My Take -> Week 11

Greetings, G-Force.

5-4! I love that winning feeling! And, it’s always best when it comes at the Bears expense. THE BEARS STILL SUCK. THE BEARS STILL SUCK. THEY REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SUCK. THE BEARS STILL SUCK. That, my fellow Packers faithful, will never get old.

As I write, I listen to the recording of Widespread Panic at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, WI. 10/20/17. A magical night in my life. It was one of those “this is why I see so much live music” kinda night. “You Wreck Me” opener that was perfectly performed. Jimmy was on fire with in-your-face getting dirty with it Southern grooves. We got a couple of straight Irish leg skipping musical JoJo gigs. The Big Wooly Mammoth always offers permagrin. Bust IT Big was peace-popping, hips-hopping kind of good vibes. Jimmy really rocked out the Travelin’ Light with aggressive flair. Old Neighborhood was an appropriate 2nd set opener as I used live roughly a mile from the venue. Heavy drum and bass effects were profound throughout. Once again, Trucks proved to be a fantastic addition to the band. Schools’ bass was amped up to full capacity, which stepped up the intensity of the unit to a grand degree. Sunny offered bumping bongo bops. And, of course, JB was shining throughout. His raspy texture was best vocalized during Mercy. Great fun when you see JB pull out the mandolin because you know what’s next and the “Ain’t Life Grand” 2nd encore was the style that lives in you the morning after and beyond. Mil-wook-ee was in full vibrancy mode that evening. Sensational to re-live it.

Here are my quick vibes over the last week:

* Mike McCarthy. I believe in him. Always have. Always will. I don’t review a man’s performance by how he shines when he’s on the mountain top in winning ways. Instead, I pay attention as to how he performs when he’s beat-up, down-and-out. I often say that my favorite word in the dictionary is “mettle.” Mike McCarthy operates in his best fashion when times are tough. He’s resilient. He rallies his troops in times of trouble. And, once again, against his hated rival, his team came through in a victorious way. Right when it appeared like victory was unattainable, in the eyes of the masses.

* Credit to Brett Hundley. He stayed composed in the toughest of circumstances. Yes, he had a couple of learning curve moments as he called a timeout before the end of the 1st Quarter and then he didn’t call one as the play-clock was winding down before the crucial 3rd down pass to Adams. But, overall, Hundley played well. He picked up a vital 1st down with his legs. He hit big 4th Quarter throws. He played with confidence. He played with composure. And, he protected the football. If he plays like that over the next 4 weeks, the Packers will beat the Ravens, Bucs and Browns.

* Dear Football Gods, man, you’re making this tough on us. Why do you feel the need to strip us from Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery? To steal both of them for what appears to be multiple-week injuries feels unfair.

* David Bakhtiari. If you haven’t watched his post-game locker room speech, you’re missing out. “I saw pads popping on defense. I saw playmakers making plays. And, Brett. I saw you being Brett.” Epic stuff. The Soldier Field visitors locker room has brought out some great words for Packers fans.

* McCarthy’s team was ready. They were determined to be the more physical team. They won the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Packers were the more focused group. The Packers wanted this victory more. McCarthy continued to trust his group. And, because of it, the Packers, once again, found their winning ways. I was surprised at how many different formations McCarthy ran. So many different looks. A wide variety of players in those formations, too. This team was coached up. Players were ready. Very cool to see.

* Nice to see Davante Adams making plays, once again.

* Brett Hundley will forever hold a spot in my heart after beating the Bears at Soldier. The Bears Still Suck! For now. And forever.

* Jamaal Williams. Ballin’ out. Running over Bears defenders. Playing with passion. A true desire. Falling forward upon contact. Displaying heart. A remarkably memorable performance from the rookie.

* Hope the Kevin King injury isn’t too serious. He was playing his best game of the year.

* If Clay Matthews, Nick Perry and Mike Daniels play in that fashion for the rest of the year, the Packers will be tough to beat.

* Brett Hundley as he was walking off Soldier Field: "Grinding it out today. First victory, baby, in the books. Feels good. We're all blessed, man. Go Pack! Keep it up. We're going strong."

