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And to our new subscribers, thank you for making Go Long part of your life. In light of our series on The McDermott Problem, it seemed like a perfect time for us to get together for another Happy Hour on Zoom.

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As the New York Jets continue to crumble, the feeling of vindication must be very, very sweet for the Green Bay Packers after their most impressive victory of the season against the defending champions.

Jordan Love outplayed Patrick Mahomes.

The playoffs — and more? — are in sight. The Packers have many winnable games ahead.

For Love, beating the Chiefs must’ve been extra special, too. He took that first start against KC hard in 2021.

We break down everything Packers-Chiefs and everything Lions-Saints right here with our longtime scribe Bob McGinn.

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Chad Brown needed to vent and explain and share his perspective in a platform beyond social media.

Last Sunday, the mass public debated Tom Brady’s comments on football devolving into mediocrity with Alex Smith as the tip of the spear. And, out of the blue, I received a text. The longtime NFL linebacker Brown wanted to chat about this all. It’s hard to imagine a more qualified voice. Out of Colorado, in ‘93, Brown immediately joined the bloodthirsty “Blitzburgh” gang in Pittsburgh — Brown previously shared stories from those days with us for this piece on The Steelers Linebacker.

His career lasted 15 seasons and 188 games, from 1993 to 2007. Brown totaled 79 sacks and 17 forced fumbles, earning three Pro Bowl bids. He also finished fourth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting in 1996.

After that run alongside Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene and co. in Pittsburgh, Brown played for the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and the Steelers again.

But his perspective stretches beyond his career as a player. Brown has been inside the league offices. Brown has worked with modern coaching staffs. He’s familiar with every side of this debate and, these days, works in sports media. There’s a good chance you’ve heard Brown on the national radio airwaves.

What’s the future of football? He’s got a lot to say.

Man, I loved this conversation.

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Also, I’ll share the written Q&A of our conversation later today.

Go Long covers pro football through a longform lens.

Our aim? To lift up the curtain on how this sport truly works.

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No longer is it a foregone conclusion that the Detroit Lions will run away with the NFC North. With a convincing victory on Thanksgiving Day, the Green Bay Packers didn’t only pull themselves back into the playoff race — they’ve got a shot to catch the Lions.

Ahead, they’ll host the Chiefs, Buccaneers and Bears and travel to the Giants, Panthers and Vikings. Starting, first, with the defending champs.

However this 2023 season shakes out, Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst must love what they see in their new franchise quarterback.

On the Ty & Bob Pod — with our resident Hall of Fame sports writer Bob McGinn — we again explore the NFC North in great detail.

* How Jordan Love shredded the Lions secondary.

* Dan Campbell isn’t hitting the panic button. He always knows exactly what to say.

* It’ll be hard to pull Jonathan Owens off the field, regardless of who’s healthy at safety.

* How the Packers’ defensive front beat up the Lions’ mighty O-Line. Penei Sewell allowed six pressures — unheard of. Campbell has pegged Sewell the best player on the entire roster.

* There’s still hope in Detroit to go the distance. Don’t bail yet. McGinn explains.

* Did the clock strike midnight on Joshua Dobbs? This was ugly.

* You heard it here first: The Chicago Bears roster is better than most think — at least on defense. They got after Minnesota.

* A look back at a 2007 Packers-Chiefs game at Arrowhead and, more specifically, why Tony Gonzalez doesn’t get the love he deserves. Gosh, did I gain a whole new appreciation for the tight end working on “Blood and Guts.” He forced the sport to change, even if it meant a near-brawl with Mike Mularkey.

You can listen to the show here at GoLongTD.com and everywhere you pod, including Apple and Spotify, by linking up your account.

Thanks, everyone.

Also, icymi, Brett Favre had a lot to say about Love, the Packers and the state of the football in lieu of Tom Brady’s criticism.

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Brett Favre, like you, watched the Green Bay Packers’ Thanksgiving Day win over the Detroit Lions.

The Hall of Famer, like you, certainly was impressed with Jordan Love.

On this episode of “FAVRE,” we get into plenty:

* It’s hunting season. Favre shares one crazy story from the woods. He can laugh about it now but — holy heck — he was panicking then.

* Jordan Love. What stands out most? Favre sees teammates who truly believe.

* His own breakthrough moment as an NFL quarterback took place in Detroit. Favre relives a wild card classic.

* Football today. Tom Brady made waves last week in describing the quality of play as mediocre. What does Favre think? He knows fans love seeing the heavyweight boxer who gets clobbered to the canvas, and keeps getting up.

