Packers improve to 7-1 against Mahomes-less Chiefs

What had been expected to be a shoot-out between Aaron Rodgers and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t materialize due to Mahomes’ injuring his knee in a Thursday game against the Broncos, but the Chiefs were still given an even chance to win Sunday night at home with Matt Moore at quarterback, who as a backup with Miami had shown enough ability for people to question why he was never given a shot at a starting job. The Packers got the early jump with 14 first quarter points, but as typically happens against good teams, the Packers’ offensive went into hibernation for a while, watching the defense watch Moore performing a lot better than some other quarterbacks starting in this league. The Chiefs rallied for 17 unanswered points in the second quarter, and as usual for paranoid fans, there were doubts if the Packers could keep up.

In the second half Rodgers was sacked on a third-and-goal play as the Packers settled for a tying field goal. From then it was a matter if the defense could hold, and LeSean McCoy obliged by fumbling on the next play at the Chiefs’27. Rodgers scrambled twice for 24 yards, and then tossed a three-yard TD pass to Jamaal Williams for the lead. But as often happens when good things happen too easily, there is a tendency to get too caught up in the moment and it is forgotten that the other team wants to win too. On the Chiefs’ next possession Moore led the team down the field without much opposition until an incompletion on their only third-down play on the drive appeared to thwart a tying touchdown; however, Tramon Williams was flagged for illegal use of hands, and the Chiefs scored on the next possession. 

However, fortune smiled on the Packers for the second straight week as the Packers scored late again on a long catch-and-run play, this time Aaron Jones catching a pass and threading his way through the Chiefs’ secondary for a 67-yard touchdown. Jones had early caught a pass for 50 yards, narrowly missing turning it into a 60-yard touchdown. Jones caught 7 passes for 159 yards, more than half of Rodgers 305 yards passing. Rodgers didn’t spend too much time looking around for wide receivers to throw to, being sacked five times and hit another 12 times (Moore was sacked twice and hit 7 times), but for the second week running his numbers benefited from some YAC action.

The Packers 31-24 victory puts them at 7-1 for the season, which seems almost improbable the way they fitfully found a way to win early on. In fact they could be 8-0 were it not for a few red zone miscues against the Eagles. Interestingly, the 49ers are unbeaten despite hardly Pro Bowl-caliber play by their quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, who seems to wind-up on the winning side despite himself. Unlike the Packers, the 49ers do have a top-tier defense. In the Packers’ favor, their defense can be better, and I don’t see Garoppolo improving beyond “game manager” mode. Right now, I’d like the Packers’ chances in 1-2 playoff match-up.