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Confessions of a Polluted Mindset - If it Makes You Happy...
When the Packers win, are you happy? To quote Shery Crow... "If it makes you happy It can't be that bad If it makes you happy Then why the hell are you so sad?" I am happy the Packers won a game. I can be as critical as the next person, but am I going to go off the deep end because the Packers didn't win by as much as "they were supposed to?" Well, sometimes, but this is not one of those times. The Packers are one of four teams in the league with only one loss. Have you been watching what's going on in the NFL this season? We saw the Giants embarrass the Eagles in Philly, the Patriots beat the Bills in Buffalo, and numerous more upsets like those. Did the Packers avoid getting upset at home on Sunday? Yes they did. So I'm not going to jump up and down and carry on about "what's wrong" with this team, especially only five games into the season.  Every team is dealing with their own imperfections and issues. In the end, parity is what the NFL lives for and they have it big time.  So everybody take a breath, and let's talk about a few things on my mind. WR1 - While the controversy seems to have died down a bit, that doesn't mean it's still not lurking. While Matt LaFleur doesn't even want to talk about it and rejects the idea of a #1 receiver, I think the concept still lives in Jordan Love's head. Romeo Doubs is his #1. As I pointed out in my "three things..." post yesterday, Love looks for Doubs above everyone else. No offense to Doubs, who is a fine receiver, but he's not Jamarr Chase. If the Packers had no one more talented than Doubs in the WR room, then this would be just fine. But they have Matthew Golden, and will soon have Chrisitan Watson back. Golden, despite being a wet behind the ears rookie, has shown the most secure hands on the team, consistently gets open and now has shown the smarts to adjust his when the quarterback is scrambling out of the pocket. Love is playing at a very high level this season, but the next step will be to not zero in on Doubs. If he has to zero in on anyone, do it with the more dangerous receiver - Golden. Morgan vs. Rhyan - Jordan Morgan looked very comfortable at right guard, which shouldn't be a surprise as it's one of the two positions he has had the most reps at. Morgan started the game and was replaced by Rhyan on the Packers second offensive drive. Rhyan logged 11 snaps during that drive but then was relegated to strictly special teams duty from that point on. In fairness to Rhyan, I didn't see him do anything poorly in that drive. So why sit him down? It's obvious the Packers want to get Morgan into the lineup and bank those reps for the future. Rhyan, like Jon Runyan before him, will likely be allowed to walk after this last year on his contract is up. If you recall, Rhyan was two snaps short last year of earning an extra 2M dollars for 2025. Life in the NFL can be cruel if you're not near the top of the pyramid. Zach Tom - He got off to a slow start in the game and was kind of getting pushed around at first, but he righted the ship and looked better as the game progressed (perhaps the pain killers kicked in). I heard Rob Demovsky on ESPN Milwaukee state that Tom was in considerable pain after the game and was struggling to just get dressed. Tom said he felt good enough to play before the game, although far from 100%. When Demovsky asked him if maybe he shouldn't have played, Tom wouldn't answer that. Sooooooo, don't assume that the offensive line musical chairs is finally over. The Packers likely still have a problem there and we could see Morgan and Rhyan playing next to each other next week. Pass rush woes - The success of the defense early this season was predicated on the pass rushers getting to the quarterback, allowing the defensive backs to be aggressive in coverage. The Cowboys showed the NFL how to combat that - get the ball out way before the rushers can get home. After a slow start, the Bengals switched to that approach and a veteran quarterback like Flacco was more than adept at executing it in the absence of a real pass rush. After not getting home with four, Hafley reverted to trying some blitzes, but with the same results. Too often on tape you could see 3 or four Packers rushers bunched together in the middle, kind of getting in each other's way as penetration was not happening. That is where the Packers sorely miss Devonte Wyatt. His alibility to shoot gaps and get in the backfield opens up space for the other rushers. Without it, you just have a big logjam in the middle no one can break through. Overall, however, the biggest problem with the defense is the lack of turnovers. It's not easy to get interceptions when teams are dinking and dunking you to death, so maybe that's not surprising. But not a single fumble created? Speaking of pass rush, here is your PFF nonsensical rating of the day. Warren Brinson was given the highest pass rush score of 80.6 (ahead of Micah Parsons' 74.8), with 2 pressures in 19 pass rush snaps. Lukas Van Ness, with a sack and two QB hits in just 15 pass rush snaps, was given a 67.5. Huh? On to Arizona and Go Pack Go!   Filed Under: FeaturedJersey Al Bracco   PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ "Jersey Al" Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of various hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He's a lifetime Packers fan living in the land of the Giants (and Jets). Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP.  __________________________ NFL Categories: Cincinnati BengalsGreen Bay PackersTags: Green Bay PackersPolluted Mindset2025 Like 0 points
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Packers Look to Continue Winning Ways in Arizona
Entering their Week 7 matchup, the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals are in almost identical positions as they were in their 2024 Week 6 meeting. In 2024, the Packers put together one of their most impressive performances of the season, a 34-13 win, which included Jordan Love’s second-career four-touchdown game. Heading into the 2024 contest, the Cardinals were 2-3 and the Packers were 3-2. Going into this year’s game, the Cardinals are 2-4, losers of four straight, and the Packers are 3-1-1. How both teams have done in 2025 has summed up what most of the NFL has experienced this season. The Cardinals enter the game losers of four straight, but the total of the four losses is just eight points. Their losses are by 1 (San Francisco), 3 (Seattle), 1 (Tennessee) and 4 points (Indianapolis). Meanwhile, the Packers are a few special teams mistakes from likely being 5-0 and the lone undefeated team left in the NFL. Instead they have their first tie since 2018 and are currently the NFC’s No. 2 seed, behind the 5-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A year ago, the Packers entered their game with Arizona fresh off an important road win against the Los Angeles Rams. In the 34-13 win a year ago, Jordan Love had one of his best career games. He had four touchdowns in two straight home games (including the Minnesota game from Week 4 of last season. He connected with Romeo Doubs for two touchdowns (in his first game back from a one-game suspension).   JORDAN LOVE 44 YARDS TO CHRISTIAN WATSON AND THE PACKERS ARE PULLING AWAY pic.twitter.com/b21Q4AMQLR — IKE Packers Podcast (@IKE_Packers) October 13, 2024   Love and Christian Watson also connected on a beautiful play-action, long touchdown pass, which would be the last touchdown catch of Watson’s career. A return of No. 9 this weekend would be a welcome sight, as his speed along with the speed of rookie Matthew Golden would be very tough for defenses to handle.   The recent series between the Packers and Cardinals has featured several games (both regular season and postseason) that have gone down to the final minute. The Cardinals have four wins in the rivalry since 2003 that were games decided either at the end of regulation or in overtime. Packers vs Cardinals since 2000 Year Location Result Memorable Moment 2000 at Arizona GB win 29-3 Longwell 5 FGs 2003 at Arizona Arz win 20-13 Favre last-second interception 2006 at Green Bay GB win 31-14 Favre first Lambeau Leap 2009 at Arizona GB win 33-7 Woodson's 3rd pick 6 of season 2009 at Arizona* Arz win 51-45(ot) Highest scoring playoff game 2012 at Green Bay GB win 31-17 Crabtree career-long TD catch 2015 at Arizona Arz win 37-8 Cardinals dominate playoff preview 2015 at Arizona* Arz win 26-20(ot) Rodgers to Janis sends game to OT 2018 at Green Bay Arz win 20-17 McCarthy fired after walk-off loss 2021 at Arizona GB win 24-21 Douglas INT saves the day 2024 at Green Bay GB win 34-13 Love 4 TD passes; 2 to Doubs * Playoff Game   The last time Green Bay traveled to Arizona, the Packers got their own final second win as a Rasul Douglas interception sealed a 24-21 win in October of 2021. It was a game that, at the time, matched up the NFC’s top two teams.   Sunday was the 2 year anniversary of Rasul Douglas’ game-sealing interception against the undefeated Cardinals. One of the coolest games I can remember. The #Packers were undermanned & Rasul ends it against the team that gave up on him. pic.twitter.com/RJnhzDgYGW — Kyle Malzhan (@KyleMalzhan) October 31, 2023   If the Packers are to get their second straight win in Glendale, it’s likely they will have to lean on the things that they have been successful with this season: Jordan Love airing it out on 3rd down, relying on Josh Jacobs on goal-to-go situations and the defense keeping the Cardinals from any big plays. Despite it’s so-so performance against the Cincinnati Bengals (no takeaways, 1 sack), the defense did not allow a play of over 20 yards the entire game, forcing Joe Flacco, Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins to “dink and dunk” their way down the field. Will Kyler Murray (or Jacoby Brissett) have that same patience in Sunday’s game? Filed Under: FeaturedMitchell McLaughlin PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ Mitch McLaughlin is a Packers fan and shareholder residing in Sacramento, California. He will be writing Packers stories each week on Cheesehead TV. He can be found on Twitter: @McLaughlinMitch __________________________   NFL Categories: Arizona CardinalsGreen Bay Packers Like 0 points
