Thomas from Cedar Rapids, IA

Well, I guess it still counts as a win, right?

Yes. It beats the alternative, but that's about it.

Harry from Chandler, AZ

Wow! Hats off to Jacksonville. They almost pulled it off. Question: Who should we be upset with? The team as a whole didn't play well.

LaFleur said after the game that everybody's to blame, including him. Coaches use the word "fortunate" rather than lucky, but call it what you want, the Packers got away with a lethargic performance. LaFleur made that pretty clear.

Howie from St. Ignace, MI

I'm happy they won but it seemed like the team needed a motivational kick in the rear throughout the game. Which current Packer would be most likely to vocally attempt to light a fire to rally his teammates?

I think that's what this team needs to figure out.

Andrew from Edgewood, IA

Maybe it was the weather. Cold, cloudy, blustery. But the Pack looked lethargic today. Like they'd rather be where I was. On couch looking out at the weather. Instead of being in it.

I don't doubt there was some of that, but that's no excuse for professional athletes. I think that's also what LaFleur was getting at.

Thomas from Appleton, WI

Two turnovers and a return touchdown is the recipe for an upset. Awesome to see our pass rush finish the game though! Did I see Rashan Gary drawing the double-team on that final stand?

You're exactly right, it was the recipe for an upset. Only scoring three points off the one turnover the defense got was a factor, too. Special teams (7-0) and points off turnovers (10-3) produced a 14-point hole. The pass rush was relentless on that final drive, and no blitzes were needed, so the coverage was there on the back end. That's how you finish a game on defense. We all know it shouldn't have come down to that, but they found a way.

Seth from Superior, WI

I saw Aaron Rodgers coaching up the Smith Brothers prior to the fourth-and-26 (thankfully history didn't repeat itself). Any idea what he was saying?

He told reporters afterward he was just giving them his thoughts on the formation the Jaguars lined up in before the Packers took the timeout, just to give them some possible ideas what to expect. I couldn't believe it when I typed fourth-and-26 into the live blog. I was seriously saying you've gotta be kidding me.

Alex from Kentwood, MI

All that matters at the end of the day is that the Packers won, and the Seahawks lost. Onto the Colts!

True enough. The Packers are technically the No. 1 seed in the NFC right now, tied with the Saints at 7-2 with a head-to-head win, but it's silly to talk about it with seven games to go and so much this team has to get straightened out.

Eric from Kenosha, WI

OK, enough perseverating over the Packers barely surviving a one-win team. Did you see what DeAndre Hopkins did?

What a finish to the game of the year in the NFL so far. Those two young QBs are really fun to watch and I think they're both headed to the postseason this year. Allen's TD throw to Diggs vs. Peterson was outstanding. Murray's throw on the final play was eerily reminiscent of Rodgers' Hail Mary in that same stadium to Janis in the playoffs five years ago. Scrambling left to escape the pressure, trying to reset the feet to get the throw off against the grain. It was almost from the exact same spot on the field. Incredible play.

Steve from Lake Stevens, WA

I don't want to make too big a deal out of a few highlight plays, but do you see Marquez Valdes-Scantling gaining confidence as the season goes along?

Yes. He just has to keep moving forward. It was telling that Rodgers made just as much mention of his other three receptions as he did of the deep ball, because of the type of plays they were. That's two games in a row MVS has made a key play in the scramble drill, and the way he bounced off a couple tacklers on the hot throw to the slot stood out, too.

Don from Riverton, UT

"David Bakhtiari signed his last extension back in September 2016. That year then became the first of his four straight All-Pro nods (second team in '16, '17 and '19; first team in '18)." How refreshing and satisfying that unlike too many in professional sports we have this guy who doesn't let up on the gas after a new contract!

Bakhtiari has been full speed ahead since the day he got here, and congrats to him on the new and historic deal. How he’s prepared and performed since he got his first extension four years ago is why the Packers had no hesitation extending him again. That's what it means to be a true pro.

Joel from Sand Springs, OK

Insiders, it's exciting to see DB get his extension, the first of many dominoes that need to fall...but given the reduction in the cap in the coming years and the size of the extension, I'm a little worried that we just lost a couple of our other key pieces. What are the potential repercussions?

It's impossible to say until we see how the contract is structured and how the cap hits are arranged. But this gets one big priority checked off and gives Gutekunst a better handle on the team's financial picture heading into what promises to be a busy offseason. Maybe it gives the Packers a chance to get another extension done before the season's over, too. We'll see.

Steven from Ladysmith, WI

I was wondering what your thoughts were on Paul Hornung betting on football and still making the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Pete Rose betting on baseball but being kept out of the Hall of Fame because of betting.

The situations don't compare, but the biggest difference frankly is Hornung came clean when he was confronted with it, took his punishment, and got back in the good graces of the game. How long did it take Rose to fess up? A couple decades or more? The cover-up often comes across worse than the original crime. We're a forgiving society for those who admit mistakes.

Dave from Lake Zurich, IL

Other than Jerry Kramer, how many Lombardi-era Packers are still with us?

I don't have the full list in front of me, but among the Canton inductees, only Kramer and Dave Robinson are left, unfortunately.

Steve from Marinette, WI

So sad to hear that yet another Packer great (Paul Hornung) has passed away. His 176 points scored in 1960 stood as the NFL record for 46 years. He was an amazing athlete in both the NFL and at Notre Dame. Rest in peace No. 5!

My favorite piece of Hornung's statistical legacy is setting that scoring record in 1960, the final year of the 12-game schedule. It took 17 years of 14-game seasons, plus another 29 years of 16-game seasons for someone to break it.

