Green Bay Packers v. Chiefs: 5 Big Questions Revisited
By Paul Bretl
Q: Are reinforcements on the way?
A: They were! While the Green Bay Packers were without Aaron Rodgers, the offense did get back Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Allen Lazard, while the defense had Kevin King return as well.
Adams was targeted heavily, hauling in six receptions on 14 targets for 42 yards. Lazard’s one reception was for a 20-yard touchdown, while MVS had two receptions for 19 yards. King continues to play well, following up his stellar performance in Cincinnati with another one in Kansas City, allowing only three completions for 21 yards along with a pass breakup, according to PFF ($$).
The Green Bay Packers did not get David Bakhtiari back as we were all hoping, and they now have until Wednesday to activate him off the PUP list. While LaFleur made it sound like that was going to happen — which isn’t a surprise — that does not mean he will play this coming Sunday–as LaFleur often says, they’ll give him the week to prove that he’s ready to play.
In not-so-good injury news, Eric Stokes would tweak his knee during warmups and missed the entire game. Meanwhile, Kenny Clark would leave in the second quarter with back pain. When asked on Monday, LaFleur would mention that neither should be long-term; however, both Stokes and Clark’s statuses for this Sunday do sound up in the air.
Q: Can the Green Bay Packers slow another dynamic offense?
A: Yes, yes, and yes. What a performance from this Green Bay Packers defense. Despite Kansas City being 4-4, they entered that game ninth in points per game while Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce each rank among the best in several categories among their respective position groups–this offense can still put up points in the blink of an eye.
But not on Sunday. Mahomes was held to just 166 passing yards on 37 attempts, and the run game would only average 3.1 yards per rush. As a whole, the Chiefs’ offense averaged just 3.8 yards per play–for some context, the 32nd ranked team in this category is Miami, who is averaging 4.7 yards per play. Kansas City was also just 6/16 on third and fourth downs.
"“That was a championship-level effort, championship-level execution,” LaFleur said of the defense via Packers.com. “I was really proud of those guys."
Even without Clark in the second half, the defensive front generated good push against the run, the linebackers all played very well, while the secondary was able to contain Hill and Kelce, which, as we all know, is a very difficult task. The only reason the Packers even had a chance at the end of this game was because of the defense’s performance.
It’s time to start giving Joe Barry some well-deserved credit.