My Take -> Week 17

Greetings, G-Force.

Brian Gutekunst is confidently walking with his chin up and his shoulders back. Dude should be really proud of what he’s accomplished in his short time as GM of the 13-time World Champion, Green Bay Packers. Gutekunst has quickly infused the talent in the roster with athletic phenoms in the prime of their careers.

As I write, I sip a 2017 New Gladys Enigma. Even with two years of age to it, it stills pours a fruit soured punch. I listen to the Bob Marley and the Wailers Burnin’ album. 10 magical hits to this vinyl. Tosh and Marley together, so powerful.

Here are my quick vibes from the last week:

Matt LaFleur went into Minnesota and fully out coached Mike Zimmer. Zimmer had trouble slowing the Packers down all day. And, even though the scoreboard only read 23 points, it felt much more commanding than that.

Over the last two weeks, the Packers beat the Bears to clinch a playoff berth and to eliminate the Bears. Then, they went into Minnesota to capture the NFC North crown. Matt LaFleur has swept the Bears and ‘queens in his first year as Head Coach. Powerful!

Mike Pettine pushed all of the right buttons. As the DL continued to win their battles, Pettine was able to simply rush 3 or 4 lineman. There was no need to blitz Cousins as Za’Darius and Clark were dominating the line of scrimmage.

In a match up of NFC North powerhouses, Za’Darius Smith was the best player on the field. He led the Packers in tackles. He also had 3.5 sacks. He dominated the line of scrimmage and singlehandedly destroyed the ‘queens game plan.

Kevin King with the play of the game. It felt like Minnesota was starting to gain some momentum. They had just converted a 3rd and long. They were across midfield. When King snagged the pass and started to take the ball upfield, it instantly felt as though all momentum was on the Packers side.

After quiet October and November months, Kenny Clark has dialed you his intensity. He’s been wrecking the opposition all December. He bulled his way through the Minnesota passing game. He helped to destroy their passing game with constant interior pressure. It feels like his game was ignited against the Giants when he wrapped up Barkley on the 3rd and 1 on the first possession of the game. Ever since that play, Clark was been unstoppable.

Kevin King and Jaire were dynamite tacklers. They were physical in the open field. King’s tackle on Thielen on the 3rd and short run led to a huge stop. An absolutely monstrous performance by King.

LaFleur was confusing the Minnesota all day. On the Packers second possession of the 1st Quarter, he sent Ervin in motion and flipped him the ball. Ervin slipped forward for 7 yards. LaFleur came back to this play a couple of times later with Ervin used as a decoy. Ervin drew attention as he has to be accounted for. As eyes peeled towards Ervin, Jenkins paves the way for Aaron Jones to get loose. MVS also chipped in with a great block. And, with that, Jones was off to the races. 56 yards later, the Packers were tossing a dagger into the Minnesota faithful and for the regular season, Green Bay returned to its namesake —Titletown, U.S.A.

Bakhtiari and Bulaga were trustworthy. Billy Turner continues to shine. Jenkins looks like a future Pro Bowl Guard. He frequently gobbles up multiple would-be defenders. Linsley wasn’t his normal mistake free self, but he stood up to the test and helped to manage a tough environment.

I’m so happy for Aaron Rodgers. Again, he didn’t look like the guy that we’ve known and loved since he took over the reigns in 2008. Rodgers was inaccurate. He missed his mark a number of occasions. But, he stood tall in the pocket. He didn’t hold onto the football. He played in rhythm.

Aaron Jones is an elite RB. 160 total yards. 2 TDs. He’s capable of getting loose at any time.

Kumerow, MVS and Lazard have developed into really good blocking WRs. Not only are they willing, but they’re very skilled.

Davante was clutch. Minnesota couldn’t guard him. 13 catches on 16 targets. One of those incompletions was the drop in the end zone on a poorly thrown pass that you’d love to see Adams catch, but other than that, Adams was mostly flawless. 116 yards for Adams in the NFC North Division clinching game in Minnesota.

Lazard has evolved into a legitimate threat on 3rd down.

On the 2-point conversion play call, LaFleur could sense. blood in the water. His courage paid off to give the Packers a 7-point lead.

The Packers were the more dominant team. They were the more possessed team. With more than 36 minutes of ball control, the Packers dominated the game. They had twice as many first downs via the pass as Minnesota had total first downs. The Packers were more physical and had a much better plan of attack.

Rashan Gary has amped up his force over the last month. He was really close to making game changing plays on a couple of occasions. I keep waiting for him to strip the ball from behind.

Fackrell was active. When Minnesota was attempting to dial up one last comeback effort, it was Fackrell beating Reiff around the edge to force the all-important holding penalty.

Keep chopping wood, Za’Darius! Dude is the hardest working player on the field. He’s changed the spirit of this franchise.

The Packers need Preston Smith to regain his stride. Preston has not been the impact player that he was over the course of the first 8 weeks. The Packers need the Pass rushing consistency from Preston that we watched earlier in the year. If Preston finds his form, and you combine it with the December play of Clark and Za’Darius, and you add the Fackrell/Gary rotation to the mix; suddenly, it looks like a 4-man rush that could carry the Packers to a Super run.

Lancaster and Lowry made their presence felt in the run game. Loved seeing Lowry get his hands up again to knock down the 1st Quarter pass. Lowry and Lancaster are playing with confidence.

The Packers had three brutal turnovers in the 1st half and only gave up 10 points. When the defense stepped into the field for the first time and it was 1st and goal, the tone of this game felt different. Huge kudos to the defense for rising to the occasion.

TMon had a fantastic game. He jumped the third down route to get the ball back late in the 2nd Quarter. He was a great tackler all game long.

