Inbox: That's a difficult chess match

Scott from St. Cloud, FL

Three points short. Three games behind. That about sums it up.

Wild card or bust now.

David from Henderson, NV

Immediately after this one, I was feeling pretty bitter. But, after thinking and reflecting, the Pack just went toe-to-toe with the team that is considered one of the best at this point. I think that really says something about this team…and I still feel like they haven't hit their peak yet. Excited to see where the next few weeks takes us!

Lotta football left.

Erik from Sisters, OR

Here's my take, tell me I'm wrong: This team can beat anybody! Sure they lost but if the offense lets the defense rest a few more minutes in the first half, the Pack wins.

The slow start offensively certainly hurt, but the game was there to be won in the second half, and the Lions executed to a T when they had to. Bottom line is the Lions overcame a late penalty and the Packers didn't. That was one of the differences. I do think this Packers team can beat anybody. Felt the same way about them late last season. It's who makes the plays at crunch time. Always.

Kellan from Boise, ID

We didn't lose, we just ran out of time.

You're not going to win every game that comes down to the last play. The Packers already had won three. So it goes.

Mark from Genoa, IL

Sure, there was one huge stop on 4th down that resulted in a short field and quick TD for us. But to allow 4/5 conversions on fourth down is a killer. I don't really think it would have made any difference in the outcome of the game if we had scored a TD on our last possession. Our defense just wasn't up to it.

Maybe not, but that's the shot you have to give yourself against that offense.

Jeremy from Weston, WI

It's a less fun Inbox today, isn't it? What play could have changed the outcome for the Packers to come out on top?

That's a long list.

Yotam from Atlit, Israel

You gotta hand it to Dan Campbell, he sticks to what he believes in and it has the results. After the failed fourth-down conversion (and subsequent GB TD) other coaches would have taken the field goal and hope the defense will hold JL back. But he went for it, and sealed the win. I wonder if he would have done the same if Detroit were down by 1, would you?

I think he does the same if the Lions are down by 1 or 2. He wasn't going to give the ball back to Love if he could help it.

Noah from Phoenix, AZ

Why wasn't Goff marked down on the fourth-down handoff late? His knee touched the ground before he handed the ball off.

A surprisingly popular query. Lots of folks grasping at straws. He wasn't taking a knee and wasn't touched by a defender. Pretty simple.

Joe from Duffield, Canada

It was a good game and I thought we might sneak out the W. But our defense felt like death by 1,000 cuts… I give credit to the Lions for methodically chipping away, but I never felt like the defense was going to get a stop. With the injuries players seemed lost in coverage, and I couldn't be the only one yelling at the TV to cover the center of the field. Take the extra days to get healthy and on to the next one!

That's a difficult chess match with Ben Johnson the way that offense is built. They have a whole library of screens and other quick passes that are great answers for any blitz. The ball is just gone in a heartbeat. If you don't blitz, Goff can sit back, step up in the pocket, and let one rip downfield. And if you blitz and it's not a screen, he knows right where to go with it to get rid of the ball, or how to escape and throw it away. They rarely make a mistake, especially when the four-man rush is held at bay. Goff made one, and the Packers cashed in on it. They also got a big second stop in the second half on the fourth down. But they needed a third stop and couldn't get it.

Steve from Plymouth, MA

Mike, in the end is it that GB couldn't stop Detroit's offense or is that a too simplistic view?

They couldn't stop them when they had to despite having ample opportunity.

Joe from Swansea, IL

12 fewer minutes time of possession. 31 fewer plays. Five third-down plays to their 15. How was this game tied with 2 seconds left? Arrgghh!

20 third- and fourth-down plays to the Packers' five. That's insane. The Lions make you stop them all four downs quite a bit, which isn't easy. They scored four TDs against Green Bay this year on fourth-and-goal conversions. I've never seen that in one season series before.

Bryan from West Salem, WI

ML mentioned, and it's been said many times here in II, that only a handful of plays separate wins and losses in this league. I would also argue that there is a distinct difference between teams that lose those handful of plays because their opponent is simply better, and teams that lose them because of poor execution or self-inflicted wounds. It seems to me that our 9-4 Green Bay Packers fall squarely into the latter category, which gives me hope because that is fixable. Is that fair?

I don't know. The Lions are awfully good. The two plays that bothered me the most in this game were (1) the Christian Watson fumble, because he just grossly exposed the ball, which you can't do (though he certainly did his best to make up for it as the game went on) and (2) the second fourth-and-goal touchdown, when the Packers weren't ready and the Lions quick-snapped. That just can't happen in such a crucial situation.

Shane from Kennewick, WA

The officiating sure left a lot to be desired. A lot of phantom and missed calls throughout the night.

Welcome to the NFL.

Jake from Regina, Canada

I get that they need to rise above the refs, but wow was that a horribly inconsistent game. They'll call things like the illegal contact on Nixon or the rub route on Watson, but won't call Love getting hit in the face, holding when Nixon blitzed, or OPI on ARSB's in-breaking route. If you're gonna let them play, make it consistent. Those two calls on us were an eight-point swing.

See above.

Chris from Rhinelander, WI

Can you please explain the OPI on Watson near the end of the game? It looked like he was running his route and the defender ran into him. I'm sure his job was to clear out defenders, but it didn't look like he went out of his way to do so. It directly changed the outcome of the game.

