KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs stepped onto the field for a morning walkthrough Wednesday, beginning their initial preparation for the Packers on Sunday, only to learn that preparation would need to change.
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers will miss Sunday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium after testing positive for COVID-19, paving the way for backup Jordan Love’s first career start.
So instead of facing a quarterback who has thrown 6,845 career NFL passes, the Chiefs must gather as much information as possible about a second-year player who’s thrown just seven.
How does that work?
“I actually just asked my coach that about an hour ago,” Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said. “You get all the tape of the preseason games, try to get a feel for what he likes to do, whether that be rhythm throws or trying to find his shots deep. I do know he has a big arm and he can move around the pocket, so it will be a good challenge for us.”
For the second time in three years, the potential of a Rodgers-Patrick Mahomes matchup is gone. The two were set to square off in 2019, when the Packers also visited Kansas City, but Mahomes missed the game with a dislocated-kneecap injury.
And now this, an unexpected twist in a marquee matchup only four days before it arrives.
Mahomes has talked about modeling his game, at least to a certain extent, after Rodgers, a player nearly 12 years his elder. Their off-platform throws have always made for an easy comparison. So Mahomes’ first thought after seeing the news Wednesday had little to do with the alterations in preparation.
“It’s definitely disappointing,” Mahomes said. “When you get to see an all-time great like him play — I’ve watched his game for a long time, feeling that I play a similar style — you always want to compete against the best. But hopefully he’s healthy (and) it’s not too bad. And I’m sure he’ll come back from it stronger than he was before.”
For now, though, it’s Love who’s coming to Kansas City, and commanding the Chiefs’ attention.
Love’s NFL resume includes just two career appearances, both this season, and he’s thrown a pass in just one game. He did not play as a rookie in 2020 after the Packers surprised some across the league — and maybe even Rodgers — by selecting Love in the first round of the NFL draft.
Love’s seven pass attempts came in this season’s opener. The Packers waved the proverbial white flag in a 38-3 loss to New Orleans, sitting Rodgers for the final 15 snaps. Love was 5 of 7 for 68 yards. He also lost a fumble.
That’s it. That’s the extent of Love’s regular-season tape. So the Chiefs must dig deeper for film — into the Packers’ three preseason games, for example. Maybe even back into his college tape, which — no surprise — Chiefs coach Andy Reid has already seen. Even as the Chiefs were set at quarterback, Reid did his homework.
Now, this week’s homework has changed. Some. But not entirely.
“You know that they’re not going to completely change the whole offense,” Reid said. “That’s not going to happen. They’re still going to run the offense. They did that in the preseason. It looked like he did a nice job with it. If that’s the case, you’re prepping for the offense, and then you take those unique qualities that each one has and you work on that.”
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