Hey everybody, thanks for logging on today. Plenty to discuss I'm sure. Feel free to fire away.
In simplicity, does Josh Jacobs have to have a better game than Jones for us to win, or is that just too simple? (Idk if I'm ready for 33 in purple yet...)
It's never that simple. It'll certainly help the Packers if they can continue to run the ball like they have, whether it's Love or Willis at QB. But both teams have other weapons if the run games aren't doing what they want. There's so much to this matchup it's really hard to decipher how it's going to unfold.
Good morning Mike, and thanks for doing this. The Vikings fans in my life are getting awfully loud this week
They've got reason to be excited. O'Connell and Flores are proving to be one heck of a coaching combo, and the way their season was derailed last year by the Achilles injury to Cousins, they're hungry. No game can be called "critical" this early in Week 4, but this is as big as a late September game can get.
Christian Watson "looks" bigger this year, did he add some weight? Hopefully that will help him stay "healthy" this year!
I haven't asked him that specifically, but he doesn't look much different physically to me. I just see a player who just looks more and more confident out there the more he plays, rather than having things interrupted by injury.
Did Jordan Love just get Wally Pipped? Joking but I'm happy Malik Willis was able to show the league what he can do.
How can you not be happy for Willis? He's been though some tough stuff early in his career. He found a team that believed in him and really wanted him, and lo and behold, truly needed him, and he's delivered. It's been fun to watch.
I saw somewhere that Sam Darnold suffered some sort of injury, but then didn't hear anything further. Is he good to go for the Vikes this week?
He had an MRI done on his knee Monday but reports are it came back clean and he's fine.
what has enabled MN to get such good QB play? It would be odd to say it suddenly clicked for him. Is the line drastically improved?
Sam Darnold is a first-round talent, and KOC is proving to be a heck of a coach. Remember, the Vikings won 3 games with Josh Dobbs at QB last year after Cousins went down. Situation, coaching, environment, it all factors in.
How good is Vikings Defense? More of run stopping or pass stopping team?
I don't think they hang their hat on one or the other. They just prevent points. They've only allowed 30 in three games, which is no easy feat. They disguise a lot with their fronts and coverages to create confusion, trying to prevent the offense from knowing what they're really running. LaFleur & Co. will have to figure out how to read and react to what they do.
How fun will it to be to see this defensive front get after Darnold? I'm not sure about his mobility, but I assume it's still less than Levis'. But KOC is a good offensive schemer too, and he'll know the capability of this Packer front against his OL.
The Packers would definitely like to get after Darnold, but with Jefferson out there, they have a monster play waiting to happen. It'll be some chess match.
What "three things" needs to happen for a win this week?
The Packers need to keep generating turnovers, cut down on the penalties, and finish drives in the red zone.
So after Dan Campbell got doxed by a classmate of his daughter and then protests at his home after the SF loss in Jan, he just sold his house (about a mile from me) and moved to an undisclosed location. Do you or Wes, (or other notable Packers), keep addresses private, or is it fairly public info when most live, and are there ever issues with over zealous fans either friendly or upset in GB?
I think it's awful what Campbell and his family have been put through. Me personally, I don't divulge any personal info on social media or anywhere else. It's not that I fear anything, I'm just a private person by nature.
Least mobile QB we've played so far. less discipline required? can "cut it lose" a little more?
Maybe. Again, the equalizers are guys like Jefferson and Jones, who can make big plays at any time, especially if you send extra rushers and the protection picks them up.
With Campbell gone can you elaborate on Quay's role this year as a leader on this aggressive D? My eyes are fixed on him especially in key moments in the game.
He's calling the plays in the huddle, and I think as the season goes on you're going to see him used in a variety of roles -- in the middle, on the edge in coverage, blitzing, etc. He's doing a variety of things already but I expect even more.
Is there a way for the Packers to practice "not holding"? Especially when Josh Jacobs is running the ball. I think Josh would have had over 100 yards on Sunday if not for the runs called back because of penalty.
I see a lot of fans making comments like this. You have to realize that without the holding calls, he might not have had the holes he had to run through. The Packers need to clean up the penalties, no doubt, but to say Jacobs would have XXX yards without the penalties isn't realistic.
One game does not a season make, but - after all of the investment, spinning wheels, coaching changes, hand-wringing, blown leads, etc. - how fun is it to see the pieces come together on defense for a performance like we had last Sunday?