A lively episode today.

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Previous episodes of FAVRE:

* Ep 1: Reliving an unforgettable moment in NFL history

* Ep 2: Bar fights, throat-slashes and the car crash that could've killed him

* Ep 3: The unique attrition of football

* Ep 4: Time for Jordan Love to make ‘chicken salad’ out of ‘chicken s**t’

Our Friday Feature, ICYMI:

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For decades, there’s typically been nothing for Detroit Lions fans to get excited about on Thanksgiving Day. Dan Campbell has ushered in a new reality with an 8-2 club in pursuit of the NFC’s top seed.

What planet are we on again?

The hype is real this season.

Times have changed and Ford Field will be rocking on Thanksgiving Day.

And yet — ever so steadily — the Green Bay Packers’ offense has awoken from its slumber. This should be a different team with a different quarterback than the Lions faced at Lambeau Field earlier this season. Jordan Love had the finest game of his young career in the Packers’ 23-20 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, completing 27 of 40 passes for 322 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Now, he’ll enter his most hostile environment to date.

That being said, as Bob McGinn details on this week’s episode, there should be opportunities for Love in the secondary.

We review a trio of NFC North games and look ahead.

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Also, as a reminder, VIP subscribers can ask Hall of Famer Brett Favre anything on “FAVRE.”

We’ll be recording another episode Friday AM.

Upgrade to VIP status and you’ll also receive a Go Long sweatshirt (hoodie or crew) and a signed copy of “The Blood and Guts: How Tight Ends Save Football.”

Previous episodes:

* Ep 1: Reliving an unforgettable moment in NFL history

* Ep 2: Bar fights, throat-slashes and the car crash that could've killed him

* Ep 3: The unique attrition of football

* Ep 4: Time for Jordan Love to make ‘chicken salad’ out of ‘chicken s**t’

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe

Book hotels accordingly. Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs will host the conference championship game. It’s a rite of passage at this point.

Joe Burrow was won at Arrowhead, but now… Joe Burrow (wrist) is done for the season.

So, we wonder: Which team can realistically dethrone the Chiefs?

A new “Go Long Show” is live.

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The Detroit Lions are rolling. Behind Dan Campbell’s fourth-down bravado, they improved to 7-2 with a 41-38 win in Los Angeles. Kudos to those Lions fans filling SoFi Stadium, too.

Minnesota isn’t far behind — miraculously — with Joshua Dobbs.

Green Bay? It was another week, another blah three-hour performance. Jordan Love enjoyed his best game, but it wasn’t enough. The Packers are still young and still cannot finish.

Here’s another close look at the NFC North with Bob McGinn.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe

God bless everyone who stayed up to watch the Chicago Bears’ 16-13 win over the Carolina Panthers last night.

Ugly does not do this game justice.

Tyson Bagent, the undrafted quarterback out of Shepherd College, the son of an arm-wrestling champ defeated Bryce Young… the No. 1 overall pick out of Alabama. Of course, the state of these two teams runs deeper than this. We discuss on the Go Long Show with co-host Jim Monos, a man who’s lived through many ups and downs in NFL front offices. The Panthers have too many cooks in the coaching kitchen.

For more on how the 2023 quarterback dominoes fell, here’s our feature from last month.

We also discuss Sam Howell and the Washington Commanders. He’s making a strong case to the The Guy. Joe Theismann believes. Finally, we take a look at the struggling Buffalo Bills and why the problems are not on offense. The loss in Cincinnati was a reality check.

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Football creates true bonds, true brotherhoods that last forever. Perhaps the sport’s greatest redeeming quality.

Football can also lead to lifelong health problems. To the mind and body.

“Once a Giant: A Story of Victory, Tragedy and Life After Football” captures this balance as well as any NFL book I’ve read. It was a pleasure chatting with the book’s author, the great Gary Myers, for this podcast episode.

The Bill Parcells, Mark Bavaro and Harry Carson stories are equal parts chilling and uplifting.

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Be sure to purchase your copy of “Once a Giant” everywhere books are sold — here’s the Amazon link. You can follow Gary on X @GaryMyersNY.

Thanks, everyone.

I’ll aim to have more conversations with authors, too. The holidays are around the corner and nothing beats a good book as a gift. “Once a Giant” is a great place to start.

Go Long is your home for longform journalism in pro football. New here? Free and pay subscriptions are both available:

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe