Kansas City Chiefs vs. Green Bay Packers: Green Bay Grades, Notes and Quotes
Aaron Rodgers continued his hot streak to begin the season and put his MVP-caliber play on display en route to a Green Bay Packers victory over the visiting Kansas City Chiefs, 38-28, on Monday Night Football.
Rodgers' five touchdown passes helped keep the Packers undefeated and atop the NFC North standings to begin their 2015 campaign. Not only is the win the team's 11th straight at home, but it also marks the first time Green Bay has gone 3-0 to start a season since 2011.
Rodgers and Co. scored 24 first-half points to ensure a comfortable lead, but Kansas City (1-2) exploded with 14 points of their own in the fourth quarter to make things interesting. Ultimately, it was too little too late.
Although Jamaal Charles reached the end zone three times and a Chiefs wide receiver finally scored a touchdown, this game came down to the quarterbacking on both sides.
Rodgers outplayed Kansas City signal-caller Alex Smith all night—picking apart the opposing secondary and dodging would-be sacks throughout the contest.
The Packers now have a short week ahead of them before they travel to San Francisco to take on the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4.
Take a look at how each position group graded out, including some key takeaways and quotes, from Green Bay's Monday night victory.
Position Grades for Packers
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | A+ |
| RB | B- |
| WR | A |
| TE | B |
| OL | C |
| DL | A+ |
| LB | A- |
| DB | C+ |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | B+ |
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers is on another level right now. He started Monday night's game on a high note—and didn't slow down until the final whistle. After throwing for two touchdowns in Green Bay's first three drives, he added three more throughout the game to put the Packers comfortably ahead. We'll cover the specifics of Rodgers' brilliance a little later, but, yeah, he was pretty good.
Running Back
Although the Packers rushed for 123 yards as a team, their two lead backs managed just 78 combined yards on 27 carries. Eddie Lacy, who played despite suffering a sprained ankle last week, had some tough runs but never really got it going on the ground as he finished with 46 yards and no scores. James Starks had an even worse stat line. To be fair, though, Green Bay clearly favored the pass with Rodgers making the plays instead of its run game.
Wide Receiver
When Rodgers is on the same page as his receivers, we usually get a performance like Monday's. Randall Cobb's route-running was top-notch as he was awarded with three touchdown receptions. Then there's James Jones who had yet another great game, with seven catches, 191 yards and a score to go with it.
When Davante Adams re-injured his ankle on the first drive, rookie Ty Montgomery came right in and caught his first career touchdown to open up the scoring in the first quarter. He didn't do much afterward—just one other reception—but Rodgers made sure to get Montgomery involved early on.
Tight End
Richard Rodgers and Andrew Quarless caught two passes apiece for just 29 combined yards—but it was their run and pass-blocking that proved worthy. Most notably, Rodgers took care of Tamba Hali on an end-around run by Cobb in the first quarter to spring a 12-yard gain on the eventual touchdown-scoring drive.
Offensive Line
The Chiefs' dangerous pass-rush sacked Rodgers just once all game, but they were in his face almost every other play—not to mention thwarting any chance of a successful Green Bay running game. Tackles Don Barclay and David Bakhtiari found themselves routinely on the ground trying to stop Kansas City's elite outside linebackers, Justin Houston and Hali. Fortunately for Packers fans, Rodgers either got rid of the ball fast or made plays with his feet while dodging bodies around him in the pocket, as ESPN's Rob Demovsky noted:
"Justin Houston knocked Don Barclay on his butt and it didn't matter. Rodgers got it out quick to Mongtomery for an 8-yard TD.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 29, 2015"
Defensive Line
Mike Daniels was the star on a line that limited Charles' production in the run game—just 49 rushing yards—and battered Alex Smith all night long. Daniels finished with 1.5 sacks of his own but only after he could be seen routinely stopping Charles in the backfield in the first quarter. The defensive end also forced a fumble. He helped the Packers set the tone early on defense and force the Chiefs to go to the air to keep up with Rodgers and the offense.
Linebacker
Clay Matthews was back to his old self Monday wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks. The outside linebacker sacked Smith twice while anchoring a unit that threw in 3.5 more. The only knock on the linebacking corps would be allowing Charles to score three times—including two fourth quarter TDs to pull Kansas City within striking distance.
Defensive Back
With their starting safety sitting out again, the Packers had a tough task trying to cover tight end Travis Kelce and stop a potent running game without Morgan Burnett. The bigger guys in front helped out on the latter, but Kelce and Jeremy Maclin torched the defensive backs all night. Kelce finished with six catches for 80 yards, while Maclin went 8-of-141 and a score—the first touchdown caught by a Chiefs wide receiver since 2013, as SportsCenter pointed out:
"It had been 21 games since the Chiefs threw a TD to a wide receiver. 659 days. pic.twitter.com/LPoL19yRS7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 29, 2015"
Special Teams
The unit did its job all around—not much more you can ask for with a big lead. Mason Crosby converted all five of his extra points and hit a 44-yard field goal. The kickoff return team also recovered an onside kick in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.
Coaching
Defensive coordinator Dom Capers dialed up the right number of blitzes late as his unit racked up seven sacks on Smith. The big knock was allowing the Chiefs to actually make it a ballgame late as the defense let up on three second-half touchdown drives and Smith threw for 290 yards—the quarterback's season-high and something he'd done just three times all of last season.