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Packers Vs. Bengals - 3 Plays That Make You Go Hmmm
After re-watching the Packers game, here are three plays that made me go hmmm, for various reasons. In general, I either focus on a theme, more nuanced observations, or just things I didn't notice watching live. These can be but are less likely to be "highlight" plays. I present these to you with a short explanation why I picked them and then let you readers discuss the plays.   Field Goal Protection - Ah, thank God everything is fixed up on the field goal protection unit, right? Ummmm, not so fast.  This was the first kick attempt by emergency fill-in Lucas Havrisick. Watch the left side of the line closely. Hard to believe, but the outside player (in this case Karl Brooks) once again chooses to worry about the outside rusher instead of helping with the overload on Rasheed Walker. Walker gets blown up and could have used some help, but there was none as Brooks moves away to put hands on the player that will most likely NEVER get in fast enough to block a kick. Are they not drilling this into their players' heads???  For his part, Walker's pad level is terrible compared to the rest of the players blocking, who are crouched down low at the snap. No surprise he can't hold up against two rushers in that position. In fairness, the protection looked better the rest of the game, BUT, the Bengals chose to overload the other side on those plays and the right side of the Packers line did a better job of protection. Overall, there's still reason for concern, here.   Golden Opportunity - The call has been coming from all directions (including mine) to feature Matthew Golden more. That means more plays where Love looks for him as the primary target. On this play, despite having all day in the pocket, Love never even looks Golden's way. Instead he (in my terms) forces the ball to Doubs who he is solely focused on. Doubs is covered tightly. Luckily for Love, the high pass pulled Doubs back and out of bounds, which may have prevented the chance of the DB cutting in front and intercepting the ball. Golden is wide open for what would have been at least a 20 yard gain. If Golden is one on one with the safety protecting against a deep pass, this route is like taking candy from a baby, especially if the play action holds the linebackers from dropping, which was the case here. You have a weapon with Golden, use it!   Parsons Headlock - I've seen worse, but I'm bringing this to your attention because I've noticed this technique being used on Parsons over the course of the Packers' first five games. Is this not holding? Like I said, I've seen even more egregious examples, but in my opinion, reaching out and grabbing a player's head and holding on is basically a headlock and should be worthy of a flag. The official is right there looking at it, so, I don't know, maybe I'm wrong? What do you think? Filed Under: FeaturedJersey Al Bracco   PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ "Jersey Al" Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of various hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He's a lifetime Packers fan living in the land of the Giants (and Jets). Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP.  __________________________ NFL Categories: Cincinnati BengalsGreen Bay PackersTags: packersbengalsplaysvideo3 playsfilmCoaches Film Like 0 points
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Around the NFC North: Week 6
Barry Alvarez said that Badgers fans are spoiled, which is nonsense, but maybe Packers fans are a little spoiled. We had an almost double digit win against an opponent with two of the ten best wide receivers in the league, we didn't have to watch the Vikings and the Lions lost by 13. Five years ago or ten years ago that would be a weekly occurrence. Now? This will probably be the only time all season that we gain 22 points in point differential against the Lions.  Lions The Lions lost to the Chiefs, 30-17.  Game Notes * Goff had his typical pretty efficient game. Almost 80% completion percentage. Two TDs and no picks. Seven yards per attempt. Just didn't do enough. It was a rare down game from the Sun God (45 yards) but Jameson WIlliams and Sam LaPorta both had tuds. His average depth of target was just four yards downfield. You can have a fake good YPA when you complete 4/5 checkdowns to the Avengers and they get yards after catch. For comparison, Jordan Love's average depth of target against the Bengals was over nine yards.  * He wasn't helped by the run game. David Montgomery had just four carries and Jahmyr Gibbs averaged fewer than four yards per carry. When you're playing from behind for most of the game and the run game isn't cutting it, you gotta push the ball down the field! They have $30mm per year and $27mm per year receivers to go with their $53mm QB and they averaged four yard passes all night. Of course, the Lions are still a leading team in the NFC and will, I'm sure, put 50 again soon. Gotta get the criticism in while we can.  * Anyway, you'll never guess what the dirty duo (Lions' safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph) were up to after the game. Branch, arguably the team's best defensive player, punched Juju Smith-Schuster in the helmet after the game for what seemed like no reason at all and has since been suspended one game. He is apparently appealing the suspension. Unclear what possible argument he could have. Kerby Joseph retweeted an alarming 12 posts about the officiating being bad. No word on when he'll be retweeting anything about his 32.6 PFF grade for the game.   * One play that was officiated interestingly was when Jared Goff went in motion from an under-center position and caught a screen pass from the running back and scored. Turns out a QB going in motion form under center has to reestablish before the snap. Who knew? (All the NFL teams, because the NFL sent a video last week explaining the rule.)   Brian Branch ignored Patrick Mahomes’ dap at the end of the game, and JuJu Smith-Schuster didn’t like it — Branch hit him, and it started a brawl. pic.twitter.com/0zlJTCY0It — Preme Football (@premefootball) October 13, 2025 Bears The Bears squeaked by the Commanders, 25-24. Game Notes * The Commanders aren't really the semi-juggernaut they were lat last season when they beat the Lions in the playoffs, but they're still a good team and, sadly, the Bears pulled this one off.  * D'Andre Swift was the MVP for the Bears in the game, he averaged7.7 YPC on the way to 108 rush yards and, thanks to a long catch of 55 yards, also had 67 receiving yards. In fact, Swift had almost half of the Bears' 381 yards.  * Caleb Williams looked fine, with a QB rating just under 100 and Rome Odunze almost had a good game with a TD called back.  * The defense was also fine, maybe that's the best word for this game. They gave up 8.1 YPA and three tuds to Jayden Daniels, but also intercepted him once and held all his receivers under 50 yards.  Filed Under: Packers NewsNFL DraftFeaturedGreen Bay PackersMike PriceAround the NFC North   PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ Mike Price is a lifelong Packers fan who recently moved from Utah to Stoughton (a Madison suberb). You can follow him on twitter at @themikeprice. __________________________ NFL Categories: Chicago BearsDetroit LionsGreen Bay PackersMinnesota VikingsNFC NorthTags: packersBearsVikingsLions Like 0 points
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Cory's Corner: Lucas Havrisik Is A Great Sub
GREEN BAY — Your stomach is doing butterflies the moment you touch the doorknob. You walk into the room and see unfamiliar faces. They stare at you and wonder who the heck you are. Just empty stares and you begin to wonder if there’s something in your teeth or if you spilled your strawberry jam on your pants.  Even if you navigate the room’s technology without a problem, you still have the unenviable task of getting through a class roster without mispronouncing anyone’s name.  This is the life of a substitute teacher and as a sub myself, the best way to describe it is controlled chaos. Things usually go wrong or there is a student that will always say, “That’s not how our teacher does it.” No matter what I want to say, my standard retort is always a smile and a “Thank-you.” Just forging ahead by being patient and staying flexible.  “I’ve done substitute teaching in the past and coaching,” said 26-year-old Lucas Havrisik, who filled in admirably for Brandon McManus on Sunday. “I moved to Cleveland recently, and I was like, I’ve got to get outside, do something. I can’t sit down all day. Very happy to be here and play some football.” Havrisik looked like an everyday kicker on Sunday by hitting a 46-yard field goal in the first quarter and he followed that up with a 39-yard field goal with 1:52 left to ice the game to put the Packers ahead by nine. Green Bay beat the Bengals 27-18 in front of plenty of orange at Lambeau Field on Sunday.  “I just treated it as a normal game day,” said Havrisik, who was 34-for-53 on field goal attempts while kicking at the University of Arizona from 2017-2021. “It was a long day in the hotel waiting. It was weird, but I’m glad it all worked out. Very happy to be here and play some football.” After the game, Packers coach Matt LaFleur gave the mellow kicker a game ball — and most people didn’t even know his name. And you can’t blame them, he tried out for the Packers on Friday, signed on Saturday and had to sit on his hands if he was going to actually play due to McManus’ quad. He didn’t know he was going to suit up for Green Bay until about 2:00 p.m. The Packers kicked off at 3:25 p.m. Anxiety flows through the veins of a substitute teacher like haphazard tubes going down the Ariens Sledding Hill. He’s used to it. He understands what it’s like to wait until minutes before the first bell before accepting a subbing job.  And Havrisik handled it all very well. In addition to going 2-for-2 on field goals, he was 3-for-3 on extra points and he did a solid job on kickoffs as well. He did so well that I wouldn’t be surprised if another NFL team calls about a subbing opportunity. He proved with the game hanging in the balance that he can get the job done — which is the true hallmark of a very good kicker.  Let’s just hope nobody in the locker room says, “The other kicker does it this way.”   Filed Under: Packers NewsFeaturedGreen Bay PackersCory JennerjohnCory's Corner   PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn __________________________ NFL Categories: Cincinnati BengalsGreen Bay PackersTags: Green Bay PackersLucas Havrisiksubstitute teacher Like 0 points
