Dale from Port Washington, WI

I know there is no math in II, but could Mike tell us how many zeros are in a gazillion?

I don't know, 27?

Yan from Minneapolis, MN

Spoffocles actually has a nice ring to it.

Oh boy.

Michael from Eagle, ID

Apropos of nada, but "Zion from Mt. Horeb" sounds positively biblical.

And this column is getting positively historical.

Aumed from Moorhead, MN

I've seen enough. Put Chris Brooks in at guard.

Ha, I'm sure he wouldn't blink, even if his 220 pounds would have a tough time in there. On that crucial third-and-10, I remember typing in the live blog that the blitz was picked up, but I didn't realize until I watched the highlight he was blocking the blitzer that entire time. I just assumed the blitzer eventually bailed. Not so.

Jay from Altoona, WI

What is different about the 2025 Vikings over last year when they had so much more success? They are breaking in a new QB, but there seems to be more going on.

They've had some personnel turnover on defense, but it's mostly the new QB, who also missed five of the 10 games. They've had very little stability at the game's most important position.

Jake from Decatur, GA

So, on a scale from "definitely" to "yes, of course, why would you even ask," how confident are we that the Packers' defense was only pretending to drop those interceptions last game, in order to lull McCarthy into a false sense of security this week?

OK, I laughed.

Matt from Waunakee, WI

Hi Mike, the Vikings DC likes to blitz quite a bit. The Packers have struggled with soft coverage. Should be interesting to see how the game plays out.

Agreed. Flores isn't big on a two-shell with Josh Metellus and Harrison Smith. Typically defenses have to play man coverage behind a blitz, and this version of the Packers' offense prefers man. It'll be quite the chess match.

Michael from Des Moines, IA

I didn't get to see the game due to region but as soon as I heard Josh Jacobs out with a possible knee injury I could feel my blood begin to boil with just how terrible that field is. So many players have blown knees, torn Achilles…do you foresee the league stepping in and forcing the Giants and Jets to do something? It's turned into a running joke of playing on concrete until your franchise player goes down.

Well, Jets owner Woody Johnson has led the charge against the NFLPA "report cards" that have resulted in notable player improvements at team facilities. So don't hold your breath.

Alan from Butternut, WI

I have a solution to the push/mall/scrums that we see. Change the rule so forward progress no longer matters. If the offense can push a runner forward 5 or more yards, why can't the defense push the runner back also?

I've seen this suggested countless times in the Inbox, and when you think about how absurd that would make the game of football, it reveals how absurd the current state of affairs is.

Graeme from Tucson, AZ

Wondering if we could chat about what constitutes a "good" run defense. Wes suggested that the Packers' run defense against the Giants was fine because there weren't explosive plays. I agree that they can be a game-changer and the Packers prevented that but it was notable on Sunday that the Giants regularly got 4-5 yards on early downs. There was very little backfield disruption. Is the main aim to prevent the big plays or to make the early downs less productive?

Wes and I disagree on that performance by the run defense. On 37 runs (not including one kneel-down), 17 gained four-plus yards. Of the other 20, two were short TDs and one a fourth-and-short conversion. That's too much success in my book. The opponent running it nearly 40 times is by itself an indication of too much success, which controlled TOP and limited Green Bay's offense to eight possessions. The Packers were one of the best run defenses in the league through six games, but the first half at Pittsburgh showed leaks, and the two outings against Carolina and New York, sandwiched around an outstanding effort against Philly/Barkley, weren't up to the standard they'd set. They can't afford to get into some Jekyll & Hyde pattern with the run defense. It's got to settle down.

Tim from Aliso Viejo, CA

Still plenty of football in the season to go on a run. What one deficiency does the Pack need to lock down most urgently to get to the playoffs and beyond?

The offense still needs to play cleaner football. This last game, the pre-snap penalties vanished but the drops were back. There are going to be competitive penalties and contested catches/breakups, but the whack-a-mole with self-inflicted stuff has to end for this team to win consistently. Defensively, in addition to the note above, they have to take advantage of opportunities. Aside from the recently obvious, I think back to the Carolina game and Xavier McKinney's strip sack that bounced right to the Panthers. Nobody's fault perhaps, but those plays are the difference-makers. They also need to get more impactful pass rush from players other than Micah Parsons, which wasn't a problem early in the year but seems to be now. That's how the defense will progress from just keeping them in games to possibly dominating them.

Richard from Livermore, CA

The vibe seems to be that we are not a very good team? Yet often just a few plays decide a game. Winston is known for taking chances with his passes, giving us five opportunities for game-changing interceptions. A second pick earlier in the game could have put us up by two scores and probably taken NY out of their conservative, ball-control offensive plans, totally changing the complexion of the game. IMO we just needed to catch one or two more of those passes and it would have been a 10-plus point win.

Right. I totally agree. Then make the play. Because failure to do so will likely result in losses the rest of the way against a lineup of teams all considerably better than that sorely shorthanded Giants squad.

Matt from Madison, WI

On the Edgerrin Cooper missed tackle on the screen play, it appeared that he was pushed in the back just enough that put him slightly out of position.

Nope. I took one look at the film and saw it right away. He went for the ball instead of securing the TFL to force the punt.

Jon from Springfield, MO

One word to define the watchability of our beloved Packers: Exhausting.

My dad texted me that exact word as soon as Sunday's game ended. I admit that's hard to read when I'm about to embark on five hours of postgame work. I'm not allowed to be exhausted after just watching.

