The Green Bay Packers stepped up their game and defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs 27-19 on Sunday Night Football at Lambeau Field. Jordan Love threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns while Keisean Nixon came up with a key interception to help the Packers earn the victory. Here are 10 things we learned from the Packers 27-19 win over the Chiefs.
First Thing We Learned in the Packers Win: Jordan Love Is Confident and Poised
Love looks more like the real deal with each passing game. The Utah State alum kept calm when pressured. He was able to find second and third options and even complete accurate throws downfield with pass rushers in his face.
He finished the game 25-of-36 for 267 yards and three touchdowns and did not throw an interception. His quarterback rating was 118.6.
More importantly, Love played strong situational football. He led the Packers on a long, methodical drive to open the game that took more than half the first quarter clock and resulted in a touchdown.
Love also completed a key pass to Romeo Doubs on a fourth-and-two. Doubs was surrounded by defenders and two pass rushers were in Love’s face, but the pass was accurate and helped the Packers pick up a key first down.
Love showed he is the leader of this team, and his teammates clearly believe in him. We are watching him mature and develop right before our eyes.
Second Thing We Learned: Defense Made Big Plays
Green Bay’s defense struggled at times but came through in the clutch. The Packers sacked Patrick Mahomes three times in the game and all three were in the red zone. They forced the Chiefs to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns which allowed the Packers to play with the lead early.
Nixon came up with a big interception in the fourth quarter that led to the Packers final points of the night. The veteran slot corner showed great anticipation and read the pattern well. That allowed him to beat the receiver to the ball and make the pick.
Although the Chiefs punted only once in the game, the defense came up with some important stops and was good enough to hold Mahomes and the Kansas City offense to just 19 points.
Third Thing We Learned in the Packers Win: The Young Receiving Corps Got It Done by Committee
The young Green Bay receiving corps had a productive game and nearly everybody contributed. Love completed passes to nine different receivers.
Christian Watson led the way with seven catches including two for touchdowns before he suffered an injury that kept him out of the rest of the game. Jayden Reed and Doubs caught four passes each, Dontayvion Wicks and Tucker Kraft each grabbed three.
Even backup tight end Ben Sims caught a touchdown on his only pass giving the Packers three different rookie tight ends with a touchdown catch this season.
Love seems to have confidence in all his receivers right now and that allows the team to have options on offense and makes it tougher for defenses to defend.
Fourth Thing We Learned: A.J. Dillon Ran Hard and Effectively
A.J. Dillon did what he needed to do to keep the Chiefs defense honest. He carried 18 times for 73 yards which is a 4.1-yard average. But most of them were tough yards between the tackles.
The Boston College alum earned most of those yards the hard way. His long gain for the game was 10 yards but he managed to keep the Packers in second or third and manageable distances by picking up a few yards on each carry.
Dillon also was tougher to bring down than he was early in the season and did a nifty job to pick up 14 yards on his only reception of the game. With Aaron Jones out again, Dillon stepped up and played well.
Fifth Thing We Learned in the Packers Win: The Packers Play Calling Was Strong
Matt LaFleur called a smart game. The long, methodical drive to start the game off was just what the Packers needed to set the tone and it kept Mahomes and company off the field.
Without Jones available, LaFleur mixed in some toss passes and end arounds and used misdirection to keep the defense honest. That also helped limit the Chiefs blitz opportunities.
Furthermore, there was a good mix of short and long passes, and the variety of calls helped the Pack score more points on the Chiefs than any other team this season.
Sixth Thing We Learned: The Run Defense Struggled Again
The Packers run defense continues to struggle. Kansas City’s Isiah Pacheco ran through the defense with ease, gaining 110 yards on just 18 carries for a 6.1-yard average. As a team, KC ran 25 times for 148 yards.
Joe Barry emphasizes stopping the pass and that was effective enough, but the Chiefs are one of the weaker running teams in the game. Kansas City dominated the line of scrimmage on running plays and it’s something the Packers need to fix before a good running team hurts them badly.
Seventh Thing We Learned in the Packers Win: Anders Carlson Came Through in the Clutch
Rookie kicker Anders Carlson came through in the clutch for the Packers. On a cold night, he hit all three of his extra points and both field goals he attempted.
That included a 48-yard kick in the closing minutes to put the Packers ahead by eight points.
Carlson will have a big challenge kicking in the winter weather at Lambeau, but this game and these moments weren’t too big for him and that was a very encouraging sign.
Eighth Thing We Learned: The Packers Had No Answer for Travis Kelce
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce caught four passes for 81 yards, good for a 20.3-yard average. Everybody knew Kelce was the Chiefs most dangerous receiver but on too many of those catches, he was wide open.
The Packers did manage to keep Kelce out of the end zone, but he was easily able to find soft spots in the Green Bay zone and pick up large chunks of yardage in key situations.
Ninth Thing We Learned in the Packers Win: This Young Team Is Learning Fast
The Packers continue to make strides as the season goes on. The progress the team is making is encouraging. We are not seeing the same mental errors we saw earlier in the campaign. The penalties are down, and the wrong pass patterns and bad throws are also less frequent.
This young team believes in itself now, and it almost seems they don’t know this is supposed to be difficult.
Green Bay has now beaten the division-leading Lions and defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in back-to-back games on national television.
The progress we’ve seen over the last five games is impressive and a tribute to the coaching staff and players alike. It may not be all smooth sailing from here, but this team has taken a big step forward.
Tenth Thing We Learned in the Packers Win: The Packers Are in the Playoff Hunt
There are five games left in the season and if it ended today, Green Bay would qualify for the playoffs. LaFleur is 16-0 now as head coach of the Packers in the month of December.
The good news is the schedule gets easier over the last five games with 6-6 Minnesota having the best record among remaining opponents.
Whether they qualify for the postseason or not, this will be a great learning experience for this young team as they play meaningful games down the stretch. A month ago, we didn’t think that possible.
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