Marteen from Reno, NV

Hi Mike and Wes. First, thank you both for the fantastic coverage you have provided this season. It's time to keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times! Some of the most recent submissions have been geared towards managing travel days and the daily grind. How much time does it take to go through all the II submissions, decide what is published and do the necessary research? You both provide very detailed answers, which is appreciated. Feel better, Wes! Happy Holidays and GPG!

Appreciate you, Marteen, and a huge thank you to Spoff for shouldering the load Friday. I'm feeling much better. Inbox doesn't really take that long. It's mostly just finding the time to write it in-season while so many different things are happening (news, practice, media availability, meetings, etc.). I wrote a bulk of today's Inbox while waiting for practice on Saturday before finishing it Sunday night.

Bruce from Lakewood, CO

Thank you very little, Seattle and Philadelphia. Just beat the Saints. And stay healthy.

To quote Josh Jacobs' favorite idiom: "Who cares?" The Packers know the deal. Win and you're in. That's all they're focused on. The only thing that matters is what happens on that field tonight.

Ricardo from Mexico City, Mexico

For this season the top three RBs (Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs) changed teams. The receiving teams (Eagles, Ravens and Packers) have a combined 32-12 … their prior teams (Titans, Giants and Raiders) have 8-37. RBs rule and they open the door for QBs to succeed.

It has been something to behold this year and makes you wonder if it'll lead to a shift in how NFL personnel departments value running backs going forward. Tennessee, New York and Las Vegas didn't just lose All-Pro running backs. They lost their offensive identities. Meanwhile, Barkley, Henry and Jacobs have added something special to organizations with established winning cultures.

Michael from Des Moines, IA

Tim from Wrentham made me think of our acquisitions as well. Generalizing here but it sure seemed like Xavier McKinney made a big splash early in the season, Brandon McManus made a somewhat midseason big splash. It's as if you need players throughout the season to make their mark. Who might fit that bill near the end of this season?

I think you saw it in Seattle with how Romeo Doubs (third two-touchdown game), Carrington Valentine (first career interception) and Kingsley Enagbare (first two-sack game) all contributed to a huge Packers win. When you have a talented team, nobody needs to be superman. Every week it can be someone else coming up in a clutch situation. The Packers are healthy, talented and deep. Let's see what they do with it.

Nick from Gresham, WI

What is Edgerrin Cooper's ceiling if he can stay healthy? Who does he remind you of?

I don't want to get into the comparison game, but the sky is the limit for Cooper. He brings rare explosivity to the linebacker position, which is a factor in coverage and pursuit. He also has a good coach in Anthony Campanile.

Josh from Bowling Green, KY

Tucker Kraft really should be talked about more nationally as one of the best TE in the league this year. Why do you think he isn't, and will his role diminish when Luke Musgrave returns?

I think Kraft has picked up quite a bit of steam this year. If the league doesn't know, it'll learn soon enough with the way Kraft plays the game. I don't think his role will diminish once Musgrave is back, either. Musgrave's return simply gives Green Bay another option in its litany of pass-catchers.

Jaye from Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Are you not amazed at the way the Packers' special teams are performing this year? They seem to only be getting better. It is comforting to watch them play with confidence again.

I've certainly been impressed. It's been a good year for the "We-fense," especially after Brandon McManus came on board in October. Beyond the obvious, Green Bay has been solid in kickoff and punt coverage. There are still three games to be played, but Green Bay is in position to finish inside the top 10 in punt coverage (7.5 yards per return, eighth) for the first time in seven years.

Ron from Edison, NJ

Will Jaire Alexander be starting on Monday night?

We'll find out at 5:45 p.m. CT. Alexander is getting better and hopefully ready for another playoff run like last year.

Jeremy from Berlin, Germany

Which team benefitted more based on what you have seen thus far, Green Bay with Josh Jacobs or Minnesota with Aaron Jones?

That's a tough question because what's the metric, you know? Minnesota's run offense went from abysmal (29th) to respectable (15th) with Jones this year. However, the Packers went from respectable (15th) to among the NFL's best (tied for fourth) with Jacobs. People always want there to be a winner and loser in these situations, but sometimes moves can benefit both sides. I miss Aaron, but I think everyone is where they are meant to be.

Jake from Decatur, GA

Last week, we talked a lot about the fact that no one on the current roster was around for the game that shan't be mentioned. How many were on the roster for the miracle comeback against the Saints last season in Week 3? I usually don't worry about "trap" games, but I am even less worried than usual this time.

Fans can worry about "trap" games if they want, but the reality is Matt LaFleur, his coaches and this locker room treat every opponent with the respect it deserves. The Packers wouldn't have gotten to 10 wins by Christmas otherwise. This is as dangerous an adversary as Green Bay will face all season because New Orleans has nothing to lose. The Packers recognize that.

Joey from Riverside, CA

The offensive line sure has come a long way. The illegal formations and the illegal procedures are killing drives, and it hurts the play every time.

I can't say enough about the Packers' offensive line this season – its consistency, durability and all-around performance. I get you can always be better, but Spoff hit the nail on the head during “Final Thoughts.” The O-line has given both Jordan Love and Malik Willis time to work. If you ever start taking that for granted, watch what Cleveland, Seattle and Chicago have endured this year.

