Win and in. It’s that simple for the Packers to clinch a playoff spot against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night at Lambeau Field.
With that, let’s dive into this week’s mailbag questions and answers.
Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.
It feels like the pass rush has been picking up and has been better than before the trade of Preston Smith. Do the numbers back that up? If so, do you think it reflects improvement or playing with solid leads such that the other teams need to throw? — Dianasnews5
Good question. From Weeks 1-9, when the Packers had Smith, they ranked 19th in pressure percentage and 14th in sack percentage, according to TruMedia. Over the last six weeks without him — that includes the Week 10 bye — they rank 10th in pressure percentage and third in sack percentage. So yes, it has been picking up. That can be attributed to better play from the likes of Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Karl Brooks and Brenton Cox Jr., among others. Kingsley Enagbare also mentioned after the Seahawks game how the offense getting out to a big early lead allowed the defense to commit to rushing the passer since Seattle had to throw to make up the deficit. That’s always beneficial to the pass rush, like it has been against the 49ers and Dolphins in recent weeks, too.
Any indication that Jordan Morgan will be back before the end of the year? And if so, is the plan to rotate him with Sean Rhyan at RG like the Packers did before his injury? It seemed like Morgan had won the job out of training camp before he got hurt the first time. — Ted K.
Matt LaFleur told me on the latest “Matt LaFleur Podcast” that Morgan is done for the season. He was seen in the locker room recently with his right arm in a sling. He had surgery because of that recurring shoulder injury that first surfaced over the summer. It has been a tough go for the rookie first-round pick, but he should compete for a starting spot again next season. And yes, I thought he would be the starting right guard in Week 1 since he was working with the 1s before injuring his shoulder in camp.
Looking ahead to the playoffs, what’s the worst- and best-case scenario for the Packers in terms of playoff opponents right now and why? — Silja T.
The worst-case scenario, in my opinion, is playing the Eagles in the wild-card round. That would only happen if the Packers fall to the No. 7 seed, which is unlikely, as long as the Packers beat the Saints and Bears. The Eagles average the most rushing yards per game and are tied for first in scoring defense. The best-case scenario is visiting Seattle in the wild-card round after what we saw there Sunday night. The Buccaneers and Rams look scary.
What do you think is the future of this Packers receiving corps? If we count Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks and Tucker Kraft as the main guys, is it tenable to continue with never having a true No. 1? If the Packers move on from someone, who should/will it be? — Kevin S.
It’s absolutely tenable not having a clear-cut No. 1 receiver. The Packers still don’t and they’re 10-4. They’re going to have to pay a couple of those guys at some point. They probably won’t be able to keep all of them. Kraft has already locked in a second contract, in my opinion, as he’s proven to be the future at tight end. Let’s say they decide to only pay two of the four receivers. Right now, I’d go Reed and Doubs, with Doubs edging out Watson by the slimmest of margins. Reed is their most versatile offensive player and to me, Doubs is more consistently reliable on third down and in the red zone than Watson. The latter serves a vital role on the team and has been playing great in recent weeks — LaFleur said Tuesday, “in every phase of the game, he’s been A-plus” — so maybe the Packers find a way to pay all three.
When are we going to have real talk about Jaire Alexander and his non-status on the team? National coverage continues to fawn over him and I’m really not having it anymore. One day he was a top corner in the league and the next he is constantly injured and/or trying to play captain. Is he better than the other corners we play with now? Likely. But don’t we think we can do so much better for the money? The guy never plays. Will he be gone after this season? — Tim D.
That may be a question the front office asks itself considering how much it’s paying him relative to how little he’s been available the last couple of seasons. I’ve been on the record saying you keep him. The Packers aren’t great behind Alexander at cornerback and he’s still elite when healthy. This might be a case where the risk of letting him go via release or trade isn’t worth the reward of freeing up more than $7 million in cap space.
Coop’s done it again.
For the second time this year, Edgerrin Cooper has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week! #ProBowlVote
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 18, 2024
Why, oh why, isn’t Edgerrin Cooper a full-time player on the Packers’ defense? It’s been evident since early in the season that he’s one of their best players, yet he’s been limited to less than 50 percent of the defensive snaps. He was NFC Defensive Player of the Week twice this season, not Defensive Rookie of the Week. Defensive player. It seems like coaching malpractice that he hasn’t played more. — Steve P.
Cooper hasn’t played fewer than 50 percent of the defensive snaps when healthy since Week 5, so let’s get our facts straight. He played between 60-71 percent of them from Weeks 6-11 before missing three games with a hamstring injury and then played 58 percent against the Seahawks in his first game back. I wouldn’t say it’s been evident since early in the season that he’s one of their best players, but we can say that now for certain. There’s a convincing case for him to get more playing time — I wouldn’t quite call it coaching malpractice that he’s not playing more than any other linebacker — and I expect him to with Quay Walker week to week with an ankle injury. It’s possible they don’t want to put too much on his plate as a rookie or want to keep him fresh by rotating considering all they ask him to do, as they do with defensive linemen, but Cooper should be an every-down linebacker sooner rather than later.
MarShawn Lloyd had appendicitis and I haven’t heard anything for a month. I’m assuming he would have been healed up from that in a few weeks. Is there any update on his status? — Dustin R.
I asked LaFleur about that on our podcast this week and it doesn’t sound like he’s coming back this season. And if you think about it, what role is there for him even if he is healthy? He hasn’t played since Week 2, would probably take some time to get back up to speed once he’s cleared and Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks are doing fine as Josh Jacobs’ backups. As with Morgan, injuries ruined another promising rookie season with Lloyd. He should be right back in the mix come summertime.
🎙️New Brick and the Stick with @kuhnj30🎙️
• Breaking down Packers-Seahawks
• Win and in against the Saints on Monday night at Lambeau
• What we’d do if Packers clinch a seed before the finale
And much more‼️ https://t.co/6JWx11KX6L pic.twitter.com/MZB6gfa9y2
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) December 18, 2024
What do you think are the Packers’ biggest Achilles’ heels going into the playoffs on each side of the ball? — Aaron F.
On defense, I’d say it’s the murky health of the secondary (Alexander and Javon Bullard), even though that group played well in Seattle without both guys against a dynamic passing attack. It benefitted from a relentless pass rush, but can it play like that on the back end when the pass rush isn’t speeding up quarterbacks like it did Geno Smith and Sam Howell? On offense, I don’t think the Packers have a true Achilles’ heel. They just need to put more complete games together than they have the last two weeks. Against Detroit and Seattle, the offense has vanished for large chunks of a half but still scored 30-plus. Imagine what more consistency could do.
It seems highly unlikely that the Packers will give Eric Stokes another contract. Given that unlikelihood, why do LaFleur and Jeff Hafley continue rotating Stokes and Carrington Valentine at one of the outside cornerback positions? Seems like Valentine would benefit from as many plays as possible. — Richard A.
The keg has been tapped clean on Stokes. You’re right. That being said, I don’t think Valentine is a stud just yet and you’re not going to play guys full time to prepare for the future when you’re in the thick of a playoff race. Coaches don’t see a clear superior in the battle, for whatever reason. Stokes played fine against the Seahawks, I thought. There’s no way he re-signs in free agency, but the Packers don’t have a plethora of experienced options when Alexander and Bullard are both out.
(Photo of Edgerrin Cooper: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
