My Take -> Week 14

Greetings, G-Force.

Sometimes, you have to get right at the expense of someone else’s wrong. In 2019, the New York Giants are not a very good football team. The Packers took advantage of their ineptitude. And, suddenly, the bounce is back in the energy of the Packers locker room.

As I write, I’m sipping a Newcastle Nut Brown Ale. Almost oddly, I had a craving for it. So I bought a 6-pack of it. I’m going to bury these pups. I’m listening to Janis Joplin’s Greatest Hits. My 4 year old asks me to listen to “Me and Bobby McGee” on a daily basis and because of it, this album has been spinning in my ears frequently.

Here are my quick vibes from the last week:

Matt LaFleur came out in attack mode. He delivered early knock out punches to Lazard. Loved seeing Lazard in motion, changing sides in the slot. Play action. Chunk play successes followed. Regardless of the result, I loved the early shovel pass to Davante. These are good moments to have on film. These plays set up trickery in the future.

Mike Pettine. Maybe his best showing since Week 2. The Kevin King interception was all Pettine. Pettine gave King help over the top, which allowed King to play the underneath route. Pettine drew up the defense to perfection and the results followed.

Aaron Rodgers. It was near mastery. Calling his shot to BIG DOG was fantastic. The 4th and 10 throw. The dart to Lazard for the TD. Ducking low to avoid the rush and then floating it to Adams for a Tud!

After being shut out for the first 10 weeks, it’s really nice to see Davante in the end zone 3 times over the last two weeks. LaFleur did a really nice job of designing plays to get the ball into his hands.

Allen Lazard is proving to be a worthwhile 2nd option at WR. He’s a big target that Rodgers clearly trusts.

It was a great relief to see G-Mo grabbing a couple of clutch catches to move the sticks.

What has happened for MVS? I had high hopes for him. He was showing signs early on. Now, he’s disappeared. At some point in December, the Packers are going to hit on a deep ball to MVS.

I want to see Jace targeted either on a seam route or on a crossing route in the month of December. He has the play speed to add a dimension to this offense that is currently missing.

I was so happy for Marcedes Lewis. And, to see the leadership that Rodgers displayed throughout the game, especially on the TD, was an absolute joy to witness.

Plainly stated, Aaron Jones needs to see the ball a minimum of 20 times per game.

Jamaal Williams running hard to close out games will never get old. Wish LaFleur would get back to having Williams and Jones back on the field at the same time.

Bulaga has been an absolute stud this year. He’s earning big coin after the season. If not from Green Bay, he’ll get it somewhere.

Za’Darius Smith is the best player on the team. He absolutely destroys the opposition week-in and week-out. He doesn’t always get home, but he’s disrupting plays all-of-the-time. Soon, he has a strip sack coming. He’s close, he just needs to swipe at the ball.

Preston Smith needs to refind his stride. He’s lost a little of his big play momentum. It’s time for him to turn up the December heat.

Kenny Clark with the big play on 3rd and 1 to stop Barkley set the tone for a very impressive run-defense performance.

Lowry flashed run stuffing skills. He was quick off the snap and swallowing the ball.

Stoked to see Savage grab another pick. The rookie has added a speed dimension that this defense has sorely missed.

Another impressive performance by Amos. He’s the surest tackling safety that I can remember in Green Bay.

Jaire was on lock down. After a minor mid-season blip in his performance, Jaire is back to his normal self. He was dynamite in NJ.

Once again, Kyler Fackrell was close. He couldn’t finish, but he was close.

What if Rashan Gary puts it all together and wins a play in December? Wouldn’t that be riveting? Would love to see his sack excitement. This year has had to have been a mental struggle for him.

A memorable performance by Mason Crosby. My heart goes out to him and his family. His 47 yard kick was a sight to see!

