Fear The Chorizo

If contract numbers make sense, Tyreke Hill wouldn't be a bad idea for a season or two.

The Rams should be favored in that game, and I'd be surprised if the Vikings upset them

I agree, and know every season is different, but i think the key players on this roster already know this no matter what happens in Minnesota based on last season when they walked into vikingland and embarrassed the Vikings in a win to get in game and then a couple weeks later destroyed a 2 seed cowboys team who had been dominating opponents at home all year. That being said, it would be refreshing to send Vikings fans back to the reality awaiting them in the playoffs a couple weeks early

This also isn't late 1990 college football where style points count more than wins and losses - at times I get the feeling the Packers are using actual games they have in hand due to their opponents' circumstances to have glorified practices, and not just sticking with what is obviously working in a game plan to build multiple score leads, too. Win the game, stay healthy at this point...and honestly the order of those two isn't as important as staying healthy before the playoffs with their current position.

Yeah, of course they can walk into Minnesota and win - they did just that last new year's eve and embarrassed the Vikings in their building when both teams had to get a W to think about making the playoffs. Last year's Packer younger and less experienced team got on a late season roll, embarrassed the 2 seed Cowboys (who were also rolling and had been pounding teams at home) in round 1, and frankly should have beaten the 49ers on the road the following week in the divisional round. All I'm saying is with how the NFC playoff field is shaping up, none of the teams hosting any playoff games would want to face a potential 13-win wild card Packers team that appears to be peaking and healthy, when their only 4 losses were coin flip 1 possession games came against the best teams in their conference with the exception of that 2 possession loss in the rain against the Lions months ago. worrying about a potential playoff draw that includes a bunch of good teams doesn't make much sense to me, when I don't think there's a team on paper that is undoubtedly better than the Packers (exception maybe being the Eagles at this point with a healthy Hurts) - with only 1 team getting a bye and that likely coming down to either an injured Lions squad or an overrated Vikings team, to me that's just 1 less week for either of those teams to get exposed by a quality playoff opponent.

Nobody will want to have to beat this Packers team in the playoffs - if Love plays well and Jacobs is healthy they're the most dangerous team in the league. That isn't me being a homer, they are that talented offensively with a pretty solid defense.

I know Detroit hung on to beat the Packers a couple Thursday nights ago...but with all the potential matchup scenarios we are laying out as "easiest" paths for GB to go on a postseason run, I get the feeling like every other NFC playoff hopeful is doing a similar process to map out the preferred matchups that wouldn't include having to play the Packers themselves. This team has that feel of a "nobody wants to have to beat us to win a Title" to it.

If Quero proves to be healthy off that shoulder injury, he's likely going to become the everyday catcher in Milwaukee sooner rather than later so Contreras can turn into the primary DH - maybe not in 2025, but 2026.

I think if you just plug him in at DH on this roster he'd do just fine at the MLB level once he gets settled in. He is yet another player with a quality OBP tool that can wreak havoc on the bases. Chourio was terrible over his 1st 175 plate appearances last season, too. My concern with a player like Black is because he isn't considered a plus defender at any specific position, he's not going to get enough of an opportunity for consistent at bats with the Brewers based on how they view the DH position. I'd be find if they don't trade Hoskins and instead make him their primary DH and prioritize a 1B upgrade, too.

This level of analysis isn't really worth much of a deep dive - simply because playoff baseball is different than weighing marginal increases in team stats that lead to an improved record over 162 regular season games. Having a bunch of bats in the lineup capable of scoring a run with 1 swing of the bat in October is invaluable in playoff baseball - but I also think a high-OBP lineup with speed can create alot of chaos in pressure-packed situations, too. If the Brewers are looking to trade Hoskins, I think they really need to add another bat with pop over at 1st...this might be where adding Goldschmidt makes sense. I think a healthy Mitchell paired with Yelich and Chourio in the OF are capable of providing plenty of power across those 3 positions in the lineup, and Contreras is an elite catcher offensively. Without a SS capable of hitting mid-20's HRs over a season's worth of at bats, the Brewers do need to put those type of bats at 1B and 3B...I'm hopeful Wilken takes a huge leap forward next season and we start looking at him at 3rd or 1st in the very near future - he's the type of hitter the Brewers need at those positions longterm.

Losing Montgomery really hurts their offense - it means Gibbs shoulders alot more of the load than he probably is capable of down the stretch and risks him getting injured, too. And their defense is really thinning out...

