By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With their 13th regular-season win Sunday night, the Packers guaranteed they’ll be playing at home – and the Vikings will be staying at home – throughout the NFC playoffs.

The Packers’ 37-10 rout of Minnesota – coupled with Arizona’s win at Dallas earlier Sunday – eliminated the Vikings (7-9) from playoff contention and enabled Green Bay (13-3) to clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

The Packers receive the lone first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout. They will host a divisional playoff game Saturday, Jan. 22, or Sunday, Jan. 23, at Lambeau Field, where they are unbeaten this season.

“We know how important it is to have teams have to come through Lambeau,” Packers running back A.J. Dillon said after the game. “I say it all the time. We’ve got the best fans in football. We also have the elements, as you saw tonight. So you combine those two with all the talent and the team and the staff that we’ve got, and it’s going to be tough sledding for anybody.”

It may be tough sledding for opponents with or without snow because the Packers have embraced the frigid cold like a long lost lover. The temperature was 11 degrees at kickoff with a wind chill of minus-1 on Sunday night.

Aaron Rodgers loved the frosty conditions and played like it.

He completed 29 of 38 passes for 288 yards, two touchdowns and a 114.8 passer rating. A Vikings’ defense that ranks fifth in the NFL in sacks (44) was shut out by the Packers’ patchwork offensive line.

Rodgers did the rest without being inconvenienced by the Vikings or the cold.

“Last year we didn’t get that good Green Bay weather,” Rodgers said. “Tonight was one of those nights. We haven’t had a game like this in a while temperature-wise. This was different. It is different, the whole feel of it. I feel like teams can break a little bit easier when it is this cold because there’s an excuse: the weather.”

Rodgers added that his broken left pinky toe didn’t need to be injected before kickoff, and that it’s feeling better than it has since the injury occurred.

The Vikings were without quarterback Kirk Cousins, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, so they went with seventh-year journeyman Sean Mannion. He wasn’t awful, but he was nowhere near good enough to beat Green Bay.

The Packers came into the game on a mission.

They wanted to unleash a knockout punch and put the Vikings away early.

“We had the right mindset to keep going at them,” Packers receiver Davante Adams said. “That’s the new ‘Packer Way’ now. That killer mindset to put teams away. Finishing those games off is going to be critical going forward.”

The Packers also wanted to tighten up their run defense, pound away with their own rushing attack and play mistake-free football on special teams.

They accomplished those goals.

“We did what we said we wanted to do,” Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary said. “We wanted to get off the field on third down and give back the offense the ball as many times as we can.”

Gary had four quarterback hits and a sack, while Preston Smith added four tackles, a sack and a pass defended.

The Vikings managed just 11 first downs. Their running game was non-existent.

Dalvin Cook had seven carries for 17 yards at the half. He added two more carries for minus-4 yards in the second half to finish with 13 yards rushing.

The Packers’ run defense was stout despite Kenny Clark playing just 39 snaps. Linebackers De’Vondre Campbell and Krys Barnes were all over the field and the defense’s tackling was much crisper than it’s been in recent weeks.

“We know (Cook’s) ability to carry the ball and make big plays at any given moment in the game,” Packers edge rusher Preston Smith said. “We know we had to stop him. We know we had to make them one-dimensional and get them out of the run game and get them to passing and make them uncomfortable.”

The Vikings’ most athletic play of the night was delivered by center Garrett Bradbury, whose catch of a deflected pass and 21-yard run fueled Minnesota’s only touchdown drive of the game.

The Packers seemed to avoid any major injuries while playing a clean game. They had zero turnovers, committed just one penalty for 5 yards and were perfect in the kicking game. They also appear to have discovered a reliable punt returner.

David Moore, a fifth-year pro and former Seattle Seahawk, contributed immediately. He returned three punts for 33 yards, including a Packers’ season-best 21-yarder in his first game.

“I thought he did an outstanding job,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “He had a lot of success it looked like, from my vantage point. I was really impressed.”

The Packers’ offense was 3-for-7 in the red zone. After a sluggish start that produced two field goals, they went touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, field goal and touchdown on their final five possessions.

Aaron Jones rushed eight times for 76 yards. He also caught five passes for another 30 yards. A.J. Dillon picked up 63 yards on 14 carries, including a whopping 5.5 yards per carry (8 for 44) during “closing time” in the second half.

Adams was sensational, per usual, grabbing 11 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown. Allen Lazard contributed with six catches in as many targets for 72 yards and a touchdown.

Green Bay amassed 481 yards offense and 29 first downs while Rodgers took another step closer to capturing a second straight NFL MVP award. If he sits out the season finale at Detroit, Rodgers will finish 352 of 513 (68.6 percent) for 3,977 yards, 35 touchdowns and four interceptions for a 111.1 passer rating.

Those numbers should earn him the MVP.

Adams has a team-record 117 catches for 1,498 yards and 11 touchdowns. He remains 21 yards shy of Jordy Nelson’s single-season receiving yards record.

It remains to be seen if Rodgers, Adams and other key starters will sit out the final regular-season game.

“If you ask me right now, my gut is these guys are going to play at least a little bit,” LaFleur said.

For his part, LaFleur eclipsed George Seifert’s 30-year-old NFL record for the most regular-season wins by a coach in his first three seasons. LaFleur is 39-9 and 41-11 overall. Seifert was 38-10 at San Francisco from 1989-91.

While the Packers’ head coach decides who to play at Detroit, his players are thrilled that they’ll be at home throughout the postseason.
“There’s a lot of pride in Green Bay, a lot of tradition,” Dillon said. “We as a team, even the fans, when we’re at Lambeau Field I include the fans as part of the team. They’re quiet when we’re on offense, loud when we’re on defense, and this year to go undefeated at home during the regular season is big and speaks volumes about the entire organization.”

Now, the Packers stand two home wins away from advancing to Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, Feb. 13, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. To hear Preston Smith after the game, losing at Lambeau Field between now and then isn’t an option.

By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers’ record-setting touchdown passes stole the show, and Rasul Douglas’ late interception sealed the win, but it was Green Bay’s inconsistency in yet another nail-biting victory that raised eyebrows.

On a gorgeous Christmas Day, the Packers’ 24-22 victory over Cleveland enabled Green Bay to maintain its one-game lead as the NFC’s top playoff seed. It also was the second straight game in which the Packers (12-3) blew a double-digit lead and eventually were forced to win in the final moments.

“We’ve got to do a better job of closing out games,” Rodgers said afterward, a comment directed as much at the Packers’ conservative offense as their defense.

