Hey there, hope everybody had a great Christmas and has some fun plans for New Year's. Me? I'm just working, but so it goes. Go ahead and start sending in your questions and I'll get rolling momentarily.

Who do you think starts at QB this week? Hope you had a good holiday.

The signing of Desmond Ridder tells me the Packers are strongly considering not playing either Jordan Love or Malik Willis this week. So it could be up to Clayton Tune and Ridder.

Biased Oklahoma State alum here. Eagerly waiting to see Collin Oliver and hope it is soon.

I'll be curious to see if they get him some game action. He hasn't practiced much, but this is still an opportunity for him to make progress.

Did not get to see MLF presser. What was mentioned about injuries?

He really didn't reveal anything as far as the plans for this weekend. He said some starters will sit but not all, because there simply aren't enough players to do that.

As stated in II, maybe now is the time to see what a few guys can bring.

Might as well.

To follow up on the lack of turnovers, Packers have only 2 in the last five games. Turnovers are the in game life line of a struggling team. This team will need turnovers to win a playoff game. I don't believe it is all luck. How do they change this narrative?

Great question. If the Packers knew that answer, I'm sure they'd have changed their fortunes by now. It's reached the point where the lack of turnovers is on them, because they've dropped so many catchable interceptions. But they also don't force many fumbles.

The early bye week seems to be coming back to bite us this year. Would you be a fan of just having all teams take a midseason bye like they do in MLB or the NBA?

I think it would make a lot more sense for the league to condense the bye weeks into four-week or six-week window, but they've never done it that way and don't expect them to now.

Thanks for the chat, Mike...and Happy New Year to you, Wes. and all your families on this, the 58th anniversary of The Ice Bowl! How's the mood around 1265?

We haven't spoken to any players since after the game Saturday night, but it's just a strange week with nothing to play for as far as the standings or playoff positioning.

Hey Mike, Happy New Year's Eve to you and yours! Read earlier today that the Oregon head coach believes that the college football playoffs should be completed by January 1, and the playoff games taking place on all the Saturdays in December. He indicated that the NFL should give up its late season Saturday games. What are your thoughts?

He's probably right, but good luck convincing the NFL.

So, is this basically our 4th preseason game?

Not exactly, but sort of, yeah.

Happy New Year Mike! Like most II readers, I hate that refs allow offensive linemen to push RBs until that forward progress in eventually stopped and I see it done to us constantly but can't figure out why our OL doesn't reciprocate and push Josh Jacobs or Emanuel Wilson the same way. Injury concern?

I've seen guys push the pile on occasion and the linemen are lingering back looking for those opportunities. They just haven't happened as much for whatever reason.

Hey Mike, I'm trying to get this who/whom thing straight. Does this mean George Thorogood's song "Who Do You Love?" is grammatically incorrect?

Yes.

Seems our interception drops would be tough catches. Forgivable. Not like easy pop flys bouncing off a receiver's hands.

No, but I've seen plenty of defenders across the league, and against GB, make those plays when they have the chance. They're huge missed opportunities.

If you had to choose the biggest story of the season for this team what would it be?

There's no question the biggest story surrounding this team in 2025 was the acquisition of Micah Parsons. After that? It's probably letting that game, and the division title, get away in Chicago.

Is Desmond Ridder auditioning for the back up role in 2026 to replace Willis?

I have no idea but I'm sure he'd like to take advantage of any opportunity the Packers give him.

Is Bo Melton just a WR now or does he still get snaps with the defense?

He was back in a green jersey at practice today working with the DBs. The cornerback room has thinned out so much they're going to need to play him there potentially.

Should be a relaxed blog for the game. Put your feet up and let the chat chill.

Doesn't really work that way regardless, but the game will not have the usual intensity, that's for sure.

What's the fascination with runing out shotgun on 4th and short? It's ok once in a while, but we seem to have made it a staple, with debatable success.

I don't know all the ins and outs, but some of those are RPOs where the QB has the choice to hand off, throw it, or keep the ball himself. So that would be the reason for shotgun.

Tickets for the game in MN are going for like 50 bucks. Everyone is checked out on this one.

They'll be lower come Sunday I would think.

I'm going to college next year to be an athletic trainer, think the Pack could use someone in 6 years?

They hire interns all the time, as the organization does in a number of departments all over the building. Good luck to you in school.