Chandon Sullivan plays with excellent length. He brings physicality as well. He’s a solid rotational DB.

Blake Martinez is a tough dude. He’s the glue in the middle of this defense.

Have to enjoy watching all of the 2 and 3 TE sets. Soon, we will see a play that was designed to get Jace free in space. At this stage, you’d think that he’d be the least likely target. I’d anticipate that you could potentially see an explosive chunk play coming off of play action in a 3-TE set.

The Packers held the ‘queens to 139 net yards. On Monday Night Football. In Minnesota. To clinch the NFC North. That buzz is sublime!

It’s December football, baby. The Packers are 12-3. It feels like they’re gaining momentum. Soak this in. Enjoy these days.

Wouldn’t it be great if Rodgers would take a pay cut after the season, so that the Packers could afford to resign Clark, Martinez and Bulaga? Prior to the Packers converting the roster bonus into a signing bonus, Rodgers was scheduled to make more $32 million next year. I’m not sure what his cap figure is for 2020 after the bonus conversion, but I did see that the Packers created more than $11 million in cap space. If he could drop that to $25 million and if the Packers release Graham, they’d be able to free up more than $15 million. Martinez would have to come at a cap friendly deal, so the Packers could afford to pay Clark and Bulaga. In this scenario, the Packers would have Clark, Lowry, Gary, the Smith Bros., Martinez, Jaire, Amos and Savage all locked you for the next three years. That’s 9 of the key defenders on their current roster.

How pathetic has the sports scene been in Minnesota? The Star-Tribune named the Barr hit on Rodgers as one of the top 5 sports moments in Minnesota over the last decade. This only adds to the enjoyment of beating Minnesota in Minnesota to secure the NFC North crown.

For this weeks 2020 NFL Packers mock draft, I used the updated Fanspeak Draft Board. Here goes:

Round 1: Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson.
Round 2: Dylan Moses, ILB, Alabama.
Round 3: Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU.
Round 4: J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State.
Round 5: Labryan Ray, DL, Alabama.
Round 6: Jordyn Brooks, ILB, Texas Tech.
Round 6: JR Reed, S, Georgia.
Round 7: Matt Bushman, TE, BYU.
Round 7: Troy Pride, Jr., CB, ND.
Round 7: Michael Pittman, Jr., WR, USC.

This week - the Packers travel to Detroit to play the Lions. LaFleur will attempt to have his team go 6-0 in the NFC North. I went to the Lions game last weekend at Denver. The Lions didn’t give max effort. They’re banged up and lacking intensity. Injuries have taken their toll and they’re currently lacking leadership. If the Packers don’t walk into Ford Field with lackadaisical passion, they’ll win handily. But, in division games, anything can happen, so the Packers must show up ready to play with heightened desire.

The Lions are really beat up on offense. They still have Kenny Golladay and he’s sure to challenge the Packers downfield. Detroit will look to beat the Packers over the top with Golladay. Danny Amendola is still a worthy slot WR. He finds the soft spot in the defense. Surprisingly, the Lions are still playing Kerryon Johnson. Johnson is a good back, but he’s been dealing with a boatload of injuries. David Blough throws a good deep ball. He’s not ready for prime time and will give the Packers a couple of opportunities to steal the football. The Lions OL is mostly intact. Ricky Wagner and Taylor Decker are big bodied Tackles who have manned up and played through injury. Frank Ragnow is a good interior lineman. Lady Aboushi couldn’t hold up at Denver. Graham Glasgow also struggled. Look for Za’Darius to be lined up on the interior of the defense most of the game. Aboushi can’t block an inspired Za’Darius. Bo Scarborough is a worthwhile backup RB who hits the hole hard. The Lions injuries at WR, TE, and RB have decimated the depth of their talent at the skill positions.

Defensively, the Lions still have Flowers, Robinson and Harrison to disrupt the flow of the game. They’re all talented players. Darius Slay is still grinding at CB, too. Tavon Wilson is trying to step up as the leader of the defense and Tracy Walker looks to be following his lead. The Lions are really banged up at LB. the middle of the Lions defense won’t be able to slow down the Packers rushing attack. If the Packers can get Jones to the 2nd level, look for Jones to feast all day.

The Lions will try to pound the ball at the heart of the Packers defense. Blake Martinez has to step up and plug the hole. If the Packers can slow the Lions run game down early, Blough can’t beat them.

Look for Pettine to give King help over the top with Savage against Golladay. Expect Savage to snag an interception this week.

LaFleur comes out with play action. He takes a shot deep to Lazard and Rodgers is on point.

Detroit fights hard early. They keep it close for 20 minutes. But, they don’t have the stamina to keep up with this determined Packers team. The nail biting won’t last long.

The Packers OL leans on the Detroit DL and Aaron Jones gets loose in a big way.

Clark and Za’Darius create havoc.

Let’s go, Preston! Come off the edge and make a play. I’m cheering for you to destroy a 3rd down.

With Slay mostly on Adams, Rodgers looks to Graham, Lazard and G-Mo.

Look for LaFleur to get Ervin involved in the screen game or on a halfback wheel.

With Jamaal Williams unlikely to play, we might see Dexter Williams involved this week.

Rodgers tosses 2 TDs, Jones runs for 2.

The Packers bring playoff intensity to a meaningless game for the Lions. With that, the Packers earn a 1st round bye and a 13-3 record.

The last time the Packers won the Division was in 2016 and the Packers closed out the Regular Season with a win in Detroit. Once again, the Packers are the Division Champions and they’ll be closing out the season with a win in Detroit.

Packers 31.
Lions 13.

Go Pack Go!

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