Unwelcome drama aside, the game also featured several history-making highlights:

** Rodgers threw his franchise-record 443rd touchdown pass to Allen Lazard. It came on an 11-yard stick route that gave Green Bay an early 7-6 lead. Lazard was understandably thrilled to be on the receiving end of history.

“My reaction was just like, ‘Oh, s***! I caught it,’ ” he said. “Seeing (Rodgers’) picture up there with the ‘443’ and then I was just thinking about my journey, that this dude’s thrown ‘443’ touchdowns and I have maybe 12 or something like that total here the past three years. Just to be part of his legacy, to be part of this organization, it was a huge moment of gratitude for me and everyone else.”

While Rodgers was celebrating with teammates, the Packers’ scoreboard highlighted his career and displayed a videotaped message from Brett Favre, who previously held the record.

Favre’s message said, “Hey, 12, congratulations, man, on passing my touchdown record. I have one request. Go get us another Super Bowl. Congrats.”

Rodgers was moved by the gesture and the moment.

“Definitely got me a little teary-eyed on the bench,” he said. “A moment I’ll never forget, for sure. I’m thankful for Favre’s message, for the response from the guys and the crowd obviously was really special.”

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur added, “I got chills when that happened. I thought that tribute to him was outstanding.”

** Rodgers’ 9-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams was the Dynamic Duo’s 66th TD hookup and moved them past the Rodgers-to-Jordy Nelson tandem and into first place in team history.

Rodgers connected with Adams again on a 1-yard scoring strike to give Green Bay a 21-12 halftime lead. Adams finished the day with 10 catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns to become the only player in NFL history to have 10 games featuring 10-plus catches, 100-plus receiving yards and multiple touchdowns.

“He’s the G.O.A.T.,” Adams said of Rodgers. “His name is in every single record book – I want to say he’s got all the records. It’s nice to be there with him.”

Rodgers said it’s nice playing behind this offensive line.

The Packers (left to right) had Yosh Nijman, Jon Runyan, Lucas Patrick, Royce Newman and Dennis Kelly up front.

“No sacks tonight,” Rodgers gushed. “I took a couple of shots but no sacks, which is incredible, the way those guys are playing up front. Yosh, Jon, Lucas, Royce and Big Dennis – they battle and man, it’s been fun playing with those guys.”

“This is a fun team,” Rodgers added. “We made some really smart additions – some in the offseason, some in-season – and a lot of them have really paid off.”

None of them has been as big as Douglas, whose two interceptions pushes his season total to five.

“I don’t think Rasul is a role player,” Rodgers said. “He’s a star. He’s around the football all the time. He’s making plays and winning games for us.”

While the Favre video was the perfect touch, Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield displayed no touch whatsoever.

Mayfield was 21 of 36 for 222 yards with two touchdowns and the four picks for a 55.3 passer rating. He was sacked five times. Rashan Gary got him twice, while Preston Smith, Tipa Galeai and Dean Lowry registered one sack each.

The Packers also got interceptions from Chandon Sullivan and Darnell Savage to go with Douglas’ “Daily Double.” In all, Mayfield’s three first-half interceptions led to three first-half touchdown passes by Rodgers.

The disparity between the Packers’ future Pro Football Hall of Famer and Mayfield was staggering. Then again, so was the teensy-weensy final margin of victory. The fact that the Packers won by only two points despite forcing four turnovers and registering five sacks is fairly incredible.

It’s also a bit concerning.

Last week, Baltimore rallied from a late 14-point deficit to within a 2-point conversion of beating the Packers. This week, the Browns trailed 24-12 at halftime but held Green Bay to a field goal and three consecutive punts.

Green Bay’s offense went from atomic to anemic during the halftime intermission.

Adams caught eight passes for 88 yards and the two touchdowns in the first half. He managed just two catches for 26 yards in the second half.

Rodgers was 18 of 23 for 154 yards and three TDs in the first half. He was merely 6 of 11 for 48 yards in the second half.

Did LaFleur get too conservative? He admitted it was possible, especially when left tackle Yosh Nijman was replaced by Ben Braden for a series in the second half.

LaFleur called three straight running plays and the Packers punted.

Rodgers wished he would’ve put the football in his hands.

“We’ve got to find out exactly what we want to do in those situations and then go do it,” Rodgers said. “And just trust. Put the ball in my hand, give me an opportunity to deal the ball to Davante or anybody else who’s open, and go close out games in that situation.”

While LaFleur appreciated Rodgers’ sentiment, his explanation of his play selection made sense. He wanted Braden to get comfortable, but he also felt like he had a good play called on third down. It just didn’t work.

But it doesn’t mean he lacked confidence in Braden or anyone else. It’s just how the series played out.

LaFleur said he has ultimate faith in his playmakers.

He didn’t stop short of criticizing his defense, though.

“The splash plays are great,” LaFleur said. “Obviously the difference in the game was the four turnovers and the five sacks, but I would say just ‘down in’ and ‘down out’ we have to be more consistent and make sure that we’re doing a better job in the run game. You’ve got to give (the Browns) credit, but absolutely do I think we need to be better? No doubt about it. We’ve got to do a better job of setting the edge and we’ve got to do a better job of tackling. That was probably our worst tackling performance of the season.”

The Browns’ Nick Chubb rushed 17 times for 126 yards and a touchdown. Cleveland was 7 of 12 on third down tries, rushed 25 times for 219 yards and piled up 408 yards in total offense.

But Green Bay’s defense made a final stand once again.

“Our defense has closed out a lot of games, like the last two weeks with stopping that 2-point conversion (in the 31-30 win at Baltimore) and Rasul coming up with that big pick,” Rodgers said.

“It’s nerve-racking, but winning is difficult in this league.”

By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Darnell Savage’s perseverance on a difficult day was rewarded with the redemption of making the game-saving play.

Savage’s fingertip deflection of a Tyler Huntley pass thwarted Baltimore’s go-ahead 2-point try and sealed the Packers’ 31-30 victory over the Ravens Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

“We were just trying to get the win right there,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh explained. “I think our chances of winning right there were a little bit higher than in overtime, maybe, if you calculate it out.”

Aaron Rodgers offered his thought on the Ravens’ strategy.

“They just didn’t feel like they could stop us,” he said.

In turn, Green Bay’s defense rose up to meet the do-or-die challenge.

Huntley, who started at quarterback in place of the injured Lamar Jackson, had completed 10 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns to tight end Mark Andrews.
Therefore it was no shock when he targeted Andrews on the 2-point try. While Eric Stokes was jockeying with Andrews for position, Savage broke on Huntley’s pass and tipped it in the nick of time.

