Last week, my headline for this column was that week three posed an opportunity for the Packers to showcase some growth.

I think they succeeded there.

It was a bad (read: awful) first three quarters of football for the Packers on Sunday in their home opener against New Orleans. The offense couldn’t get out of its own way, committing an endless barrage of penalties that kept killing drives. Receivers were frequently dropping passes and running incorrect routes, resulting in Jordan Love’s numbers looking particularly dull in comparison to the first two weeks of the season.

Meanwhile, the special teams allowed a touchdown, and the passing defense had a difficult time in the first half as it felt like the Joe Barry scheme once again was giving receivers way too much space to do whatever they wanted underneath.

Of course, everything changed in the fourth quarter, and we all know what happened next.

Ultimately, this was a game that I do not believe the 2022 Packers would have won. The Packers of the last several years have been incapable of showing strength in the face of adversity. There were absolutely no expectations for the Packers to come back and win that game, especially with so many crucial players sidelined with injury. But they did it anyway, likely in large part due to the fact that this team is too young and energetic to understand what it should and should not be able to do.

But the big story has to be the performance of Jordan Love.

It was Love’s worst statistical performance of the season so far, but it might have been his best showing as an NFL quarterback.

Love got very little help from his receivers for the first three quarters. Yes, there were several questionable to bad throws, including yet another deep miss to Luke Musgrave over the middle, a bad arm punt interception, and a questionable throw into coverage deep downfield to Samori Toure. 

But Love also showcased more “wow” throws than we’ve seen in a single game so far. There were at least a couple throws in the game that just did not make physical sense, the kinds of throws that only a few players in the league have the arm talent to make. 

He also showcased his incredible poise; it just feels like nothing rattles the guy. One of my favorite observations from this game was that even though is receivers were repeatedly letting him down, he kept going back to them over and over and giving them opportunities. Jayden Reed, for example, had a couple bad drops and other miscues, but ended up being on the receiving end of a couple of the most important throws of the game down the stretch. Love never showed any frustration, didn’t hold grudges against anyone for making a simple mistake, and showcased a lot of leadership and poise beyond his years and experience level. 

The combination of that poise with his tantalizing arm talent, plus the results that have been showing up on the field in the first few weeks, show that the Packers really have found a gem in this guy. He’s not a star yet, but he has all the makings of one, plus the belief of his entire franchise. He’s clearly been working his ass off to improve to the point he has, and it feels like he’s only getting better and more comfortable with more experience on the field.

It’s really exciting. We have been so spoiled with quarterback play for the last several decades, and the early returns on Love are incredibly promising.

And here’s the stat of the week: Love now has as many career fourth quarter comebacks against teams with a winning record as Aaron Rodgers.

Can’t wait for Love’s next test this week. It’s a tough one against a divisional foe that’s had this team’s number on a short week, and probably the most important game of his young career so far. Going to be very interesting to see how Love performs in his first prime time matchup.

Wisconsin Beer of the Week

This past year, Lakefront Brewery here in Milwaukee celebrated their 35th anniversary. This is a staple brewery here in Milwaukee, and popularized the local brewery tour. For about 10 bucks you get a pint glass, several pours of beer, and a fun, lighthearted, extremely Milwaukee tour led by some high-energy tour guides. Very much worth it.

If you were to look at my tally of beers I’ve had over the years, you’d probably see that I’ve had more beers from Lakefront than any brewery not named 1840. They do great stuff, and what I love about them is that you’ve got their broadly distributed flagship beers (Riverwest Stein, Eastside Dark, Hazy Rabbit, IPA, etc.), but they also have a large number of seasonals, rotational beers, and special releases that allow them to get experimental.

I still had a bottle of their 35th anniversary dopplebock. Now, if you didn’t know already, I’m a big fan of the dopplebock. I love the malty sweetness and the slight punch of booze that they carry. Great German beer style that has a bit more potency than what you find from standard Bavarian lagers and weiss beers. 

The Birthday Dopplebock came in at 8.0 ABV and features a beautiful reddish brown color that looks so appetizing when poured into a glass. The brewery describes the beer as a “hearty, crimson-brown German-style Doppelbock” with “heaps of nutty, toasty Munich malts” that create a complex malt flavor. You’ll taste “notes of dried fruit and fresh, whole-grain bread crusts” with each sip.

The beer is still in circulation, though not as heavily as it was earlier in the year. You can go to the Lakefront Brewery beer finder (www.lakefrontbrewery.com/beer-finder) if you’re interested in finding it somewhere near you.

As always, I give a strong recommendation for just about anything Lakefront brews.

Pass rush solves a lot of problems

A lot of people were quick to back off criticism of Joe Barry as defensive coordinator after the team won this weekend, saying the Packers only gave up 10 points.

And yes, it’s true. The defense played better than it had so far this season, and blanked the Saints in the second half. The loss of Derek Carr certainly helped with that, but you play who’s on the field.

But really, I think what this game really proved was that pass rush can cover up a whole lot of weaknesses. And this is a team that has a lot of guys who can get after the quarterback.

Chief among them, of course, is Rashan Gary, who had three sacks and is rapidly ratcheting up the price tag on his forthcoming extension. But there are plenty of other players on this defense who have had a significant role in rushing the passer in these first few weeks of the season.

It really felt like when the Packers were not rushing the passer effectively, the faults in their pass defense scheme were on full display. And yes, the Packers allowed fewer points this week. But you still have so many instances of the team just giving up an insane cushion to opposing receivers. This is always frustrating, but especially so when you have a Saints offense with receivers that notoriously find it hard to generate separation when pressed, and then when they lose their starting quarterback and replace him with a guy who is known to press a little too hard in tight windows and throw reckless interceptions.

Barry is fortunate that Brian Gutekunst has gotten him so many players who can help to dominate the line of scrimmage and affect the quarterback, because it will at least occasionally cover up some of the clear, glaring flaws that plague this defense that are in large part due to scheme.

So am I off the Fire Barry train? No, not in the least. The defense would have to be incredibly impressive for the entire rest of the season for me to support his retention.

Around the NFC North

As always, it’s time to go around the NFC North. 

• The CHICAGO BEARS are the worst team in football for the second year in a row, and are somehow even worse than they were in 2022. Justin Fields officially looks like a lost cause; somehow the Bears have only made the issues he had coming into the league even worse. The only team that could possibly make the Bears look competent just so happens to becoming into Chicago this weekend. The Denver Broncos are coming off allowing 70 points to the Miami Dolphins, and are STILL favored. That’s how much the bookies think of the Bears. We’re talking historical levels of suckage.

• The DETROIT LIONS had a nice rebound after a tough loss to Seattle, and are now coming in for what the uneducated masses might consider an unexpected showdown in Green Bay for early control of the division. We Packer fans and Jordan Love believers, of course, knew better, but the rest of the country seemed content to crown the Lions before the season started. This is still a team with a lot to prove, so they’re going to have plenty of juice after ending the Aaron Rodgers era about eight and a half months ago on the same field. But they’re meeting a team with a different energy this week, and I think that will show on the field.

• The MINNESOTA VIKINGS are now 0-2 in one-score games after finishing 11-0 in one score games a season ago. Not only has this team regressed to the mean, but they’ve gone farther than that, regressing to a barely competent football team. At home against another 0-2 team, this was must-win territory for Minnesota. Meanwhile, Justin Jefferson continues to die a little more on the inside with each passing day. The Vikings would be wise to attempt to seek a trade partner for Kirk Cousins so they can get something for him before they inevitably let him walk in the offseason. 

THIS or THAT in Mr. Backes’s room: Week 4 Update

Last week I gave you the overview of the THIS or THAT polls I’ve been doing in my high school English classroom this week, and told you I’d be keeping you updated on the polls throughout the year.

I’ve had five daily polls since then. Students from throughout all of my classes vote by adding a talley to their choice on the board, and I close the poll at the end of the school day. Here’s how they’ve gone down:

• Moana defeated Frozen
• Snapchat defeated Instagram
• October obliterated September
• Kopp’s defeated Leon’s by a single vote (both Milwaukee-area custard institutions, for those who might not be from southeast Wisconsin)
• Football wiped the floor with baseball

Glad to see that the younger generation agrees that baseball does, in fact, suck. 

I haven’t decided yet what my Thursday and Friday polls will be. As always, if you have any recommendations, feel free to share them in the comments, and I may add ones I like into my rotation. I’m trying to keep them fun and lighthearted. 

