he represents. I love the "chasing infinity" attitude! It's a modern take on Lombardi's famous "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence." Sounds like they are "G" through and through.

That's pretty neat stuff. There have only been five receivers in team history to have 1,400-plus receiving yards and both Watson and Golden are on that pace. Obviously, Green Bay has never had two wideouts eclipse that in the same year, either. But that's the level at which those two are playing.

Bob from Emmaus, PA

Does Micah Parsons' style of play and his injury being a non-contact injury have any bearing on the extra time he needs to be ready to play?

More the latter than the former, I think. Football is a tough, violent sport that stresses your ligaments and soft-tissue fibers. The goal is for Parsons to feel confident his body is ready for what the game will demand of it. That's when he'll be cleared.

Doug from Albert Lea, MN

Just curious why my questions about M.I.A. RB Kaleb Johnson aren't addressed or answered? Thanks.

One moment please.

Doug from Albert Lea, MN

Kaleb Johnson – where is he? Not on the injury report, nobody talks about him online or coach's reports. As an Iowa Hawkeyes fan, I'd love to cheer him on but he's M.I.A. Any insights you can provide?

Johnson is healthy, but his opportunities have been limited since his fumble inside the 5 against Tampa Bay. He also had a fumble a few weeks earlier against the New York Jets. Pierre Strong Jr. is also on the 53-man roster now and is a good option on third downs as a pass protector and pass-catcher out of the backfield. When Johnson's next opportunity comes, he just has to capitalize on it.

Dude from High Point, NC

Why has the NFL not adopted Mike's idea of reviewing all safety issue calls? Is it the time factor? Certainly, we can all be a little more patient for the sake of safety and to see overall officiating improve. Mike's idea must have been suggested before.

It would make games longer, giving officials less time to throw flags, and you certainly can't have that.

Darrek from Pueblo, CO

II, what exactly is a hip-drop tackle?

When the defender "unweights" himself and drops to the ground while making a tackle, often falling on your hip. It's a gravity-based tackle that puts the ball carrier at undue risk for a significant lower-body injury.

George from Roswell, GA

Jeff Janis' historic achievements came up in Friday's Inbox. According to AI, no receiver ever had 101 yards on the same drive before or since, not to mention both of the catches on that drive were Hail Marys, another first. I always wondered why Mike McCarthy didn't use him extensively as a gadget player, ala Savion Williams. He was an athletic freak and a speed demon, but he dropped a long touchdown pass just like Matthew Golden's two and he never saw the field again. What a waste of talent.

I feel like Janis' career would've played out a lot differently since the practice squad rules expanded during COVID. He played four years for the Packers, becoming a core special teams player. But Janis didn't make the roster in Cleveland the following summer and never got another shot because it was all-or-nothing for veterans to make the 53 back then. Janis was a body catcher, no question about that, but I always felt he could've played in the league longer with his athletic intangibles and special teams value (kickoff returner, gunner, etc.).

Joe from Parkland County, Canada

I've been thinking a lot about the comments on interceptions. First the rarity in which AR12 and JL10 turned the ball over. But the comment of the turnover-generating defense that allowed them to accept all of Brett Favre's INTs. What would a quarterback have to do today to play as long as Favre did with that level of aggressiveness, without being sent packing? Or is that era and level of tolerance gone in today's NFL?

That era is long gone, but so is the way quarterback is played these days. NFL teams put such an emphasis on protecting the football now. It's coached into players not to turn over the football whereas back then it was more of a suggestion. Fritz Shurmur and those stingy Packers defenses also were Favre's best friend during the mid-'90s.

Harry from Rochester, NY

Your answer to Jim, from Olympia, VA, blows my mind. 6-0 on roughing the passer? I saw a video the other day on how many times Jordan Love had no calls on roughing the passer? That score should read 6-6.

I was beside myself about the flag on Lukas Van Ness last week because Rashan Gary had the same post-throw shove on Jordan Love earlier in the game. Neither was a penalty.

Duane from Oak Creek, WI

How long do you think it will take Josh Jacobs to contribute meaningful snaps?

It could be as soon as tomorrow. We'll have to see. Jacobs was ramping up all week to be ready for gameday.

John from Columbia, TN

Regarding the contact on the punter discussion, I have wondered about contact with a punter on a blocked punt. Is it pretty much anything goes? Sometimes it seems like the punter gets mauled with no penalty.

If the defender blocks the ball first, the punter loses his protection. The fundamentals of the punt rush are built squarely around that.

Jeff from Littlefork, MN

I saw we worked out two punters. Tell me this is standard procedure, please. Daniel Whelan is feeling fine, correct? Just a rolodex/insurance policy move?

This is standard procedure, please. You gotta keep the rolodex full. It's no different than when Matt Orzech injured his calf and Green Bay needed to summon Cal Adomitis for a month during training camp.

Bruce from Jackson, WI

Fumble! When asked why Detroit had suddenly slipped the past couple years, Mike answered, "It's difficult to win consistently" and turnover. I submit, one only needs to look at the loss of coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn as probably having had the most impact. Definitely more than player turnover or it's "difficult to win consistently." Still, he's right, they have plenty of talent, so we better not overlook them. Let's stack another win, just beat Detroit!

Those were two major losses for the Lions. It's not every offseason that a team loses both coordinators to head-coaching opportunities – well, other than the Los Angeles Rams. But you have to reset and find a way. The Lions' defense has struggled on the stat sheet this season and the Packers must capitalize on those superlatives.

Jim from Stevens Point, WI

The Packers have been known as a draft-and-develop team. I have never heard it put that way, but it seems like the Brewers are even more of a draft-and-develop team. They do more trading than the NFL but even the trades are for players who are developed in their system.

If you would've told little Wes Hodkiewicz 25 years ago that the Brewers would become one of MLB's best developers of pitching talent, I would never have believed you. It's incredible how far the organization has come. I love how Milwaukee has turned baseball upside down. They're really the modern-day Oakland A's with how they keep winning with young talent under control time. Hopefully, they win the whole (freaking) thing.

Dan from Kewanee, IL

Since Mike has revealed his mantra, any idea what Larry's is?

Mike revealed his mantra, too? That must have been in the edition of Insider Inbox for Patreon members.

Ray from Phoenix, AZ

Just a comment: We head back to Phoenix from our Wisconsin digs on Saturday so a big thank you to both of you and all the Insiders for continuing to keep me informed, entertained and engaged with Packers news and conversation. There are plenty of Packers fans in Phoenix, but I only see them on gamedays at my Packers bar. Keep up the great work of keeping me and all of us Insiders informed. Go Pack Go!

Thanks Ray. Appreciate you. Safe travels back to AZ.

Derek from Eau Claire, WI

A great stew cannot be made in haste,
so we continue our slow simmer.
Each error is also opportunity,
Each week a chance to grow.

And that's how Packers have clawed back to 4-2.

Al from Green Bay, WI

Three in a row and counting. Let's make it four in Motor City! Reasons to believe: 1) J-Love is cooking and the splash plays will keep coming. 2) They said the D was only good because of weak QBs. Narrative eliminated. This Packers D is legit! 3) Still waiting on the running game to bust out. Why not Sunday with more weapons? 4) Our league-leading receiver tandem will outperform the Detroit secondary. 5) This team has a confidence level that's built for moments like this. GPG!

It's never easy in Detroit, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. I hope you all enjoy Game 2 of the World Series tonight and the Packers tomorrow.

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