The Kansas City Chiefs are getting ready for Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8.
To learn more about Kansas City’s opponent, we spoke with managing editor Zach Kruse over at Packers Wire and asked him a few questions.
Chiefs Wire: This is the first season that the Packers are with a new head coach in quite a while. What have some of the adjustments been like under Matt LaFleur?
Packers Wire: LaFleur has modernized the Packers offense, rejuvenated Aaron Rodgers and helped overhaul the culture in Green Bay. Over the first seven weeks, LaFleur’s Packers showed an ability to play balanced and adapt to injuries and personnel, all while easing the burden on Rodgers and finding different ways to win games. It’s been impressive. Expect to see an offense that uses multiple formations and tons of pre-snap motion to achieve LaFleur’s goal of the “illusion of complexity.” More than anything, football is fun again in Green Bay, and a lot of the credit goes to LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst. A new scheme and a few impact free agents on the defensive side have made all the difference.
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Chiefs Wire: Who are some under-the-radar Packers players that Chiefs fans should keep an eye on?
Packers Wire: I’ll give one on each side of the ball. On offense, receiver Allen Lazard has emerged as a legitimate contributor over the last five quarters. The Iowa State product has created big plays during each of the last two weeks and will be relied upon once again in Kansas City, especially if Davante Adams doesn’t play. He’s a huge receiver (6 feet 5), with a massive catch radius, and Aaron Rodgers trusts him. On defense, keep an eye on rookie safety Darnell Savage. He plays fast, whether he’s covering the deep half of the field, closing down passing lanes in the middle of the field or playing downhill against underneath routes or in the run game. And he’s smart and instinctive. Not surprisingly, he’s been out the last two games and the Packers have struggled. Mike Pettine’s group needs to Savage to protect against the deep ball and help take away tight end Travis Kelce.
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Chiefs Wire: What would you say is the Packers’ biggest weakness right now?
Packers Wire: Run defense. It’s a multi-pronged problem. For starters, Pettine prioritizes stopping the pass. He’ll play light in the box and risk giving up the run to ensure he’s good against the passing game. Second, the defensive line hasn’t played consistently well upfront, and that’s resulted in big run lanes. And when linebacker Blake Martinez can’t run to the ball unhindered, he usually struggles. Good backs have really hurt the Packers this season. It’ll be interesting to see if Pettine does more to stop the run if it’s Matt Moore under center Sunday night.
[Note: The Chiefs named Matt Moore the starter on Friday.]
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Chiefs Wire: Some big names sat out with injury last week in Davante Adams and Darnell Savage. What’s their status this week and do you expect them to play?
Packers Wire: Savage has practiced in full this week and will almost certainly play. I already mentioned him above. Getting him back is huge, especially this week against the Chiefs’ impressive set of skill players. Adams is a different story. He’s progressing from a turf toe injury, but the Packers are rightfully being cautious with his recovery. It can be a debilitating and lingering injury if not treated right. The Packers want him back, but they also want him healthy for the rest of the 2019 season. If I had to guess right now, on Thursday afternoon, I’d say Adams won’t play Sunday night.
[Note: Adams was listed as doubtful on Friday’s injury report.]
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Chiefs Wire: What’s your prediction for this game, and do you have any hot takes?
Packers Wire: I’ve been going back and forth on this all week. I’m certain the Chiefs can win this game regardless of who is playing quarterback. I’d assume Mahomes isn’t going to play, but I’d still expect Andy Reid to have Matt Moore ready to play and play well, especially with extra time to prepare. He’s going to find ways to attack an occasionally shaky Packers defense. That said, LaFleur’s team is a confident bunch, Rodgers is starting to heat up in a major way and the Packers already have huge road wins in Chicago and Dallas. I see a lot of points in this one. I’ll go with the Packers, but if the score is flipped I won’t be surprised. The guess here is that one big stop on Moore in the red zone – turning seven points into three – creates the four-point difference for the Packers. Packers 31, Chiefs 27
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