Tallon from Castle Rock, CO
This Sunday I am going to miss seeing Micah Parsons expose and humiliate Jared Goff like last year. His game on Thanksgiving was one of my favorites. How have you seen Lukas Van Ness perform lately? Seems he has had a quieter couple of weeks after that hot start.
You gotta look beyond the sacks, folks. Van Ness has 13 Next Gen Stats pressures over the past three games, including five and a sack against Dallas. He’s healthy and right where the Packers need him to be.
I get the concern with Jordan Love not sliding, but I’ve seen enough football to know that defenders can react to the slide a little too late and end up causing more damage to the sliding QB than if the QB just dove forward. People will usually say that the QB should have slid earlier, but that seems like an easier thing to process watching from above/at home. Unless Love has plenty of time to slide before the nearest defender, I’m fine with him giving himself up the way he does.
My mantra has always been get the yards and then get down, in that order.
Troy from Westminster, CO
I, along with most others, am anxious for Josh Jacobs to be back in the lineup and see how it affects the run game. Whether the shortcomings fall on the O-line or RBs (the easy answer is both), one area I think Jacobs will make a tremendous impact is play-action. As I see it, defenses are going to have to honor his presence more than any other Packers RB. It’s not always about having a running game but having the threat of a running game that can open the passing game up to whole new levels. Thoughts?
There are few backs better at finding holes and gaining after contact than Jacobs, so those are two areas I feel like he can make an immediate impact. But Green Bay’s issues in the run game have been a sum of the whole. It’s on everyone to collectively raise their game to find a solution.
Ben from Cripple Creek, CO
I also think that if we can truly get Jacobs back, that helps set the tone for the other RBs. We’ve seen special moments from MarShawn Lloyd in preseason/training camp. If Jacobs is the feature and Lloyd the change up, doesn’t that help Lloyd settle down into that role? Or is that much ado about nothing?
I don’t think there’s a player on the Packers’ offense who won’t benefit from having No. 8 back on the field, beginning with Lloyd. It also gives Green Bay its best shot at getting back to its two-RB concepts after losing Jayden Reed, Chris Brooks and most recently Skyy Moore.
How is Detroit’s rookie class looking? Any names we should keep an eye on Sunday?
Kendrick Law tore his ACL in June, but the rest are out there. First-round pick Blake Miller is starting at right tackle for the Lions. Second-round pick Derrick Moore is getting more opportunities on the defensive line, recording three quarterback hits the past two weeks. Fifth-round safety Keith Abney had an interception in his first NFL start two weeks ago against Arizona.
The fact the NFL covers up their bad calls and doesn’t let coaches discuss them says a lot. They can’t even acknowledge a call was messed up and they’ll attempt to improve, probably because they aren’t attempting to improve…
I get not wanting every media session to be coaches and players ripping on the officials, but the lack of accountability is maddening, and it’s been that way since 2017. The NFL just flips the calendar to Monday and on it goes, but fans remember what the league often forgets – those folks in the stands are the only ones paying to be in the stadium on gamedays.
Frank from La Crescent, MN
Is it possible that Jacobs can be ready to play on Sunday? I assume, if yes, it will be on a limited basis.
I would think Jacobs plays, but neither he nor LaFleur is guaranteeing his availability on Sunday. If Jacobs is up, my guess would be he sees half the reps he typically does with it being his first game back.