There's not a team in the playoff field they can't beat regardless of where the game is played....but the NFC playoff field is a total crap shoot. Having to win 3x, mostly on the road, is a tough slog - but I would be hesitant to bet against them any given playoff round assuming their offense is healthy and their defense is continuing to gell. Also - pretty obvious assessment from last night's game that Cooper is going to be a stud, and it frees up Walker to utilize his freakish athleticism as a WILL

Wily had a really solid 2024 season - that being said, his July-August really bolstered his counting stats, and there were still extended stretches where he was a negative offensively, particularly from late May into early July. His M.O. has always been that he can get hot 3-4 times a season and carry a team for a few weeks, and then just as quickly go in the freezer and be a rally killer in the middle of the order. And losing the ~175 Ks a season Adames provides isn't necessarily going to make the Brewers collectively strike out a ton less, but it probably can't hurt either.

The Lions are the best team in the NFC right now...but honestly I think the NFC could see any one of 5 teams wind up in the Super Bowl and it wouldn't be a dramatic surprise (Det, Philly, GB, Vikes, Bucs). The top 3 NFC North teams have a total of 3 out-of-division losses between them 13 games in, and those close losses were to the Eagles in Brazil Week 1, @ Rams, and Bucs in Week 2. There is still a full month of the regular season for a few key injuries to happen on contending team rosters that could completely flip the playoff picture, too. If Love gets hot with a healthy receiving corps and Jacobs stays healthy, the Packers are as good as anyone else in the NFL and it doesn't matter where the game is played - even with an at-times shaky defense that struggles to generate a pass rush. That being said, the youth on the Packers roster and an ill-timed Love INT make them beatable for any potential playoff opponent.

The problem is the bucket of shared revenue is too damn small for small market teams for it to matter - it makes zero sense for small to mid market teams to offer middling free agents upwards of $10M per season when they can get the same onfield production at pre-arbitration prices...and more MLB teams are doing this more consistently because fewer of them can even go after the top tier free agents. Knowing the Brewers getting that shared revenue is what helps keep the team in Milwaukee and maybe marginally profitable (debatable) doesn't mean they get to start with a $110M check from MLB they can burn entirely on player payroll should be an indication the league's financial model is broken.

If Adames' 2024 season resembled his 2023 season, the Brewers wouldn't have even offered the QO to him. Wishing him luck after cashing in following a really good free agent contract year of production for the Brewers, a roster that currently has 2 better defensive shortstops than Wily making pre arbitration salaries. The Brewers got Wily's prime and are set up to move forward at the SS position very well while Adames cashes checks in SF at a much higher tax rate while his onfield production declines.

I'd say it's more like 7/8 at this point,,,and it is most definitely not sustainable as things are currently constructed financially across MLB.

This defense is pretty good against the run compared to some of the prior Packer D's that we'd all see get steamrolled by teams who were willing to keep running the ball

It's fun and exciting for a coach to constantly go for it in curious situations...then when it backfires in a pressure situation it's how you lose a huge 2nd half lead in a conference championship game, too. I still don't trust Goff in a big moment against a defense with a pass rush - so much of Detroit's offense is based on the quick hitter/screen game that their athletic Oline gets RBs and receivers out in space - if a defense can hold that in check and make Goff consistently throw to receivers downfield, he's going to make some decisions with the football that give a secondary interception opportunities. I don't really care what analytics say - with a 3 point lead in the 2nd half of a home game (in a building you've been dominating most opponents in), you punt the ball from your own 29 on 4th and short and make your opponent that had been struggling to sustain extended possessions drive the length of the field to tie or regain the lead instead of allowing the chance of a failed conversion totally flip the flow of the game. Also - that Lions defense is going to cost them in the playoffs, whether they play home or away...Packers struggled in the 1st half against constant blitzing, but they eventually figured out what they were doing and started carving them up. A balanced team like Philly with weapons outside and Barkley/Hurts dictating what the Lions could or couldn't do at the line of scrimmage is going to gash them. All that said, the Packers played the Lions tight, and made enough unnecessary mistakes to leave me optimistic about their playoff chances against anyone based on the talent on their roster. A healthy Dobbs last night would have made a difference - so would have a healthier secondary (not just Jaire, but Bullard and Williams both going down in the game left the middle of the field wide open for easy completions).

Or the qb falling over at the snap and not being able to make the handoff

If they actually snap this ball, this is why Detroit won't win a Super Bowl I don't care that they converted, I'm convinced Campbell will prevent the Lions from a title by being too aggressive

When your receiver can get away with pushing off at the top of his route to get open, why not?

Refs have added 30 minutes to this game because they have a cup of coffee at every flag and play stoppage

Packers just bullied them down the field

Officials take 10 minutes to sort out and obvious PI...wake up zebras!