* Sometime soon, the Packers need HaHa to make a play.

* Another strong game from Blake Martinez. Not his best by any means, but still impressive.

* This was an old-school black and blue NFC North battle. Mike McCarthy prevailed in riveting fashion! We saw 5-wide. We saw the I-formation. We saw 2-TE sets. We saw 3 WR sets with a single back and a TE. Mike McCarthy was not leaving anything on the table.

* Clay Matthews was taking his pass rush up the field. He was coming on speed rushes. I hope the Packers are tabling his stunt to the inside. When he applies pressure around the edge, he forces the QB off of his spot. He was consistently irritating Trubisky.

* Kenny Clark is a physical demon in the middle of the DL. Love his play.

* Brett Hundley's theme for the week: "We just have to keep this momentum going. We have to ride the wave." Yes, Brett. Yes, we do.

* Montravious Adams showed flashes of being quick off the ball. Hoping that this continues to improve with more playing time.

* This defense is so much better with Ahmad Brooks than it is without him.

* The Bears were anywhere from a 5-5.5 point favorite for most of the week. Vegas was predicting a Bears win. Packers fans were feeling the same. Bears fans were thinking Trubisky would start off 0-1 as a starter against Green Bay. McCarthy proved otherwise. I have no idea how Packers fans can have ill feelings toward McCarthy.

* I’d like to see Pipkins playing this weekend if King isn’t able to play. Would rather see Pipkins on the field than Josh Hawkins.

* You could argue that Brett Hundley outplayed Matt Ryan, Big Ben, Cam Newton, and Sam Bradford when they played at Soldier Field. You could also easily argue that Mike McCarthy’s team performed better than the Falcons, Steelers, ‘queens, and Panthers when they showed up at Soldier Field. Really impressive day for the Hundley + McCarthy combination.

* Feels like Josh Jones is going to force a big turnover soon.

* McCray, Evans, Linsley, Taylor, and Bakhtiari. Very well done, men.

* After the John Fox challenge, I was pining for the ref to say: AFTER FURTHER REVIEW, THE BEARS STILL SUCK.

* Thought that Marwin Evans would be more active than he’s been on the field. He’s been non-existent. That surprises me.

* Prior to the injury, it was fun to watch Ty Montgomery in his groove. Felt like he was going to easily top 100 yards.

* Damarious Randall has no interest in making open field tackles.

* Hundley needs to look to the TE. Kendricks is open. If he does look to Kendricks, Hundley will have his escape. It feels like Kendricks is uncovered, at times.

* Need better, Davon House. That was unacceptable.

* Good to watch RIP catching the ball in the flat for the 1st down. I’d like to see more of that.

* Trevor Davis. Catch the ball and go. No dancing. Take the ball up the field. Eat yards.

* The amount of special teams penalties is puzzling. In fact, our intelligence in nearly every facet of our special teams has been disastrous. Gotta get that cleaned up. If the Packers are going to continue to win without Rodgers, we’re going to continue to need to get sacks and we’re going to need to start forcing turnovers. We’re also going to have to execute the snap and the hold on FG’s. Further, we’re going to need a special teams TD at some point. We need to start swinging the field position battle on special teams.

This week – it’s the Ravens. At Lambeau Field. In a must-win game for the Packers. With a win, the dream is alive. With a loss, things get tricky. It’s time to elevate, Lambeau. Get loud, baby. Make a difference!

Once again, Vegas is spitting in the face of the Packers organization. The 4-5 Ravens enter Lambeau as a 2-point favorite. That's bulletin board material. Get the troops motivated, Coach Mac!

