Inbox: Momentum is an extremely powerful ally

Matt from Boston, MA

Sounds like Wes picked the wrong week to quit root beer? Happy New Year!

I was all over the place. Nine hundred words, up to 1,300 words…what a (jerk).

Ken from New Berlin, WI

Rest or play? What's best for this team against the Bears?

Play well and win. When asked about Sunday, Xavier McKinney quickly pointed out Green Bay is 1-4 against the division this year. The Packers have no desire to fall to 1-5 while also allowing Chicago to snap its 11-game losing streak against Green Bay.

Bryan from Edgerton, WI

This team got beat both times by both teams this season. How heavy does that weigh on the players' minds?

It stings like a papercut, annoying but not debilitating. The healing process starts against Chicago. Win this finale, move forward and prove deserving of the right to reverse your fortunes in the NFL's most important season.

Kevin from Savage, MN

Please don't discount the importance of winning the rivalry game on Sunday. I prefer to keep the Bears with the least amount of hope for next year as possible. Sure, if sitting guys this week guaranteed a Super Bowl win, then sit them. Or if we were say 4-1 vs. 0-5 vs. Minnesota/Philadelphia/Detroit. Best to be playing well and coming off a win. GB hopefully can use this game as a way to focus and clean things up where most needed. And maybe give the other teams something to think about (say a flea flicker, etc.). GPG. TBSS!

Exactly. Detroit didn't make the playoffs in 2021 or 2022 but finished both of those seasons with wins over the Packers. You can't tell me it didn't have an impact on the ascent of the Lions under Dan Campbell. Give Chicago no quarter.

Frank from Beaverdam, VA

Have we gotten all of the angst and vitriol out of our collective systems yet? We still have a game to play on Sunday against what most would say is a team just playing out the string and not nearly as good as we are. I submit that this is a game you use to focus on the fundamentals and little things to try to improve on them. As such, what's one thing you would focus on cleaning up in this game? Pre-snap mental mistakes? How about not putting the ball on the ground? Just beat the Bears.

Cutting down on the penalties. The Packers have won the penalty margin just six times this year but also were 6-0 in those games. That obviously makes them 5-5 when they finish in the red. So yeah, they know what must be done.

Eric from Kenosha, WI

Good morning, and Happy New Year. Am I just getting old? Fourteen years ago, doesn't seem that long ago to me, yet it amazes me how many "fans" have forgotten the Packers beat the No. 3 seed, then the 1, and then the 2 en route to their last Super Bowl. The following year, the Giants beat the 15-1 Packers on the way to a championship. 0-5 will mean absolutely nothing two weeks from now.

That mark has as much meaning as the Packers give it. Starting Monday, all that matters is whether you're still playing football.

George from North Mankato, MN

What a setback for Jaire Alexander. Hopefully surgery is successful and "23" makes it back to the field next season. I sure would love to see a healthy and motivated CB1 on the field with this defense. How about you?

You can't help but feel for both Alexander and the Packers, who must now press on without their All-Pro cornerback. The secondary has made it work all season, though. Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Eric Stokes haven't backed down from anyone. It also helps to have a safety net over the top like McKinney.

Grant from Janesville, WI

I saw an article making much ado about Brenton Cox Jr. getting more snaps than Lukas Van Ness. What do you make of it? Is it situational? Also, what are the snap counts for all the rushers?

I don't think there is much to make. Cox is playing well and earned those opps. Still, the Packers have split snaps fairly even among Kingsley Enagbare, Van Ness and Cox Jr. since the Preston Smith trade. They're all part of it.

Scott from Wasilla, AK

Regarding Tom Brady's comment about our receivers needing to be more precise on intermediate routes, and you seemed to agree. Is this an area where the idea of young team/players has an impact? It seems some receivers, like Davante Adams and Jordy Nelson, take a few years to get it dialed in. Is that part of it? Announcers rave about Adams' footwork on getting off the line but didn't, as I recall, in his first few seasons.

