HarveysWBs

Jacobs just went beast mode

We are just so thin on o-line. It’s sabotage at LG every time.

Well, this has been some sophomore slump for #10. Not unprecedented, but he has to be better going forward.

Jayden Reed sighting!

Of course, special teams. Of course…

Tom is really pooping the bed today. That isn’t going to work.

That’s about as bad an opening sequence as possible. Eagles get the ball to start both halves and they’re set up to just run the ball all day with a lead. Time to emotionally write this one off and just watch for individual growth from guys like Cooper and Williams.

Well that was stupid. Love to get an explanation on that review decision.

My negative side of my brain wanted to say the Packers here, but that’s not fair at all. The Packers and Chargers aren’t even in the same zip code. I thought maybe they’d be different under Harbaugh, and they are, just a different kind of underachieving.

In case you want to feel good about something: if both teams play to type, this one should be a close, low-scoring game. Why do I say that? Not only do both defenses tend not to give up a ton of yards or points, but both offenses tend towards the opposing defense’s strength (or away from its weakness, in GB’s case). To wit: the Eagles are stingy against the run and play a lot of man defense. The Packers haven’t beaten man consistently all year, and prefer to go through Jacobs as options A and B. Meanwhile, the Packers are pretty decent against the run and should have nearly everyone ready to go on defense, while they can’t cover the middle of the field for beans. But Philly throws the ball less often than anyone, and almost never over the middle of the field. Add all that up and there’s two takeaways: first, don’t bet the over; second, don’t expect the Eagles to run away with this thing unless some weird stuff happens. The big question: can the Packers finally finish against a great team?

Idk, beating four top-5 teams in a single season is cool, but the dude still can’t beat Michigan. He probably needs a national title to keep his job. If there was an option for half-sarc, I’d use it there…

Eh, I don’t know about this. You could make the argument they’re the best (Barkley is great, Hurts has had a very good year with many weapons, Fangio has been around forever for a reason, stingy defense, etc) but it would be debatable, for sure. To wit: - Their strength of schedule is very suspect (among the NFC playoff field, only Washington had an easier path to the playoffs this year). Their division was pretty trashy this year, offering no real resistance. Their marquee wins are a beat down of the Buccs in week 4 before they got going, a one-score win over Baltimore, and solid wins over LA and Pittsburgh when both of those opponents were really scuffling and losing to lesser teams. - By comparison, we complain about Green Bay’s inability to beat good teams, but Philly’s strength of victory was barely better (.424 vs .412), and way behind conference standouts like Detroit (.494 strength of victory). - Their point differential is 62 points behind Detroit’s, and Detroit has had harder competition down the stretch than Philly has sniffed in over a month. And I know you said on paper, but adding the intangibles: - Hurts will play, but hasn’t seen the field in nearly a month. That’s an issue for a guy that always had kind of a suspect arm anyway. He’ll be a bit vulnerable, especially in the wildcard. - Sirianni is feeling the pressure. He knows where he is and what the stakes are. Nobody in Green Bay is going down if they lose this game. But this Philly team flaming out in the wildcard round would lead to big changes, and that matters. Philly is going to be a little tight, especially early in the playoffs before they get on a little run. Add that all up, and if I were to bet my own money on who wins the conference, give me Detroit, hands down.

I see this particular criticism sometimes made of LaFleur and I just don’t buy it. I think he is both conscientious and highly image-conscious, and will almost never drag somebody publicly who is under his authority. But this fact often gets conflated with some kind of intensity deficiency or effeminacy or whatever (insert joke about his eyebrows), and that’s crazy to me. We are talking about a guy who has risen to a notch below the highest echelons of his industry, working in a field where serious posterior chewing is practically a daily necessity. Watch the way he works refs, or screams into the headset on the sidelines. Who do you think he’s talking to? I would be absolutely shocked if he did not ream players or have uncomfortable conversations with coaches on a regular basis. What you see in media cutups and press conferences is not what people are like behind closed doors. His decision-making has been an issue, and that sometimes has included a slower than needed coaching change from time to time. But let’s be real: LaFleur isn’t happy with subpar results, and there is zero evidence to the contrary.

Enjoy that 14-win wild card, Vikings fans. At least their magical season coincided with Detroit’s and so no more than one of them can emerge. Got to imagine there’s only regression coming for both, or at least one would hope. Their staffs are about to be absolutely raided. And going to LA is not exactly a gimme either. The Rams already beat the Vikes this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they give them all they can handle in that one.

Yeah, I mostly skipped the IGT today, and figured with this post, I wanted to get it away from the hot takes zone. I want to really know, in the cold light of reason, just how bad we think LaFleur has gotten, so I’m kinda hoping this gets taken up in a day or two here.

