Subscribe
Follow Us
The Kansas City Chiefs will renew acquaintances with a historic opponent in their Week 13 Sunday night game when they travel to the not-yet frozen tundra to take on the Green Bay Packers. These two teams met a lifetime ago in Super Bowl I, and while the Chiefs lost that famous battle, they lead the all-time series by an 8-5-1 margin.
The Chiefs appeared to be in a questionable position in Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders when they fell behind early in the game by 14-0. But instead of falling short in their battle against their long-time rivals, Patrick Mahomes and he teammates got their offense going and reeled off a 31-3 surge to run away from the Raiders.
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
(Fubo affiliate links by sport available here)
Perhaps that means the Chiefs will have their offense in high gear for the Packers and the remaining games in the regular season. Explosive offensive football has been the Chiefs identity since Mahomes became the starting quarterback in 2018, but they have struggled in that area in 2023.
Despite issues, Chiefs are still a first-place team
The Chiefs are still a first-place team in the AFC West with an 8-3 record. Two of their 3 losses have come against NFC opponents, and the Packers appear to be improving quite a bit after registering back-to-back victories over the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions.
The win over the Lions was especially impressive because Detroit has been a dominant team for much of the season — and that included a road victory over Kansas City in the opening game of the season. Quarterback Jordan Love has been improving each week, and the Green Bay defense has shown it can take the football away from opponents as the Packers defense recovered 3 fumbles against the Lions.
The Chiefs are 6-point favorites on the road, but this game has a chance to be one of the more memorable regular-season games. Perhaps not as memorable as Green Bay's 35-10 victory over Kansas City in Super Bowl I, but an exciting game nonetheless.
Patrick Mahomes will throw for 275 yards and 3 TDs
The Chiefs have the 8th-ranked offense in the league as they are averaging 364.9 yards per game. That's a big step down for a team that often has the most explosive offense in the league.
Mahomes is in a similar position to his team's overall offense. He ranks 8th among quarterbacks with with 2,917 passing yards and a 96.3 passer rating. Mahomes has a relatively mundane 21 to 9 touchdown to interception ratio.
Obviously, those numbers are far below what the Chiefs and their fans are used to seeing. Mahomes is considered a sure-fire Hall of Famer and he has regularly put eye-catching statistics on the board.
Mahomes has not gotten the contribution from his wide receivers that he has gotten in the past. The Chiefs have had problems with drops and their receivers have not always been able to get open.
That started to change in the win over the Raiders, as Mahomes threw for 298 yards and wideout Rashee Rice caught 8-107-1. Six other Chiefs caught passes in that game, and that should trigger the Kansas City passing game.
Travis Kelce will have 70 receiving yards and 1 TD
This has clearly been a most eventful year for the Chiefs tight end, as his popularity has soared as a result of his relationship with superstar pop singer Taylor Swift.
The two appear to be in the early stages of a memorable romance, but neither the paparazzi nor the relationship responsibilities have hurt Kelce's on-field production.
He is still arguably the best tight end in the league, and his rapport with Mahomes is remarkable. Those two stars know each other's moves and Mahomes regularly puts the ball in a spot where only Kelce can catch it.
Kelce is the Chiefs leading receiver with 70 catches for 732 yards and 5 TDs, and he will build on those totals against the Packers.
Chris Jones will register 1 sack and 1 pass defensed
Love is coming off a 3-TD performance against the Lions, and he has demonstrated improvement in recent weeks. The Packers have become a much more dangerous offensive team, and the Chiefs have taken notice.
They are going to have to put significant pressure on Love as he surveys the field, and Jones is their best pass rusher. He is likely to be charged up to play his best game against this historic opponent.
Jones has 7.5 sacks this season, and many of his sacks come at the biggest moments. That should continue against the Packers.