The Ravens are not a very good football team. If they don’t force turnovers or make plays on special teams, they don’t have the weapons to win on the offensive side of the ball. Mike Wallace can still run, but he wasn’t what he was 7 years ago. Jeremy Maclin has strictly become a possession WR. He can no longer stretch the field. Breshad Perriman is athletically gifted, but he’s battled injuries and hasn’t been the player the Ravens thought he’d be. Still, he’s a threat. Michael Campanaro is a solid slot WR who can cause problems on 3rd down. Benjamin Watson continues to get it done. The grizzly vet is a steady performer. He still gets open. He can still block. He’s also tough to bring down. Maxx Williams is a beast, but he hasn’t been overly productive. Nick Boyle isn’t a star, but he can do it all at TE. The Ravens are stacked with talent at TE. Joe Flacco. How did this guy win a Super Bowl? I’ll never understand. He’s a stationary passer who is prone to turnovers. Yes, he can throw the deep ball and he’s clutch in the 2-minute drill, but as an every down QB, he’s in the bottom tier of the league. The Ravens will be without Ronnie Stanley, their best OL. The Ravens OL has protected Flacco well this year, but they aren’t an intimidating bunch. The Packers DL should win the line of scrimmage. When Alex Collins is in traffic, the Packers have to slap his wrists. If so, he’ll put the ball on the turf. He’s a fumbler. Expect Danny Woodhead to be back from injury. He’s dangerous. Every time he touches the ball, he seems to find the marker. He’ll present a big challenge for Blake Martinez in the passing game. Terrance West isn’t scaring anyone.

The Ravens defense lives off turnovers. Terrell Suggs remains an elite player in the league. He’s a dominant pass rusher. A future Hall of Famer. Carl Davis, Michael Pierce, Brandon Williams, and Chris Wormley aren’t household names, but they are high energy, physical defenders. Za’Darius Smith is a tireless pass rusher as well. CJ Mosley is a dynamite ILB. Matt Judon is an intelligent, hustling strong side LB. Jimmy Smith is among the best CB’s in football. He’s hurt with a bum Achilles, but he’s expected to play. He needs to be tested deep early and often. If he’s unable to go, that’d be a big blow to the Ravens secondary. Brandon Carr is a solid CB. He has the length and the speed that you crave, but his play has been inconsistent. Ladarius Webb is a gamer. I wish he was in Green Bay. Tony Jefferson and Eric Weddle are savvy, talented safeties who can do it all. Marlon Humphrey is a promising rookie CB.

The strengths of the Ravens team is special teams, their secondary and their TE’s. Sam Koch and Justin Tucker are as good as it gets as a specialist duo. I feel as though Tucker is the best Kicker in the game. The Ravens utilize their TE’s to create mismatches on offense and to show disguise. Their confidence in their secondary allows them to blitz in abundance.

Coming off of a victory, the Packers walk into Lambeau Field with a ton of confidence. They expect to win this game. The crowd is amped as well. With temperatures in the 30’s, it’s fall football weather. I love these games. Grind it out. Physical games.

Expect the Packers to pound Williams early in the game. This sets up a 2nd and 7 play action. It’s Hundley to Adams deep down the sideline for a big game.

Nick Perry has another incredible game. He overpowers the Ravens makeshift OL. Mike Daniels does the same. Clay Matthews is flying off the edge. Matthews is disruptive. He forces the immobile Flacco off of his spot and into the arms of Ahmad Brooks for a sack. The Packers DL is in control. The crowd is rowdy. High fives, all around.

The Packers defense forces two turnovers.

The Ravens aim is to slow down the pass rush and the brute force of the Packers DL. The Packers have been awful against the screen. I expect Woodhead to grab multiple first downs in the passing game.

Defensively, the Ravens blitz. On nearly every passing down. They confuse Hundley. They frustrate Hundley. They force a bad decision that ends up in CJ Mosley’s hands.

But, Hundley gets the last laugh. He’s glowing with confidence. Showing his California swagger. It’s not the sand in your toes Ocean breeze blowing his cares away, but the brisk Titletown, U.S.A. winds keep him equally free-flowing and grounded. Hundley leads a late game-winning TD drive on a pass to Nelson.

If the Packers don’t turn the ball over this weekend, the Packers will win by double digits. Mark my words.

Packers 20.
Ravens 16.

Go Pack Go!

Talkin’ S-Mac.
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