John from Topeka, KS
"Just beat the Football Team" not only works for this week but pretty clearly sums up and stands in for the rest of the games, right? Best Available Phrase?
Sure, why not.
Derek from Eau Claire, WI
I've always been a liker of "Seinfeld," but have not seen all the episodes. It is now on Netflix in its entirety and I just started watching with the intention of watching them all. Any advice?
Don't binge on it. It's not one ongoing story anyway. No more than two episodes at a time. Not all the episodes are great, so take a moment to decide what made the comedy work, or not work, in any given show.
Joseph from Salt Lake City, UT
Who's the most entertaining player to watch on the WFT?
On offense, it's receiver Terry McLaurin. He can do damage lining up anywhere and on any type of route. On defense, it's edge rusher Chase Young. He has just two sacks so far, but both came the last two games, and he's one of those guys who can wreck things.
Jeff from Athens, WI
The WFT has a good amount of talent particularly on the defensive side of the ball; they just aren't playing well. What can the Packers do to make sure that the WFT does not get its defense back on track on Sunday?
It's baffling to see the personnel Washington has on defense allowing 420-plus yards and 30-plus points per game, at the bottom of the league. The Packers must do what they've been doing, which is stay balanced. Utilize the running backs in both the running and passing games to force the linebackers to defend the entire width of the field. Make the safeties commit to where they want to help and react accordingly. Throw in a wrinkle here or there with a tight end screen or jet-motion look to keep them guessing. This offense has the answers and the quarterback to keep any defense on its heels when the execution is there.
Mike from West Bloomfield, MI
Longtime reader, first-time submitter. Why do people continually reference the Week 1 loss? The Bills, Cowboys, Packers, Ravens and Titans all lost Week 1 and all currently reside in first place in their divisions. You repeatedly share its a year-to-year and week-to-week league. Is it truly that hard to understand? Also, I enjoy the live game blogs just to see what people are thinking during the broadcasts. Thanks.
Well, if you were skimming through all the comments being submitted in the live blog, the Packers were the worst team on the planet when they were trailing the Bears 7-0. Some people can't let the next quarter arrive let alone the next week before declaring all is lost.
Matt from Waunakee, WI
Aaron Jones is one tough little dude.
No doubt. I've seen him take more shots and rough tackles than I'd like, but he's finishing runs this year with an added ferocity.
Rick from Bluffton, SC
How close do you think the defender was to hitting Jones on the TD and possibly knocking out the ball? The ball did come loose and another Packer player picked it up. If the end zone was another step I think we have a fumble. I like to see players protect the ball a little longer. Was it close?
Yes, too close. As he went into his premature celebration, Jones moved the ball toward his left hip as Quinn was taking a big swipe at his right side. Without that little shift, Quinn is swatting the ball out and replay would've had to determine whether or not it had crossed the plane.
Kyle from Osceola, WI
Rock's Report on Kenny Clark pursuing Justin Fields and preventing a touchdown on a wide-open shot down the middle was illuminating...and frightening. Yee-ouch! Let's hope our secondary sees this film, too, because someday Fields may have a quicker release and more ability to make that throw really sting.
Oh, they'll see it, and I'm sure they went over it on the sideline as well. It was a classic coverage bust. Two defenders went with the same receiver while another ran free. I know fans get tired of hearing "miscommunication" as the reason things go wrong, but it really is what happens.
Gary from Benevides, Brazil
"Just beat Football Team." I laughed too hard. It was so nice to have the game in Cincinnati where the officiating went completely unnoticed. I think the bad calls evened out in Chicago. Is expecting full consistency for officials as unreasonable as it is to expect it from players and teams?
Pretty much. Players and teams are combatants against one another who are all getting paid and have the same goals. The officials' adversaries are the ever-expanding rule book, which makes them responsible for way too much in real time, and the technology that makes them look bad and isn't utilized to the fullest to help them.
Paul from Lindenwold, NJ
After comparing the Bears and Bengals games, why can't the NFL adopt the philosophy that Bill Vinovich and his crew seemingly has – only call egregious and obvious fouls? Sure, they'll miss the occasional holding or tripping, but overall I think it allows for a more competitive game, creates fewer crucial ticky-tack penalties, and I assume would make it easier on the referees as well, allowing them to be more decisive and consistent. I'd take Bill's crew every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Me, too. I mentioned in the live blog during the Cincy game that Vinovich has been my favorite referee since Gene Steratore retired.
Dan from Toledo, OH
I just want to make a Matt LaFleur appreciation post. 31-7 since taking over as head coach, and 13-1 in the NFC North. The haters will say it's because of Aaron Rodgers, but I'm old enough to remember back-to-back playoff-less seasons, one of which Rodgers played all year. We have an absolute stud at head coach.
That division record is positively eye-popping.
Eric from Fayetteville, NC
Is almost throwing up the same as a flinch? Cuz we never flinch.
Good point. We'll cut LaFleur a little slack there.