What hit me this week in looking back at the Tennessee game was the difference in how the defense played in the fourth quarter with a two-TD lead against a young QB vs. how it played in the exact same situation at Carolina last December. Night and day. That and the turnovers of course.
Speaking of JJ, do you think we see Ja travel with him? The last time Ja legitly got to travel with him, he kinda shut JJ down. Or will Haf employ a Bill tactic with Stokes and safety on top of JJ and have Ja travel with another dude? (Addison is still out?)
Questions that are impossible to answer with Hafley just getting started here, and it's not like they're going to reveal their game plan in advance for us.
Morning Mike. Let's get ahead of ourselves and play GM for a sec. Assuming Love comes back healthy, and Willis is relegated to mop-up duty the rest of the year (and looks good), and someone offers you a 2nd day pick for Willis next year, do you take it? Or do you take the extra year with a proven backup, and wait for the comp pick the year after? No wrong answer, IMO, just wonder which is better for the team.
Not something I'll spend any time thinking about until the offseason, honestly.
The Titans had a pretty solid run defense against Jacobs and Wilson limiting their yards, but what about the Vikings. I have yet to watch them play so I know little about what their defense has exceeded at.
They've been playing with a lead in every game, and they've done an excellent job protecting those leads and allowing the offense to expand on them. Starting fast and putting the Vikings in a hole could be a major key to this game.
Mike, if you're the waiter for Sunday's noon meal, I would like to order another Keisean Nixon kickoff return for a TD similar to a couple of years ago even though the rules are different now.
Vikings opponents have returned three kickoffs so far this season, but if Reichard can boom the ball to the back of the end zone, I'm sure that's the approach this week.
We are awfully proud of Tucker K here in SD, can he be a difference maker again this week?
He's a major factor in both the run game and pass game for this offense. No doubt. Hopefully he can stay healthy.
How good is the vikings offensive line Mike?
Darnold has been sacked eight times, including four last week, so it's not impenetrable. Getting a lead on these guys would really help the defensive front, though.
What do you think the likelihood is of Jordan Love starting on Sunday?
Better than last week, but beyond that, I don't know anything.
Kingsley Enagbare playing at a high level despite kind of? blowing his ACL late last year remains a mini-miracle.
Indeed it does. That was one violent strip-sack he had Sunday. Having Enagbare and Lukas Van Ness as your next two up as edge rushers is some nice depth.
Mike. How much stock do you put into PFF weekly grades? Kenny Clark and Quay Walker have not graded out well the past 2 weeks. What does you film work show?
I didn't have time to go through all the defensive film this past week. I don't look at PFF grades. I only see what's out there reported by others.
Oversimplified I know, but in a league designed to favor offense and the big play, it's starting to look like you might as well have a defense that says "it's going to happen anyway, we may as well attack", since you can't eliminate big plays anyway.
Emphasizing turnovers is the defense's counter to offensive big plays. Those are a defense's big plays, and when you can get them, that's the answer.
What is the latest on Jayden Reed's injury? His versatility is not something we can be without against a solid defense so hopeful he plays and is close to 100%
He's fine as far as I know.
I think the game will be won or lost by how much success we have against the interior online of the vikings
I think it's going to be decided by a key turnover.
Hopefully we will see a toppling of the " 1" defense this week in the Vikings all I hear at work is how they are gonna destroy us given I work in a heavily favored Viking fan work area
I'll be surprised if this game is decided by multiple scores.
Haven't seen that much of Edgerrin Cooper yet, but he seems to get good marks in coverage. Do you think this is the week he sees a major jump in PT, with the Aaron Jones threat out of the backfield? His speed could be useful
Cooper's speed is useful anytime he's out there. It's too bad he missed so much time in training camp, but the more he gets his feet wet in this defense, the more I expect him to play. He's a factor out there.
Regarding the Vikes' OL, I saw the MN-SF game. The line isn't great, but it's OK. Darnold get the ball out very quickly, though. In that respect, he almost looks like Cousins.
Quick passing games can neutralize a pass rush and help get a QB in rhythm. Everyone's got some version of it now.
Hello Mike, I'm just wondering if Jordan Love is practicing in full or limited today and I'm curious about his status for Sunday's game. Also I'm very curious how thus defense is gonna limit Jones and Jefferson.
LaFleur said Monday he's anticipating Love being limited in practice this week, but he did say he took some 11-on-11 reps last week, so he's likely going to take more. Regarding Jones, the defense has to tackle well. He can exploit bad angles as well as anybody. Jefferson? Use Alexander but mix up coverages as well. Try not to let them get a bead on what you're doing with him play after play.
