The Good, Bad And Ugly From The Green Bay Packers’ Win Over The Kansas Chiefs

Who could have seen this coming?

Just five weeks ago, the Green Bay Packers were 2-5, had lost four straight games and were in the hunt for the first pick in the 2024 draft.

Today, the Packers are one of the hottest teams in the NFL.

On Sunday night, Green Bay slayed the incredible Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, 27-19. The Packers were precise, particular and physical in notching arguably the most impressive regular season win of the Matt LaFleur-era.

Green Bay has now won four of five games, vaulted itself to 6-6 and are tied for the No. 6 seed in the NFC with Seattle, Minnesota and the Los Angeles Rams.

This also marked the second straight year the Packers defeated the reigning Super Bowl champion at Lambeau Field. A year ago, Green Bay toppled the Los Angeles Rams, 24-12.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly from the Packers’ win over Kansas City.

THE GOOD

JORDAN LOVE: Just more than two years ago, Love made his first career start at Kansas City, and saying it didn’t go well would be a dramatic understatement.

Love completed 19-of-34 passes for 190 yards and had a 69.5 passer rating in a 13-7 loss to the Chiefs.

Love has come light years since then, and he was terrific again Sunday night.

Love completed 25-of-36 passes for 267 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and posted a 118.6 passer rating. In the last five games, Love has completed 115 of 174 passes for 1,374 yards with 11 TDs and just two interceptions.

“I think Jordan’s been the same all year, really,” Packers rookie wideout Jayden Reed said. “He comes in with the same mindset, attitude, leadership. I think he does a great job of just keeping everybody on the same page.

“I think he’s the reason that we haven’t gone the other direction, that we’re up and not down. He’s a huge part of that because he comes in with the same mindset and he attacks everything the same way every day.”

LATE SEASON SUCCESS: Since Matt LaFleur became the Packers’ head coach in 2019, Green Bay is a remarkable 19-2 in the regular season after the calendar flips to December. The Packers’ only losses in that time came against Detroit, which defeated Green Bay in the 2021 and 2022 regular season finales.

Green Bay has performed remarkably well in December and January regular season games dating back to 1992. In that time, the Packers are 102-40 after November, a stellar .718 winning percentage.

The Packers produced identical 22-7 records (.759) under both Mike Holmgren (1992-98) and Mike Sherman (2000-05), and a 39-18 mark (.684) under Mike McCarthy (2006-18).

Green Bay also went 2-2 under interim coach Joe Philbin in 2018 and was 2-3 under Ray Rhodes in 1999.

“Yeah, I mean, I think it’s just staying consistent, staying true to your process and really pushing to get better,” LaFleur said. “This is a long season and just trying to stay mentally fresh as best you can is an important part of that. but I think the consistency, showing up on a daily basis ready to work, ready to put in the work and wanting to improve is really the key to that.”

CHRISTIAN WATSON: Green Bay’s second-year wide receiver has 14 career touchdowns. Twelve of those have come in November, or later.

Watson had two TD’s Sunday — scores of 9 and 12 yards — giving him five this season. Four of those scores have come in the last three games.

A year ago, eight of Watson’s nine touchdowns came in the final eight games.

Unfortunately for the Packers, though, Watson suffered a hamstring injury late in the game.

STARTING STRONG: The Packers had just 10 points on their opening drive in their first eight games. In the last four games, though, Green Bay has scored three touchdowns on its first drive.

The Packers marched 75 yards on 13 plays in 7:47 to open the game and take a 7-0 lead. Jordan Love hit rookie tight end Ben Sims with a 1-yard TD to end the drive.

Green Bay had a terrific mix of seven runs and six passes on the drive. The nearly 8-minute drive was the Packers’ longest of the season and Sims finished it with his first career touchdown.

“I just think we’re doing a better job of finding our rhythm, finding our flow as an offense,” Watson said. “It took us a little too long early in the season to find that, to find that rhythm. Now I think we’re connecting a little bit better as an offense and finding it a little quicker.”

SACK MEN: The Chiefs put together a pair of impressive first half drives. One was 13 plays and took 7:13, while the other was 14 plays and took 8:20.

Both drives ended in field goals, though.

On the first, Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary combined to sack Patrick Mahomes to end the march. On the second, Preston Smith dumped Mahomes to stop that drive.

Lucas Van Ness also had a first half sack, which helped Green Bay hold the Chiefs to a pair of field goals.

THIS AND THAT: Anders Carlson hit a pair of field goals, including an enormous 48-yarder with 1:09 remaining. … Keisean Nixon had a huge fourth quarter interception of Mahomes. … Patrick Taylor’s 24-yard run in the second quarter was the longest of his career. … Rudy Ford downed a punt at the 3-yard line with 9 seconds left in the first half.

THE BAD

LETTING THEM OFF THE HOOK: The Chiefs had a third-and-18 from their own 38 on their first drive of the second half. The Packers rushed just three, which allowed Mahomes more than enough time to pick apart Green Bay’s secondary.

Mahomes eventually found tight end Travis Kelce for 27 yards down to Green Bay’s 35. Five plays later, running back Isiah Pacheco scored from 1-yard out and pulled the Chiefs within 14-12.

Green Bay defensive coordinator Joe Barry had a chance to get after Mahomes and start the second half with a bang. Instead, Barry played it close to the vest and got burned.

NO ANSWERS: Patrick Mahomes is the reigning MVP and the greatest football player on the planet. So the Packers certainly aren’t the first team that had few answers for Mahomes.

Still, Kansas City’s magnificent quarterback had an impressive night.

Mahomes completed 21-of-33 passes for 210 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Mahomes has had bigger and better nights, but he was still remarkably impressive.

“He’s the best in the world,” Packers safety Jonathan Owens said of Mahomes last week. “We’ve got our worst cut out.”

THIS AND THAT: Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander — who has played just five games this season — missed his fourth consecutive contest with a shoulder injury. … Running back Aaron Jones, who has just 66 carries this year due to a hamstring and knee injuries, missed his second straight game. … The Chiefs were remarkably effective on third downs, converting 7-of-11.

THE UGLY

RUNNING ON EMPTY: The Packers entered the game ranked 27^th in rushing yards allowed per game (135.2) and 23^rd in yards allowed per carry (4.4).

Kansas City attacked the soft underbelly of Green Bay’s defense and ran for 138 yards on 24 carries .

Running back Isiah Pacheco had a terrific game with 18 carries for 110 yards and a TD.