“They play to win,” safety Adrian Amos said. “That’s how they play. That’s how they operate. They go for it. We just had to make a stop.”

Packers coach Matt LaFleur applauded his defense’s resiliency.

“I think that’s what this game is all about, just finding ways to win,” he said. “Any time you can consistently do that, I think it builds up that resiliency, it just builds up that mentality that, ‘Hey, no matter what happens, we’re going to find a way.’ I think our guys truly believe that.”

The Packers’ defense survived despite being without All-Pro tackle Kenny Clark, who was on the COVID-19 list.

Defensive tackles T.J. Slaton and Tyler Lancaster had four tackles each, while De’Vondre Campbell registered 10 tackles and a sack. Edge rushers Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Tipa Galeai were too aggressive and lost contain at times, but otherwise played well.

Rasul Douglas and Adrian Amos each added eight tackles, and Stokes was strong in coverage throughout.

The Ravens’ longest pass play of the day – aside from Andrews’ big catches – was only 8 yards. It speaks to the Packers’ sure tackling and tight coverage in the secondary.

While Savage struggled against Andrews, the rest of the secondary essentially bottled up the Ravens’ wide receivers.

Huntley was impressive while completing 28 of 40 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He also ran 13 times for 73 yards and two touchdowns to make it a game.

Baltimore (8-6) saw its 13-game winning streak versus NFC teams come to an end with the loss.

With the win, the Packers (11-3) clinched their third straight NFC North title and a playoff berth.

Aaron Jones rushed 13 times for 58 yards, hauled in a 9-yard touchdown pass and even returned a kickoff. After his productive day he reflected on the Packers’ division crown and where they go from here.

“That’s where it starts. It starts with the North,” Jones said. “Now we got bigger fish to fry.”

The Packers retained their status as the NFC’s top seed with the win. They also opened up a one-game lead over Tampa Bay (10-4) and Arizona (10-4) after the Bucs and Cardinals both lost. Dallas (10-4) defeated the New York Giants and is now the NFC’s No. 2 seed.

If the Packers win out they will receive the NFC’s lone bye. They also will have the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

It appears the Packers’ offense is finding its rhythm at the right time.

Rodgers threw three touchdown passes to reach 442 and tie Brett Favre for the franchise’s all-time lead. He has a chance to break the record against Cleveland on Christmas Day at Lambeau Field.

“There is something special about being able to do it at home,” Rodgers said. “The competitor in me is a little upset I didn’t just trust that the outside route was going to hold the corner long enough. When I was about to throw it, I felt like I was in no man’s land and I threw him kind of a ‘50% catch, 50% incompletion’ ball instead of trusting the corner was going to attach to the outside route and that we really had a chance to get him there.

“But of course there’s definitely stuff inside me that’s excited about the prospect of doing it at home in front of our fans.”

Rodgers was 23 of 31 for 268 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 132.2 passer rating. He was sacked three times, but the Packers’ patchwork offensive line held up for the most part.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught five passes for 98 yards and an 11-yard touchdown reception. Davante Adams had six catches for 44 yards and a nifty 3-yard touchdown grab.

The Packers’ offense was 5 of 9 on third-down tries and 4-for-5 in the red zone. They also didn’t commit a turnover.

“I feel like we’ve been trending for a while,” Rodgers said of the Packers’ offense. “It’s always one of those things where you talk about trending, you talk about playing your best football, you talk about playing a four-quarter game and you kind of have this ongoing dialogue about it. But I felt like the last two games, we’ve played some pretty damn good football on offense.”

Rodgers acknowledged that the Ravens’ defense was missing numerous key players, but that didn’t diminish his appreciation for a job well done.

“I know they were beat up and had some COVID issues on defense, but they still have a really good scheme and a really good front,” Rodgers said. “To score 31 on the road, I thought it was good football by us to respond the way we did.”

MVS wants to keep it going.

“We’ve got to keep that rolling so we can have this whole thing run through Lambeau,” Valdes-Scantling said.

LaFleur echoed the sentiment of Packers’ fans.

“I love this team,” he said. “I love this group, just how they battle, how connected they are.”

The Packers’ bumpy-but-beautiful sleigh ride (or is that ‘slay’ ride) through the AFC North continues with a Christmas Day extravaganza against the Browns at Lambeau Field.

The Packers’ 12th win on Christmas would be a wonderful present.

By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Bears unveiled a secret weapon in Jakeem Grant Sr. – his teammates call him Mighty Mouse – and the diminutive speedster set the Packers back on their cleats in a wild first half.

Grant scored on two long touchdowns to breathe life into what had been a moribund Bears outfit. In between his heroics, Damiere Byrd scored on another long touchdown catch and it was “game on.”

But Chicago’s hopes of an upset vanished almost as quickly as they appeared when Green Bay’s not-so-secret weapon, Aaron Rodgers, lit up the Bears’ defense for 341 yards and four touchdowns.

Rodgers turned a six-point halftime deficit into a 45-30 blowout victory over the Bears on Sunday night at Lambeau Field.

Green Bay (10-3) overcame numerous special teams’ gaffes – including several that might be comical if they weren’t so maddening – to maintain the NFC’s No. 2 seed.

The Packers will leapfrog Arizona (10-2) and claim the top seed if the Cardinals lose to the Rams (8-4) on Monday Night Football. Green Bay beat Arizona earlier this season and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Throughout the first half Sunday night the Packers couldn’t afford to think about playoff seeding. They had their hands full with the Bears, who were doing their best to pull off the upset.

The Bears’ defense pressured left tackle Yosh Nijman and it paid off with two sacks and a fumble in the Packers’ first nine plays. Chicago’s offense added a clever “tap pass” from Justin Fields to Grant that caught Green Bay napping and covered 46 yards for the score. Fields’ slant pass to Byrd went 54 yards and left defenders grasping at air.

The Bears’ special teams units also racked up 213 yards in the first half to more than offset the Packers’ 218 yards of total offense. It’s no wonder the Packers trailed 27-21 at the half.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur was displeased, but he did applaud his team’s positive response to adversity.

“There was no panic,” LaFleur said. “A lot of times that can trickle down from the coaches if there is panic, and I thought our staff did a nice job of just, ‘Hey, guys, here’s what we need to get corrected.’ ”

That was true of Green Bay’s offense and defense.

The Packers outscored the Bears 24-3 in the second half.

Aaron Jones scored on a 3-yard run and a 23-yard pass on the Packers’ first two possessions after intermission to flip the script. The Packers’ offense racked up 27 first downs, including 16 in the second half, which was as many as the Bears had all night.

Defensively, Preston Smith’s sack and forced fumble set up Jones’ second touchdown, and coordinator Joe Barry’s refocused unit slowed the Bears’ offense to a crawl in the second half.