Rodgers Picks Apart Chiefs Secondary
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Aaron Rodgers is in his prime right now, and there's not much opposing defenses can do to stop him.
On Monday night, the quarterback needed just a few receivers to do his damage—though he didn't have much choice. His former No. 1 target, Jordy Nelson, is gone for the year, and Davante Adams re-injured his ankle on the first drive of the game. No problem.
Rodgers found rookie receiver Ty Montgomery in the first quarter for his first touchdown pass of the game and then went and tossed four more—three of them to Randall Cobb and the other to the resurgent James Jones.
Rodgers finished 24-of-35, with 333 passing yards and a 138.5 passer rating as he dissected the Chiefs pass defense all night. With a depleted offensive line that had to hold off Justin Houston and Tamba Hali—two top pass-rushers—Rodgers went no-huddle and shotgun for much of the first half to the tune of four scoring drives that featured a majority of passing plays to keep the secondary on its heels.
Green Bay's signal-caller stretched his unreal streak at home without an interception to an NFL-record 580 pass attempts and 48 touchdowns. Fox Sports 1 tweeted out some more stats to put Rodgers' performance in perspective:
"Aaron Rodgers' incredible streak at Lambeau Field continues. (via @FOXSportsLive) pic.twitter.com/YJiCkNQsg6
— FS1 (@FS1) September 29, 2015"
Rodgers joins Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to throw for 10 or more touchdowns with no picks in the first three games to start a season.
Rodgers' Teammates on Their QB's MVP Play
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It's easy to marvel at a player like Aaron Rodgers from afar—but how about those who interact with one of the league's best players on a daily basis.
Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin tracked down some of Rodgers' teammates after Monday's game to get their reaction to their quarterback's insane play:
"You take it for granted," Packers outside linebacker Julius Peppers said of Rodgers, per Wilde. "You do. Trust me, I don’t. I played on some teams where I wish I had a guy like him."
"#Packers backup QB Scott Tolzien, on Aaron Rodgers: "To me, it’s like watching Jordan in his prime. He’s at the top of his game."
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) September 29, 2015"
What about someone that has the opportunity to catch passes from Rodgers? Albert Breer of NFL Network has you covered:
"Packers WR James Jones on Aaron Rodgers: "We are all witnesses to something special right now."
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 29, 2015"
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Packers D Gets Off to a Fast Start
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The first quarter was a nightmare for Chiefs fans everywhere—and not just because Aaron Rodgers led two touchdown-scoring drives in the frame.
Green Bay's defense came out strong and forced three straight three-and-outs to start the game. After the dust settled, the Packers had out-gained the Chiefs, 150-3, in offensive yards in the first quarter.
"Our thing is to get off the field and give them the ball," cornerback Sam Shields said, referring to the Packers offense, per Packers.com's Mike Spofford. "You’ve seen what happened."
What happened was a 14-0 lead for Green Bay at the first break and a 24-7 advantage at halftime.
With the defense setting the tone early, the Chiefs were forced to play catch-up the rest of the way. Translation: Alex Smith must make plays. Kansas City's early deficit also reduced the impact of their strong game led by Jamaal Charles, who finished with just 49 yards on the ground.
Rodgers on His Five TD Night
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Aaron Rodgers has started his season with 10 touchdown passes and zero interceptions—just the second quarterback to do so along with Peyton Manning in 2013.
In his postgame press conference Monday night, Rodgers was asked if he was playing his best football right now. His response is what you'd expect from a leader and early MVP candidate.
"I need to," he said (via ESPN's Rob Demovsky). "I need to bring it every week. It’s three games in. I’d like to keep it going like this throughout the season."
Rodgers was also asked if he knew what was coming defensively from Kansas City.
"Yes, I am," Rodgers answered, per Packers.com's Vic Ketchman. "That’s something we’ve talked about; making them sprint off the field."
Twice the Packers quarterback converted third downs by catching the Chiefs with 12 men on the field. Two other times, Rodgers caught them offsides—both of which he made them pay. One of the free plays resulted in a 52-yard completion to James Jones, and the other went for a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jones.
Green Bay's Defensive Backs Struggle Without Burnett
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Morgan Burnett sat out his second game of the season with a re-aggravated calf injury he suffered in practice Friday. If this is to be a recurring issue for Green Bay's starting strong safety, the rest of the defensive backs must solve their problems in their leader's absence.
On Monday night, Kansas City's passing game surged late and made things interesting in the fourth quarter with Green Bay's secondary reeling. Jeremy Maclin broke through with an eight-catch, 141-yard game to go along with a touchdown reception—the first by a Chiefs receiver since 2013. His 61-yard catch just before his fourth-quarter score exposed the secondary late.
Fortunately for the defensive linebacking corps, tight end Travis Kelce finished without a touchdown—though he had six catches for 80 yards.
The unit did force one interception of Alex Smith, but the Chiefs quarterback had a day himself with 290 passing yards. The number doesn't seem so bad—if it wasn't something he's not prone to do on a weekly basis. Smith threw for at least 290 yards just three times last year—all in the final three weeks of the season—and had just 191 last week against the Denver Broncos.
The argument can be made that the Chiefs had to play catch-up—forcing Smith to go to the air late in the game—but the evidence still lies in Maclin's huge day.
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