Does Xavier McKinney get his 4th pick in as many games this week?
That would really be something. At this point, I'm not betting against him.
Even with Jordan Love at quarterback do you think the Packers will lean more on the run this year than past years? In the past the Packers seemed to get impatient with the run and abandon it.
The success running the ball the last two weeks should serve the Packers well throughout the season. Proving you can run it when teams are determined to stop it bodes well for being able to call on it anytime it's needed.
How are the rookies doing at safety so far, Mike? Thanks!
I think Hafley & Co. are still working on what the best roles are for Javon Bullard and Evan Williams. Both have shown they can play at this level. We've seen some different usage in different sub-packages so far.
While the QB handles the ball on every offensive play, football is definitely a sport that requires the whole team to work in synergy. As Franklin said, " For the want of a nail, the war was lost.", you see that every week in the NFL. With the exception of the penalties, it seems that the coaching staff has the team focused on taking care of the details and it is showing up in true team efforts.
The penalties are the one area the details have been lacking, and the Vikings have benefited greatly from opponent penalties through three games. The stats show it.
Can the Packers pipe in some cold this weekend similar to MN piping in loud noice at their home games?
Uh, good luck with that.
How's Carrington Valentine's injury progress? Not wanting to replace Eric Stokes, of course, but you can never have too many (healthy) corners.
He came back from the hamstring but now is dealing with an ankle. I don't know where things stand right now. I think both Stokes and Valentine have played pretty well thus far when available.
Aside from running out the clock, there are no obvious running situations. there are plenty of obvious passing situations. GB needs to stay on schedule and force MN to not be. seems to be the key every week
To me that's where the penalties come in. The Packers converted on third-and-14 and third-and-18 on the same drive last week. That's unheard of, and not a situation you want to live in. They can't put themselves in that spot with penalties this week.
Nervous on our run defense after what Jonathan Taylor did to us in week two Arron jones is a scary thought
What I saw against the Colts, as I said last week, was run defenders in the right position to make the play but not finishing it. They have to finish every play against Jones or he'll make you pay, as Taylor did.
Do you think after another dominant performance from Malik Willis, he could start over love?
No. Not if Love is medically cleared and good to go. And if Love plays this week and the Packers lose, Love will still be QB1. It's not even a discussion.
You mentioned a turnover will probably be the decision maker this week. Who on MN should we be most aware of regarding their ability to take the ball away?
Harrison Smith is still doing his thing. One of the best for a long time. Gilmore is another accomplished vet. Ivan Pace Jr. is turning into a heck of a defensive player in this league, too, and former UW Badger Van Ginkel off the edge has proven to be a threat. The Vikings have good players, even if they haven't been together for very long.
I hope Lambeau is not over taken with purple.
Same here. I guess we'll just have to see. I wonder how many fans sold their tickets to this game right after Love's injury figuring he wouldn't be back for this one.
Does a sack count as a QB hit in the stat line? Basically is it double counted?
I believe that's the case, but with some exceptions. Such as, if a defender strips the ball from the QB but doesn't take him to the ground, he gets credit for a sack and forced fumble, but there wouldn't be a QB hit there.
In your WYMM play 4, when you froze the video to show Willis doing the head fake, it looked like he could have lobbed or handed the ball to Tucker Kraft, who looked like he could score. It would have been difficult for Willis, but was it open?
That was not part of the play design. The ball going to Kraft there wasn't an option. He was a blocker.
Easiest way to eliminate the fans in purple is to jump out to a big lead and keep the foot on the throttle like they did in the penultimate game in 2022. The stands were full of purple, but they had no reason to cheer.
That always does the trick.
I just joined, so sorry if this has already come up. Did you read Aaron Jones' letter in the Players Tribune? What a wonderful human being.
What an outstanding piece. Not at all surprised by anything Jones said there, but that was special, as is he.
This should be a good game. Both teams are very good. From what I have seen, Darnold is a pocket passer, not a huge threat with his legs. Will they use AJ in several different lineups/matchups to throw the defense off? On the Packers side of the ball, will they employ completely different game plan than the first three games?
The Packers' game plans the past two weeks have been very different from the opener in Brazil due to the QB. The game plan will be very much dependent on who's playing QB.
With that I'm going to call it a chat, folks. Thanks for all the questions, and we'll talk again next week, and in the live blog Sunday for those who join in there. Take care and enjoy the rest of your week.
Best,
Mike