What is your take on the future for Rashan Gary?

I haven't given it much thought right now. It's an offseason question when there will be plenty of time to ponder it. Right now, the Packers are trying to get healthy for the playoffs and see what they can do. Next year's roster can wait.

Since we are trying to rest starters for the playoffs maybe this is the game to let an intern handle the live blog?

Ha. Sure. Except our intern doesn't travel. He does get it all set up for me to launch, though, which I appreciate.

Is this the week we see Matthew Golden featured, and Melton, Oliver, and Barryn Sorrell getting major playing time on defense? And do you think they might ask Keisean Nixon to take on return duties in the playoffs, at least on punts?

I don't see Nixon taking on more reps in a game like this. But all those other guys you mentioned, yeah, I expect them to get quite a bit of work.

Apologies if this has been asked already, how much does the delay in Micah's surgery affect his aspirations to be ready by week 1? And was Lafleur's response to the surgery question in today's presser suggesting he wish it happened sooner?

No, not at all. Parsons was bringing another child into the world, and we don't know if surgery had to be delayed due to swelling or anything else anyway. I have no idea what his timeline will be but he's going to try to make it as short as possible, knowing him.

Is there a list of the players who will be resting this week?

Not yet. LaFleur said we'd find out Sunday.

What happened to pre-season hype for defense punching ball out? I see little evidence there has been much effort on this.

I've seen the effort previously but not the results, and without the results I think the effort has diminished somewhat.

Ironically this was going to be the season focused on turnovers. Turnovers definitely at the forefront but not for what was anticipated. A few more of those and a few more wins happen. Maybe the fortune will turn. Here's to hoping! Thx Bob

You never know. Considering the lack of turnovers, this defense has played pretty darn well all year, last game notwithstanding. If they get one or two in a playoff game it could mean all the difference.

Hey Mike, how about a re-do of the 2010 playoffs? If things fall right, the Packers head to Philly as the lowest seed in the bracket. Get a win there and then go face the #1 seed (SF or Seattle but not Atlanta like last time). Get a win there, and if the Bears do their part on the other side of the bracket, we could have another NFC Championship game at Soldier Field! Now, if the Steelers hold up their end on the AFC side .... talk about mind blowing!

Sorry, my mind won't go there. I don't have the energy for all that speculation.

If writing hadn't worked out for you, what would have been your next career choice?

I might've gone to law school, I don't know. Fortunately, I got a job in sports right away out of J-school and things have worked out pretty well. No complaints.

Thank you for your grammar corrections, and your kind attitude in which they are administered. Makes me smile.

I'm just trying to have fun, honestly.

Where is the value in this game for the Packers?

The immediate value is in seeing if somebody emerges who might be able to help in a playoff run. Bigger picture, in-game snaps can be valuable experience for any young player coming back to try to make the team next year.

I truly like our chances against Chicago. No false-confidence here, I just see we can outplay them. I like our chances if that's where we're headed.

I think the NFC is as wide open as it gets. As I said in Inbox this morning, the only surprise to me would be if the NFC South champ/4 seed makes it to the Super Bowl. Any of the other six would not qualify as a surprise in my book.

Not having an opportunity to see the all 22, is Matthew Golden not getting separation on his routes? I was expecting him to be more of an impact player.

I confess I haven't studied Golden's film specifically. It's not the rookie year he or anyone anticipated, especially after some flashes early in the season. The injuries definitely set him back and it just seems he hasn't found his rhythm since. Could be a lot of reasons for that we're just not aware of.

Reading Hafley's/LaFleur's explanations regarding our run defense last week, yeah, it seemed to me a lot of guys were running themselves out of plays, but how does that happen this late in the year? Was it just "one of those games"?

Yeah, it happens. It shouldn't, but it happens. Late in the year, playing on Saturdays, etc., the practice schedule gets adjusted, there aren't as many padded practices, there are more walk-throughs, and sometimes that leads to lapses. It shouldn't, because the coaches and players have to stay on top of that stuff at all times, but it happens, and when it does against a highly motivated team, you can get whipped.

Bring in Peanut Tillman during camp as a consultant.

Ha, we'll see what any future approach might be.

All do it, but do you feel punching the ball with the fist really belongs in football?

