It is! The J.R. Sportbreeze Show here with you coast to coast on the Infinity Sports Network. We had so many callers asking about the Packers. People are asking about their opponent and the Lions. What's up with Jordan Love? Should he play?
Should he not play? What about the division at the end of the season? So to talk about all things Packers, joining us right now is someone who covers them for the Green Bay Post Gazette. It's Ryan Wood. Hey Ryan, thank you for taking the time and joining us. Absolutely man, how's your Friday night?
Hey listen, I'm rolling, I'm having a great time, I got nothing to complain about. That's good. You know, we did the wildest thing yesterday up here in Green Bay. Uh oh, what's that? We trick or treated without wearing a coat.
So we can't complain either. What are we talking? Are we talking 70s? 80s? Okay, we're a little different up here. It was in the upper 50s.
October 31st, we're doing cartwheels over that. Okay, alright. What were you as Halloween, if I can ask? My two sons wanted to be a football player, so I was a blind ref, trying to keep them in line. Wore the referee's shirt, had a flag, had the aviators on, just doing what I could. Alright listen, that sounds very close to reality, Ryan.
We appreciate you for doing your part. Hopefully there are no blind refs in this game with the Packers and Lions on Sunday. I guess right out the gate, Ryan. Do you expect to see Jordan Love out there?
I think so, question mark? Look, the Packers hold this very, very close to the vest. Frankly, I think Matt Lafleur enjoys being manipulative and trying to do a slight of hand with the other team and keeping everyone guessing. The real indicator is potentially going to come tomorrow. If they elevate practice squad quarterback Sean Clifford, then that's a real sign that'll be Malik Willis, because they've got to have a backup, right? If they don't elevate Sean Clifford, they're probably going with Jordan Love and Malik Willis will be back into the backup role. I think nobody expected Malik Willis to get as much play that he has already, but he has certainly done a solid job. How would you view this team if Malik was tasked with going out there?
We know the Lions like to light up the scoreboard. Malik would be able to compete though, at least, right? You know, he can give you what any team hopes you have when it's a backup quarterback, and that's a fighting chance. You don't go into a game with your backup quarterbacks and you want to roll up on the opponent. It just doesn't happen in this league. But most backup quarterbacks, you don't have a fighting chance.
You're just hoping you don't get rolled over yourself. What he has done this season in two starts and then playing most of the second half last week in Jacksonville to the tune of a 130 passer rating, three wins for the Packers. Granted, they were all against AFC South opponents. The schedule has been very favorable early in the season, but it's still a backup quarterback. It's been something close to a football miracle. He didn't arrive until after training camp.
He didn't have a single practice rep all of training camp. He gets into a new system, new playbook, new play caller as head coach, and you would think that he's been here a couple years. The way that this team has been able to, on the fly, build an offense around him, it's been a football miracle.
It's something I've never seen before. Matt LaFleur himself said that he's never seen anything like this before. Certainly, it's a fighting chance. Now it's the Lions, right? Like you said, 52 points in three quarters last week, even if it is the Tennessee Titans defense. That's impressive against any NFL opponent. The Packers absolutely know that they have their hands full with this Lions team, 6-1, a short list contender to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. They absolutely know what's coming, but a fighting chance, when you have a backup quarterback, if that's the case, you can't ask for much more than that. Ryan Wood is joining us, covers the Packers for the Green Bay Post-Gazette.
You talk about joining this team. Josh Jacobs, this is his first year with the squad coming over from the Raiders. Not the same type of running back, the same type of dual threat that Naren Jones was. How and what has Josh Jacobs brought to this team? Because nationally, you don't really hear a lot about him and he's been running a while. Yeah, you don't hear much about him. He's top five in the league in rushing and tied for the league lead in rushing attempts.
I think that that's where the biggest difference is. It's a consistent reliability week in and week out that he can be a workhorse. You can give him 25, even 30. Week two against the Colts, Malik Willis' first start, he had 32 carries in that game. Aaron Jones never had 30 carries.
That was not happening no matter who was the quarterback. Aaron Jones, he's a beautiful runner. It's watching poetry to watch him carry the Rockets to the open field. Josh Jacobs will get you a lot of tough, gritty yards. It's a lot of four or five yards just push the pile. And every once in a while, as he did last week, he'll break one open, 38-yard touchdown. The difference is when you have a guy that you can give the ball week in and week out to even in September, October, early in the season that many times, you know that going in, you're going to have balance as an offense because you have a guy that can take that kind of workload. It takes a lot of stress and pressure off your quarterback.