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Monday Musings: The Packers Really Miss Devonte Wyatt
When Brian Gutekunst decided to trade away Kenny Clark and two first-round picks for Micah Parsons, he wasn’t just betting on Parsons being a game-changer. He was also betting on Devonte Wyatt to take a huge step forward. Clark’s departure made Wyatt the eldest and longest-tenured defensive tackle on the roster. Kenny Clark left some huge shoes to fill. Fortunately for Gutekunst, Wyatt has been up for the challenge. Prior to the 2025 season, Devonte Wyatt was a rotational role player. His forte was rushing the passer. He had never played more than 50% of the defensive snaps until this season. But the Packers saw enough in those limited snaps. "He's a physical, explosive guy. When he was healthy last year, this is what we saw,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said earlier this season. “He's playing more snaps. We've just got to keep him going." Wyatt was off to a great start this season. He was improved against the run and disruptive when rushing the passer. Unfortunately, a knee injury has kept Wyatt off the field recently, and his absence is very noticeable. Green Bay’s run defense without Wyatt has been somewhat inconsistent and occasionally problematic. Their pass rush isn’t as disruptive or balanced. The fourth-year defensive tackle has become one of the most important players on Green Bay’s defense, and they need him back as soon as possible. Not great for the Packers. Micah Parsons singled out Devonte Wyatt’s injury on Sunday when asked why the defense dropped off. Called Wyatt a dominant player. “He’s underlooked in his value on this team.” https://t.co/2bDOhDeHfc — Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 30, 2025 The Run Defense Has Taken a Hit With a healthy Devonte Wyatt, the Packers’ run defense was really strong. To kick off the season, the Packers held the Lions to 22 rush attempts for 46 yards (2.1 yards per carry). Detroit’s longest rush of the day was a 14-yard rush by Jahmyr Gibbs. That one rush accounted for 14 of Gibbs’ 19 total rushing yards. If you exclude that one rush, the Lions only rushed 21 times for 32 yards (1.5 yards per carry). Week 2 against Washington was just as successful. The Commanders rushed 19 times for 51 yards (2.7 yards per carry). Their longest rush of the day was only eight yards. It would be hard to ask for a better start than that. Week 3 was when the rush defense began to falter a bit. The Browns rushed 19 times for 96 yards (5.1 yards per carry). Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins had a nice day on the ground, but he really only had two significant rushes: one for 38 yards and another for 14 yards. That’s a combined 52 yards on just two carries, both of which came in the fourth quarter, when the defense was physically run down. Aside from those two plays, the Packers held the Browns to 17 rushes for 44 yards (2.6 yards per carry). Another notable aspect about this performance - Devonte Wyatt hurt his knee during the second half. He only ended up playing 38 snaps - quite a few than what he had played in Weeks 1 and 2. The Cowboys also found success on the ground against the Packers. They rushed 26 times for 117 yards (4.5 yards per carry). It was not a good day for the Packers’ run defense. They gave up multiple rushes of ten yards or more to a mediocre running back who was running behind a banged-up offensive line. Notably, Devonte Wyatt departed the game with that same knee injury he suffered in Week 3 and only played 13 total snaps. His main replacement, Nazir Stackhouse, was forced into playing 27 snaps and performed poorly. PFF gave him a run defense grade of 28.9. It’s safe to say they missed Wyatt in Dallas. Devonte Wyatt’s knee injury forced him to miss Green Bay’s Week 6 matchup with Cincinnati. Heading into Sunday’s game, Cincinnati was the worst rushing offense in the entire league. They had only rushed 92 times for 285 yards (3.1 yards per carry). Against Green Bay, the Bengals rushed 16 times for 55 yards (3.4 yards per carry). At first glance, that seems like a good day for the Packers' front seven, but those numbers are a bit misleading. The Bengals started running more efficiently in the second half. Chase Brown, Cincinnati's top rushing option, gained 42 of the team's rushing yards on just nine carries (4.7 yards per carry), which is the most efficient day he's had all season. Devonte Wyatt might not be the greatest run-stopping defensive tackle in the world, but he’s by far the best one on the team, and he plays a key role in the Packers’ team run defense. This Packers’ team misses his presence up front in more ways than one, but especially against the run. His replacements have been okay, but they aren’t ready to carry the load on their own. Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks are better pass rushers than run defenders, and the rookies have a lot to learn before they will be able to consistently hold up against quality offensive linemen. FYI, I hope Packers Nation realizes just how important Devonte Wyatt is to the Packers defense!?! It’s a team sport, but you need great players on your team! — Tazim Wajid Wajed (@NFLHitman33) September 30, 2025 The Impact on the Pass Rush Is Noticeable Rushing the passer has always been Devonte Wyatt’s strong suit. Even when he wasn’t playing substantial snaps as a younger player, he still showed signs of being an impactful pass rusher. As a team, the Packers’ pass rush this season is the best it’s been in years. The addition of Micah Parsons, combined with the improvement of the younger players, has allowed the Packers to pressure the quarterback more consistently. Unfortunately, the pass rush is noticeably worse without Wyatt on the field. Similar to the run defense, a healthy Devonte Wyatt makes a huge difference. Against Detroit, the Packers’ pass rush was able to generate 19 total pressures and sack Jared Goff four times. Wyatt accounted for four pressures, a sack, and a quarterback hit. His four pressures were the second most on the team. Wyatt was even more productive against Washington, where he had seven pressures, a sack, and a quarterback hit. His seven pressures were the second most of anyone on the team again. As a team, Green Bay’s pass rush combined for 33 total pressures on Jayden Daniels and sacked him six times. There was a clear difference with the Packers’ pass rush in Week 3 against the Browns, just like there was with the run defense. As a unit, the Packers generated 24 pressures on Joe Flacco, but only recorded two sacks. Wyatt only accounted for two of the pressures, but also played fewer snaps than in the previous two weeks. The game script also allowed for fewer pass-rushing opportunities. Green Bay’s other defensive tackles only combined for three total pressures. Green Bay’s pass rush against Dallas was basically just Micah Parsons. As a team, the Packers generated 19 pressures - ten of them coming from Parsons. Wyatt only played seven pass-rush snaps before leaving the game with that knee injury, so he wasn't able to make much of a mark on the game. Without Wyatt, no one was able to generate consistent pressure, except for Parsons, and that was against a beat-up offensive line. The Packer could have really used Wyatt in pass-rushing situations to try and force Dak Prescott off of his spot and disrupt the timing on some of his throws. Cincinnati is not a good pass-blocking team. They had given up 15 sacks prior to Sunday’s contest. Before getting hurt, Burrow was getting sacked on almost 12% of his snaps. Their other quarterbacks have two of the longest time-to-throw rates in the league (Jake Browning at 2.77 and Joe Flacco at 2.85). It was a tale of two halves for the Packers without Wyatt. The first half was decent for the Packers' pass rush. They generated 11 pressures, albeit most of them coming from the edge rushers. The second half was an entirely different story. Green Bay's pass rush really struggled to get home. Warren Brinson was thrust into playing 19 snaps after not playing any in the previous four games. The interior defensive line was unable to generate any pressure throughout the entire second half. On the day, the Packers were only able to sack Joe Flacco once, and that was just an eye-popping play by Lukas Van Ness. The Bengals' offensive line is always amongst the worst in the league, yet the Packers’ defensive tackles were unable to take advantage. Through the first four games, Wyatt had recorded the second-most pressures on the team (13) and the third-most sacks (2.0). That’s despite missing time in two of the four games. He’s able to generate a strong and disruptive rush from the interior. Jeff Halfey shared, "He's been such a good pocket push guy in his pass rush. Certainly, he was missed in that game a lot.” His impact also helps the guys on the edge. Ignore Wyatt, and he will make a play himself. Focus on Wyatt, but then that takes attention away from Parsons and Rashan Gary. The Packers really need him back as they start to face better offensive lines, or the pass rush could really struggle. There was and has been a lot of talk about these picks but — the offense NEEDS Watson. The