Laird from Emmetsburg, IA

The pack is really starting to gel. Don’t you think they’ll reach the top too soon?

Wow… and in the immortal words of Yosemite Sam, when I say wow, I mean wow. There’s nothing about the offensive or special teams performance against Houston that suggests a top spot.

Ingrid from Forest Lake, MN

Big missed face mask call at the end of the Vikings/Rams game. Do you think this could be looked at in the offseason for something to change that NY can reverse?

Perhaps you mean making security rules reviewable? What a concept. Hey, I know a sports writer, I think he works in the league’s smallest market, and he’s been recommending it for years. Because such a simple change will not only avoid a ton of controversy, but will also reinforce how important safety rules are to see that the league is doing its best to make sure those calls are accurate.

Jonathon from Raymore, MO

Meanwhile, back at the farm, Lone Spofford’s face is turning even bluer (but at least the Vikes lost).

Tom from West Palm Beach, Florida

I don’t see how a coach in this day and age of analytics departments can justify kicking the XP to take a 28-20 lead with 6:17 left instead of trying to make it a two score game at 29-20. Coaching malpractice saved by not making a bad call regarding face mask safety. But I guess we’ll take it with another Vikings loss. Knowing when to double-step/when not remains one of the last advantages to be leveraged in coaching.

I disagree. I kick it there most of the time. By going up to eight points, I guarantee my defense two chances to close out the game: stop the throw or stop the two-point try.

Hello II! I wanted to express my gratitude to both Spoff and Weston for the excellent insights and writing here, but when Wes writes a sentence like “There aren’t 11 guitar solos in there,” man! As a guitarist myself, this was a hit! What should we focus on as the strength of the Jaguars? Their records don’t seem to tell the whole story of this team.

While starting 0-4, they lost three close games early and their defense really struggled. They allow a 45% conversion rate on third downs and have turned the ball away just three times all season. They are also at the bottom of the league defensively in the red zone and scoring positions. As I said last time in “Unscripted,” the Packers need to play their own game. This is more about what the Packers did than what the Jaguars did.

Good morning insiders! The Jaguars have been playing in London for the last two weeks. How much of an adjustment do you think it will be for your team to adjust to the time zone on this side of the pond?

Last year it didn’t affect them. 4-5th of 2023. They played back-to-back London matches in their week, winning both, then came back and won three more in a row before bidding farewell.

Jonnie from Garden City, MI

Good morning, II! At what point in the season does a team’s record actually indicate what kind of team it is? I know the Jags are 2-5 and struggling. What do they hang their hat on when they start performing well? In other words, what do the Packers need to factor in on offense and defense to eliminate what the Jags do well?

Trevor Lawrence threw just three INTs all season. Tank Bigsby averaged 6.2 yards per carry, Brian Thomas Jr. The average is 17.1 yards per catch. Also on the field, tight end Evan Engram returned from injury. The Jaguars have weapons and will challenge Green Bay’s defense. On the other hand, Travon Walker (six sacks) and Josh Hines-Allen know how to put pressure on QBs, and the Packers can’t let them get in the way of efficiency.

Jerry is from Grantsburg, Wisconsin

What are the strengths of this Jaguars team and what do you see the Packers benefiting from? Their record says they improved throughout the season, but other than that I don’t know much about them.

Apart from those previously mentioned, opponents more than doubled the Jags’ point totals in the first (41-20) and fourth (69-33) quarters. Don’t let them spoil their profile by starting fast and finishing strong.

Matt LaFleur and Jeff Hafley appear to be developing good coaching chemistry. Having Robert Saleh suddenly hanging around as an “advisor” feels distracting at best and an insult to Hafley at worst. Just because LaFleur and Saleh are friends? What’s the problem? So if it’s not broken…

Hafley is also good friends with Saleh. They coached together in San Fran. Hafley made clear to the media on Thursday that there was no problem there and that Saleh wasn’t doing much advising on the defense anyway. Defensive coaches don’t have time during the week to offer their opinions on their team’s offense. Saleh can do that for LaFleur.

Can you explain the transaction process between releasing Orzech to activate Ford and then releasing Ford to re-sign Orzech? I guess they had to add Ford to the roster to make him eligible to sign up for the practice squad, but I have no idea if that’s true.

That’s basically the point, so they used Matt Orzech’s roster spot for a day to work on it. As a veteran, Orzech was not subject to waivers (pre-trade deadline) and was guaranteed his full salary for the season (since he was on the Week 1 roster), so it had zero impact on him.

Mike from Sun Prairie, WI

When Matt talks about position groups he always says “that room”. Is this literal or figurative within Lambeau’s limits? I imagine classrooms with different groups in the building. Is it like this?

Jeff from Indian Lake, NY

I know we’re not even halfway through this season (which now happens at halftime of Game 9?). So is Evan Williams the stealer of the entire draft? Consistency and longevity are the hallmarks of true impact players, but Williams always shows up and shows up. My friend is a very good football player.

At this stage, I am not in a position to review the entire third day of the draft and make such a judgment. But for those of us who watched every training camp practice, Williams showed that he belonged. There was no doubt about it. It was a matter of finding the right role for him among other parts of the defence.

Danny, MD, from Joint Base Andrews

I was looking at NFL statistical leaders the other day. I didn’t realize what a productive season Jordan Love was having until I saw that he was tied for second place with Lamar Jackson behind Baker Mayfield for most passing TDs and had played two fewer games than either of them! He also ranks second in passes per game. Why is it that with statistics like these the offense is still below its potential?

Because last week, out of five, he went out three times and was tackled twice. Seven of them were completely inconclusive, but there are 24 points on the board. This says a lot.