It sets up your play action game. It's not just the yards he gets. It's the consistent reliability that he brings to this offense. Hey Ron, if we flip over to the defense, we talked about the Lions and we know how much they're going to be airing the ball out. Well, he's gone now. But we think about Jamison Williams being gone as well. And then you think about the Packers basically leaving the world in takeaways. We saw Xavier McKinney start off the year with an interception streak. Jair Alexander is getting paid all the big bucks.
He's dealing a little nicked up himself. How the hell are they going to stop or slow down this offense? You know, one just fascinating tidbit about the Lions that I didn't even realize until today. Every game they played this season has been inside a dome. They haven't played outdoors yet. Obviously, they play inside a dome themselves. And then there's all three of their road games this season have been inside. So I think it's going to be very interesting. Look, this Lions offense on the fast track, on a turf, watch out.
It's lights out. They do everything well. Jared Goff has played very well, but he's surrounded by playmakers. Talk about the running game taking stress off a quarterback.
Obviously, they're a two-headed monster. And then they're explosive in the receiving game. They have a tight end. Everywhere you look, this Packers defense is going to have to match up because there's no weaknesses here. But the Packers defense under Jeff Halfley has been a different unit. They've taken the ball away.
They've blown past already at the midway point of the season. Their interception numbers last year, their takeaway numbers, they're leading the league in takeaways. David McKinney, you mentioned he was the NFC defensive player of the month for the month of October.
What he said about that was, yeah, I felt like there was another month I might have should have gotten it too. Speaking of September, all he did in September, every single game that David McKinney played in September, he had an interception. He has six interceptions in eight games.
So I think it's going to be fascinating. Teams have stopped really throwing the ball deep on this Packers defense because of the influence of Xavier McKinney on the back end. We know the Lions offense doesn't fear anybody, nor should they. They've got a lot of playmakers. That's a rock and a hard play.
So what's going to happen there? When they throw it deep, you've got to know where number 29 is because he will take the football away from you. I think that's a fascinating match for this game. Yeah, the Green Bay Packers, four straight wins. The Lions, five straight wins. Packers leading the NFL in takeaways.
Would you play Jordan Love knowing that you have this game? We know he's questionable. Knowing that you have a bye after this, he could get two weeks off.
We know that this division is ridiculously competitive. The Vikings are still kicking after a two game losing streak. But starting five and oh, you know, the Bears, maybe they can, you know, scratch their way into something.
Would you put Jordan Love out there? I hate to sound all Coach Speakish, but I really do think it comes down to whether or not the medical is good on him. It's a groin. It's a soft tissue injury. If there's a significant risk of re-aggravating a soft tissue injury and have it become a bigger problem for the second half of the season, then no, it's just not worth it.
But if it's a green flag, then absolutely you put him out there whether it's a bye week, next week or not. You know, it's funny, I asked Jordan Love this week point blank, does it have anything to do, I mean, it's the Lions. You know, it's not week two against the Indianapolis Colts. It's this team. It's the team that you came into the season knowing they were going to be in your way and you're going to be in their way to get to where you wanted to go. And this is the game you have at home.
Is there anything to this? And it was funny to hear his answer because right out of the gate, he's like, yeah, I mean, it's this opponent. And he's like, well, it'd be like that for any team. Any team, you know, I want to play every game, you want to be on the field. But there is something to this.
There's absolutely something to this game, this opponent, the Lions, not just the rivalry, but the fact that these might be the two best teams in the NFC and it's the one game you have in your place. Yeah, he wants to be out there without question. It just goes back to the medical. Yeah, well, I mean, they're going to be paying him $55 million a year. I'm glad he's showing up to work instead of, you know, Anthony Richardson. He gets tired.
He wants to sit down. Yeah, there's none of that here with them. I certainly hear that. And when you look at the team and what they did last year, kind of riding the ship and going on a hot ride, now having these massive expectations. Have you seen anything different in the squad?
Have you seen anything different and love knowing that, hey, you got big money coming in the next bunch of years? Hey, these are the expectations, the same old guy. I think the biggest difference this season compared to last is the last two months of last season, Jordan Love didn't throw the football to the other team.
