Jordan Love‘s first start was pretty underwhelming. A mix of inaccurate throws, some bizarre play-calling, and constant blitzing by the Kansas City Chiefs made life difficult for the second-year quarterback out of Utah State. The Chiefs’ offense looked average at best, and Green Bay’s defense shut them down for the most part. Still, Kansas City escaped with a 13-7 victory.
Here are five numbers that summed up the afternoon for the Packers at Arrowhead Stadium.
7
Kansas City dialed up one third-down blitz after another all game, and the Packers had difficulty picking them up. As a result, the Chiefs recorded seven quarterback hits on Love and had plenty more pressures.
Love made some unbalanced throws, and the Chiefs constantly flushed him out of the pocket. It was tough sledding through three quarters. While the fourth quarter was much better, Steve Spagnuolo deserves some credit for doing the obvious and pressuring the young Packers quarterback.
6
Six infuriating special teams blunders by the Packers went a long way in determining the outcome. Packers fans were told it would be different with Maurice Drayton running the show on special teams. However, it’s been so embarrassing that fans have had Ron Zook flashbacks.
Two of the hiccups were on field goals. Mason Crosby missed one and had another blocked, and Green Bay lost the game by six points. On the miss, Crosby seemed upset at holder Corey Bojorquez for not spinning the laces out, and the second one was a huge push from the Chiefs up front to force the block.
The punt return team was abysmal as well. There was one muffed punt that hit the foot of Malik Taylor, and the Chiefs recovered. Another rookie Amari Rodgers muffed another one, but he was able to get back on top of it.
Sprinkle in the Packers taking a penalty for an illegal formation on a kickoff — yes, a kickoff — and having to rush an extra player on the field when they only had 10 for a punt. It was an inexcusable day for the special teams as a whole.
An in-season dismissal seems highly unlikely. But Drayton should be upset with how his unit looked and has looked for large parts of the season.
0
The Chiefs turned the ball over zero times on Sunday against the Packers. They had averaged a league-high 2.5 turnovers per game, but Green Bay couldn’t pry one away.
Despite that, the Packers’ defense played phenomenally, and it’s a shame their performance resulted in a loss for the team. Holding the Chiefs to 13 points at Arrowhead and forcing multiple three-and-outs should always lead to a victory. It didn’t this time.
There were a couple of opportunities for Green Bay’s defense to generate a turnover. The best one came on an out-route throw from Mahomes that Kevin King played perfectly and had go right through his grasp.
Protecting the rock was crucial in KC’s win, and Green Bay’s two turnovers helped contribute to the loss.
2
The Packers only converted two third-downs on 12 tries against the Chiefs. Both came late in the second half when the game felt out of reach. KC only had a 13-0 lead, but it felt like a 40-0 hole with how out of sync the Packers’ offense looked.
Time and again, Kansas City blitzed on third down, and Love had difficulty finding a rhythm. As a result, the Packers had plenty of trouble moving the sticks.
LaFleur’s offense entered this game converting on third down 42% of the time, 12th in the NFL. That number will take a dip after they went 2-12 on Sunday.
Had Aaron Rodgers been starting, Spagnuolo would not have had the luxury to continue to bring multiple players on the blitz against Green Bay. Without the reigning MVP, the game plan on defense was simple for the Chiefs. It revolved around causing chaos up front. The 2-12 third-down conversion rate isn’t sustainable for any team that wants to carve out a win.
25
The Packers ran it only 25 times against the Chiefs compared to 34 pass attempts for Love. Some of this was the game dictating throws to be called with Green Bay down two possessions late. It was still wildly disappointing to see AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones combine for just 20 carries after both had 15-plus individually the week before against the Arizona Cardinals.
Both ran the ball well in Kansas City, yet the Packers went to the air attack more frequently. Without Rodgers, it appeared obvious that they would have to use a scheme similar to the one they used against the Cardinals. Instead, Green Bay opted to go in the opposite direction in several different spurts during this game.
Moving forward, a straightforward recipe for success looks like relying on stout defense, plus the running game. The Packers didn’t use it enough against the Chiefs.