Paul from Houston, TX

MVS had a great run after the catch for a TD. Will S Jarrod Wilson face any type of disciplinary issues from pushing BJ Dino Paganelli out of the way? There's incidental contact that is to be expected, but the BJ was shoved out of the way.

I don't think there was any true malicious intent. The official got caught in a bad spot and Wilson was doing what he could to try to make a play. I hope Paganelli is OK, and I hope the league lets it go.

Tony from San Juan Capistrano, CA

During the four-minute offense on the third-and-1 it looked like there was a good chance for a successful QB sneak. Why didn't Rodgers run it? Is that his call? Or by ML's orders? Could've iced the W right there. We'll take the W, just curious.

I don't know if Rodgers has the freedom to change that to a sneak.

Joe from Monroe, WI

A player dives and touches the pylon with the ball it's a touchdown. A runner fumbles the ball and it rolls into the pylon, it's a touchback and a turnover to the other team. A receiver (e.g. Tyler Lockett against Minnesota) kicks over the pylon after catching a pass but before his second foot hits the ground, and it's as if he never hit it. I'm confused. Is the pylon in play or out of play?

That's not the way to try to understand it. It's more about the pylon killing the play, but under different circumstances. If the ball in the possession of a player hits the pylon, it's considered to have broken the plane and the play is over (touchdown). If a loose ball hits the pylon, the ball is also considered to have broken the plane, but in no one's possession, and the play is over (touchback). The pylon has no bearing on whether a player gets both feet down to complete a reception. Possession must be established independent of the pylon.

Rusty from Fond du Lac, WI

Did the refs make a mistake on the play where they called roughing the passer for the low hit to Rodgers? I thought they called illegal shift on the offense for not being set and roughing the passer on defense? Doesn't that equal offsetting penalties?

No, that's the 5-15 rule, where a 5-yard penalty by one team cannot offset a 15-yard penalty by the other team, as long as the 5-yard penalty does not result in an automatic first down, a loss of down, or a 10-second runoff. The 15-yard penalty supersedes it otherwise.

Tim from Vienna, VA

After watching the painful Jacksonville game, I had that familiar feeling the defense has been the weak link for at least the past five years, even after changing defensive coaching staffs and coordinators, as well as head coaches, and after emphasizing defensive picks in the draft. Is it a question of scheme, of coaching, of talent, or something else? It seems the organization has tried all three "fixes" but we're still weak. From your perspective, why is that?

I'm not going to deny the defense has its issues and it's frustrating to see so much investment and such inconsistent results. The run defense also struggled again until the second half. But ripping the defense after that game is a bit misguided. Jacksonville had a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 26-yard TD drive after the Davante Adams fumble. That's 14 points out of 20 that are hard to pin on the defense, and the unit came up with two stops at midfield/in plus territory in the last five minutes. No, the Packers' defense isn't playing great, and yes, they should have been able to hold the Jags to a field goal after the penalty made it first-and-20 following the fumble. But that's a bottom-line performance (260 yards, 4-of-13 on third down for the opponent) you take anytime. The larger problems were elsewhere in this one.

Dar from Mansfield, TX

Not to take anything away from the Packers' talented young middle linebackers' performance these past few weeks, but it appeared Christian Kirksey really made a subtle but important difference out there. The depleted secondary held up reasonably well, too.

I thought the run defense got its act together in the second half. Robinson averaged 6.8 per carry in the first half (9 for 61) but just 3.4 after halftime (14 for 48). Not having Jaire Alexander and Kevin King, especially against Chark, was a challenge. But the DBs only got beat over the top once, and Darnell Savage got there when the ball hung up in the wind. I was impressed with Luton's arm strength, though. The kid can let it rip.

John from Fairbanks, AK

A lasting image from the game in addition to the Adams play that was called back was the sight of Marrone arguing at length with his mask down. What is that going to cost him and the team in fines? Why isn't there a rule that allows a flag for that kind of thing? Seems like 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct would solve this problem.

The league announced a few weeks ago the officials could penalize teams for exactly that. I was wondering myself if the flag was coming out.

Mike from Madison, WI

You mentioned that if there is a playoff bubble that they would choose a stadium with artificial turf so that it could handle multiple games in a weekend. Do you think that the NFL would also try to choose a location that would allow some fans in the stands? Or do you think that won't be a factor?

I think it would absolutely be a factor, if we get to that point.

Chris from Eau Claire, WI

Which happens first, the Steelers get a loss or the Jets get a win?

If the Jets don't beat the Chargers next week, they're gonna have a really tough time getting off the schneid. I don't see the Steelers running the table with the Ravens, Bills and Colts all coming up eventually, but we'll see.

Joe from Wausau, WI

Spoff mentioned that the floor for the 2021 salary cap will be 175 million, down 23.2 million from 2020. But the impact will be greater than that. Prior to COVID, teams had been signing players to multi-year contracts likely with the expectation that the salary cap would be going up to somewhere in the area of 210 million for 2021. So we're talking about the salary cap likely being down 30-35 million from what had been expected. Thoughts?

That's why I keep saying we'll be entering an offseason of uncharted waters financially. Every team and lots of players are going to have difficult decisions to make.

Neal from Fort Worth, TX

Evidently, Wes didn't get the memo about no more poetry. Next time, leave the memo in his empty lunch bag.

Not a bad idea, but if I can't appeal to his inner Blutarski, I give up. Happy Monday.

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