Meantime, the Packers’ special teams units were atrocious.

Grant’s 97-yard punt return gave Chicago a 24-14 lead late in the first half. Khalil Herbert’s 42-yard kick return set up Cairo Santos’ 44-yard field goal to make it Bears 27-21 at the half.

Amari Rodgers, Malik Taylor and Marquez Valdes-Scantling each had muffs in the return game that could’ve been costly. Rodgers was bailed out by a Bears’ penalty. Taylor’s muff went out-of-bounds at the 5, but the offense drove it to midfield and punted. MVS’ muff occurred on the Bears’ onside kick, which Chicago recovered but couldn’t advance.

Frankly, the Packers’ special teams units couldn’t have been worse.

“Certainly, the special teams was not good enough,” LaFleur said. “It’s not up to our standard. It’s never an excuse. We lost some key special teams guys tonight, and that’s just the reality, and we’ve got to find guys to step into those roles, and we’ve got to execute better. Bottom line: We’ve got to coach better, and we’ve got to execute better.”

Equanimeous St. Brown left early with a concussion and his absence was felt by the coverage units. St. Brown also missed an opportunity to see more playing time at receiver with Randall Cobb on injured reserve.

LaFleur said he wasn’t contemplating a coaching change, which was one of the few bits of good news for coordinator Maurice Drayton. The other was Mason Crosby’s 20-yard field goal and 6-for-6 effort on PATs.

Everything else was painful to watch.

“That got real weird, man,” Davante Adams said after the game. “Haven’t been a part of one like that. I have now. Hopefully we don’t have to deal with that again.”
The Packers’ defensive leaders took a substandard first half to heart.

Preston Smith, who had two sacks and a forced fumble, was dominant on the field and vocal in the locker room at halftime.

“What we put on tape in the first half was not a reflection of who we are as a team and it definitely wasn’t who we were as a defense, especially,” Smith said of his halftime talk. “I just told them we’ve got to fix our stuff and get back to being us.”

Cornerback Rasul Douglas verified that the message was received.

“(Smith) was like, ‘We don’t play like that,’ ” Douglas said. “We’ve got to play better in all three phases. Most of the defensive guys, we play all special teams and defense, and all the points came from that. He was just upset. We were all upset. This ain’t it. We don’t lose at home.”

Douglas did his part by stepping in front of a Fields pass intended for Darnell Mooney and returning the interception 55 yards for the score. It was Douglas’ second straight game with a “pick six.” Hall of Famer Herb Adderley is the only other Packers’ player to do so.

Chandon Sullivan’s second-half interception closed out the game.

“We weren’t playing sound football,” Preston Smith said. “We made a lot of mistakes and they were capitalizing on all our mistakes and it caused them to have great success on their end and put up some points. But I felt like we fixed those mistakes at halftime and made sure that we got back to playing football like we’re known for playing football.”

The Packers took several hits on the injury front. In addition to EQ’s concussion, right tackle Billy Turner was lost to a right knee injury in the first half. Turner hadn’t missed a snap all season. He was replaced by veteran Dennis Kelly, who stepped in and didn’t miss a beat.

It just reinforced the notion that All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari can’t return soon enough to an offensive line that’s been ravaged.

“Yeah, we’ve gotten decimated, no doubt about it,” LaFleur said. “But nobody’s feeling sorry for us, I can promise you that. The mindset that we have is it doesn’t matter, you find a way to get it done.”

Rodgers got it done despite a fractured left pinky toe that he said was a lot worse for the wear.

“It feels worse,” Rodgers said of his toe. “I don’t know what kind of setback that I had tonight but we’ll look at it (Monday). Definitely took a step back tonight.”
Rodgers’ performance seemed unaffected despite the painful injury.

He hit 29 of 37 passes without an interception for a 141.1 passer rating.

Adams led the way with 10 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns, while Allen Lazard added 89 yards and a touchdown. Veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis also contributed with four catches for 51 yards, both single-game highs in a Packers’ uniform.

Lazard marveled at Rodgers’ ability to perform despite the injury.

“For him to be able to do what he’s been doing … I think it’s just a testament to his talents, but I think it just shows you how talented he is above the neck as well,” Lazard said. “I think that pays dividends when it comes to that position, obviously. Yeah, he’s a special guy and I’m so thankful to have him in our locker room as a friend. He’s done a great job as a leader.”

While the Packers and Rodgers determine how to proceed with the MVP’s left pinky toe, Green Bay’s upcoming opponent – the Baltimore Ravens – are also dealing with an injured quarterback.

Lamar Jackson injured his right ankle and had to be carted off the field Sunday in the Ravens’ 24-22 loss at Cleveland. Jackson’s status is unknown for Sunday’s game, but when he returned to the sideline he was wearing a protective boot. Jackson first injured the ankle the week prior when he went out-of-bounds and stepped on a yard marker.

If Jackson can’t play the Ravens (8-5) will start Tyler Huntley, who hit 27 of 38 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown against the Browns. Huntley didn’t have a turnover and rushed six times for 45 yards.

The Packers can take nothing for granted going into Sunday’s game.

“Tyler showed a lot of grit, and I felt like the whole team did that,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “That’s who we are and that’s why we have a chance to still win the championship in the AFC North and go on from there. That’s what we’ll be fighting to do the next four weeks.”

Meantime, the Packers will continue their fight to capture the NFC’s top seed, to which Green Bay fans say, “Go Rams!” if only for a night.

By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers didn’t play Sunday.

By comparison to several teams that did, they never looked better.

The Vikings, a team talented enough to beat the Packers two weeks ago, also is misguided enough to lose to the previously winless Lions, 29-27.

The 49ers’ defense made a late goal-line stand at Seattle, and Jimmy Garoppolo drove the 49ers 95 yards to the Seahawks’ 3-yard line, only to fail to score the tying touchdown in a 30-23 loss.

The Bears ever-so-briefly flirted with the idea of upsetting Arizona before reverting to form and tapping out, 33-22.

Ill-advised passes, inferior schemes, sloppy tackling, crazy play-calling, poor clock management and all the rest served an important purpose.

The bye forced fans to look beyond their Packers-centric universe and perhaps be reminded that Green Bay’s football team is really good.

When the Packers are playing it’s natural for fans to bemoan the loss of so many terrific players to season-ending injuries.

When those same fans are watching other teams implode they’re more likely to think, “Thank the football gods we’ve got Aaron Rodgers instead of (fill in the blank).”

The bye week doubles as Packers Appreciation Week this season.

It’s more about what they have, as opposed to what they’ve lost.

