Chiefs-Packers shaping up different than anyone expected

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Packers-Chiefs game Sunday was supposed to be a showdown between two teams with Super Bowl aspirations, each led by league MVPs under center and with rabid fanbases that expect nothing less than another deep postseason run.

Well, so much for expectations.

To start, the Packers will visit Arrowhead Stadium without the reigning MVP after Aaron Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 this week. Instead of having a three-time All-Pro facing a downtrodden Chiefs defense, they'll turn to second-year pro Jordan Love in his first career start with all of seven regular-season passes to his name.

At least the Packers (7-1) have a record commensurate with expectations.

On the other side, the Chiefs (4-4) and the 2018 MVP have looked nothing like a championship contender. Patrick Mahomes leads the league in interceptions and turnovers, and Kansas City needed a fourth-quarter comeback Monday night just to beat the lowly Giants and even their record eight games into the season.

In other words, the luster that was supposed to accompany Sunday's showdown has dimmed considerably.

"Nobody's going to feel sorry for us," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. "They're not going to postpone or cancel the game. We have a game to play and it's a next-man up mentality and that's how we've operated for everybody."

Indeed, the Packers managed to overcome the loss of wide receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard to COVID protocols — to say nothing of a bunch of injuries on defense — to deal the Cardinals their first loss of the season last week.

It gave them a comfortable 3 1/2-game cushion on the Vikings in the NFC Central.

"Definitely it's time for some of the young leaders, myself included, to step up. And we've had a great leader to learn from," said Packers running back Aaron Jones, who could be Love's best friend Sunday. "So now, take that and put it to use."

Meanwhile, the Chiefs still believe they are Super Bowl contenders after adding pass rusher Melvin Ingram ahead of the trade deadline to help their moribund defense. But they are still a half-game behind the Chargers, whom they've already lost to once, and 1 1/2 games behind the Raiders in what has become a wide-open AFC West.

"We're still moving the ball and doing a lot of great things," Mahomes said, "but whenever you turn the ball over or get a penalty and get pushed back, that kind of ruins drives. It comes down to execution in this league and if you don't execute, if teams are going to make you drive the entire field, you have to show you can do that."

Too often this season, the Chiefs haven't been able to do it. They are minus-11 in turnover differential after coughing up the ball twice more against the Giants, and they committed 12 penalties for 103 yards in their game Monday night.

"It's nothing crazy, man. We just have to do our jobs," Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. said. "We can't give up crazy deep balls. We can't jump offsides. It's just that is basic Football 101. You can't hurt yourself and we can't let them take the top off of the defense. Just do your job right and you'll be all right."

BELIEVING IN LOVE

The Packers kept the faith in Love, a 2020 first-round pick out of Utah State, even though he didn't play at all as a rookie and only sparingly in a season-opening blowout loss to New Orleans. Some of Love's rapid progress came when he got the vast majority of reps as Rodgers skipped voluntary workouts and a mandatory minicamp.

"He's got his legs up under him. Just more experience," Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark said. "I'm not on the offensive side of the ball, but just watching him, you can just see he's more comfortable."

TURNOVER TROUBLE

The two-time defending AFC champion Chiefs have an NFL-leading 19 turnovers through eight games, while the Packers entered this week tied with Indianapolis for the second-best turnover margin at plus-8.

"Whether it's us getting interceptions, getting pressure on the quarterback, guys fumbling the ball — we could punch out the ball. There's a lot of stuff we're seeing on film," Clark said. "That's definitely something we're going to put an emphasis on all week."

MORE ON COVID-19

Adams and Lazard plan to play Sunday, while Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry, who also tested positive last week and missed the game in Arizona, is also expected to make the trip. Vaccinated players testing positive are allowed to return after two negative tests taken at least 24 hours apart; unvaccinated players testing positive must isolate for 10 days.

FAN ANGST

There were plenty of Chiefs fans upset at their performance heading into last week's game, leading safety Tyrann Mathieu to label them "toxic" in a since-deleted tweet. Mathieu quickly apologized for it, saying he was merely frustrated at the way the season has been going, and he was given his usual adoring welcome during pregame introductions.

LIVE AND LEARN

The Chiefs have been waiting weeks for Josh Gordon to pick up their robust offense enough to make an impact after the wide receiver signed early in the season. They are hopeful Ingram can make a more immediate impact — perhaps even this Sunday — given how much easier it is for defensive players to get up to speed.