I don't give it much thought. It's tough to do that and tackle at the same time, so the tackler is giving something up, and when there are multiple guys around the ball, the guy with the ball has to protect it. I also think officials can blow more plays dead sooner when progress is clearly stopped, but that's a whole 'nother story.

Who do you think is the better QB Love or Willis? ....I think Willis is faster on his feet quick and on his decisions .....pinpoint on his throws etc

I love everything Malik Willis has done for this team, but I'd take Jordan Love as my full-time starting QB without hesitation.

Hard to punch the ball out unless you can gang tackle. Not much of that evident against King Henry.

Very true.

When Chicago has to throw out of the pocket, his completion rate is in the 30's. Yes he can take off, but he still shows he's not a polished passer (yet). He's going to be good, but this is our chance to take that game.

I've said it in several forums that Caleb Williams looks much more confident in the way he throws outside the pocket versus inside. Not to say the latter won't get better, because he's still so young, but he just has a whole different look to him when he's outside the pocket and surveying the field.

The 2010 team went on a turnover binge on the playoffs. Not that one thing means the other, but curious and can't recall now, how did the 2010 team do in turnovers before the playoffs?

That team had 24 INTs and 8 fumble recoveries in the regular season, so 32 takeaways in all. Two per game. This team doesn't even have one per game on average.

Who(m)? would you rather face in the wild card round?

I haven't spent any energy on figuring out a preference. As I said in the column, the fact that either Chicago or Philly presents a revenge/payback element to the first playoff game is pretty cool.

Maybe I'm too optimistic, but if our O-line and Jacobs can get healthy by next week, I like our chances, whoever we play. More than a couple great defensive efforts this year have been wasted because the offense just couldn't get its game together.

Yeah, that's the real shame of it, because the defense in my opinion has had two head-scratching games ... Dallas and Baltimore. The offense did enough to compensate and get a tie in Dallas, but too many times this year the defense played well enough to win and the offense didn't come through.

Is it possible to have an us against the world, nobody is feeling sorry for us, just get in there and do your job focus for the playoffs? If the Packers can avoid the one and done, look out?

All it takes is one playoff win for a team to get hot and be dangerous. Look at the Rams last year. Nobody was talking about them, they surprised the Vikings in the wild-card round and then went to Philly and were less than 10 yards from the winning TD in the snow. And Philly went on to win it all.

A wise man once said "We are nobody's underdog." Granted, that team was different, but you gotta love the sentiment.

No reason not to adopt it again.

This draft class has made few contributions this year compared to the 2024 class.

The Packers are getting so much from their '22, '23 and '24 classes there was only going to be so much opportunity for the '25 class.

Hi Mike. Packers fan messaging from Glasgow, Scotland. Is it safe to say that all starters will be rested for week 18? Rest every single key starting player where possible?

You can't rest all the starters. You've only got 48 active players so some of them have to play. But I would say any starter dealing with any kind of injury, even if he would play under other circumstances, is definitely sitting.

"Just do your job" is the drop-mic comments. We forget how young most of these guys are and how that simple 4-word sentence needs to be hammered home again and again.

Trying to do too much can work for a play here or there, but over the course of time it's not helpful.

GB could beat any team on any given day. That says something about the depth and quality of the team given the missed games by Parsons, Tucker Kraft, Devonte Wyatt, Jayden Reed, Love, Christian Watson, et al. No excuses, rather we should be happy we're in the playoffs and competitive.

I don't look at it as anybody should be "happy they're in the playoffs" or whatever. This team has endured a lot. It's also fallen short in instances that were frustrating. They have a chance to start over next week, and this week is a nice chance to reset and get healthy. Let's see what they do with it.

What are your thoughts on our free agent signings this year, Aaron Banks and Nate Hobbs?

I wish both had stayed healthy. Banks seems to have settled in nicely now that his body is cooperating. Hobbs has seemingly dealt with injuries all season.

Mike, What are the press accommodations, (seating, food, etc) like at U.S. Bank Stadium?

It's a nice press box. Plenty of room, easy access to get to the locker room after the game. It's open air, as most press boxes at indoor stadiums are, so the noise can get annoying when trying to work, but it certainly adds to the atmosphere.

I just jumped on. I'm always amazed how easy it seems for people to forget the Love is a fantastic QB.

No kidding, man. He's not perfect, but he's played some amazingly good football this season. So much of this fan base has simply forgotten that. They expect perfection based on the salary he makes. It doesn't work that way. He's a really, really good QB, folks.