Shawn from Kissimmee, FL

I didn't see the game, but the last TD drive looked like two heave hoes. The first prayer was thrown and caught thanks to the play made on the ball by Savion Williams. The second one was thrown into double coverage and Christian Watson outplayed his double coverage for the TD. I'm not seeing anything spectacular by Jordan Love, just throwing it up and hoping his man makes a better play on the ball than the defenders. But somehow we're 6-3-1 except here comes better competition and division games.

The play to Savion was third-and-10, went off schedule, gotta make something happen, single coverage. I even called it a heave in my postgame coverage, but he gave his guy a chance. The ball to Watson was also against man, but as LaFleur detailed Monday, another defender read it well and fell off the tight end to help. Love's throw was so good the second guy didn't matter. That was no heave, that was a dime.

George from Duluth, MN

Jordan Love is not the issue. Full stop.

It's what we've been trying to tell everyone. He's not flawless, and he'll have his bad plays or even a rough game, but this QB can play, folks.

Matt from Boston, MA

What the Eagles did to the Lions' explosive offense puts our game into perspective. No excuses, but it is a reminder that perseverance through adversity – bad calls, injuries, mistakes, etc. – might be one of the most important factors to winning it all. Where is this team from the never-stop-grinding standpoint? Are they still in it to win it?

That's one thing I don't question about this bunch. Their attitude, their belief, their togetherness, their willingness to grind, it's all there. They don't back down from any challenge. It's what I admire most about this team and why seeing them struggle to play to the level they're capable is frustrating.

Lex from Mequon, WI

Is it fair to say our punter is the best in the league? I shudder to think where this team would be without him.

I don't know where/how to rank Daniel Whelan (PFF has him No. 1), but I've been asking myself on that 61-yarder toward the boundary in the final minute: Was that the best of his (still young) career, all things considered? The returner actually made an incredible play to get some yardage back.

Ted from Findlay, OH

I know the Vikings are next up, but what are your thoughts on all the rabbits the Bears are pulling out of their hats to win games? Does not seem sustainable to me.

I'm not discussing the upcoming Bears matchups because it's "Just beat the Vikings" of course. But I will comment on the Bears because they're in first place at this stage for the first time in, what, seven years? Wes called them "opportunistic," which defines their plus-16 turnover margin, tops in the league by a longshot. The Bears also have become a crunch-time team, at times overcoming their own failures in the clutch to still pull out wins. Here's the list: late TD/blocked FG to beat Raiders, late turnover/walk-off FG to beat Commanders, long TD pass w/17 seconds left to beat Bengals (after allowing two TDs in last two minutes), two TDs in last four minutes to beat Giants, long kickoff return/walk-off FG to beat Vikings (after allowing go-ahead TD with 50 seconds left). That's five of their seven wins in, literally, the final seconds of the game, all of which could've gone the other way. Crunch time counts for a lot in this league. Always has. Sustainable? The Chiefs were 11-0 in one-possession games last year and won another in the AFC title game to get to the Super Bowl. This year they're 0-5 in one-possession games. It'll always catch up to you at some point in this league, just a question of when.

Andy from Ellsworth, WI

Do you think Sunday night's game between the Eagles and Lions changes the analytics of fourth-down decisions?

I doubt it. But for all of Campbell's decisions, the most questionable was Sirianni's to go for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 29 with a 10-point lead and three minutes left. That's overthinking it, which he also did late at Lambeau.

David from Janesville, WI

Gents, I love the concept of getting Malik Willis on the field more (and if he's successful it may even help turn his eventual departure into a higher compensatory pick) but in reality I don't put him in. In a league where your backup is one play away from having to save your team's postseason chances there is NO way I'm putting that player at risk on a gadget package unless I think the season is on the line. His value as a healthy backup is just too great.

I lean in this direction as well. The Packers only needed him for seven snaps Sunday, as it turned out, but those were seven incredibly valuable snaps.

Josh from Nicaragua

Is Evan Williams the most cerebral player on the team? His interviews reveal a not only a staggering level of football intellect, but also lightning fast processing of that knowledge pre and post snap. He's obviously still developing, but his elite football IQ definitely harkens back to another great Packers safety that now owns a gold jacket.

I'd pump the brakes just a bit there, but I will say all throughout his rookie season, anytime I asked a coach about Williams, whether it was LaFleur, Hafley, Ansley or Downard, the first words out of their mouth were "smart player." When it becomes a refrain, it's real, not just a coach looking for something to say. I felt so good for Williams getting that INT, not just to seal the win and for the defense to finally cash in, but for him personally. He's had so many plays this year on deep balls where he's right there, in solid position, but it doesn't go his way. He got one, and it had to be incredibly gratifying.

Josh from Newhall, CA

Just a random thought that occurred to me while reading Inbox this week … Before the season started, one of our II writers (apologies for not remembering which) made a statement about our first two opponents to the effect of: an 0-2 start isn't going to define the season any more than a 2-0 start will. How true that turned out to be. That said, the next three games could be much more defining. I really feel like the team is so close to its "Eureka!" moment. Here's hoping it's this week.

I'm quite sure I said that about the first two games, and we have now reached the point in the season where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. Division wins have a greater impact on the standings, as do division losses. It's go time.

David from Sheridan, NY

We are seeing tremendous flashes on each side of what this team could be. I'm watching the calendar thinking "wait for it…wait for it…wait for it…" Like timing a traffic light perfectly, this team can go places if the switch flips at the right time.

Good, cause we're racing for pinks. Happy Wednesday.

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