Inbox: Plenty has changed since then

Arthur from Eau Claire, WI

I am probably in the minority, but I believe the Packers can beat the Eagles. Why? Simply because any team at any time can beat any team at any time. I don't place blame for a loss on any player, coach or referee, same with a win. My key to win is mistake-free play by the O- and D-lines. Is that a reasonable key?

The Packers can beat the Eagles because they're a good freaking football team. But yes, my biggest key to winning this game is winning in the trenches. Philadelphia has playmakers galore but you gotta match its physicality.

Tommy from Columbus, OH

How can the Pack go into Philly with momentum? What is the best way to contain Saquon Barkley?

Momentum doesn't matter right now. The Packers can't rupture. Green Bay did a solid job of containing Barkley early during both its game against the New York Giants in December 2023 and the 2024 opener in Brazil before Barkley started breaking off big runs. In fact, Barkley had a combined 49 yards on 18 carries (2.7 yards per carry) in the first half of those two games compared to 140 yards on 26 attempts (5.4 ypc) in the second. You have to tip your cap to Barkley, too. Part of his brilliance is how he wears down a defense until he finally breaks off a big run.

Mike from Baraboo, WI

It seems to me the Packers will need to control the clock and play mistake-free football to pull off a win in Philly. Does that mean we should expect to see Josh Jacobs getting 24-plus carries and more than 100 yards in order to win?

I don't know what the magic number of touches for Jacobs is, but he'll be ready for whatever the Packers give him. I'd agree the more yards Jacobs produces, the better the Packers' chances at coming out of Philly with a win.

Ryan from Rosemount, MN

With Minnesota throwing us a curveball of man vs. zone, do the Packers throw the Eagles a knuckleball? If we can start with the ball, do we come out slinging the ball and run no-huddle? I feel the Packers' best chance of winning on Sunday is to get out early and not have to rely on our D to stop every drive in the fourth quarter to pull out a win. Or is there something else they can do to put Eagles on their heels early?

Nothing would surprise me, but running a pass-heavy, no-huddle offense would be a bold strategy to take against the league's best pass defense. My approach, perhaps antiquated, would be to run it right at Philadelphia. That's what the Packers have done best all season.

Al from Green Bay, WI

The silver lining from the loss to the Bears is that it cost the Packers nothing in terms of playoff seeding, and the Bears slipped back a few slots in the April draft. So on to Philly! The Packers moved the ball well in the opener against the Eagles. Is there anything that can be taken from that experience when building the game plan for this weekend?

Explosive plays are great, but the Packers must finish drives. Like Detroit, Philadelphia boasts one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NFL. It's gonna take more than field goals to beat the Eagles.

Paul from Northglenn, CO

Will Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker be a complementary pair or competitors for a single spot? It would be well served for the team as a pair and hope Walker benefits from Cooper's instinct.

The Packers want those two playing off one another, not against each other. Cooper, Walker, Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson all have different strengths, which is why all four have been part of the defensive plan this year.

Ray from Phoenix, AZ

Brandon McManus was successful right from the get-go. To me, he was as important a signing as Xavier McKinney and Jacobs. Why did Brian Gutekunst not negotiate a new longer-term contract sooner? Now McManus will be a free agent at the end of the year and will surely cost us more money to keep him. What am I missing?

I mean, the guy's not going to sign any piece of paper you place in front of him. There are no Scottie Pippen deals anymore. McManus came to Green Bay on a one-year contract, looking for a chance to restart his NFL career. He's done that and likely will want to get paid for it. Hopefully, McManus is back, but extensions have to make sense for both sides. That's just how the game is played.

Jason from Lincoln, IL

We were rolling after the Saints game three weeks ago and just clinched a playoff berth. Is it possible Matt LaFleur had vanilla game plans for the following two losses to keep some plays off tape knowing that it was possible to see Minnesota again, plus not having two absolutely have-it-type games? I know play to win the game, but gamesmanship matters, and we were in the dance without a shot at the division title. I still believe we haven't seen the best from this team.

I don't know about all that, but LaFleur and his teams have done their best work when everyone counts them out. Last year, the youngest team in football came up a few points short of upending the eventual NFC champion. Detroit and Philadelphia are the talk of the town right now. Let's see if the Packers can change the topic of conversation.

Barb from Marengo, IL

Which players will be playing for us on Sunday that did not play in Brazil? What impact do you expect them to have?

Plenty has changed since then. Evan Williams only played special teams. Edgerrin Cooper and Carrington Valentine barely played on defense and now are two of the unit's biggest playmakers. Brenton Cox Jr. and Arron Mosby were scratches in that game and now factor into the pass rush. As previously noted, McManus has had a major impact on the kicking game, as well.

Mike from Aurora, IL

Interesting turnaround … Philly stumbled into the playoffs last year and were one and convincingly out. Now the Packers, to a somewhat lesser degree, are the stumblers and most are predicting a similar fate. Do you feel there is any pressure on the Eagles not to repeat last year's failure, or do you feel that will just make them a more motivated team? I know I may be grasping at straws in my Pack KoolAid here.

I don't think you can compare the two. Philadelphia went from the presumptive favorite to claim the NFC's top seed to losing six of its last seven, concluding with a 32-9 playoff loss to Tampa Bay. So, I feel the pressure is absolutely on the Eagles here. Whether that's motivating is totally up to Nick Sirianni and his team.