defense NEEDS Wyatt. — Ross Uglem (@RossUglem) October 12, 2025 Wyatt Has Become One of the Unsung Heroes On a defense that has Xavier McKinney, Edgerrin Cooper, Rashan Gary, and Micah Parsons, it’s really easy to take Devonte Wyatt’s contributions for granted. It’s taken four seasons for Wyatt to put it all together, but he has turned into a key piece on Green Bay’s defense. Matt LaFleur said it best, “He’s underlooked in his value on this team.” The Packers need Wyatt back as soon as possible. His knee injury was described as “week-to-week,” which makes it hard to pinpoint when he will return. He didn’t practice last week at all, so it’s probably fair to assume that he may miss more time. The Packers play the Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Carolina Panthers in the coming weeks. Obviously, the Packers want him back as soon as possible, but they really will need him back in time to face the Philadelphia Eagles on November 10th. In the meantime, someone else will need to step up, or Jeff Halfey will need to get creative. On Sunday, the Packers lined Barryn Sorrell at the three-tech spot. They played Warren Brinson more than they would've liked. Neither of those trials was super successful. Whatever they do moving forward, they need to get back to dominating the trenches, like they did in Weeks 1 and 2. Devonte Wyatt was a key piece in that. Jeff Hafley even went so far as to say that, “He’s having a great year — not a good year, a great year. I hope he’s back very shortly.” So do we, coach. Devonte Wyatt tried to intercept the spike 😅 pic.twitter.com/z5FTSk41eq — NFL (@NFL) September 12, 2025 Filed Under: Packers NewsFeaturedGreen Bay PackersCarter Semb PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ Carter Semb is a lifelong Packer fan, shareholder, and season ticket holder. He is a contributor for Cheesehead TV and Packers Talk. For commentary surrounding Wisconsin sports, he can be found on X at @cmsemb. __________________________ NFL Categories: Green Bay PackersTags: devonte wyattdefensive tacklesgreen bay packersMicah ParsonsColby WoodenKarl BrooksNazir StackhouseJeff HafleyMatt LaFleur Like 0 points
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Packers 27 Bengals 18 Game Balls & Lame Calls
While it was not the beat down, get right, "put em away early" game that many were hoping for, the Packers took care of business against the Bengals, and move to 3-1-1 on the season.  The Bengals were able to keep the game close due to an early interception from Love, and a ten minute drive to start the second half off. Take those two factors out of the equation, and this was a fairly dominant performance by the Packers against an inferior team. They were in control of this game basically from the start, and won by two scores.  But they were still a late fourth quarter third and long conversion away from handing the ball back to Cincinnati, only up six.  There's a odd schism in the identity of the 2025 Packers, and it's a major factor in the fans' frustrations with the team. This is a team that feels like it should be a veteran, world-wise unit, capable of disciplined play and able to put away any kind of opponent. We feel this way because, for the most part, the core of this team is at least in its second or third year. We know these faces, and we've seen them grow, from the scrappy 2023 version of themselves that rode house money all the way to the divisional round to now.  But the reality of the Packers is that they are not a veteran team. In fact, for the third year in a row, they are the youngest team in the entire league. By proxy, that makes them the most inexperienced team in the entire league. These ebbs and flows that we've seen from the team are a feature, not a bug. By design, there's going to be a lot of self improvement for the entire roster to make before January.  Game Balls  Matthew Golden / Tucker Kraft  Every single week, it feels like we are this close to a Matthew Golden breakout game. Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis close.  We saw a couple of signs to light the way this week. How about Golden's 86 yards on only three receptions? And boy, were those three receptions spectacular.  Catch 1:  Matthew Golden finally getting used in a game like he should be!#GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/9dm03lpj9v — SleeperPackers (@SleeperPackers) October 12, 2025 Catch 2:  Offense saw the tweets pic.twitter.com/Ag9xL64OVV — CheeseheadTV 🧀 (@cheeseheadtv) October 12, 2025 Catch 3: When the game is on the line think player not play...Jordan Love to Matthew Golden for 31 yards 😤pic.twitter.com/C2dS5hco4x — Packerfan Total Access- Clayton (@packers_access) October 12, 2025   Meanwhile, Tucker Kraft did Tucker Kraft things, including bullying his way into the endzone for a key fourth quarter score. His other reception was another explosive play, a 24 yard reception in the second quarter.  One thing this game made abundantly clear was that these two players are deserving of an increased target share.  Lucas Havrisik What an incredibly impressive showing for Havrisik, who finished the day 2/2 on field goals, 3/3 on extra points, and also handled kickoff duties for Green Bay. He earns a game ball for incredibly quick turnaround, following his workout with the team on Thursday, to gameday on Sunday.  Because he's unlikely to stick around on the roster, some quick background on Havrisik: The former Arizona Wildcat is the one time winner of the Pac 12 special teams player of the week, with a 34/53 mark on field goals and 73/78 for extra points over his collegiate career. Havrisik signed with the Colts practice squad in 2022, before spending time with the Browns, the Rams (where he saw some gametime and kicked a game winner against the Seahawks), the Browns again, and the Buffalo Bills, before ending up in the UFL at the end of last season.  It's likely that McManus will be back in time for the game in Arizona next week, but Havrisik has earned a footnote in the story of the 2025 Packers.   Josh Jacobs  While it took a few weeks into the season for Jacobs to get up to speed, the team MVP of 2024 has returned to form. Jacobs took 16 carries for 93 rushing yards, two touchdowns and an impressive 5.2 YPC. He added another 57 yards through the air for 150 total yards. Jacobs is making the most of every single touch he gets on the football field, and even more impressively, he did with the while battling the flu.  In run blocking, I thought we saw a good bounce back game from Rasheed Walker and Jordan Morgan, but it was the outside blockers that really made the day. The Packers ask a lot from their receivers, especially as blockers on those outside run concepts. I saw a lot of great things from Matthew Golden in particular, but also from the tight ends Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave.  Lame Calls The Offensive Line This might be half of a lame call, because the offensive line was generally good in the running game, and was better in passing protection in the second half of the game. Here's the thing though: that's still underperforming the expectations that everyone had of this group entering the 2025 season.  There's a play in the second half that really sums up the frustrations that I have with the offensive line right now. It's third down and long, and the Bengals end up rushing only three. So the Packers, of course, end up letting the pressure get to Love anyway, who has to escape the pocket and throw an incomplete pass. That just can't happen, and it wasn't just that play. If you were watching this game, you saw lots of collapsed pockets on Love, most of which he escaped, and we even saw him pick up a few first downs with his legs. But he doesn't need to do that if the line can hold up against the lowly Bengals only sending four rushers.  The Bengals pass rush is not a playoff caliber unit, and if the Packers struggle for the rest of the season like they did today, the truth of the matter is that the offensive line is a unit that the Packers must win in spite of, and not because of. Time is running out for the line to prove that are an asset.  Lack of Takeaways We are six weeks into the 2025 season, and your Green Bay Packers defense has only taken the ball away from the offense twice. Both are the result of interceptions by the safeties, and looking back, it probably would have been better if McKinney would have just let that Joe Flacco arm punt fall to the ground in Cleveland.  Takeaways are a hard thing to come by in the NFL, but with the major emphasis that the team put on punching the ball out in training camp, it's a bit strange that the team hasn't gotten any results out of it. Have we even seen any players attempting one? Please remind me in the comments if you can remember an instance, but I really can't.  Meanwhile, on the interception front, it's clear that opposing offenses are choosing to throw anywhere and everywhere on the field that doesn't contain Xavier McKinney. He and Evan Williams are keeping the top on offenses, and preventing any explosive plays from getting past them. I thought Quay and Edgerrin Cooper had a much better game today than in Dallas, but their role within the defense really doesn't lend itself to creating opportunities for interceptions. That leaves the corners as the other possibility to create those turnovers, and so far they just... haven't. Turnovers tend to come in bunches for defenses. Remember how easily they seemed to come to the Packers to start of the 2024 season, and how quickly they dried up. It's possible that the tide could turn once more, but until then we are going to have to keep relying on the pass rush to be the motor of the defense.  