The Packers punt return units have been pathetic. It’s well documented. But, Gutekunst isn’t resting. The Tyler Ervin addition has me super stoked! I believe Ervin has the skillset to change the Packers fortunes. Prior to the 2016 NFL Draft, I wrote this on him: 10.) Tyler Ervin, San Jose St. Round 4. I heart Tyler Ervin. While he's undersized, he hits the hole fearlessly. On runs to the edge, he's blazing fast. He's a lethal weapon out of the backfield as a receiver. He runs a fantastic wheel route. A LB won't be able to cover him if you put him in the flat. More often than not, he'll make the first person miss. But, he's an absolute liability in pass protection. He gets run over. He lacks awareness as a blocker. It wouldn't shock me if he shows up well as a great Punt Returner.

For this week’s 2020 Packers Mock Draft, I used the Fanspeak Big Board:

Round 1: Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama.
Round 2: Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson.
Round 3: Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah.
Round 4: Hunter Bryant, TE, Washington
Round 5: Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas.
Round 6: JR Reed, S, Georgia.
Round 6: Josh Uche, EDGE, Michigan.
Round 7: Chris Orr, ILB, Wisconsin.
Round 7: Troy Pride, CB, Notre Dame.
Round 7: Logan Wilson, ILB, Wyoming.

This week – the Packers host the Redskins. With the win, the Packers will reach the magical 10-win platform. This year, it might require 11 wins to make the playoffs in the competitive NFC. Nonetheless, more often than not, historically, 10 wins has meant a playoff berth. The Redskins are a bad football team. I fully expect the Packers to win handily this weekend.

Dwayne Haskins will start at QB for the Redskins. The rookie has walked away victorious the last two weeks, but he’s not ready to play in this league. The Redskins live off of their run game. AP can still play. Historically, he’s dominated GB. He’ll be ready to run. I know he’s banged up, but I fully expect him to play. Derrius Guice is a stiff-arm, tough running machine. He’ll challenge the Packers front. Terry McLaurin has been an impressive rookie WR. He’s a big play threat. I imagine the Redskins will challenge Kevin King with McLaurin running a double move route down the sideline. Paul Richardson is an average WR who has a tough time separating from a jam at the line. Jeremy Sprinkle has been a fighter as a blocker, but he’s battled with limited success. He is a talented short yardage route runner. He’s a decent possession receiving TE. The Redskins OL has been a physical component of their team. They’ve performed well as run blockers. I don’t believe Donald Penn and Morgan Moses can hold up at Tackle. Additionally, there’s no chance that Ereck Flowers can block Za’Darius Smith. The Packers should line Smith right over Flowers all day.

The Redskins DL is legitimate. Jonathan Allen, Ryan Kerrigan, Montez Sweat and Da’Ron Payne were all 1st round picks and they’re all living up to expectations. Matt Ioannidis has developed into a really good player. He’s a high effort player. He flashes physical dominance, at times. Cole Holcomb has surprised me as a rookie. He’s been much better than I anticipated. He’s played stronger and more tenacious than I envisioned he would. He has a promising future. The Redskins have issues in the secondary. Josh Norman’s game has diminished. Landon Collins hasn’t made the impact that the Redskins hoped after signing a massive FA contract. Quinton Dunbar is a very good player. I’d expect him to shadow Adams all over the field.

This is the week that the Packers see a punt return of more than 10 yards. Tyler Ervin will make someone miss. He’ll be anxious to make a play. He’ll dance his way to the second level.

If the Packers can slow down the Redskins run game, this one won’t be close. Haskins won’t be prepared to deal with the intensity of Lambeau Field. Haskins will commit at least two turnovers. This game resides in the hands of the Packers run defense. Look for Pettine to play a bunch of 5 man fronts with Lancaster, the Smith Bros., Lowry and Clark. He’ll also have 2 ILB’s on the field. Pettine will trust Jaire 1 on 1. He’ll give King help over the top.

Look for the Packers to come out with an abundance of play action. I expect Rodgers to take two shots deep down the field early in the game. I’m hoping MVS gets back on track.

Za’Darius grabs at least one sack and likely 2.

Savage grabs another pick on an overthrown ball.

Haskins isn’t ready for this, if the Lambeau Faithful rises to the task!

Packers 31.
Redskins 13.

Go Pack Go!

Talkin’ S-Mac.
Talkins-mac.blogspot.com