Then he gets the contract extension, as you said, the $55 million a year guy. He's got nine interceptions in five and a half games. Now, he's making a ton of plays, too. And that's the first half of last season he was throwing the ball to the other team before he went 10 games, one pick down the stretch. He was struggling with interceptions early last year. The difference was that he wasn't making a lot of big plays.
He was swimming a little bit, right? He was trying to get his bearings and figure out this league and how to play at this level week in and week out when the defense is trying to take away what you do well. He's making a ton of big plays now, but to watch him play, you almost want to fall back in love with your checkdown. A checkdown on a loaded offense like this, taking the easy underneath pass and let your playmakers work. Not everything has to be downfield vertical all the time. Just because you have the arm to do that and just because there are a lot of big plays when you do that, you can make life easy on yourself, too.
So, I think that's the biggest difference. Nine interceptions in five and a half games. Malik Willis, the thing that he's done the best is the fact that he hasn't had a turnover yet. Two and a half games, not one turnover. Jordan Love told me two weeks ago that the number one goal for him is 100% ball security through an entire game. And then last week he throws an out route to Romeo Dobbs that has no throwing window, gets picked off.
It's knowing that being sure with your reads, taking the easy stuff when it is there and not making everything so hard on yourself just because you can't. Well, we know he got a lot of wide outs to spread the ball out to. He has a bell cow back, I guess one of the last of them that we have as a defense taking a ball away. When you look at these Packers, is this a team that can, well, they can go to the Super Bowl. Would you favor them with this wide open NFC? I picked the Lions not only to win the NFC North but to win the NFC going into the season. And Aiden Hutchinson's injury makes a big difference. I mean, no question about it.
That is a potential game changer. But to me, these might be the two most talented rosters in the NFC. The biggest difference between these two teams is just the Lions have a little bit more season. Both teams are pretty young. The Lions just have a little bit more season.
Jared Goff has been in a Super Bowl. The Lions as a team got one step further, got knocked out by the same opponent, the same 49ers last year. But they got to the NFC Championship game.
They got one step further. This Packers team is very, very young. Last year they're the youngest locker room in the NFL. They're still the youngest locker room in the NFL. You have to usually, as a young team that's up and coming, take your lumps before you get over that hurdle.
That to me is the biggest question. Have they taken enough lumps in 2024 for their talent, for their experience to catch up to their talent? Because if they do, they can beat anybody. There's no question about that. I think for that reason, midway point of the season, obviously being at home, the Lions are a tremendous litmus test for where they are.
Because they look into a mere reflection when they see the other side of the field. Well listen, Ryan, as we know in professional sports, young teams sometimes, most times, they have to get knocked down a few times before they get up and rise to being champions. Ryan, I appreciate the time. Where can people follow you and all of your work with the Green Bay Post-Gazette? Hey, packersnews.com and then on Twitter, at byryanwood. Thank you, Jay, I appreciate you.
And Ryan, you enjoy the rest of the week. And you got candy left over? Oh my goodness. You know, I'm the kind of dad, I'm very, I'll say encouraging when it comes to trick-or-treating about go get more, go get more. Because I mean, I know I'm going to be stealing some. So, you know, I want to, they need to have a big enough pile that when I start taking, they don't notice.
And I would say that we are very successful on that front. You're going to have candy to last until next Halloween then, huh? Next Easter's covered.
I don't know, sometime next summer we might run out, but we're covered through Easter. My man. Ryan, you sound like, you sound like somebody's old grandma. Got all the candy in the bag, Ryan.
That's right. It's just, it's just mountains of candy now in the bedrooms here. I hear that.
The densest dream. Ryan, you enjoy the weekend, okay? All right. Take care. No doubt about it.
That Ryan Wood from the Green Bay Post-Gazette. Yeah, I hope you stole some candy too. Like Halloween just can't be for your kids. Unless somebody's giving away money for Halloween, steal that money and keep it. Kids are going to do it money. Waste it. 855-212-4227.
That's 855-212-4227. You know, Ryan just made a point about young teams having to get knocked down and you got to go through the grind before you actually become a championship caliber team. And we're going to take a break. When we come back on the other side, I do want to tell you that young teams, young players, they got so much to learn. One thing that I cannot understand that I've seen twice this week are players making stupid mistakes that cost your teams points. I'm going to explain on the other side of the break. We saw it last night. There was another instance of it between the Falcons and the Buccaneers. I'll explain. But right now, here on the Infinity Sports Network, it's time for a News Flash with Chris Prusty.