Three and Out --  Today's phrase of the week is "flip-flopping". As in, the offense and defense flip-flopping over halftime as they decided which unit would be good, and which one wouldn't. Over the first half of the game, the defense had pitched a shutout and dominated every aspect of the Bengals' offense, while the offense's motor was backfiring, held back by turnovers and penalties. Then came the second half, and the Bengals clawed their way down the field for 18 total points, headlined by a touchdown that only Jamar Chase could have come down with. Tip your cap to Joe Flacco (who we hopefully won't see again this season) for an excellent second half of football. He showed off exactly the veteran savvy that the Bengals were looking for when they made that trade. Unfortunately for the Bengals, the Packers offense also found their next gear in the second half.  --  Injury Notes:Javon Bullard (concussion), Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) and Lukas Van Ness (foot) all left the game with injuries on Sunday. Matt LaFleur gave indications in the post game press conference that LVN's injury did not seem to be bone related, a positive sign.after he was carted off the field in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile as we look ahead to the Cardinals game, some stories to keep an eye on are Kyler Murrary and Marvin Harrison Jr, who may not be available for next weeks contest in Arizona  -- No team in the NFL has a bigger explosive play ( 20+ passing or 10+ rushing ) margin than the Green Bay Packers, and this game was a perfect representation. The Packers had 194 yards on explosive passes, versus 94 for the Bengals. The Bengals had zero yards on "Deep" completions, while the Packers had 111. In the turnover section, I mentioned how teams have avoided throwing the ball deep against the safety duo of McKinney & Williams, and these are the kind of advantages that the Packers can create for themselves when that is the case.  Filed Under: FeaturedKalani JonesGame Balls and Lame Calls PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ Co-Owner of the thirteen time world champion Green Bay Packers. Sometimes I write about them. Follow me on Twitter at https://x.com/kjones_in_co and on Substack for film breakdowns! __________________________   NFL Categories: Cincinnati BengalsGreen Bay PackersTags: Green Bay PackersCincinnati BengalsJordan LoveMatt LaFleurJosh Jacobs Like 0 points
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Packers Snap Counts Vs. The Bengals: Week 6, 2025
    The Packers signed Kicker Lukas Havrisik to the 53-man roster.  They signed OT Brant Banks, who was a street free agent after the Titans waived him after renting him for a week, to the practice squad while releasing DE Deslin Alexandre from the PS to make room.  The Packers did not elevate anyone from the PS.  OT Anthony Belton, Kicker Brandon McManus, and DE Devonte Wyatt were inactive due to injury.  Kamal Hadden was a healthy scratch.    OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Player Snaps % STs Jenkins 61 100 5/20% Walker 61 100 5/20% Banks 61 100 5/20% Tom  61 100 5/20% Morgan 50 82 5/20% Rhyan 11 18 5/20% Kinnard     5/20% Jennings  DNP   DNP   After a slow start, the offensive line started to lean on their defensive opponents to get the run game going.  I thought Jordan Morgan really showed up in the run game.  The Packers gained 153 yards on 33 carries for a 4.6-yard average.  They allowed 4 QB hits and 1 sack.  The line did not look dominant but they were good enough.  The Bengals stud Edge player, Trey Hendrickson, left the game in the second quarter and did not return.   PFF indicates that the Packers allowed 17 pressures total.  Some of those pressures should be attributed to Love and some to other groups.  Rasheed Walker gave up 4 hurries and in my view was fortunate not to see a couple of flags.  Tom gave up 2 hurries and did not seem 100%.  The pocket did tend to collapse.  For context, Trey Hendrickson had 4 hurries in just 26 snaps (43%).   RUNNING BACKS:   Player Snaps % STs Jacobs 48 79   Wilson 11 18   Brooks 5 8 14/56% Josh Jacobs finished with 93 yards on 18 carries for a 5.17-yard average and a touchdown.  Jacobs added 57 yards on 5 receptions.  For a while, Jacobs, Love's legs and a mite from Matthew Golden were the whole offense.   QUARTERBACKS: Player Snaps % STs Love 61 100   Willis DNP     Love completed 19 of 26 (73.1%) for 259 yards (9.96 yards/attempt) and 1 touchdown with 1 interception due to a terrible decision.    He had a passer rating of 101.3.  He gained 26 yards on 7.  He does most things well and has a big arm.  He just makes a dumb decision or two most games. The interception was a terrible decision.  Love made the correct decision to slide short of the first down at the 2:10 mark in the fourth quarter.  After watching a replay, I think a 240-pound linebacker named Demetrius Knight would have put a big hit on Love had he dived for the first down.  It is a long season.  That made us watch Coach LaFleur use his timeouts down the stretch, which often leads to tension in a lot of fans.  I know I called in for a prescription refill of my blood pressure medication.  That said, Love plays hard and fearlessly.  He usually makes the big plays when they are required.  Love is outstanding when given a clean pocket.  I thought he was the player of the game.  PFF indicated that Love had 3.02 seconds per drop back.     TIGHT ENDS:   Player Snaps % STs Kraft 56 92 DNP Musgrave 21 34 DNP Fitzgerald 12 20 DNP Sims 1 2 4/16% Tucker Kraft caught both of his targets for 43 yards and a big 24-yard touchdown.   Musgrave caught 1 of 2 targets for 7 yards.  Kraft is such a weapon but the current state of the offensive line requires the tight ends to do quite a lot of blocking.   Kraft is playing a lot of snaps.  Only Sims played on special teams.     WIDE RECEIVERS: Player Snaps % STs Doubs 52 85 3/12% Golden 42 69 1/4% Heath 28 46 DNP Wicks 21 34 DNP Williams 7 11 4/16% Melton 1 2 15/60%   Golden caught 3 of 5 targets for 86 yards with a long of 35.  Golden shows good hands and is starting to look very good.  The next step is to add volume to his statistics, and I think that will come.  Doubs caught 5 of 9 passes for 55 yards.  He continues to be reliable.  Wicks caught both of his targets for 15 yards before leaving the game with an ankle injury.  He did not return but he was missed.  Nobody else did much.  Melton had 1 carry for 3 yards.  Savion Williams also had a carry that went for 3 yards.  The return of Watson and Reed cannot come too soon. The Packers scored 27 points, which often puts a team in the top 5 or so in the league.  On the other hand, it was against Cincinnati.  Moreover, it was against a Bengal team that lost Trey Hendrickson for the bulk of the game.  27 points is still 27 points, so I would give the offense a solid C grade.   DEFENSIVE TACKLES: Player Snaps % STs Brooks 53 82 9/36% Wooden 32 49 4/16% Brinson 21 32 4/16% Stackhouse  5 8   I noted last week that I am not a fan of the defensive tackle room.  Wooden had 2 tackles (1 solo) and got some a good initial grade from PFF, though they did not credit Wooden with a hurry.  Stackhouse had 1 tackle.  Stackhouse played early and then was replaced by Brinson almost entirely.  Brooks and Brinson had no statistics but they each had 2 hurries.  The Bengals gained 55 yards on 16 carries (3.44 yards/carry).  The Bengals gained just 56 total yards in the first half but they came alive in the second half with 212 yards.  Flacco avoided mistakes but I am glad Joe Burrow was out.  Maybe Burrow deserved more praise than he got last year.  To be fair, Flacco threw some very precise passes on back shoulder throws to Chase and a bullet on a slant to convert a 3rd and 5 for a first down.   DEFENSIVE ENDS: Player Snaps % STs Parsons 58 89   Gary 40 62 3/12% Van Ness 22 34 6/24% Enagbare 16 25 8/32% Sorrell 13 20 8/32%   Parsons had 3 solo tackles and 5 hurries.  LVN added 2 tackles (1 solo) with a sack before he left with a foot injury.  No bones apparently were broken but Van Ness will undergo an MRI Monday.  Enagbare had 2 solo tackles and Gary added a solo tackle.  Gary had 4 hurries, per PFF.   Sorrell had 1 hurry.  The Bengals got the ball out so quickly for most of the game that the Edge players just did not get home much.  PFF indicates that the Packers had 17 pressures from all sources.  The Packers were allowing short passes which made it seem too easy for the Bengals but the Packers only allowed 18 points, which is a good result, after all.     LINEBACKERS: Players Snaps % STs Walker 65 100 4/16% Cooper 65 100 5/20% McDuffie 6 9 20/80% Hopper     16/64% Niemann     16/64% Cooper had 11 tackles (4 solo) with a tackle for loss.  Quay Walker had 8 tackles (5 solo).  Walker gave up a touchdown pass though his coverage was not bad.  McDuffie had a solo tackle.  The Packers played nickel most of the game (4.91 DBs per paly on average), so they pulled Mcduffie off the field.  Hopper had a personal foul penalty on special teams.  The linebackers did a good job and showed their speed by limiting gains to the flat very well, particularly in the first half, but the Packers were allowing short completions over the middle, which will likely skew their stats and grades.          DEFENSIVE BACKS: Player Snaps % STs McKinney 65 100 10/40% Williams 65 100 8/32% Nixon 65 100 4/16% Hobbs 65 100 4/16% Bullard 40 62 8/32% Valentine 19 29 10/40% Melton 0 0 15/60% Olapado     11/44% Anderson      16/64%   Oh, the beauty of having an elite wide receiver.  JaMarr Chase ate against the packers, finishing with 94 yards on 12 targets and 10 receptions including a touchdown pass.  He caught passes even when he was not open, including on his TD catch.  Having a wily, veteran quarterback helps.  Nixon allowed 6 of 10 targets to be completed for 49 yards and a TD, which works out to a 105 passer rating allowed, per PFF.  At least 2 completions to Chase came even though Nixon had great coverage.  The results were frustrating but I thought Nixon did a nice job overall.  Otherwise, Flacco just avoided mistakes and did not hurt the Packers. Evan Williams had 7 tackles and Nixon, McKinney and Bullard each added 6 tackles.  Nixon had 2 passes defensed and Valentine had 1 pass break up.  Valentine allowed 2 of 3 passes to be completed for just 7 yards.  When Bullard went out with a concussion, Hobbs moved to the slot and Valentine entered the game.     SPECIAL TEAMS: Whelan punted twice for 91 yards and Havrisik made 2 field goals and all three extra points.  There were no major mistakes on special teams.   Photo courtesy of Marc Hoffman of USA Today Network. RB: 1.05 TE: 1.48 WR: 2.48 DT: 1.71 DE: 2.29 LB: 2.09 DB: 4.91                       Filed Under: FeaturedGreen Bay PackersJames Reynolds   PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ NFL Categories: Cincinnati BengalsGreen Bay PackersTags: Packers Snap CountsGreen Bay PackersCincinnati Bengals Like 0 points