I think so. Neither Nelson nor Adams hit his stride until Year 3. Nelson also had the benefit of having established veterans such as Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and James Jones to spell while Adams was the understudy to Nelson and Randall Cobb before breaking out.

James from Appleton, WI

The Bears' offense seemed to get a spark of life in the last game against the Packers, when Caleb Williams discovered that he could run forward after escaping the pocket. How do we get him to start scrambling backwards again?

Keep steady pressure and cut off his exit angles from the pocket. I've been impressed at how well Williams has protected the ball this year. Chicago has the third-lowest interception percentage in the NFL (1.12%). However, the Bears rank last in sack percentage, with Williams being sacked on 12.5% of his drop-backs. If Williams holds onto the ball, the defense has to get him to the ground.

Tom from Chesterfield, VA

Why would you have a starting safety in a depleted secondary on the KO team? When I saw Zayne Anderson head for the tent, I knew it was gonna be an even longer day for our secondary. I would characterize this as a self-inflicted wound. Do you agree?

No. Anderson is a core special-teamer who's contributed mightily to the best kickoff and punt coverage season I can remember in Green Bay. So, I take no issue with keeping him on teams. The Packers did the same with Eric Wilson at inside linebacker. Shoot, even Xavier McKinney plays a role as a wing on kickoff coverage because he's a good insurance policy in case the returner breaks one. It's football. Players play.

Mike from Green Bay, WI

Mike or Wes, I watch a lot of NFL football and realize there are ups and downs throughout a game, but it seems this team is either hot or not. Any insight from within you can provide? As you have noted young team but plenty of experience. Is it a lack of coaching adjustments or players executing those changes. I know the million-dollar question. Thanks for all you both do to keep us informed and happy new year!

Execution comes down to a mixture of everything. When the Packers are rolling, they look unstoppable. When they start slow, you get what we saw in the two meetings with Minnesota. Momentum is an extremely powerful ally.

Paul from Northglenn, CO

Within a tumultuous world would it be well-advised to take Packers games for the entertainment value provided with appreciation for having a team to support? The mental anguish over things outside the purview of your control is dangerous to mental health. Ruminating over a FG has no benefit to preparation for the playoffs. Tuning up against a team that has quit is as important as resting some players come the fourth quarter when the game is in hand. Control what you may and respectfully let rest lay.

The Packers can't forget what happened in Minnesota but also need to move forward. Sunday offers a chance to check under the hood one more time before beginning this journey into the postseason.

Julian from Gastonia, NC

I've watched quite a few Bears games this year. Sure, they can beat Green Bay, as they say on any given Sunday. To be honest, though, the 2024 Bears are a mess.

Chicago has been in a tailspin since the loss to Washington, but the Bears are still a prideful team with a promising young QB. The Packers must take this game as seriously as they approached New Orleans. No half-measure.

Tim from Olathe, KS

Insiders, Sam Darnold came to the Vikings as a journeyman who failed as a top of the draft pick. Now he's lights out. What part of his game suddenly elevated and what part of Jordan Love's game needs to elevate to take him to the next level?

Experience. NFL quarterbacks are some of the most athletically gifted and intelligent people on the planet. But so many times you see guys thrown into the fire too early, behind shaky offensive lines, and different play-callers. Darnold seemed to gain confidence in Kyle Shanahan's offense last year and carried it over to Kevin O'Connell's offense. Love had the benefit of stability and is only going to keep getting better with more in-game experience.

Steve from Dodgeville, WI

Good morning II. Every team I wanted to win in Week 17 lost, but I proudly wore Packer gear everywhere I went this week because, as De'Vondre Cambell said about cold weather, "When you can't feel your fingers or toes, we will see who wants to play football." Likewise, after a frustrating loss, we will see who the fans are. Can't wait for Week 18, 19…? What is the vibe with the team? Thanks for all you do! GPG

Vibes are high, which I expect with a young football team. While this wasn't your point, it's worth mentioning it's going to be a tad chilly on Sunday, too. The current forecast calls for a high of 21 and a low 6, a perfect way to close out the regular season at Lambeau Field.

