Hey everybody, thanks for logging on today. Hope all is well. I see some questions already coming in so I'll get rolling here.

Hi Mike! Excited to see Path to the Playoffs! Out of curiosity, when was the last time a team recorded a tie? If no team scores after the the overtime period, is that what results in a tied score?

Correct. There were 2 ties in the 2022 NFL season.

Hey Mike, it's great to see the return of "Path to the Playoffs". It's always one of my favorite pieces to read. I'm wondering what segments you enjoy writing most?

I don't know if I have any favorites. Path to the Playoffs is always fun because it's something a little bit different, but on balance I just like the variety of stuff I get to write here. It's rarely just the same old content week after week.

Are they practicing outside today?

As far as I know, but I'm not privy to those decisions. Tomorrow it's supposed to get really cold and windy, so that might be a little different.

Morning Mike. Quick question about defensive timeouts. On one of our TDs, Jordan Love rushed to the line after a 1st down to catch the Lions in a bad personnel matchup, and we scored on the play. Later in the game, on a 4th and goal, the Packers were obviously confused pre-snap, and the resulting play (and TD) showed that. Yet in neither case did the defense try to take a TO. For the Lions, maybe 1st and goal wasn't worth it, but for us, a 4th stop could have been a tremendous game changer. Any ideas why nobody called a TO?

Couldn't tell you. I honestly don't know, or if anyone on the field or sideline seriously considered it.

I hope the team is hungry to compete these next four weeks. Yes, the North is pretty much out of reach, but the difference in opponent for the 5 and 6 seeds in the playoffs seems to be quite substantial...and I surely don't want the 7 seed...

No matter how close the Packers are to securing their playoff spot, there's a ton to play for this final month of the regular season. I expect the team to approach it as such.

Hey Mike! Any players expected to come back from injury this week?

No idea. Media wasn't allowed to observe any of Monday's practice, so today's practice is the first glance at anything since the Detroit game.

In this mini-bye Matt said he gave his staff some time off early in the week. Did Duke do the same for you guys?

There are certain responsibilities we all have, but I was basically able to take the weekend off until sitting down Sunday night while watching football to write Monday morning's Insider Inbox.

I've been mostly encouraged by our defense so far this year, but Thursday's game brought back some bad memories. l really had no real feeling that we'd be able to keep the Lions from scoring, and hoped that we could force a FG with a chance to get the ball back. Granted we lost some players during (and before) the game, but so did the Lions. And all game it seemed we were back on our heels a bit. Quality of opponent had something to do with that, what sort of adjustments could/should Hafley have made in-game?

You're asking something that I have zero expertise in compared to the individuals making those decisions. The Lions have a dangerous and efficient offense. As I said on "Unscripted" yesterday, I thought one of the keys to how the game unfolded was GB's offense doing nothing with the back-to-back stops the defense got early in the game after the first-drive TD by Detroit. The Packers went punt-fumble after those two stops. When the D got an INT and fourth-down stop back-to-back in the second half, the offense converted both into TDs. You have to capitalize when a high-powered offense like Detroit isn't clicking, because it always will at some point.

Besides Xavier McKinney who are the game changers on the Packer defense the opponent needs to account for?

I think the Packers need more to emerge. They have guys who are capable. Rashan Gary has made a bigger impact lately, so has Kenny Clark, Lukas Van Ness and some others. If the Packers could get Jaire Alexander and/or Edgerrin Cooper back, that would help the defense as well.

Hi Mike, I really enjoyed your look at Kenny Clark this week. It seems to me that his injury was hampering him more than anyone let on. What do you think allowed him to have such an impactful game against an elite line?

I never talked to Clark about his toe injury, not that I would expect him to discuss it publicly anyway. But he was on the injury report with that up through the SF game, but not the past two games finally, so I have to believe it was a factor, at least somewhat. Clark would be the last guy to use an injury as an excuse, though.

Time to blare the speakers in practice this week in preparation for the '12th Man'.

I'm sure that's on the agenda.

What is Seattle's strongest skill and biggest weakness? And how do those align with us?

They're a passing team. Charbonnet had a big game running the ball last week, but that kind of came out of nowhere based on how Seattle has played most games. It's Geno Smith's offense, and he's been really good, but not infallible (40 sacks, 12 INTs). Defensively, Seattle got two big division wins over Arizona the last three weeks largely due to getting INTs from Kyler Murray. Jordan Love needs to keep his INT-free streak going.

Because of "the game that shall not be named" I have PTSD about playing in Seattle. I feel like no number of wins there will ever erase that. Do you have similar feelings returning to the scene of the crime? P.S. I recently saw Brandon Bostick post on X and I was shocked how many Packer fans had supportive comments.

I wouldn't call it PTSD but those memories will never go away.

Why do you think several of our receivers run either hot or cold, feast or famine?

Some of it's nature of the beast with a variety of capable weapons, some is how a game unfolds. Running only 45 plays on offense like in Detroit is never part of the plan.

Possible white out uniforms this Sunday?

I'm hearing things.

Howdy Mike! I love our team and I believe we can secure a favorable playoff seed, however, the injuries to our secondary are extremely concerning. Does the SEA offense favor our banged up secondary or is the team in for a long night?

The injuries in the secondary definitely are concerning, and next man up is often easier said than done. The Packers have defended the run well lately, so I expect the Seahawks to challenge GB through the air early and often. The Packers will need multiple DBs to step up. I always say, though, that players getting to practice a full week for an upcoming role helps compared to getting thrown in on the fly when an in-game injury occurs.