So I’m trying to temper this comment in light of a particularly rough two weeks for the team, and I want people to tell me if they think I’m being hyperbolic with anything I say below. But…LaFleur is kind of a problem. He’s not a bad coach. He’s done some really impressive things, and I don’t see 99% of his daily work—all true and I’m not going to dispute any of that. But we have some patterns, mostly with in-game decision making, that are pretty undeniable and can be traced directly to him. In no particular order: - His clock management is routinely subpar to atrocious, and it has reached the point that it is now a factor in losing at least one meaningful game. - His challenge record this year, while a bit flukey around the margins, is still worse than it should be and he only got his first successful challenge today because the instant review inexplicably blew it about as badly as soccer VAR. - His go/don’t go 4th down decisions show no recognizable strategy beyond a momentary gut call that would really benefit from some more forethought. Big goal line and 4th down situations have featured play calls that weren’t just ineffective, but were horrifically doomed, and have none of the imagination that one would expect from a mind of his reputation. - While the running game has been great, he has been unable to effectively marry it to the passing attack that was working so well last year. Even though Love and the receivers bear equal responsibility, LaFleur is the guy who was brought here mainly because of his track record as an offensive (and especially a qb) guru. The results have been poor enough, especially recently and in big games, that it makes it all the harder to accept his other mistakes. His side of the ball has routinely let down the team in several games this year, today being the most recent and poignant example. I don’t want him fired, even if they lose next week—which I fully expect, by the way. LaFleur could clean everything I just said up and the Packers would still be deserving road dogs. The injuries are brutal, and Philly is tough. But if they go under .500 in the division again, and Love is only a 55-60% passer, and there’s not at least an NFC championship game appearance sometime in the next 13 months while a new president looks at this brain trust he’s inherited, is it wrong for me to think he maybe doesn’t make it to 2026, especially if the above are still problems?

Clearing out the mental notebook on other team goings on: re the Alexander injury: that really stings. Luckily, the defense has had ample experience in the second half figuring out how to play fairly effectively without him. Unluckily, this has also shown that they can't really afford any other injuries. Williams going out forces an already injury-limited and inexperienced Bullard into the safety role and out of the slot (or a big question mark in Anderson into safety), which takes Nixon into slot and out of the boundary where he has been a bit of a revelation this year, and forces the really iffy Stokes and Valentine into more playing time. If Williams is back for Philly, I'm not worried about this being fatal. But if anyone else goes down they are in real trouble on the back end. Minnesota exposed them (I don't believe they had allowed a pass play for more than 30 yards until last week, and Minny got several of them), and they'll get more of the same from the gauntlet they are about to face. re playoff seeding and matchups: I'll probably get flamed for this, but I kind of want Philly. The way I see it, we're likely going to have to see at least two (and probably all three) of Detroit, Minnesota, or Philly on the road to get out of the NFC. If playing in Philly is a near certainty then, wouldn't now be the best possible time to do it? Philly has nothing to play for this week, so they're probably resting Hurts, who will then have some rust to shake off. As @OldSchoolSnapper has pointed out, Philly also has their weird internal stuff going on, and this with a team that was probably a straw or two away from canning Sirianni in the offseason. I'd rather have the chance to punch them in the mouth now and see if they crumble, as opposed to have to play them after they get an easier win to build momentum and confidence.

The checklist for the Packers this week would seem to look like this: Win. Losing two straight going into the postseason kind of sucks the wind out of your sails psychologically. They need to mentally reset after going 0-5 against the big dogs, and losing at home to these Bears would not do them any favors in that regard. Do whatever is necessary to ensure Watson's further health since he is the only vertical element the Packers have (they should really do more up the seam with Musgrave and Kraft, but whatever, I'm not holding my breath for that ship to come in). Not that Love had an abundance of time to throw anyway, but this passing game with no vertical element is pretty much a dead letter. Limit Jacobs' reps. Maybe they don't need to sit him entirely, but I'm not sure I'd give him more than a couple series if I could help it. This week seems like a good time to give him some rare rest. Let the passing game rip. Love and the receivers need to get something working on a game field with live bullets. You might as well do it in a game where the only stakes are psychological, and aren't going to send you home. They need to find something in the passing game because they are going to need it at some point, as last week ably demonstrated.

I felt this way until the first three quarters today. They have now firmly established the pattern that they get boat raced for a half plus against great teams, and that doesn’t play.

Well, now I don’t need to have any expectations in the playoffs, so that’s nice.

Onside kick is just so hard, I get it. Kick away is the play, but I also have little confidence in the defense to get a stop here. Another game where the team can think, “aw shucks, if only” when they were total trash for way too long.

Great fight, at least

Line judge needs a new job

We’re lightyears away from the, what a job he’s done with Willis storyline. He needs to get Love right, and fast.

The offense just sucked. Can’t have that. I can live with the defense being mid, weird stuff happening on special teams I’m conditioned for. Crap offense can’t happen. Love got the bag, LaFleur is hired for being an offensive guy, you can’t be this putrid. Unacceptable.