"We'll see how it goes. We're not going to put him in a bad situation," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "He just got here and got cracking (Wednesday), so we'll see how he feels and how comfortable he is."

GREEN BAY (7-1) at KANSAS CITY (4-4)

Sunday, 3:25 p.m. CST, Fox

OPENING LINE: Chiefs by 1, according to FanDuel SportsBook

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Green Bay 7-1; Kansas City 2-6.

SERIES RECORD: Chiefs lead 7-5-1.

LAST MEETING: Packers beat Chiefs 31-24 on Oct. 27, 2019, in Kansas City.

LAST WEEK: Packers beat Cardinals 24-21; Chiefs beat Giants 20-17.

PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (17), PASS (22), SCORING (T16)

PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (7), RUSH (17), PASS (6), SCORING (9)

CHIEFS OFFENSE: OVERALL (4), RUSH (14), PASS (5), SCORING (9)

CHIEFS DEFENSE: OVERALL (29), RUSH (22), PASS (25), SCORING (25)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Packers plus-8; Chiefs minus-11.

PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Jordan Love. Could it be anybody else? The Packers learned Wednesday that Aaron Rodgers was going into the NFL's COVID-19 protocols, shelving him for at least one week. That means Love, who was picked in the first round of the 2020 draft, is expected to make his first career start. And whereas Rodgers is the reigning NFL MVP and one of the game's most accomplished quarterbacks, his understudy has thrown just seven regular-season passes in his short career.

CHIEFS PLAYER TO WATCH: LB Nick Bolton has led the Chiefs in tackles the past two weeks while taking over for Anthony Hitchens, the veteran linebacker who has been sidelined with a triceps injury. Bolton had 15 tackles with four for a loss in a loss to Tennessee, then made 11 stops with a quarterback hit as the Chiefs rallied to beat the Giants on Monday night.

KEY MATCHUP: Packers RB Aaron Jones against KC run defense. Jones will undoubtedly be Love's best friend against Kansas City, taking some of the pressure off the young QB to win the game through the air. Jones will face the league's 22nd-ranked run defense, which just allowed more than 100 yards on the ground for the fifth time in six games.

KEY INJURIES: Rodgers was joined on the COVID-19 list by backup CB Isaac Yiadom. OT David Bakhtiari still hasn't made his 2021 debut after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament on Dec. 31, though he is practicing with the Packers again. CB Kevin King (shoulder/back) has missed Green Bay's last three games but has been practicing this week, and DLs Jack Heflin (illness), Kingsley Keke (concussion) and Dean Lowry (hamstring) didn't practice Wednesday. ... Hitchens returned to practice for Kansas City this week, but RT Mike Remmers (knee) remained out for the second straight week.

SERIES NOTES: The Packers have won three of the last four meetings in a series that famously began with their victory over Kansas City in the inaugural Super Bowl. The Chiefs dominated the series in the 1990s, but Green Bay has won both meetings since former assistant Andy Reid took over in Kansas City.

STATS AND STUFF: The Packers have won seven straight since opening the season with a 38-3 loss to the Saints in Jacksonville, Florida. … This will be the first game Rodgers has missed since 2017, when he played just seven games due to a collarbone injury. … Packers WR Randall Cobb is coming off his second two-TD performance of the season. … The Packers have a positive turnover margin in seven straight games, matching the longest streak in team history. … Packers outside linebackers coach Mike Smith worked on Reid's staff in Kansas City from 2016-18. Smith also was on Texas Tech's coaching staff when Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes played there. … Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett's father, Paul, held the same position with the Chiefs from 1993-97. … Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill needs three TD catches to pass Chris Burford (55) for third place in franchise history. Tony Gonzalez (76) and Otis Taylor (57) top the list. Hill also is tied for third with Jamaal Charles (64) for total TDs in a career. Priest Holmes tops that list with 83. ... Chiefs LB Willie Gay Jr. has interceptions in back-to-back games after starting the season on injured reserve. ... TE Travis Kelce is tied with Holmes for third on the Chiefs' career list with 8,447 yards from scrimmage.

FANTASY TIP: Feeling lucky? Love is going at a bargain price in weekly leagues and will be going against a defense that has given up big yardage to just about everyone. But a safer bet would be Jones and backup A.J. Dillon, both of whom should get plenty of rushing attempts as Green Bay tries to take some pressure off Love on Sunday.

This article originally appeared on The Examiner: Chiefs-Packers shaping up different than anyone expected