Where do you see the largest talent gap between the Packers and the Lions? I see it in the middle of the offensive line.

I think it's offensive efficiency. The Lions are just really efficient, and they rarely go more than two straight possessions without putting together a drive for points. The Packers started last Thursday's game punt-punt-fumble. Then the offense got going. Those lapses are the difference between really good offenses and great ones. The Packers are trending the right way, but have to find it here.

When will we see the next injury report?

Later today, after practice.

My opinion here Rashan Gary = Nick Perry

Gary has had far more high-impact games, and drawn way more attention from opposing offenses, than Perry did in his career.

Can any of the Packer receivers develop into the elite receiver that make plays week in and week out?

I believe so, yes. Christian Watson and Jayden Reed are right there, but this is a different offense, too, with Josh Jacobs and the running game setting the tone. I don't think the Packers have really had an offense built like this since Eddie Lacy's rookie year when Rodgers was injured. The ground game has been the foundation when this offense has been at its best. Could that change? Sure. We'll see.

Need to get bodies healthy …

It always helps, but every team deals with injuries. Part and parcel of the game.

What time do you expect to return Monday morning from Seattle?

I'm guessing the plane will land around 430 am, give or take.

Can I presume to think Jayden Reed will become the new Davante Adams?

Two different players, different body types, different styles. Can't make that comparison.

Just another shout-out to our OL, and the blocking of our new running backs. All year, they've been quietly effective, and while the mobility of our QBs has helped, they've held up much better than we had any right to expect. Over the past 30 years, we've been blessed with excellent QBing and, at worst, above-average OL play. Probably a cause and effect in there.

I know everybody was on the O-line for the rough start in Detroit, but I thought the unit settled down in a tough environment and was really good the rest of the game. That kind of recovery bodes well for road games this week, at Minnesota, and hopefully in the playoffs.

If we could get either Edgerrin Cooper or Jaire Alexander back, which would be more beneficial?

Obviously Alexander is one of the best in the league at his position, so he can change the whole look of the defense. Cooper brings a speed element that looks and feels different when he's out there, too.

Can we expect more work on screens for our offense. Other teams to have better results than we do.

I don't put together game plans. Those are week-to-week decisions. The Lions screened the Packers to death, but the Dolphins also tried and it didn't work so well. That's what I mean about Detroit's efficiency. They're really good at what they do.

In order to become a serious SB contender we need 1) to get healthy on defense 2) improve our pass rush and 3) would be ?

Win the turnover battle regularly.

Why are they so good at what they do....players or coaching?

It's both. They've built an offense that fits their players and they maximize on those abilities. It's what every team tries to do. They're just able to execute with fewer mistakes than most teams, and it helps when the rare mistakes don't get called or capitalized on by the opponent.

Do you now why Reed wasn't impact much last week against Detroit? Did the Lions scheme to take him out completely?

No. The Packers tried to go to Reed early, he dropped a pass and drew a DPI. From there, the Packers weren't in 3 WR sets as much as they usually are because of how Detroit was lined up to defend the run, and LaFleur didn't want to abandon the run. He admitted part of the problem with Reed's limited snaps and opportunities in Detroit is they should have had more plays where he's in for 2 WR sets. I expect that to get rectified.

If you win the toss in Seattle, would take the ball or kick?

I personally always like to get the ball coming out of halftime because you've got a feel for how the game is going and how the opponent is playing you at that point. I rarely would choose to take the ball first.

How's the press box in Seattle? Hope you'll have a decent view...and a decent spread of food.

It's a good press box, and if memory serves (haven't been there in six years) the food is pretty decent.

It seemed to me the Packers weren't as creative with their run calls and just tried to force Jacobs up the gut. Did it seem that way to you?

Not at all. The Packers have been using a lot of misdirection with their run calls, sometimes using two backs or other motions to go with them. There was maybe a little less of that in Detroit, but not a drastic difference. The overall limited number of snaps (45) skewed everything in terms of the overall evaluation.

Packers need to just keep fighting, maybe the Lions game might be the start to something great. Get into playoffs and see how things go.

Exactly. That's all you can do, and the Packers are in a great position to do that. No more worrying about the Lions unless you can make a run here and get another shot at them. The picture is clear that the best wild card spot is what they're shooting for. Simplified, less distractions.

Did this mini bye come at a good time to refresh the mind and body?

I think it came at a great time. Hopefully I'll be proven right.

Has Seattle been hit with injuries? Any particular area that could be vu

Their biggest injury question seems to be RB Kenneth Walker's health, but as mentioned Charbonnet had a big game last week in his place. I don't know anything else about their injury situation at the moment.

What one part/phase of the game that if is improved would put the Packers as the favored team? Mine is All Pro performance from the linebackers.

Right now it's the pass defense in general. The Packers have been defending the run really well since the Chicago game. Three weeks in a row with the opponent being held around 3 yards per carry. Rush and coverage go hand in hand with pass defense and GB needs that synergy moving forward.

jordan has looked pretty healthy the past few weeks and back to his normal self (top 6qb in the league imo). has there been any indication that he is still hampered? i know he is off the injury report completely which is good

No issues that I'm aware of, and his play shows it. The full bye week after the first Detroit game was definitely beneficial for him in that regard. With that, I think I'll call it a chat folks. Thanks for all the participation, and I'll be on this platform for the live blog Sunday night from Seattle. Talk again soon.

Best,

Mike