Young pass catchers coming along nicely

How about these young receivers?

It felt like there were multiple years in a row were fans were screaming for the Packers to do *anything* about the wide receiver position, specifically hoping that the team would draft one in the first round. 

It took a couple years, but Gutekunst has really built up a nice stable of young players.

Of course, you have your headliners like Christian Watson (who will make his season debut tonight) and Romeo Doubs (who has shown significant growth already in year two). But Dontayvion Wicks has been a really nice find and has had a better start to the season than many players drafted ahead of him at the same position. Then there’s Jayden Reed, who has showcased great versatility and is already developing a strong rapport with Jordan Love. That’s not even mentioning the ultra-talented Luke Musgrave, who looks like he’s going to become a massive problem for opposing defenses. When he and Love can really get comfortable together, it looks like they will be a dangerous combination.

There are going to be plenty of growing pains, and we saw a whole lot of them on Sunday. But on the whole, you have to love the promise you’re seeing out of this unit so far.

Damian Lillard is really and truly coming to Milwaukee

A quick word about the Milwaukee Bucks (this is “Hello Wisconsin,” after all). Or rather, a quick two words:

HOLY SHIT.

I have been fantasy trading Damian Lillard to Milwaukee for years. It just made perfect sense for both parties. Despite that, I never in a million years actually thought it would happen. Lillard wanted to go to Miami, and you never get big-name stars interested in coming to Milwaukee.

But it happened. Dame is a Buck. The Bucks have two bonafide superstar Hall of Famers who will be sharing the court, and finally have the elite scoring threat they need to pair with Giannis.

I’m going to miss Jrue Holiday a lot. Not only did he have some crucial roles in some of the most important moments in Bucks franchise history during their title run, and not only does he play outstanding perimeter defense, but he’s also an elite tier human being. The work he and his wife Lauren have done for charitable organizations in Milwaukee has been incredibly inspiring, and he’s truly embraced Milwaukee as his home. It’s rather sad because as recently as Tuesday Holiday was quoted as saying he loved Milwaukee and wanted to stay here for the rest of his career.

But look, guys like Giannis come around maybe once ever for a franchise like Milwaukee, and you’ve got to do everything you can to surround him with elite level talent to maximize the window of opportunity you’ve got with him. With everything Giannis has said this offseason about needing the Bucks to show they’re committed with winning, this was the massive move the team needed to placate him while also immediately transform this team into the clear-cut favorite to win the Eastern Conference.

What a time to be a sports fan in Wisconsin. A new era in Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers football. Jordan Love looking like the next stud franchise quarterback. The Brewers in the playoffs for the fifth time in six years (which feels impossible, as someone who grew up only knowing them as being terrible). The Bucks with the NBA’s greatest player and now another one of its greatest players, with a recent championship and eying more on the horizon.

Just… wow. 

Predictions for Packers/Lions and Week 4

I’m of two minds with this week’s game.

On the one hand, the Lions have had the Packers’ number of late, and they are a slightly more seasoned football team. They just fairly easily dispatched a team that the Packers lost to, and beat the defending champs on the road in week one. You might also argue that a more experienced team has an advantage in a short week.

On the other hand, the Packers just took down a decent Saints team in a single quarter while missing arguably their four best offensive players and best secondary player. One could also argue that the home team frequently has the advantage in a short week.

The Packers may well be getting back Aaron Jones and Christian Watson this week, which should significantly help the offense. If the Packers can get the ground game going a bit more and if Love and his young receivers continue to get on the same page, the Packers could well surprise some people.

This would be a statement win for the Packers heading into a mini bye week. It was basically assumed all offseason that the Lions would run the NFC North. If the Packers win, they’d get a week and a half break while sitting alone at the top of the division with a crucial win over a divisional rival.

This might be me picking more with my heart than my brain, but give me the Packers, 23-20.

LAST WEEK: 10-6

SEASON TO DATE: 28-20

The rest for this week…

JAGUARS over Falcons

RAMS over Colts

RAVENS over Browns

SAINTS over Buccaneers

DOLPHINS over Bills

BRONCOS over Bears

EAGLES over Commanders

STEELERS over Texans

CHARGERS over Raiders

49ERS over Cardinals

COWBOYS over Patriots

CHIEFS over Jets

SEAHAWKS over Giants