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Packers Handle Bengals, 27-18
  Entering Sunday, the Green Bay Packers hadn’t won a football game in one month and one day. While their 27-18 home win over the Cincinnati Bengals was far from perfect, coach Matt LaFleur felt “a sense of relief” to have his club back in the win column.  “You always get punched in the face in this league and our guys kept responding,” he said, via packers.com. “That’s what we need to be (resilient), and you have to go through those moments in order to be that. Bottom line, we found a way.” The defense pitched a nearly perfect shutout in the first half, only to allow Cincinnati to score on three straight second-half drives. Meanwhile, after a disjointed, 10-point first half, the Packer offense delivered three consecutive second-half scoring drives of its own to keep the Bengals at arms’ length. The defense started the game with the same suffocating presence it displayed in the first three weeks of the season. Quarterback Joe Flacco – traded from Cleveland to Cincinnati five days ago – looked bewildered trying to execute a new playbook with new teammates against a fast Packers defense. The Bengals amassed one first down on their first four drives.  The offense needed the support. A promising opening drive ended with an ill-advised Jordan Love interception. An inconsistent second quarter resulted in a field goal, touchdown, and two quick punts.  Lucas Havrisik comfortably split the uprights from 43 yards for a 3-0 Green Bay lead early in the second quarter. Havrisik signed to replace Brandon McManus while he recovers from a quad injury. McManus thought he could kick today, but also acknowledged to the coaching and training staff he still felt something.  “Sometimes you have to protect the players from themselves. This was a long-term play by us,” LaFleur said. Havrisik was perfect on the day, going 2-for-2 on field goals, and 3-for-3 on point-after-attempts.                                          Josh Jacobs scored his first of two touchdowns on the day with 4:05 remaining in the half. A short, three-yard push up the middle gave the Packers a 10-0 lead. The run game ended the drive, but the pass game ignited it.  Facing a 3rd & 10 and a second straight three-and-out, Love placed a perfect deep pass down the left sideline to Matthew Golden. Love’s pass beat the tight coverage as Golden hauled in the 35-yard catch with no room to spare. Love followed it up with a jump-pass checkdown to Jacobs, who took that for 29 yards, to set up his touchdown run.   Golden led the team with 86 receiving yards on three catches in his best performance as a rookie. Love finished 19 of 26 for 259 with a touchdown and interception. Cincinnati missed on a 67-yard field-goal attempt and Green Bay led 10-0 entering the locker room. Evan McPherson actually made the kick on a snap that didn’t count thanks to a LaFleur timeout. The make would’ve set a new NFL field goal record.  The offense carried the defense in the second half.  Cincinnati opened with a 17-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that ate up 10:14 from the game clock. The Bengals started finding success on the ground which eased Flacco into a rhythm he didn’t seem to lose. The veteran quarterback calmly hit Tanner Hudson underneath the goal post on 4th-and-goal from the two, 10-7.  Once Love and the offense finally got their turn, they delivered a nine-play, 66-yard touchdown drive, 17-7. Jacobs scored straight up gut from the 14-yard line as his offensive line opened a massive hole.  “Early on, I thought we left some (rushing) yards out there,” LaFleur said. “That’s when I went over and challenged the offensive line. I said ‘If they’re going to play two-shell and we’re getting two yards, it’s going to be a long day for us.’ Those guys did a really nice job, I think, responding.” Jacobs finished with 93 yards on 18 carries leading to the two scores. He added five catches for 57 yards in the passing game.  The Bengals settled for a field goal on their next drive thanks to a dropped pass, and Tucker Kraft stepped up with a 19-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown, 24-10. Kraft’s run-after-the-catch ability is becoming his trademark, and he again displayed it on the score.  Love found Kraft in the right flat after a quick play action. The third-year tight end burst up the right sideline and turned into a runaway train speeding to the end zone. One Bengals defender could barely hang on to Kraft, much less stop him. Another tried to deliver a forceful hit, only to  ricochet and spin in place like a top as Kraft dove across the goal line.   The defense again had a chance to close the door, and again couldn’t. This time, the Bengals leaned on their All-Pro, triple-crown wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Flacco, settled and comfortably picking at the defense with short papercuts, connected with Chase four times on the touchdown drive. The fourth connection happened when Chase outmuscled Keisean Nixon at the goal line for a one-handed body catch. The Bengals added a two-point conversion to make it 24-18.  Flacco ended 29 of 45 passing for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Chase had 10 catches for 94 yards and a score.  Green Bay again pushed the lead to two scores as Havrisik hit from 39 yards with 1:52 remaining for the 27-18 final. McPherson missed from 56 to seal the imperfect, needed win for the Packers. Other Notes: * Sean Rhyan started at right guard and alternated the first three series with Jordan Morgan. Afterwards, Morgan played the entire game.  * Edgerinn Cooper led the team in tackles with 11 * Lukas Van Ness registered Green Bay’s only sack. Two plays later, he injured his foot and did not return. LaFleur said he’ll have an MRI tomorrow.  * Javon Bullard suffered another concussion, his second of the season.  Filed Under: FeaturedGreen Bay PackersJocelyn Hopkinson PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ Jocelyn Hopkinson is a contributor for CheeseheadTV and can be found on Twitter at Jh0p_4 __________________________   NFL Categories: Cincinnati BengalsTags: bengalsLucas Havrisik Like 0 points
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Packers vs Bengals: Gameday Preview - 2025 Week 6
We hope you had a restful bye week, because your Green Bay Packers are right back at it this afternoon, taking on the Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field at 3:25 PM CST. No one would blame the Packers for playing angry in this one, as two weeks ago, they had to head into the bye after a 40-40 tie against the Dallas Cowboys that took their season record to 2-1-1. That's a long time to stew over a game that essentially resulted in nothing, neither a win nor a loss, just a stale mindset where they can only think that they need to be better. The Bengals sit at 2-3 after their defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions, 37-24, last week, and made a trade for Joe Flacco in an attempt to improve their QB situation in the absence of Joe Burrow. The Packers will once again be trying to prove they're legit, while the Bengals will just be trying to keep their heads above water. The last time these two teams met was almost exactly four years ago, on October 10, 2021, when the Packers defeated the Bengals in overtime, 25-22, off a 49-yard Mason Crosby field goal. In fact, four years before that, the Packers defeated the Bengals in OT off a Mason Crosby field goal as well. So, the last two times these teams met, they headed to overtime. If we're being honest, I don't think Packers fans could handle overtime today, given the result of the game two weeks ago. If they do, hopefully it actually ends in the Packers coming away victorious. In the 2021 meeting, Davante Adams absolutely torched the Bengals defense for 206 yards off 11 catches and a touchdown, while the Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase torched the Packers defense for six catches, 159 yards, and a touchdown. Chase is coming off a 110-yard performance with two touchdowns last week; hopefully, history doesn't repeat itself.  The Packers are coming off a much-needed early bye week. I honestly didn't think I would ever say a week 5 bye was needed, but here we are. With injuries on both sides of the ball, especially the offensive line, the Packers needed an off week to get healthier. In the first three games of the season, it seemed like the defense would be a huge strength for the Packers, and perhaps the offense would need to catch up, but after a 40-40 tie where it seemed like it was now the defense's turn to catch up, there's nothing better than a week off to do some evaluating. Tackling and over-pursuit were issues against the Cowboys for the defense, while the offense in the first four games has struggled to get Josh Jacobs off and running. Hopefully, that self-evaluation can patch up those issues. In a bit of a must-win for the Packers today, they need to put together a complete game on offense, defense, and special teams to regain that early-season momentum.  