Elgton Jenkins, Robert Tonyan, Kylin Hill, Whitney Mercilus, Chauncey Rivers and Randy Ramsey are done for the season. There is a chance David Bakhtiari, Jaire Alexander, Za’Darius Smith and Josh Myers will return, but it’s wise to proceed as if they won’t be back.

Then, if and when they do return, it’s a bonus.

Meantime, the Packers (9-3) will try to take their game to a higher level in hopes of overtaking Arizona (10-2) as the NFC’s top seed.

The Cardinals have the Rams, Colts and Cowboys on their schedule. It’s likely they’ll lose at least one of those games, which means the Packers would claim the No. 1 seed if they run the table.

In fact, the Packers could grab the top seed as early as this weekend with a win over the Bears on Sunday night and an Arizona loss to the Rams on Monday Night Football.

Tampa Bay (9-3) has won three straight games despite receiver Antonio Brown’s best efforts to disrupt things. However, Tom Brady and Co. play Buffalo in a 3:25 game Sunday afternoon. It’s the Bucs’ only remaining game against a team with a winning record.

The Packers would welcome any cushion they have regarding the Bucs.

If the playoffs started this week it would be San Francisco at Green Bay, Washington at Tampa Bay and the Rams at Dallas. In the top-heavy NFC any one of five teams has a chance to get to the Super Bowl, so having a first-round bye is especially advantageous.

The Packers are 11 ½-point favorites against the Bears. After that they travel to Baltimore, are at home against Cleveland and Minnesota, and close out at Detroit.

The Ravens (8-4) dropped from the AFC’s top spot to the third seed with a 20-19 loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday. Nevertheless, Baltimore appears to be the team with the best chance to upset Green Bay.

It will be interesting to see what the Packers have ascertained during their bye week self-scout.

Clearly, the special teams’ play needs to be crisper down the stretch. Odds are they’ll need Mason Crosby to deliver a clutch field goal or two in the postseason. They’ve got five weeks to fix it.

The offensive line looks like it will be Yosh Nijman, Jon Runyan, Lucas Patrick, Royce Newman and Billy Turner for now. If Nijman or Turner is lost to injury, veteran Dennis Kelly would go to right tackle, where he would either replace Turner or line up opposite him.

Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon should be rested and ready to go.

Davante Adams leads a receiving corps that should be as healthy as it’s been all season. Randall Cobb is dealing with a groin injury, but Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown are all good to go.

Marcedes Lewis, Dominique Dafney and an ascending Josiah Deguara are a strong tight end crew despite losing Tonyan.

Defensively, De’Vondre Campbell was in the COVID-19 protocols before the bye week. He should be available Sunday night.

Rashan Gary has had an extra week to get his elbow healthy, while safeties Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage, Jr., also should benefit from some well-deserved time off.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur has put his team in position to make a strong five-game charge leading into the postseason.

After a bye week to appreciate their Packers’ 9-3 start, fans can buckle up and get ready for a wild ride into the playoffs.

By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers cleared their final pre-bye hurdle – a star-studded Rams team – in brisk, businesslike fashion.

If they were fatigued from the 12-week grind it didn’t show.

They were present and on point all day.

The Packers neither dallied nor daydreamed during a thorough 36-28 dismantling of the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Lambeau Field. They built a 19-point lead late in the third quarter, staved off a late Rams’ rally and pushed through the finish line.

“We talked about emptying the tank and I think we’re at a point where everybody’s pretty exhausted,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “But it definitely feels good going into the bye week on a win.”

The Packers (9-3) trail the NFC’s top-seeded Cardinals (9-2) by just a half-game while owning the head-to-head tiebreaker. Now they get time to rest, recover and rev up for the stretch run.
They are off until Dec. 12 when they host Chicago in a nationally televised Sunday night game.

Whether the Packers’ victory over the Rams is their most impressive win is debatable. That it was one of their most important is undeniable.

Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams agreed wholeheartedly.

“It’s huge, man,” Adams said. “It’s going to make this bye week that much more enjoyable.”

Rodgers echoed that sentiment.

“This was an important one,” Rodgers said afterward. “I like where we’re at. I like our football team. This is shaping up … and we’ve got some more home games, winter games – where we can throw the football (and) control the clock – down the stretch.”

Kenny Clark took it a step further.

“Everything is right in front of us,” he said.

What’s behind them is a win over a talented Rams team that was coming off its bye week after two embarrassing losses. The Las Vegas odds had the Rams favored by 2 ½ points. They lost by nine going away.

The Packers’ defense deployed a “light box” – just three down linemen on most plays – while daring the Rams to run on early downs. The intent was to force Matthew Stafford into throwing in unfavorable situations on third down.

The strategy worked.

The Rams rushed 11 times for a 3-yard average on first down. That led to difficult third-down situations. Stafford completed just 1 of 7 passes on third down, the lone completion being a 79-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson.

Stafford also found Odell Beckham Jr. for a 54-yard touchdown in single coverage against Rasul Douglas, but that was it.

Cooper Kupp, the NFL’s leading receiver, caught an inconsequential seven passes for 96 yards and was a non-factor. At one point, Kupp had more pass attempts (one) than passes targeted at him (zero).

That illustrates just how disjointed the Rams’ offense looked early on.

Stafford completed 21 of 38 passes for 302 yards, three touchdowns and a 96.6 passer rating. He also was sacked twice, harassed frequently and threw a “pick six” interception for a third straight game.

Stafford’s latest gaffe came on a pass intended for Kupp.

Douglas read the play, jumped the route and returned the interception 33 yards for a touchdown to extend Green Bay’s lead to 36-17.

“Cooper Kupp, don’t he got like 10,000 yards receiving already in like eight weeks,” Douglas chided. “We know that’s (Stafford’s) guy. We know a lot of balls get thrown to him and he makes a lot of plays.”

Douglas credited defensive backs coach Jerry Gray for recognizing what the Rams were apt to do in that situation and relaying it to the secondary. When the moment presented itself Douglas pounced.

LaFleur had high praise for the instrumental in-season acquisition.

“I just love how he competes,” he said of Douglas. “You see it play in, play out. The guy is so competitive. You see it in practice every day. Obviously he’s made two plays that have made major impacts this year.”

Douglas had a game-sealing end-zone interception in Green Bay’s 24-21 victory at Arizona in Week 8.

When asked about the Rams’ recent acquisition of OBJ, Adams responded by making it about Douglas: “Sometimes it’s just taking a chance. You never really know for sure. You go get a star (like OBJ) there’s a better chance for it panning out.”

OBJ had five catches for 81 yards and the long touchdown. Douglas had the “pick six” to come away with the victory.

