The Green Bay Packers will welcome the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8 on Sunday Night Football. The Packers are favored to win but they'll still need another big performance from Jimmy Graham.
Both teams sit atop their respective divisions and this game was shaping up to be a must-watch game. But with Patrick Mahomes ruled out with an injury, Green Bay should be able to pull out a somewhat easy victory.
On the other side, the Packers are preparing to be without Davante Adams for the fourth-consecutive game of the season. Therefore, Graham will need to play a crucial role in Matt Lafleur's offense on Sunday night.
This season, the veteran pass-catcher has caught 18 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Graham had one of his best performances of the season in Week 7 against the Oakland Raiders. The Packers tight end was able to secure four receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown from Aaron Rodgers.
Even at 32 years old, Graham can still be a mismatch for defenses in the NFL, especially when Rodgers is the quarterback getting him the ball in tight windows.
The Chiefs actually have the 10th-ranked pass defense in the NFL and have talented players in their secondary. While Adams has been out, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Geronimo Allison, Jake Kumerow, and even Allen Lazard have seen increased roles in the passing offense.
Coming into this game, Kansas City is going to center their defensive game plan on containing the wide receivers. Due to that, Graham is going to have to be able to create some offense in the middle of the field. Also, his ability to be a red-zone weapon can pay dividends for the Packers moving forward.
Through the first seven weeks, Green Bay has the fourth-best red-zone offense in the NFL; scoring on 65.38 percent of their red-zone possessions. If the Packers continue to find themselves inside their opponents' 20-yard line, you can bet that Rodgers is looking in Graham's direction.
It is likely that the Chiefs decide to put Tyrann Mathieu on the big-bodied tight end in Week 8. Graham has nearly 10 inches and 75 pounds on Mathieu, so he should be able to use his physicality to dominate in the game.
With the Minnesota Vikings winning on Thursday night, the Packers now have just a half-game lead in the NFC North. In light of that, this is essentially a must-win game at home against a team that is playing Matt Moore instead of Mahomes.
Above all, the Packers are going to need their dangerous tight end to continue performing well in Week 8. If he does, LaFleur may be inclined to give Graham the coveted game ball on Sunday night.
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