What to see on Offense Throughout the offseason, one couldn't escape the wishes or rumors of the Packers pursuing a trade for Bengals' pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. The team spending high draft capital on a 30-year-old player seemed extremely unlikely, and it wouldn't even become a possibility as Hendrickson re-signed with the Bengals. So far this season, he's paid the Bengals back for keeping him to the tune of four sacks in five games. Lining up mainly on the right side of the defensive line, Hendrickson will likely match up against Rasheed Walker, who has had his ups and downs this season. Outside of Hendrickson, DE, Joseph Ossai has two sacks with Kris Jenkins Dr. and Myles Murphy holding 1.5 each. The offensive line for the Packers is a bit healthier now, with Zach Tom and Aaron Banks returning to practice this week, and they will be looking to protect Jordan Love much better than they did two weeks ago. Bengals' first-round pick Shemar Stewart is doubtful for today's game. Despite the less-than-impressive protection last game for Jordan Love, the passing game for the Packers hit its stride with Jordan Love going 31/43 for 337 yards and three touchdowns. That could be a big difference maker today with the Bengals' ranking 29th in the league with 259 passing yards allowed per game.  The Bengals do rank 6th in the league, holding five interceptions so far in 2025, with safety Jordan Battle leading the way with two, but outside of INT's the Cincinnati secondary has not been a strong suit. If the Packers' offensive line can keep Jordan Love comfortable, there could be a lot of success through the air.  The Packers' rushing attack continues to be a question after four games. However, Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson really found their stride in the second half against Dallas and became a factor late. The Bengals currently sit towards the bottom of the league, allowing an average of 132.2 rushing yards per game. With a healthier offensive line to help open up running lanes, today could be a big opportunity for the Packers' offense to get right in the running game.  What to See on Defense Earlier this week, the Bengals traded to Cleveland for QB Joe Flacco. They quickly announced that Flacco would start on Sunday against the Packers. Now, superstitious Packers fans are shaking in their boots over the fact that Joe Flacco was the QB of the Browns when the Browns defeated the Packers 10-13, three weeks ago. Let's get one thing straight. The Browns' defense gave the Packers' offense fits, and they struggled to get anything going. Joe Flacco went 21/36 for 142 yards and an interception. The Packers' defense had Joe Flacco in hell; he was not the difference maker in that game. And now guess what, he's behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league that barely could keep Joe Burrow and Jake Browning upright.  Pass rush will be a key in today's game to make Joe Flacco uncomfortable with his new team. Micah Parsons and friends struggled a bit against Dallas in roping in Dak Prescott; they need to make today a momentum shifter and cannot afford to let Joe Flacco perform the impossible in pulling off a victory, starting just five days after acquisition.  Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins possibly make one of the best receiver duos in football, so Flacco will have some good targets if Chase plays today after being questionable due to illness. The Packers' secondary did not have a good game against Dallas, and despite Flacco only having a few days with his targets, he's sure to try them out today against cornerbacks like Carrington Valentine and Nate Hobbs, who have struggled as of late. On top of Chase and Higgins, the Bengals also have Noah Fant and Mike Gesicki, who haven't been largely impressive so far this season, but for a QB like Flacco that may need to get the ball out quickly, they could become a factor in today's game.  The Bengals haven't had a lot of success running the ball this season. If you think the Packers have struggled a bit in that area, the first four games of the season, the Packers have 458 yards rushing total; the Bengals only have 285 through five games. They're led by Chase Brown, who has 160 yards off 65 carries and one touchdown, followed by Samaje Perine with 52 yards off nine carries.  The Packers struggled against the run in Dallas following the departure of Devonte Wyatt from the game, and unfortunately, Wyatt has not practiced this week, so he will not play today. We could see a heavy dose of Nazir Stackhouse or Warren Brinson at DT in running situations. Today could either be an opportunity for the Bengals to show they can run the ball after all, or it could be a day for the Packers' defense to prove they're not a one-man show against the run in the absence of Wyatt. Edgerrin Cooper possibly had his worst game in Green and Gold in Dallas that night; perhaps look for him to step up today to show he won't fall victim to that again.  Extra Notes After two blocked field goals this season and a rash of other mistakes, the last thing we need is special teams to play a negative part in today's results. Now, kicker Brandon McManus is questionable with a quad injury, leaving the kicker position a bit of a question mark today. The Packers have signed kicker Lucas Havrisik to the 53-man roster, just in case McManus is unable to go today. Havrisik has had stints with the Colts, Browns, Rams, and Bills in the three seasons, appearing in nine games where he went 15 for 20 with field goals and 19 of 22 for extra points. Havrisik also played 10 games for the Dallas Renegades in the UFL this past season. If McManus is unable to go, the Packers won't be just winging it at kicker, but I would imagine Matt LaFleur will be a little cautious with trusting the newly acquired kicker.  Whether the field goal debacles against Dallas were due to missed assignments from Brant Banks or Luke Musgrave, we'll likely never know for sure. However, Brant Banks' quick release from the team following the game doesn't bode well for his case. We finally have a reliable kicker in Brandon McManus; we need to have a clean field goal operation soon to restore confidence in lining up for a field goal attempt or extra point. Cincinnati will be looking to exploit it without a doubt, and we can't let this continue to be a problem.  The Bengals' kicker, on the other hand, Evan McPherson, has become one of the best kickers in the league, and so far this season, he has yet to miss a kick.  The Packers' return game is also lacking. Savion Williams hasn't looked the best on kickoffs, and Matthew Golden maybe should be focused more on offense than fielding punts. But with the Packers lacking a return specialist at the moment, those two rookies are just going to have to improve. Today could be a big stepping stone in the right direction.  On the other side of the field, Charlie Jones and Samaje Perine have done a good job fielding kicks and punts for the Bengals. They both have long returns of 35+ yards, and Jones, on punts, averages 13 yards per return. They shouldn't pose a big problem, but with the issues the Packers have had on special teams, you never know.  Daniel Whelan is averaging 51.8 yards with 14 punts, while Bengals punter Ryan Rehkow is averaging 53.1 yards on 27 punts with six touchbacks. Rehkow leads the league with that average, but his net-average is only in the middle of the league with 42.6.   In the End Today, the Packers are being presented with the most "get right" game of all get right games. They're at home coming off a bye against a struggling team, starting a QB that they desperately acquired five days ago. I don't mean to be the Grim Reaper, but if the Packers can't come away with a victory today, we have bigger problems than struggling special teams.  Next week, the Packers head to Arizona to take on the Cardinals to kick off back-to-back road games. Hopefully, Green Bay can take advantage of a struggling Bengals team today to give us Packers fans a nice, relaxing Sunday afternoon, enjoying a victory. Go Pack Go.    Filed Under: FeaturedGreen Bay PackersGreg MeinholzPreview and PredictionGameDay PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ Greg Meinholz is a lifelong devoted Packer fan. A contributor to CheeseheadTV as well as PackersTalk. Follow him on Twitter @gmeinholz and Bluesky @gmeinholz.bsky.social for Packers commentary, random humor, beer endorsements, and occasional Star Wars and Marvel ramblings. __________________________ NFL Categories: Cincinnati BengalsGreen Bay PackersNFC NorthTags: Green Bay PackersJordan LoveTrey HendricksonMicah ParsonsJoe Flacco Like 0 points
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Packers sign K Lucas Havrisik as McManus insurance
The Packers signed kicker Lucas Havrisik to the 53 man roster as a precautionary measure after Brandon McManus injured himself in practice earlier this week.  Havrisik (6-2, 185), a second-year player out of the University of Arizona, has spent time on the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts in 2022 and was with the Colts during the 2023 offseason and training camp. He spent time on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad in 2023 before being signed to the Los Angeles Rams’ active roster, where he appeared in nine games and made 15 of 20 field goals and 19 of 22 extra points. Havrisik also recorded seven touchbacks on eight kickoffs. He returned to the Browns for the 2024 offseason and training camp and went on to spend time on the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills last season. Havrisik also played in 10 games for the Dallas Renegades of the United Football League in 2025, making 22 of 25 field goals. He will wear No. 35 for the Packers. The team also brought back offensive tackle Brant Banks to the practice squad. Banks originally signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent out of Rice on May 2, 2025, and has spent part of the regular season on Green Bay’s practice squad and active roster, appearing in two games. He was claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans on October 1 but released on October 9. Banks will wear No. 72 for the Packers. The team made room for Banks by releasing DL Deslin Alexandre. Filed Under: Packers News   PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ Tags: Lucas Havrisik Like 0 points
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How Will the Packers Respond to Micah Parsons' Challenge?