“Shout out to the (Packers) scouting department for getting Rasul,” Adams added. “He’s been a difference-maker on that defense. The confidence, the speed he plays with, he can give up a touchdown but still have the confidence to go out and make a ‘pick six.’ The energy he plays with is contagious and the defense feeds off of it.

“I’d like to say he capitalized on his opportunity and he’s a great teammate. It’s fun playing with him.”

Douglas had six tackles and four passes defended to go with his “pick six” but he wasn’t the only defender with a big day.

Packers’ rookie corner Eric Stokes was targeted 10 times. He allowed just three catches for 20 yards. Clark had six tackles, a sack and two quarterback hits. Rashan Gary had a sack, a forced fumble and three tackles while playing with his left elbow heavily braced.

In all, the Packers’ defense forced three turnovers while Green Bay committed just one on Randall Cobb’s fumbled punt.

Meantime, the Packers’ patchwork offensive line held up against a Rams’ pass rush featuring Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd and Von Miller. Rodgers endured one sack and 20 pressures while playing with a painful broken left pinky toe. He was hit only twice in 45 drop-backs.

Yosh Nijman started at left tackle in place of the injured Elgton Jenkins and played well. He was responsible for both hits on Rodgers, but otherwise kept his quarterback clean.

“The offensive line was fantastic,” Rodgers said. “One phantom sack, the gift I gave my workout buddy Greg Gaines with the zero-yard sack on the scramble. I thought they did a nice job. I thought we mixed it up with the quick game, getting the ball out of my hand.”

Rodgers was especially pleased with Nijman’s performance.

“I gave him a big hug after the game and told him, ‘I almost forgot about that side of the line,’ and that’s a huge compliment because I didn’t have any worries about my backside,” Rodgers said.

“You’re going against two likely Hall of Famers (Miller and Donald) and a stud in Floyd who’s been doing it at a high level now for half a decade. That’s a tough, tough assignment.”

Equally tough was the challenge of facing an ornery, well-rested Rams team coming off its bye. Ultimately, the Packers were sharp enough to make the Rams (7-4) look like a team that’s tired … tired of losing.

By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – While the Vikings celebrated a walk-off win Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Packers licked their wounds and reflected upon an unsettling limp-off loss.

Indeed, the Packers’ 34-31 setback at Minnesota hurt from head to toe.

Despite dealing with an excruciatingly painful toe injury, Aaron Rodgers threw for four touchdowns. Most days that’s enough to win. Not this day. Rodgers is now 21-4 when he throws for four-plus touchdowns.

Left tackle Elgton Jenkins played 48 snaps before his left knee crumbled while trying to block safety Harrison Smith. The Packers are hoping Jenkins’ injury isn’t a season-ending ACL tear. They’re also praying David Bakhtiari returns sooner than later from his knee injury.

All that and Mason Crosby’s right foot continues to be a pain in the butt.

Crosby missed a 32-yard chip-shot in the first half. He is now 15 of 23 (65 percent) on the season, and just 7 of 14 on field goal attempts between the 30- and 49-yard line.

But wait – there’s more.

The Packers’ offensive line committed five penalties that led to five first-and-20 situations. That isn’t staying ahead of the sticks. It’s putting yourself behind the 8-ball.

Terrific “next-man-up” performances by Equanimeous St. Brown, Josiah Deguara and Yosh Nijman (again) on offense, plus a stellar showing by edge rusher Preston Smith, went for naught.

Physically the Packers played the Vikings to a draw, but mentally they committed way too many self-inflicted wounds to prevail.

“It’s hard to win in this league and it’s hard to score points when you’re behind the sticks,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “We knew it was going to be important to be in third-and-manageable situations or stay out of third down altogether and we got backed up too many times.”

After trailing 16-10 at the half, the Packers’ offense rallied for three straight touchdown drives in the second half.

Davante Adams caught touchdown passes of 10 and 18 yards to give Green Bay a short-lived 24-23 lead with 7:49 to play.

The Vikings’ Kirk Cousins countered with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson with a little more than two minutes to play.

Dalvin Cook tacked on the 2-point conversion to give Minnesota a 31-24 lead.

That’s when Rodgers hooked up with Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a 75-yard touchdown to tie it at 31-31 with 2:08 to play.

The problem was the Packers never got the football back.

Cousins led the Vikings on an eight-play, 64-yard drive that resulted in Greg Joseph’s 29-yard field goal to make it 34-31 at the gun.

“Definitely an emotional rollercoaster,” Adams said. “That’s a great way to explain it, especially at the end because, you know, we thought we had the ball back.”

It appeared Darnell Savage made a game-clinching interception but the pick was overturned by replay. Savage came close to having two other interceptions, but one was batted away by a receiver and another was nullified by Kingsley Keke’s roughing-the-passer penalty.

Ultimately, the Packers were doomed by four promising first-half drives that went field goal, punt, missed field goal and punt.

Rodgers hasn’t practiced in weeks and it looked like it in the first half. MVS had four catches for 123 yards and the touchdown, but he only had two catches for 44 yards on eight first-half targets.

It took too long for the Packers’ offense to get in sync.

“I thought in the second half we finally started to get into a better rhythm,” LaFleur said. “We started to be a little bit more aggressive, and our execution was on point. There was a lot of good within the game. Certainly, we’d like to finish a couple of those drives a little bit better.”

Rodgers completed 23 of 33 passes for 385 yards, no interceptions and a 148.4 passer rating. He also rushed twice for 21 yards on the sore toe.

A.J. Dillon rushed 11 times for 53 yards in Aaron Jones’ absence. He also caught six passes for another 44 yards, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Cousins’ hot hand and Jefferson’s brilliance.

“Our defense has been playing so good (but) some days you have to outscore teams that get hot on offense,” Rodgers said. “We had an opportunity to score 40 points today, and when you’re playing an offense that’s hot, that has a hot quarterback, and stud receivers and a stud back, you’ve got to keep scoring.

“We’ve had a couple of games like this over the years – thinking about 2012 especially – where we’ve got to outscore them at their place. We didn’t do that today. But I think for us personally on offense, we’ve got to start faster. We’ve got to score touchdowns on those opening plays, so I know Matt (LaFleur) will be looking at that this week and dial up some good stuff for L.A.”

The Packers (8-3) face the Los Angeles Rams (7-3) on Sunday with kickoff set for 3:25 p.m. at Lambeau Field.

It will be interesting to see how the Packers respond. They haven’t lost back-to-back games in two-plus seasons under LaFleur. They also have the bye week beckoning after the Rams’ game.

