Mike's Mid-Week Chat: Whose offense is better?

[Cheesehead]

I believe it depends if the Packers' 12th win is against Tennessee or Chicago. If it's against the Bears, the Packers get the 1.


I hate looking forward to the offseason, but the cap is looming. Do you forsee the NFL raising the cap to 200 million instead of the 175 million?


No, the $175 million is the floor for the cap and it sounds like it's staying there. As I've been saying all season, it's going to be a difficult situation for everyone to deal with.


I remember my first time to Lambeau with my dad during a shareholder's event. He was in a wheelchair at the time, and we were blown away by the history and kindness of everything and everyone we encountered. Here's to hoping we can have a normal 2021 where other kids can have their first Lambeau experience too.


Absolutely.


Hi Mike. What do you think the limit of rushing yards Derrick Henry might gain in order to beat the Titans?


It's hard to put a number on it. I don't think the Packers have to hold him under 100 or do anything magical, but I don't think they can let him average 6.5 per carry or anything like that, either. It's going to come down to the defense getting a key stop or two, however it does so -- turnover, big sack, stopping Henry on a key short-yardage play. Whatever. That's how I see it.


When is Corey Linsley available to come back from IR? It would be nice to have him get some game reps before the playoffs.


Linsley returned to practice yesterday, so he's eligible to return. Whether or not he's going to play Sunday night, we don't know for sure yet.


With the NFL allowing teams to (virtually) interview coaching candidates starting today, who on the GB staff might be getting a call soon?


I think Coach Hackett could get some head-coaching looks at some point. I'm not sure about this year. He might need to be an OC where he calls plays, like LaFleur did in Tennessee, to take that next step, I don't know.


Hey Mike, there appear to be 9 or 10 teams in the NFC playoff hunt right now. Which appear to be the hottest teams heading into late December?


I don't think anyone in the NFC qualifies as really hot right now. Everyone in the playoff hunt except the Packers has lost a game in the last three weeks, and GB had three pretty tight wins against sub-.500 teams. No one in the NFC is the "it" team right now. Everyone's had their lulls and struggles here and there. If the Packers beat the Titans on Sunday night, I think a lot more attention comes GB's way, for whatever it's worth.


Weather has been mentioned as an advantage for us going forward but do you think that our team has really been exposed to the cold enough to make that big of a difference?


It's more about practicing in it regularly, which the Packers do. Nobody plays flawlessly in the cold weather, but teams that aren't used to it might make one or two more mistakes in a game -- a dropped pass, or losing the handle on a run -- that you hope the Packers wouldn't make.


Until this morning's Insider Inbox, I was completely unaware of the Titans' passing success this year. This matchup is going to be a fun challenge for the Packers, even at Lambeau.


And the Packers' running game is as underrated as the Titans' passing game. These two offenses are pretty complete.


I've been watching NFL for about 60 years and the stiff arm has been around for much longer. It's always been used to hold off would-be tacklers. Derrick Henry is the first player I've ever seen that truly uses it as a Weapon meant to punish the defender. What other backs have you seen whose stiff-arm might compare?


I'm with you, I'm not sure I've ever seen a back use it the way Henry does. Guys like Earl Campbell, Emmitt Smith, Adrian Peterson all used it to a certain extent, but not like Henry. It's just another element that makes him special.


I say give Henry his yards. Key will be clock control, fundamentals/situational football, and turnovers. Can't whiff on possessions. Going to need points.


The Packers are going to have to get back to scoring 30-plus in this game, I think. They've done it 10 of 14 times, and they've only been beaten once when they scored 30-plus, and that was OT at Indy.