LaFleur and Love talked about it at length postgame. All I can say is it's a tough break. The refs thought the Packers were running a pick play but they weren't. They were trying to run a screen to Jayden Reed to the left, and Christian Watson was the next option in the progression on the shallow cross from the right. But he ran into the defender trying to chase Josh Jacobs leaking out of the backfield. As LaFleur said, bottom line is you have to avoid the defender on the crosser there. Tough call that I don't think is even made if Love throws left, where he's initially looking.

Sam from Reno, NV

Good morning II. No question, just a comment. That, was a slobberknocker. I could voice a few complaints, but don't think I will. We just went toe to toe with one of the best in the league … we just needed a bigger foot with more toes. Tell Detroit we'll be seeing them again soon and we'll have all of our weapons.

The Packers have at least a couple more games to win, but if they're fortunate enough to get another shot at the Lions, I suspect Detroit will be healthier too. Focus on what's in front and see where the chips fall.

Kate from Emporia, KS

I can't even be mad about that one, what a game. The Lions are definitely the team to beat in the NFL, but if we meet them in the playoffs…I see us walking away with the W. Go Pack!

That seems to be the overwhelming sentiment in the Inbox. And yeah, that was a whale of a ballgame. It really was.

Scott from Wilson, MI

What is the ratio of games played versus games missed for Jaire Alexander? He seems very … injury prone.

It's been a rough go health-wise the last four seasons for Alexander, after missing only four games over his first three years. It's too bad because when he plays his talent and impact on the defense are evident. In his career, including playoffs, he's played in 85 of a possible 118 games. Hopefully the Packers can get him back for the stretch run here and the defense can take another step forward.

Darien from Edmonton, Canada

Mike, here's some good news regarding snow teams building domes – the Bills' new stadium is not a dome, it is projected to only have a roof over 70% of the seats. So we should have cold snowy games out of Buffalo for years to come!

Several readers wrote in about this, and I'm thrilled to stand corrected. Sorry for being misinformed. I'm glad Buffalo made the decision Cleveland didn't, and I can understand the Bills' desire to no longer have to shovel out the entire seating bowl after those lake-effect dumpings.

H.R. from Henderson, NV

When responding to Jeremy from Krakow, Mike mentioned relative parity "...except for one guy." Brady was in the AFC for 20 years, and was in the SB in nine of those years. And it wasn't just him. Ben played in three, Peyton in four. In the AFC, three guys accounted for 16 SBs in 20 years. That's not a whole lot of parity, is it?

I hear you, but I was looking at it from the perspective of Super Bowl wins. Ben and Peyton won two each out of those seven appearances and different QBs (Rodgers, Brees, Wilson) beat them in the others.

Gavin from Albuquerque, NM

"...OSU chose to react." Everything in life is a choice. If you let them be, you let them live with their poor choices. If you react, you have not only stooped to their level, you have probably provided the offender some satisfaction in getting a response. We aren't talking about linemen jumping to get a flag in reaction to the other side moving or encroaching. There is no win in immediately reacting there. Instead, react the next time you meet on the field.

That was pretty much my point two days ago.

Bill from Richmond Hill, GA

This has been bugging me for awhile now. It's no secret that the Packers have been the team to chase in the NFC North for years. Nobody seems to be talking about the fact that now, when the rest of the division is catching (has caught?) up, we're the best division in the league. Like historically good. Even this year's Chicago team is better than it's been in years, much as I hate to admit it.

I don't think there's been any lack of respect or attention for the division this year, not on this site or anywhere else. It's been staring people in the face since mid-October.

William from Little Chute, WI

Be nice to people who still say Central instead of North … Some of us are old.

All in good fun.

Roger from Provo, UT

Have I miscounted, or is the Pack flying with only 52 on the roster? Is it too late in the season to find a viable 53rd, or are we lying in wait for a hidden gem to be waived?

I guess the Packers haven't had an urgent need for the spot, and they can fill it when the opportunity arises without having to release anybody.

Jim from Hudsonville, MI

A coworker/friend of mine grew up with Matt LaFleur. They were teammates, and my friend was even a favorite receiver of Matt's. He said Matt would confront them when they ran a wrong route – that was drawn up on his hand! My friend said that happened in the second grade! LOL. Speaks to the man's competitive nature, for sure. Small wonder he's as driven as he is.

Nothing about that story surprises me.

Fredrick from Okatie, SC

Do you think two more wins guarantees the playoffs?

A relatively sure target in the NFC would appear to be 11 wins, as I outlined in my Rapid Reaction piece.

James from Asheville, NC

Two Thursday games, followed by a late Sunday game and a Monday nighter has got to be the oddest scheduling quirk I've seen in some time.

Halfway through it, and now I need some sleep.

Jessi from Sterling, KS

I know it's comparing apples n' oranges a bit, but it helps me to remember Dan Campbell'sh first season with the Lions in 2021 with Jared was 3-13-1. You could tell they were on the brink of so much more, and every year since it's been proven. Likewise, I need to remember this is Love & Co. second year together. This is a young team, you see them on the brink of so much more. I think we have a lot to look forward to, even though this isn't always looking how we want it to. It's just a dip on the ride!

Happy Friday.