Dan from Kenosha, WI
Insiders, lots of folks intimating that AJ Dillon has suddenly learned how to have quick feet and shiftiness. A quick look at his college film shows he has always had those great feet. He is not a plodder. He is a big, powerful man that has balance and vision to go along with those quick feet. Hmmm…that may be why the Pack drafted him and were OK letting a fan favorite like Jamaal leave in free agency.
Bingo.
Tory from Milwaukee, WI
Morning, watching the game on two separate plays I saw Royce Newman miss a block. It looked like he didn't read an assignment correctly and slide to block a guy to his left instead of the right letting someone rush free while double blocking someone else alongside Lucas Patrick. Just curious if that seemed incorrect or how those blocking assignments get communicated at the line and how that could get thrown off?
A slide protection is very common, and which direction to slide is based on how the defensive front is aligned. Everyone has to be sliding the same direction, or be on the proverbial same page. If somebody hears it wrong, or just brain cramps and goes the other way, rushers come free.
Jackson from Wausau, WI
Green Bay has work to do to get better, but let's not forget Green Bay is winning the turnover battle in these games so far. Last year GB did this and had a great season. Hold on to the football and get a takeaway or two is the formula to win games.
A rather tried-and-true one.
Julius from Providence, RI
I know I should already be on to Washington, but I am curious how many Bears starting QBs don't have as many career wins at Soldier Field as Rodgers.
According to The Football Database, 37 Bears QBs who have started at least one game at Soldier Field have fewer than Rodgers' 11 wins there. Erik Kramer ranks ninth in Bears history with 11. Favre had 12 (all with the Packers), which matches Rex Grossman and Bob Avellini, who are tied for seventh. Only three Bears QBs have more than 15 wins there – Jim McMahon (31), Jay Cutler (28) and Jim Harbaugh (20).
Shannon from Ovilla, TX
I love the aggressive nature of fourth downs in today's NFL but not sure what Buffalo was thinking at the end of Monday's game. A first down on the sneak to call timeout with 10 seconds or so left to run one play for a chance to win and then kick a field goal? Bad play call or bad decision not to take the points?
It's certainly debatable, but I understand taking a shot at the win. If your defense is gassed, you'd rather not risk losing the OT coin toss and having to try to stop Derrick Henry again. But regarding the sneak, I'd always want that to be an option for my QB, not an automatic call, depending on how the defensive front lines up. The Titans loaded up right in the middle, making a sneak very unattractive. When the Packers faced that early fourth-and-1 in Chicago, Wes and I were debating the play call, and I said, "If they don't line Hicks up right over center, then sneak it." The Bears left Patrick uncovered and Rodgers called his own number.
Ben from Pensacola, FL
After watching the game highlights over the last couple weeks...I'm really looking forward to having not only David Bakhtiari, but Marquez Valdes-Scantling, back too. MVS on the field with Davante Adams really does open up another wrinkle for Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Robert Tonyan.
Couldn't agree more. He changes how teams have to defend this offense.
Joe from Swansea, IL
Way too early for this question, but here goes anyway. With one NFC team 6-0 and four teams 5-1, how important is it to stockpile wins in the conference? Where does that land in the list of tiebreakers for playoff seeding? Yup, I know it's the third week of October, but are some wins more valuable than others as the season rolls along? Yeah, yeah, I know: Just beat the Football Team.
Wes and I discussed the state of the NFC on "Unscripted," and it'll be interesting to see if this top handful continues to separate itself. The head-to-head battles will be pivotal games for sure, but with only one playoff bye, what no team can afford are losses to teams that aren't in that mix. So far, of the four combined losses amongst the NFC's top five, three of them are within the group (Bucs beat Cowboys, Cards beat Rams, Rams beat Bucs). The only outlier is the Saints beating the Packers in Week 1. I haven't checked all the schedules, but Green Bay probably has the toughest slate of AFC opponents remaining from that group (Chiefs, Ravens, Browns). You said it, it's about stockpiling wins right now, and then we'll see where things stand in another month or so.
Shilo from Murrieta, CA
This team feels like it's starting like 2019 (winning ugly/close games), with the potential of playing like 2020 (winning big/dominating) if it gets its stars back healthy...but with more experience, depth, AND youth than either 2019 or 2020. Other contenders could fade because they lack one of the above, but I think we have a real potential to peak late. This is a fun year to watch!
The season feels like it's barely underway, to be honest. Long ways to go.
Mr. T from Geneva, Switzerland
You said you were playing ping-pong with Aaron in your dream. You have not told us the story though on who won, and how badly. Did Aaron tell you "I still own you" as well? Please shed a light.
We didn't finish the game, but I was all set with, "I pity the fool!" if I won.
Sean from San Diego, CA
I know work can be a grind, but II is my daily reprieve. Thank you for all your hard work and professionalism. What is your reprieve?
Racquetball baby. Nobody owns me at that game. Happy Wednesday.
