Where’s my heartburn medicine? While we got the W, one thing is for certain: Kansas City played their asses off. What looked like a gimme win at the end of the first quarter turned into a close match between two well-coached teams.
Once again, RB Aaron Jones has earned his keep with the Packers. Our man Rob mentioned earlier this year that this was going to be a hot season for Jones and he was correct. Jones was looking like Ahman Green and then some tonight. While I expected more rushing than reception yards from Jones, that is the 2019 Packers Offense for you.
Aaron Rodgers is likely to feel a lot of pain the next few days as he was the recipient of 5 sacks by a Chiefs defense that was even missing several key players. KC head coach Andy Reid was relentless in putting pressure on Rodgers the entire night. Although one cover-0 blitz late in the game did allow Rodgers to zig-zag his way to a first down.
WR Allen Lazard’s stock continues to rise as he and WR Jake Kumerow seemed to be the only wide receivers worth anything for the night. Aaron Jones led in reception yards again as Rodgers targeted 8 players for passes. Jimmy Graham even managed to catch a few including a short pass for a very important 1st down.
While Jamaal Williams played decent, he trailed behind Rodgers in rushing yards as the QB was desperately running away from defenders most of the night.
As for the defense, there is plenty to be disappointed with — notably the fact that screen passes seem to be our kryptonite — but one thing is still certain and has been all season: they get the job done when it matters the most. On that note, I’d like to give a big middle finger to CB Tramon Williams for an illegal use of hands penalty that turned a red zone 4th and goal into a 1st and goal for the Chiefs resulting in a TD for them. That’s the sort of mistake that much younger guys make — he knows better.
Darnell Savage’s return was felt tonight as he led the team with 6 tackles and also 1 assist. Za’Darius Smith, with 2 sacks for the night, now has 6 total sacks this season.
The Packers are 7-1 with a new coach and a tough early schedule this season. No matter what happens in the end, this has already gone down as a historical season for the team and has been a pleasure to follow along.