JD from Madison, WI

Mike and Wes, the weekly pressers of LaFleur and Jeff Hafley are great insight to who this team really is. I can't wait for your article debriefing after the season with coach Hafley about the defense's progression and what his expectations are of the linebacker positions. I'm fearful that he will not be our DC much longer. If any GM were to watch his pressers, they would hire him on the spot. Have you enjoyed these pressers as much as I have? Happy Holidays and thanks for all you do! GPG

I'm with you, JD, but this is all I'm gonna say – Never count your money when you're sitting at the table. There will be time enough for counting when the dealing's done. It feels like Hafley's defense is peaking, though. That's something Green Bay has struggled to do since really the 2014 season.

Edie from Wauwatosa, WI

I love your column, always great insights. If the Packers win on Monday, do you think they'll play their second string at some point in the last two games? I'd love to see Malik Willis play again.

I appreciate all these questions, but there are still so many variables in play this is not even a question right now. I love that you love Willis. I love him, too. But right now, the Packers aren't even guaranteed a playoff spot – let alone a seed. Green Bay must see what it's playing for before deciding whom to play down the stretch.

Scott from Las Vegas, NV

How often do a No. 1 and No. 3 draft pick (Jordan Morgan and MarShawn Lloyd) miss nearly the entire first season due to injuries?

More than you think. While it hurts not to have those two rookies, credit Sean Rhyan, Chris Brooks and Emanuel Wilson for stepping up at their respective positions. That's why team building and development are so important. Down the line, it very well could be Morgan and Lloyd coming through for the Packers in a key spot.

Daviy from San Antonio, TX

I have learned to stop watching the standings, seedings and the quest for home-field advantage. We won it all in 2011 without it. Seems like we routinely lost at home to the Niners, Bucs, and Giants. Is home field overrated?

I wouldn't say it's overrated. It gives your team the path of least resistance, for sure, but you still gotta win the games.

Toni from Forest Lake, MN

Why were there NFL games this past Saturday (21st)? I feel like they did that to take away viewers from the college football playoffs that started this past weekend.

It's how the NFL needed to organize the schedule it in order for those same four teams to play on Christmas this Wednesday, meaning Kansas City, Baltimore, Houston and Pittsburgh will play three times in 11 days.

Bill from Las Vegas, NV

Regarding the last Packers' made free kick, I remember listening on radio to Willie Wood catching a punt before halftime and Paul Hornung kicking a 52-yard field goal against the Bears. Little used certainly with today's offenses and with goal posts moved to the back of the end zone. Unless there are time constrains, why give up such good field position? Enjoy reading your articles GPG for the past 66 years.

All these years later, the free kick lives on. I love those types of quirks in the NFL rulebook (e.g. players putting one foot out of bounds if a kickoff return is caught near the sideline). It also adds a little spice to special teams.

Randy from Mesa, AZ

I was at the game in 1968 when Mac Percival made that free kick. We played poorly, that was the start of the post-Lombardi decline. Right before the winning kick, Donny Anderson had a bad punt and our own team was stifled by a poor performance from Errol Mann as a kicker, although he went on to have a nice career elsewhere.

Leave the memories alone.

Jeff from Woodridge, IL

Regarding the game balls LaFleur gives to players after each game, are they symbolic (and the players don't actually keep a real ball) or are they actually given to the player as a memento and the player keeps them? If they are given, is there anything written on them or ML's signature or anything like that? Seems like a signed and dated ball or noted somehow as a "game ball" would be a fun thing for the player to have earned and kept.

Oh, they're real and it's the player's ball to keep. It's not for "show." Many guys will have their equipment department paint the ball to indicate what they received it for.

Caleb from Knoxville, TN

Most surprising result of the weekend?

Washington wins the pony. It's not every day a team overcomes five turnovers to win a game. Philadelphia obviously finished without Jalen Hurts, but the Eagles' performance in the final minute – both on special teams and defense – was a whole lotta woof.

Dale from Prescott, WI

Dallas is eliminated from the playoffs, but CeeDee Lamb is out there playing through an obvious shoulder injury, and producing! I want guys like that on my team!

If I'm an NFL team, I want a coach like Mike McCarthy, too. Mike unfortunately has been the butt of national jokes but he's a good man and players play hard for him. It's been a tough year for the Cowboys but there's no quit in that team. That's a direct reflection of Mike's leadership and the competitiveness of players like Lamb.

Darryl from Glen Carbon, IL

I think Anders Carlson should find a new line of work. Just brutal.

That's a bit harsh. I mean, Carlson had a rough day. The snap wasn't good on the 21-yarder, but he nearly missed that wide left from the right hash. Carlson's issues on the point-after attempt need to be studied. I am at a loss there.

Jerry from Rockford, IL

Good morning Insiders. I would love to thank Mike and Wes for four straight primetime games that they had to spend away from their families. I'm only hoping for a couple more primetime games this year. Merry Christmas and prosperous new year to all Insiders and our digital team.

Same to you and yours, Jerry. It's always fun to be covering meaningful football in late December.

Bret from Hertel, WI

Dear Mike or Wes, Merry Christmas! What would be your Christmas wish for the Packers?

Finish the story.

Dean from Leavenworth, IN

The path becomes clear, but nothing is ever assured
Your path lies straight ahead, Green and Gold
Embrace the moment and stay focused on the prize

It's a beautiful night for football. Enjoy the game everybody.