Packers hold on for a thrilling win in Kansas City

What an exciting game! The Green Bay Packers improved their record to 7-1 as they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-24 on Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Packers jumped out to a 14-0 lead but the Chiefs scored on their next three possessions to take a 17-14 lead into halftime. The Packers answered in the second half with a field goal and a touchdown to take a 24-17 lead before Kansas City would tie it again at 24-24. The Packers answered back with a touchdown pass to Aaron Jones to take a 31-24 lead, which they would not relinquish and won a hard-fought game in a hostile environment.

Analysis and thoughts on the game:

The Packers got the ball to start the game and Aaron Rodgers went right to work. His throw to Jake Kumerow on third down was a thing of beauty. The defender just missed knocking the ball away and Kumerow held on for a clutch first down. Aaron Jones had a rushing touchdown called back due to a penalty, but he found the endzone two plays later on a pair of receptions and a 7-0 GB lead.

After a huge sack of Rodgers on Green Bay’s next possession, the Chiefs took advantage of great field position after JK Scott had to punt out of his own endzone. Mecole Hardman would return the punt to the GB 30-yard line, but the defense held them to -2 yards on the drive and Harrison Butker’s 50-yard FG attempt missed wide left.

Two plays later, Rodgers appeared to hit Jones for a 60-yard touchdown, but Jones stepped out of bounds at the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Jamaal Williams took it in from a yard out and the Packers appeared to be in business with a 14-0 lead.

The Chiefs didn’t go away though. Veteran Matt Moore led the team to 17 unanswered points as they took a 17-14 halftime lead. KC got the ball to start the second half and was driving for more points but Za’Darius Smith sacked Moore on third down, forcing a punt.

The Packers took over at their own 11-yard line and threatened to take the lead but a sack on third down forced them to settle for a Mason Crosby field goal and a 17-17 tie.

The Chiefs took over and Tyler Lancaster stopped LeSean McCoy, forcing a fumble which Lancaster recovered, giving the Packers a golden opportunity to take the lead. Facing a third-and-1 at the KC 3-yard line, Rodgers ran around and appeared that he was going to be sacked, only to throw an incredible rainbow to Jamaal Williams in the right corner of the endzone for a touchdown and a 24-17 lead.

After the Chiefs answered, the Aarons connected once again as Rodgers hit Jones with a short pass that he took 67 yards to the endzone and a 31-24 lead. The defense forced a punt but the ball ended up at the GB 2-yard line with 5:04 left in the game.

Aaron Jones would get them out of that hole quickly as he burst forward for 6 yards. After a few first downs, the Packers faced a third-and-5 on the other side of the two-minute warning and the Chiefs out of timeouts. Rodgers found Jones once again for an 8-yard pass and GB was finally able to kneel on the ball and end the game.

Rodgers didn’t finish with a perfect QB rating like he did last week vs the Oakland Raiders, but he had some incredible throws and some timely runs to keep the chains moving. Aaron Jones was obviously the star of this game with 67 yards rushing and 159 receiving yards for a total of 226. The defense gave up a lot of yards once again but they had some timely sacks by Za’Darius Smith and that fumble was huge.

A lot of credit goes to QB Matt Moore in a losing effort though. He isn’t Mahomes but he really gave the Packers’ defense fits. I knew that this wasn’t going to be a cakewalk for the Packers. The Chiefs still have a lot of weapons and Arrowhead Stadium is not an easy place to get a win.

This is the first time the Packers have won consecutive games vs the Chiefs. The all-time series is now 7-5-1 in favor of Kansas City. Three of the five Packer wins have come at Arrowhead Stadium. They have one win at Lambeau Field and the other win was at the LA Coliseum in the first Super Bowl ever played.

They really had to sweat it out but it’s another win. The Packers are 7-1 and with the exception of the game vs the Raiders, none of them were blowouts. They have beaten some good teams this year. The offense is starting to come around. Also, we can’t lose sight of the fact that they are now 4-0 without Davante Adams in the lineup. Speaking of Adams, he will probably be ready for the next game. Things are looking good for Green Bay right now. One thing I would really like to see is the defense gets a little bit stingier. Other than that, there really isn’t much to complain about. We also can’t overlook the job Matt LaFleur has done.

Speaking of LaFleur, I almost forgot about his challenge early in the game. On Kansas City’s first possession, they originally had a first down but LaFleur challenged the spot and the call was reversed, forcing a punt. Given how good the offenses were in this game, that challenge was huge.

So we have reached the halfway point of the regular season and the Packers are 7-1. They will continue to be challenged week after week so they have to be ready for whoever they face. Their next game is on the road vs the Los Angeles Chargers in the late game next Sunday afternoon. For now, enjoy the win and have a great week!

Go Pack Go!

@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #AllGasNoBrake #GregGoshaw @gg901