  The Green Bay Packers started the 2025 season with two convincing wins. They beat the defending NFC North champion Lions and the Washington Commanders, who reached the NFC Championship Game last season, in dominant fashion. Since then, however, the Packers suffered an upset loss to the Cleveland Browns and an unsatisfying tie with the Dallas Cowboys. Now, after the bye week, Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons has issued a challenge to the team to play at a different level and to change their mind set. But will the Packers be able to answer his challenge? Parsons challenged his team not only to bounce back this Sunday by beating the Cincinnati Bengals, but to make this a “statement win.” The only way to have a statement win against an inferior opponent is to win the game going away and to leave no doubt who the better team is. “You should be pissed off. Like, you're sitting down pissed off,” Parsons explained. “We just gave up 40 points and we're talking about we can't give up 20 and how we shouldn't lose games. Well, that's how you lose games. So, we should be pissed off. We should be ready to come out here, play Sunday regardless of who's playing and whoop some butt if you're really dogs. That's how I come, that's how I look at it. Like, we really say who we want to be. We should take that last, how we finished last, and we should punish these guys, and we should want to leave a statement. Like, it should be a statement win, should be a statement on defense. I just think it's a statement. These guys should be pissed off because I was pissed off.” The statement was primarily aimed at the defense, which gave up 40 points to the Cowboys after allowing a combined total of 44 points in the first three games of the season. But it really should be directed at the entire team and the coaching staff. The Packers defense needs to start creating more turnovers. Through four games, they have two interceptions and no fumble recoveries. Because the Pack has only turned the ball over twice, they are even in turnover differential, but great defenses create turnovers and that just hasn’t happened frequently enough in the first four games of the season. On offense, the Packers need to get better play from their offensive line, especially when blocking for the run. The Packers may get starting right tackle, Zach Tom and left guard Aaron Banks back in the lineup this Sunday. Injuries to those two players have hurt the team’s ability to open holes for the running game thus far. Josh Jacobs continues to gain yardage after initial contact, but because of the struggles of the offensive line, too often, that first contact has occurred at or even behind the line of scrimmage. An injury to Rasheed Walker may cause yet another shuffle to the offensive line personnel this week, but the team needs to overcome it and play well. The team and the coaching staff also need to clean up the mental mistakes that have led to so many penalties on both sides of the ball. The occasional pass interference call or holding penalty are frustrating but they will happen. But lining up offsides? An ineligible man downfield? Illegal motion? These mistakes are avoidable and have cost them team in some key situations. And don’t get me started about special teams. The blocking for extra points and field goals has been terrible and led to a blocked field goal and a blocked extra point that was returned for two points by the Cowboys. Punt and kick returners have difficulty knowing when and where to catch the ball and when to let it bounce. The coverage teams continue to give up long returns at inopportune times. Then there’s the play calling. Matt LaFleur and the offense seemed to have no urgency in overtime. The Packers had plenty of time to score a touchdown in their only possession of overtime and win the game. They didn’t manage the clock well at all and almost lost the chance to tie the game with a field goal on the final play of overtime. Parsons has laid down a challenge to his new team. Like the Browns and Cowboys, the Packers are the better team on paper and should beat the Bengals. Real Super Bowl contenders not only win those games but win them convincingly when they are playing well and find ways to win when they’re not. The Packers have to prove they belong among the true contenders. The challenge has been issued. Now, how will the team respond? Filed Under: FeaturedGil Martin   PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ You can follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers __________________________ NFL Categories: Green Bay PackersTags: Green Bay PackersMicah ParsonsMatt LaFleurJosh Jacobs Like 0 points
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Cory's Corner: The Takeaways Will Come
The Packers defense had the ball a lot last year.  That unit racked up 31 takeaways — which was the most for the Packers since 2011. That included 17 interceptions — eight by Xavier McKinney, who was a first team All-Pro last year.  Fast forward to this season and the Packers defense, which was supposed to have gotten better with the addition of Micah Parsons, only has two takeaways. Parsons is doing his job by getting 25 pressures on 118 pass-rush snaps by going through double teams, triple teams and chips regularly. According to TruMedia, the Packers are ranked No. 5 in the NFL with a team pressure rate of 43 percent.  All of those things are feathers in the cap for the defense, so what is missing? Keisean Nixon is ranked 14th among all corners in terms of coverage according to Pro Football Focus and Carrington Valentine is ranked 19th. Nixon has really impressed me as he is tied for the league lead with five pass breakups. “The urgency of which we played with, I feel like it’s the best I’ve seen from our group since I’ve been here,” said Packers second-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. That tells me that turnovers are sure to come back like the swallows at Mission San Juan Capistrano. The Packers defense is turning up the pressure, it’s playing good coverage defense, yet the ball is still not ending up in their hands. But it has been frustrating. The Packers want to give the ball back to their offense, so they can let one of five guys do something potentially magical with it. The best way to change the turnover luck is to get off to an early lead. The Packers maintained a 17-3 halftime lead over the Lions and Jared Goff was forced to make risky passes that he probably wouldn’t usually make. They have to keep putting the opposition in third-and-long situations by not allowing much running yardage on early downs.  Packers coach Matt LaFleur has described the defense as “relentless” after beating the Commanders in Green Bay earlier this season. That fire ant attitude is what will eventually reap turnover rewards as long as everyone is doing their job.  It doesn’t do much good if Parsons continues to breathe down the opposing quarterback’s neck if he’s able to continually find his tight end wide open over the middle.  Remember, Parsons didn’t get a chance to have training camp with his Packers teammates. So I think a lot of them are still figuring him out, just as much as he’s trying to understand them.  But it is a little disconcerting when the 0-5 Jets have fewer takeaways than the Packers.  The Jets have zero turnovers, so I think it’s fair to say that the Packers have a lot of ground to make up.  Filed Under: FeaturedGreen Bay PackersCory JennerjohnCory's Corner   PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn __________________________ NFL Categories: Cincinnati BengalsGreen Bay PackersTags: Micah ParsonsGreen Bay PackersCincinnati BengalsKeisean NixonCarrington Valentine Like 0 points
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