Jim from Stevens Point, WI

I guess the saying "You are what your record is" has never been truer than this year. Have you ever seen a year where all the Packers' losses were to teams higher than them and wins were to teams with a poorer record?

It's been a rather straightforward year. The Packers have beaten the teams they should beat and are still looking to close the small gap between them and the top three in the NFC.

Jeff from Edgerton, WI

Hello Insiders. Welcome to 2025 and a fresh start for all playoff-bound teams. Including our Packers. I've concluded "assuming" is part of many fans' DNA. That being the case, I'm going to assume Jerry from Bonnerville and many others will be watching "Brady Bunch" reruns instead of Packer games. If the Packers start 0-1 next year the season will already be over for most. That's horrible! I would like to raise my glass to all of us that have the Packers back…no matter what. Cheers!

If you don't have hope, you have nothing. Period.

H.R. from Henderson, NV

While I agree with the sentiment behind the response to Theal from Flounder, CT, I disagree with where it took place. You guys have already been accused on multiple occasions that you display favoritism and have shamed and yelled at your readers. Why feed into that again? Just delete the email and move on, right? You literally gave Theal the platform he wanted. Good job.

H.R., I had you penciled in for this is the exact response. Thank you for not disappointing.

Gary from Davenport, IA

Do the Vikings have a friend in the NFL scheduling office? How else do you explain playing your two biggest rivals at the end of the season with each opponent coming off an appearance on MNF?

One of whom had to fly cross-country to California. Such is life in the NFL. I'm just dumbfounded the schedule-makers waited until Week 17 for the Detroit-San Francisco rematch.

Gordon from Newport Beach, CA

OK, the Bears are 4-12 and a lot of other teams are sitting around them with similar records. They currently have the No. 9 draft pick in 2025. Could a loss and some other team wins vault the Bears into a top five pick?

I'm not gonna get into all the 4-12 tiebreakers. What I know is if New England, Cleveland, Tennessee and the New York Giants all lose, then the best Chicago could do is the fifth pick.

Ric from Longmont, CO

Thanks to Vic and this forum, I've become a glass-half-full fan, often conflicting with friends and family shouting expletives at the TV. Fans can fan any way they want, neither perspective is going to affect the outcome of the game or the season. However, how is your perspective affecting YOU? Are you angry or at peace after a loss; dreading or looking forward to the team's growth over the course of the season? Here's to optimism in 2025. Anyone care to join me?

I'm pretty measured. Spoff and I have so much on our plates on gameday there isn't much time to process the big picture until the drive home. The only time I remember being legitimately disappointed in the outcome of the game was the 2020 NFC Championship Game. The pandemic was still raging, and the football season provided a sense of normalcy. That was the best Packers team I've covered. In a way, it also felt like that was the end of the Aaron Rodgers era.

Scott from Noblesville, IN

I wish to submit a quick defense of "Dean from Leavenworth's" weekly poems. It IS POSSIBLE to love tough, hard-nosed football AND appreciate poetry. Anyone who has ever TRULY appreciated, (and pined and missed for years, now) the "voice of God," the late John Facenda of NFL Films' narrations, can understand this. If one needs a classic example, look up "The Autumn Wind IS A Pirate/Raider." Deep breath, please, we all love our Packers in our own way!

Amen…and in my club, I would splash the poetry whenever I please.

Lori from Brookfield, WI

Wes, Happy New Year! Did you make any New Year's resolutions?

To find meaning in the chaotic parts of life.

Mark from Bettendorf, IA

Wes, that was an all-timer. For the record, I come here nearly every day for my sanity. I hope that means something to you. Happy New Year. Thank you!

It sure does. Happy New Year, Insider Inbox. I can't wait to see what 2025 has in store for all of us.