Gary from Chippewa Falls, WI

Good to see Jon-Eric Sullivan in discussion for a GM position.

100%. As we wrote about in this year's Packers Yearbook, all of Gutekunst's top lieutenants are ready to run their own shop. Sullivan is a sharp guy and a skilled scout who already should be running his own NFL front office in my opinion.

Bret from Hertel, WI

Dear Wes, how will the Packers handle the crowd noise and rowdy fans in the hostile environment of Lincoln Financial Field? How is the press box as well? Thanks!

Hopefully better than Minnesota. The Packers enjoyed some very friendly road crowds this year, but Detroit and Minnesota made for tough sledding.

Andrew from La Crosse, WI

How much can simply be put on the fact that the Bears were "due" to win against us? They are a professional team. Probably should have beat the Pack in Chicago. Eleven straight losses to Matt LaFleur. Frankly, this is a good time to lose to them. They were due and the loss is not that significant in my humble opinion. The football Gods sometimes smile on the other team. Thoughts?

You never want to lose to the Bears, but at least it was the most inconsequential loss possible as it relates to the standings and NFC playoff picture.

Erich from Sheboygan, WI

Any chance the Bears helped us out by seeing something on film with the trick punt and figured we'll burn them in the regular season, so they can fix it for the playoffs? Unlike the fake field goal in the game we don't mention.

Nothing puts you on higher alert than a 94-yard punt return for a touchdown. The Packers will be ready for anything and everything.

Dean from Ottawa, IL

A lot has been said regarding our loss to the Bears. We lost our starting QB, WR, and sat down one of the best RB in the NFL. The sky is not falling.

Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks are good running backs, but a part of me ponders the damage Jacobs might have done on a full day of work.

Yotam from Atlit, Israel

If I may expand on the answer to Ray from Phoenix, AZ, regarding the D not making a final stop. Remember it's an offense-driven league. It's almost unrealistic to expect the defense to stop every opponent's drive. The offense will get some breaks, deep shots, successful runs and even TDs. If the other two phases don't do their part, you can't blame the defense for a few bad snaps.

Believe it or not, I am ready to move on from the Chicago game. However, one last time for those in the back – that last play call and the execution that followed wasn't good enough. Beyond that, the Packers' defense did everything it needed to win that game.

Jason from Austin, TX

According to my memory (WCBW), you previously said that during the regular season, some assistant coaches would put film together for the following week's opponent, so they could be ready as soon as that week's game was over. Does this still happen in the playoffs? In this case, the Packers would know who they face already in Detroit, so they could do it if they wanted to.

There are a few new boxes to check since they last played, but the Packers should have a pretty firm grasp on what the Lions are doing at this point. They studied them all offseason and game-planned for them twice over the last two months. But yeah, there are personnel guys and quality control coaches peeking at what the rest of the NFC is doing in preparation for a potential divisional-round matchup.

Craig from Green Bay, WI

Could you, or some of your readers define what a deep playoff run is? If the Los Angeles Rams win this week and lose the second game, and Detroit loses in its first game, they have both gotten to the same depth of the playoffs, but one team is one and done and the other is not. I sense that Lions fans would be pretty upset about how far they got in the playoffs. And the Rams fans would be happy.

I don't know how Spoff sees it, but I define a deep playoff run as winning two games. In Detroit's case, the Lions need to win two and get to the Super Bowl to satisfy that fanbase.

Jeff from Littlefork, MN

No disrespect to Jaire Alexander or Christian Watson. I love them both and wish each a speedy and full recovery. But living in the moment do we have any ability with their roster spots? Just moving up practice-squad guys? Are there any options out there that Gutekunst could sign to bolster the 53 more for the final playoff push?

Green Bay has a litany of options, including elevating two players to the gameday roster without needing to sign anyone to the 53. The Packers also could sign Sean Clifford to the active roster and dress an "emergency" third QB who doesn't count towards the gameday 48. Green Bay could sign a free agent, too, but I think it would be a huge ask for any veteran player to come in on a few days' notice and be expected to play in an actual postseason game.

Grant from Janesville, WI

Regarding Dean from Huntsville's query about whether teams have made the Super Bowl after ending the season with multiple losses, it happened to both the Saints and Colts in 2009. Saints started 13-0, lost final three. Colts started 14-0, lost final two. Both made the Super Bowl.

Nothing is impossible, folks. The Packers are in the playoffs. Sure, you want a higher seed, but the opportunity is all the same.

Joel from Show Low, AZ

I hope the players will embrace the underdog role. The national media is dismissing the Packers' chances again this year. This young team has nothing to lose and should play this way. It seems when the expectations were high this season, the team did not produce its best. Just go out and have fun. Just beat the Eagles. Go Pack Go!

The Packers are still young, hungry and ready to prove the doubters wrong.

TK from Grafton, WI

And in addition, all the players involved in pass protection, not just the linemen. And how about the other receivers running their routes correctly? Clearing out certain areas at the proper time? Football is the ultimate TEAM GAME, baby! (It just feels like a "baby" was needed there for emphasis.)

I agree, baby.

Brian from Twain Harte, CA

The league has dwindled down to 14 teams. Each team has a record of 0-0. Bring on the playoffs! GPG

And it'll be down to 11 by the time the Packers play Sunday afternoon. Here's to being among the final 10. Have a great Thursday.