The luster is a little off this matchup with Aaron Rodgers unavailable, although the Green Bay Packers visiting the Kansas City Chiefs is still one of the highlights of the Week 9 NFL schedule.
Keep in mind that this is also a rematch of Super Bowl I and perhaps a preview of a future Super Bowl. But with Rodgers unavailable, the Chiefs are 7.5-point home favorites with the over/under set at 48 points.
The situation with Rodgers aside, the Packers made a big statement last week by beating the Cardinals on Thursday night. While they have rarely looked dominant, Green Bay has put their embarrassing Week 1 loss to the Saints behind them. At 7-1, they hold a comfortable lead atop the NFC North, as the other three teams all have a losing record.
As for the Chiefs, they were barely able to get past the Giants on Monday night, getting a late field goal to win 20-17. Kansas City has shown little consistency this year, failing to win back-to-back games. With a 4-4 record, the Chiefs are actually tied for last in the AFC West, although not far from the top of the division if they can start to string wins together.
Same Old Problems
The offensive line that had to be revamped after last season’s Super Bowl is still causing problems for the Chiefs. Even the elusive Patrick Mahomes has been sacked 16 times in eight games, with that pressure also contributing to some of his ten interceptions.
At the same time, the Chiefs are struggling to find playmakers outside of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, who are being targeted by opposing defenses.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City defense isn’t doing enough to support a struggling KC offense. The Chiefs are not living up to their talent on that side of the ball, managing just 11 sacks through eight games. While they’ve handled the Giants and Washington this year, the Chiefs have allowed at least 27 points in their other six games.
A Little Love
With Rodgers out, all eyes will be on Jordan Love, who will make his first career start. Love will at least have Davante Adams, who missed last week’s game but has been unstoppable when paired with Rodgers this year.
However, the Packers have struggled to find playmakers in the passing game outside of Adams, perhaps shifting the pressure to the running back tandem of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon to take the pressure off Love.
Naturally, the Green Bay defense will also play a bigger role in this game with Rodgers unavailable. The Packers rank in the top-10 in points allowed this year and have been one of the few teams to keep the Arizona offense contained.
However, Mahomes and company can create similar problems, especially for a Green Bay defense that’s battling injuries to some key pieces in the secondary.
The One That You Know
While Mahomes and the Chiefs haven’t been themselves this year, we don’t know what to expect from Love. His first career start will come on the road at Arrowhead Stadium, which isn’t an easy place to play regardless of how Kansas City has looked this year.
Bet on the Chiefs to take advantage of Rodgers being absent and covering the 7.5-point spread.
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