Minnesota (5-5) now trails the Packers by 2 ½ games in the NFC North.

Cousins hit 24 of 35 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns for a gaudy 128.4 passer rating. Jefferson caught eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Adam Thielen added eight catches for 82 yards.

The Packers had numerous opportunities to get Minnesota’s offense off the field, but each time they came up short in key moments.
Savage’s near interception stood out.

“That’s the chance to get their offense off the field and not let them get the ball rolling,” Preston Smith said of the missed opportunities, including his strip sack that was recovered by Minnesota.

“Kirk hit his throws today. We allowed him to be comfortable and that’s what happens when you let him get comfortable.”

By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – While the Packers’ offense searches for the 10 points per game fewer it’s scoring from last year to this, it has found an unflinching ally in its stingy, shoulder-pad popping defense.

That’s right. It is Green Bay’s defense, rather than the offense, that is killing it.

First-year coordinator Joe Barry’s unit doesn’t have a flashy nickname like Dallas’ “Doomsday Defense,” or the L.A. Rams’ “Fearsome Foursome,” or the Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom!”

No, the Packers’ defense merely lowers the boom like it did in a 17-0 shutout victory over Seattle on Sunday. It was Russell Wilson’s fifth straight loss at Lambeau Field and it’s the first time he’s been shut out in his 150-game career.

While Aaron Rodgers and the offense sputtered before scoring back-to-back fourth-quarter touchdowns to seal the win, the Packers’ defense had Seattle and Wilson back on its cleats from the outset.

The Seahawks didn’t cross Green Bay’s 35-yard line in the first half.

Barry’s “Ballers” smothered Seattle’s running attack by holding Alex Collins to just 41 yards on 10 carries. Wilson scrambled five times for 32 yards. That was it.

In the second half, Seattle’s offense moved in position to score only to have Kevin King and Adrian Amos thwart drives with impressive end-zone interceptions. King, Amos, Darnell Savage and Rasul Douglas were on point all day.

“We did what we set out to do – not give up anything cheap, nothing deep,” Amos said.

The Packers’ defense hasn’t allowed any points in six straight quarters dating back to the second-half shutout at Kansas City last week. Green Bay has now held four of its past five opponents to 14 points or fewer.

Seattle’s drive chart was an incredible 10-possession abomination.

It consisted of punt, punt, punt, punt, end of first half, punt, interception, punt, interception and turned over on downs.

Wilson completed just five passes on 16 targets for 49 yards to high-octane receivers D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

Seattle racked up just 208 yards in total offense with Wilson being sacked three times and pressured constantly. Wilson’s passer rating was a measly 39.7.

“We knew the offense ran through them – well, it runs through Russell but through the pass game, and those are the dynamic guys,” King said. “Running after those guys, they do all kinds of stuff. It was a team effort. It took the whole defense to contain those guys, and to contain Russ.”

The Packers got five hits on Wilson with Rashan Gary, Whitney Mercilus and Preston Smith each getting a sack. De’Vondre Campbell and Krys Barnes had five tackles each, and Douglas had four tackles, a pass defended and a tackle for loss.

Green Bay (8-2) recaptured the NFC’s No. 1 seed with its win over Seattle and the Arizona Cardinals’ 34-10 loss to Carolina also on Sunday.

The Packers will welcome the win, but their already erratic offensive attack could be without Aaron Jones, who exited in the third quarter with a knee injury. Early reports indicate Jones may have a sprained MCL, which means he could miss several weeks but should be able to return.

Backfield mate A.J. Dillon compensated for the loss by running with power and passion while compiling 66 yards on 21 carries and another 62 yards on two catches. He also rushed for both touchdowns to lead the Packers’ offense while Rodgers tried to acclimate himself after missing 10 days on the COVID-19 list.

Rodgers completed 23 of 37 passes for 292 yards with one interception and a 75.5 passer rating. He was sacked once and often lined up in the shotgun with an empty backfield, a strategy that made the Packers needlessly one-dimensional to defend.

Finally, after Jones left with the injury, Packers coach Matt LaFleur elected to have Rodgers line up under center with Dillon behind him. The Packers’ ability to impose their will when it mattered most was impressive.

Dillon basically ran the football down Seattle’s throat.

Faced with third-and-goal from Seattle’s 3, Dillon ran through six-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner on his way to the end zone. That pushed Green Bay’s lead to 10-0 with 10:37 to play in the fourth quarter.

Dillon was the driving force on Green Bay’s next touchdown drive. He caught a 50-yard screen pass to push the Packers deep into Seattle territory. Then he slammed into the end zone on a 2-yard run to make it 17-0 with two minutes left.

Dillon said he received encouragement from Jones after No. 33 left the game.

“When he first exited the game, he looked at me and said, ‘Get the job done, finish it off,’ ” Dillon said. “That’s like my big brother on this team, I love him to death, so for him to believe in me, that trust, was great.”

Likewise, Dillon has a fan in Rodgers.

“I’m very proud of him. He’s a great kid,” Rodgers said. “He’s a guy that’s become very reliable and his catch and broken tackles and run down the sidelines to get us out of a backed-up situation, into their side of the field to put the game away and go up three scores, I mean, that was the play of the game, for sure.

“He probably had the three plays of the game with the touchdown runs and that catch-and-run.”

Offensively, the Packers aren’t matching their NFL-best 31.8 points per game. Some of it has to do with injuries to key players. All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, who continues to recover from a knee injury, was signed to the active roster last week. Center Josh Myers remains out with a knee injury, although he is expected to return at some point.

Tight end Robert Tonyan and No. 3 back/return specialist Kylin Hill were both lost to season-ending knee injuries, and now Jones is going to be out for a while.

LaFleur has been adept at mixing and matching. Last week, he had to prepare Jordan Love to start just in case Rodgers wasn’t cleared off the COVID-19 list. Rodgers, who was quarantined for 10 days, ingested the game plan via Zoom throughout the week.

He said he felt ok aside from the usual soreness.

“You’re always wondering how it’s going to look on game day when you haven’t had any reps with him,” LaFleur said of Rodgers not practicing. “But we’ve got so much confidence in his ability to go out there and execute. I thought there were a lot of plays, for whatever reason, that didn’t quite work out.”

LaFleur expanded on the thought.

“I thought there were a couple plays where we had opportunities where he threw some great balls and we just didn’t come up with it,” he said. “And there were some where I’m sure he would like to have back, just like there is every game.”

The Packers have the week to prepare for Minnesota (4-5) on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings scored an impressive 27-20 victory at the L.A. Chargers on Sunday, with Justin Jefferson catching nine passes for 143 yards. Kirk Cousins threw for two touchdowns and Dalvin Cook rushed for 94 yards and a score.

