Monday Morning Quarterback

It's Monday morning and the usual Monday Morning Quarterback is patting himself on the back for making the right predictions of his Sunday game. Today I will try to bring some sanity to the Green Bay Packers-Kansas City Chiefs Monday Night Football game on ESPN.

 



My office chair last week

If you were wondering why my posts were sporadic last week was I was and still am suffering from food poisoning. Sitting in my desk chair is not a fun thing when my business end is sore. I hope I will not be the butt of your jokes this week after making my prediction at the end.

 

First, we seem to live in a have and have not world in the NFC North. The Packers (2-0) and the Vikings (2-1) are legitimate Super Bowl candidates and the Bears (0-3) and Lions (0-3) are not.

 

Typical Bear fans before and after the game

I was on the radio Sunday morning with a Bears fan who was lamenting the loss of Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffrey (as if I worry about how to spell a Bears' receiver name-alright it's Jeffery) and during his wining fest he gave those injuries as an excuse for the then 0-2, soon to be 0-3 Bears. As if losing the star receiver was a reason to fall apart, but as I pointed out to his suddenly deaf ears the Packers lost Jordy Nelson and the Packers are still 2-0 going into MNF. I love it when Bears fans are wishing for the good old days when Cutler was under center. All I can say is how low can the Bears fans go. Something for us to watch and revel in as the season progresses.

 

Now to the subject at hand the 1-1 Kansas City Chiefs. All of the Packers pundits are predicting a win in the area of 27-24. That says a lot about the state of the suddenly powerful Packers defense. First, the Bears fan made a comment how the Packers had a great defense. It just goes to show you they don't no nuttin'. Remember the only redeeming value of the Chiefs offense is running back Jamaal Charles, who is ranked 15th in the league in rushing with 182 yards and one touchdown. He might be a little more motivated after fumbling the ball in overtime for the game-losing touchdown the last time out.

 

Alex Smith beating Rodgers the first time

The Chiefs are led by that future Hall of Famer Alex Smith. Let's take a walk down memory lane. Smith and Aaron Rodgers were the top two quarterbacks in the 2005 draft with both being talked about as the No. 1 overall pick. When the big day came Smith was chosen first by the 49ers and their offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy and Rodgers was embarrassed as the cameras kept peeking in on him in the green room as he fell all the way to 24th where Ted Thompson took him as his first first-round draft pick.

 

The rest is history. Smith became an often-injured bust who eventually found a career with the Chiefs as a game manager and Rodgers became the best quarterback in the league, two-time MVP, Super Bowl MVP, future Hall of Famer, the best quarterback of all time and more importantly Olivia Munn's boyfriend..

 

In head-to-head battles Smith and Rodgers are 1-1 with both games being played at Lambeau Field when Smith was a 49er. In 2009 Rodgers won 30-24, but in the first game of the 2012 season won 30-22. Later that season Smith suffered a concussion in week 9 and lost his job to Colin Kaepernick. This is the first time Smith faces Rodgers as a Chief.

 

This season Smith has thrown for 434 yards - four yards behind Rodgers - with 3 touchdown passes and two interceptions. By the way, Rodgers has 5 TDs and no interceptions.



Facing Jamaal Charles is a scary proposition

Back to Charles and the Packers' defense. It seems no one thinks the job they did against Marshawn "I've been here all along" Lynch was a harbinger of things to come. That performance fell off their radar and they think Charles will tear up the Packers. Let's hope not because it is beginning to shape up to be a lost season for one of our best runner stoppers strong safety Morgan Burnett, who is out again after tweaking (or worst) his calf injury.

 

The Chiefs top receivers are tight end Travis Kelce (10-164-2TD), wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (9-109-0TD) and Charles (9-48-1TD). Who? Kelce is a former 2013 third-round (63rd) pick and Maclin, who is a former No. 1 pick by the Eagles, who was allowed to leave in free agency after last year despite having cap room. But, of course, I read somewhere Coach Chip Kelly hates black players. Those aren't my words, but former Eagles running back LeShon McCoy's.

 

Let's hope Dom Capers comes up with another great game plan to cover the tight end, to get pressure on Smith and to stop the run. Besides Burnett, the defense is almost at full strength (except for the loss of backup nose tackle Josh Boyd), game 3 of the 4 game suspension of defensive end Letroy Guion and backup cornerback Demetri Goodson (hamstring). Outside linebacker Mike Neal (groin) and safety Sean Richardson (ankle) are listed as questionable. The Chiefs are healthy coming in.

 

Normally I would say something about Capers and the defense, but today I will just say this should be where the game is won or lost.

 

Now the Packers offense verses the Chiefs defense. The Chiefs give up 347.5 yards a game (268 passing/79.5 rushing). I feel the Packers will be using running back James Starks more this game because of Eddie Lacy's ankle injury (questionable). Wide receiver Davante Adams (ankle) is also listed as questionable, so maybe we'll see more of Jeff Janis (hey, Andrew), as the fourth receiver behind Randall Cobb (probable-shoulder), Adams and Ty Montgomery, but if recent history means anything Janis won't play much, if at all, on the offense. Probably tight ends Richards Rodgers and Andrew Quarless will take up the slack.

 

Controlling Justin Houston is job No. 1

The Chief defense brings the heat led by outside linebacker Justin Houston (3 sacks), defensive end Allen Bailey (2 sacks) and their No. 1 draft pick this year cornerback Marcus Peters with 2 interceptions with 1 TD. The hallmark of this defense is they don't miss tackles, while the Packers have trouble tac....oops I can't say that. Let's just say the Chief defense has that one on us.

 

The outside pass rush could be a problem, but if Don Barclay and David Bakhtiari hold up enough to give Rodgers breathing room to roam like last week then that shouldn't be a major problem.

 

Let's hope the game plan is to target Peters and give him a schooling from the best quarterback in the league. Make him uncomfortable and it should it be a good day in the passing game for the Packers.

 

The Chiefs lead the overall series 7-3-1 and have won six of the last seven, including 19-14 in Week 13 of the 2011 season to hand the Packers its first loss during a 15-1 season.

 

Now here's a weird factoid about tonight's game. The Chiefs have never lost to the Packers at Lambeau Field. They have won three and tied one. So I think it's Miller High Life time to end that streak in front of the Super Bowl I Alumni and I think the Packers pull this one out, 24-17.