Can you believe Henry is doing this at his age. So much respect for that mans.

No kidding. What a beast, even at age 31. You have to make contact with him at the line of scrimmage or prior, or that head of steam is too much to slow down. The Steelers are going to have a really hard time with him Sunday night.

The same group that wanted us to get rid of Brandon McManus now wants us to give up on Love. No thank you.

Yeah, don't get me started on that one again.

I understand the Willis vs Love talks because Malik was playing really good, but Love was top 3 in MVP talks this season, like Love is our future possible HOF guy, can't just give it up

Exactly.

Can our DBs go have a conversation with Lester Hayes?

Ha. Boy does he bring back memories.

That concussion hit on Love against the Bears makes me want the Packers to face them in Chicago and give that whole team an epic beat down. Not talking about hurting people on purpose - talking about whipping them in football. Is that wrong?

Not at all.

Most important in the playoffs for us; stop the run, or force turnovers? On offense, red-zone success, or big plays?

All of the above? The margin for error shrinks even more in the playoffs. You have to do well in just about everything or it's very hard to win. Turnovers are always huge. Top of the list, both getting them and not giving them up. But it all counts -- third down, red zone -- being the better team in the important situations is how you win.

Is it crazy to chalk that defensive no-show against Baltimore as a one-off?

It's dangerous to do that without looking at the film and everything that went wrong and getting out on the practice field to correct it. I don't think the Packers just threw the game film in the trash.

I just read Mr. Christls' column on Charles Woodson getting to be a "spy" on many plays. Is there a player on the squad that might have that role?

The Packers have a few candidates, depending on the situation. Edgerrin Cooper and Javon Bullard come to mind first.

Regarding injuries, how does U.S. Bank field rank?

Couldn't tell you. The only major injury I remember seeing in a game I covered there was Rodgers' broken collarbone, courtesy of Anthony Barr, in 2017.

Wasn't it great when 32 was indeed 2 per game? Asking for Wes.

Ha, yeah.

Josh Jacobs is a warrior. He may not be getting as many yards this year as last, but in a lot of ways his value is showing even more in 2025.

I've been impressed with his mentality. I actually thought the Packers would just give him last week off, and he didn't play much. But he will do anything he's asked and more.

Do the Packers in general lack the DNA for making clutch plays?

No, they've made plenty this year. It's just easy to forget the ones they make. But they've missed on their share, and that's football.

Has Sean Rhyan solidified his status as a starting NFL center?

Perhaps. Some of the miscommunication with Willis the last two games has been unfortunate, but that's also partly due to Willis' limited practice time. I think Rhyan has made himself a viable consideration to be re-signed as the starting center moving forward. But again, offseason question.

Seems to me the Packers' special teams coach is something like the Defense Against Dark Arts position at Hogwarts; cursed. No matter who we get (and Bisaccia's one of the most highly regarded in the business, and getting rid of him would be a mistake, IMO), the only consistency we have is under-performing. Is there something in our roster building approach under Thompson/Gutekunst that makes that more likely?

I don't know. I honestly don't. But this team has had too many flags on special teams, and the botched onside kick was incredibly costly. Too much up and down for too long, no matter who's been in charge.

Do you think most of the starters love the game so much, they would prefer to play?

At this late stage, I'm sure they'd appreciate a chance to give their bodies a break. This game is so physically brutal, especially over four-plus months.

Is Watson as fast as he was before the ACL tear? He looks it.

I don't see any dropoff.

Can we trade our punter for someone? Anyone? We don't need him apparently.

Ha, Daniel Whelan has had a great season, even with no usage of late. But they'll need him, and he can be a weapon.

Willis does have an incredible impact on the run game though. The threat was part of Wilson's recent big day.

Wilson also had a 100-yard game with Love at QB vs. the Vikings.

Mike, which player's performance has surprised you the most this season?

I wouldn't say I'm surprised, but seeing the Year 2 play of Bullard and Evan Williams on defense has been really fun to watch. The Packers got keepers with both those guys.

Mistakes happen when you're afraid of making mistakes.

Very true.

Where is your favorite place to eat over in Minny?

Either my friend's house or my cousin's house, depending on who's home.

All right, I just got word practice ended so I've got to get downstairs. Thanks for all the participation folks and Happy New Year to everybody. Take care, Spoff