If Green Bay gets the win at Minnesota it will hold a 4 ½-game lead over the Vikings in the NFC North with six games to play. A Vikings’ win would trim the Packers’ lead to 2 ½ games, so a Green Bay win would be a major step toward capturing the division title.

By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers spent the better part of four quarters searching for blitz-beating counterpunches to combat the Chiefs’ pressure-happy defense.

By the time they finally hit one it was too little, too late.

With MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers quarantining in Green Bay after testing positive for COVID-19 last week, Jordan Love was making his first NFL start. The highlight was Love’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Allen Lazard with 4:54 to play.

That made it a one-possession game, but the Packers never got the ball back in a frustrating 13-7 loss to the Chiefs Sunday at windswept Arrowhead Stadium.

“Obviously, not good enough,” Love said of his first start. “I think we started off a little slow; I started off a little slow, personally. I think we got into a bit of a rhythm later. Obviously, it was too late … just not good enough.”

The Packers (7-2) saw their seven-game winning streak snapped, but they still remain the NFC’s No. 2 seed going into Week 10. If Rodgers is cleared to play, LaFleur said he’ll be the starter when the Packers host Seattle on Sunday.

Meantime, the loss reaffirmed several notions going into the game.

** No. 1 – The Packers’ defense is legit.

Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes had the least productive day of his career. The former MVP and Super Bowl-winning quarterback completed 20 of 37 passes for 166 yards – his fewest in a full game – and eked out 237 yards in total offense.

Tyreek Hill, the human cheetah, had just four catches for 37 yards. However, his 13-yard reception on third-and-10 enabled the Chiefs to run out the clock. The Packers’ defense had forced a season-high four “three-and-outs” to that point.

Aaron Jones praised the Packers’ defense and lamented the missed opportunity.

“Any time you can hold an offense that explosive to 13 points your defense had a great night and you should win the game,” Jones said. “I felt in that fourth quarter we found a rhythm offensively. If we could’ve found that rhythm earlier …”

Perhaps most impressive is that Green Bay’s defense dominated despite losing cornerback Eric Stokes to an ankle injury in pregame warmups, and All-Pro defensive tackle Kenny Clark to a back injury in the second quarter.

Still, coordinator Joe Barry’s unit battled and played well all day.

** No. 2 – The Packers’ offense isn’t the same with Love at quarterback.

Whereas Rodgers likely would’ve made the Chiefs’ defense pay for its impunity, Love struggled to give his receivers a chance to make plays. He finished 19 of 34 for 190 yards with one touchdown, one interception and a 69.5 passer rating.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t absolve Love of his mistakes, but he did accept the brunt of the blame.

“This one falls on me, squarely,” he said. “Certainly, for us to be 2-for-12 on third down, obviously we didn’t have a good enough plan for some of the zero pressures that they brought on us.”

Davante Adams, the obvious blitz-beater, caught six passes for 42 yards. His long catch was just 14 yards. Love targeted him 14 times to get the six completions. Their lack of chemistry is understandable, but none the less disappointing.

** No. 3 – The Packers’ special teams’ units are a disaster.

Mason Crosby missed a 40-yard field goal attempt wide left on the Packers’ last drive of the first quarter. Then, Crosby had a 37-yard attempt blocked on the Packers’ first possession of the second quarter.

The kicking miscues cost the Packers six points – the difference in the final score – while Malik Taylor’s muff on Amari Rodgers’ misjudged kickoff return led to a chip-shot field goal for Kansas City and a 13-0 halftime deficit for Green Bay.

“Obviously we could have used those six points,” LaFleur said. “And we basically gave them points when we fumbled the ball. You can’t have that happen.”

That left it to Love and the offense to back the defense’s strong play and bail out the special teams’ gaffes.

Ultimately, they weren’t up to the task.

Love confirmed that he was jittery at the outset.

Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo – who deploys the NFL’s most blitz-heavy scheme – seized the opportunity to pounce.
Spagnuolo brought five or more pass rushers on 51 percent of Love’s drop-backs. According to ESPN Stats & Research, Love hit just 6 of 17 passes for 30 yards against the blitz, with 20 coming on the touchdown to Lazard. He also was blitzed 69 percent of his third- and fourth-down drop-backs.

Kansas City (5-4) repeatedly brought the house; Green Bay didn’t have an answer.

LaFleur criticized his own game plan.

“We have to have a better plan to handle those pressures,” he said afterward. “And we did not tonight. It falls squarely on me and not having a good enough plan versus that pressure.”

LaFleur said Love “battled” and showed “great resiliency.”

“For his first game, going out there in a hostile environment, I thought he handled himself exceptionally well,” he said. “We prepared for (the blitz). We knew it was going to come. And we didn’t plan for it well enough.”
Love was disappointed with his play.

“You never know when your opportunity is going to come,” he said. “I got it today and not being able to win that game – we had a lot of chances on offense because our defense played a really good game – and we still lost. That’s the most disappointing thing … that I wasn’t able to execute and go get some points early.”

The Chiefs’ best drive was their first drive that covered 64 yards in 15 plays and was capped by Travis Kelce’s 1-yard TD catch.
After that it was a defensive tug-of-war.

The Packers outgained the Chiefs 301-237 with a 122-77 edge on the ground. The Chiefs’ high-powered offense mustered just 3.8 yards per play.

Kevin King, Chandon Sullivan and Rasul Douglas played well at cornerback, and safety Darnell Savage also made several big plays. Rookie defensive tackle T.J. Slaton was strong in relief of Clark, and linebackers Krys Barnes (nine tackles) and De’Vondre Campbell (seven tackles) made several key stops.

LaFleur heaped praise on his defense.

“That was a championship-level effort, championship-level execution,” LaFleur said. “I was really proud of those guys.”
The Packers’ Jones rushed 12 times for 53 yards and A.J. Dillon added 46 yards in eight carries, plus another 44 yards on four receptions.

Love felt like the Packers’ offense had chances to make plays against the blitz.

“We knew they like to bring a lot (of pressure) a lot (of plays), especially with me being a young quarterback,” he said. “All it took is one big play and (the blitz) wouldn’t have come as much. We weren’t able to execute those plays.”

After the game, Love said he believes he’s ready to be a starting NFL QB.

“Yeah, I do,” he said.

Clearly, LaFleur was most disappointed in his own performance.

“I thought our guys battled,” he said. “I thought Jordan, I was really proud of the way he played. He hung in there. He was taking hits and delivering the ball. I thought he did a really good job. But I think that ultimately I’ve got to be better.

“This one falls squarely on me.”