The Kansas City Chiefs surprised everyone last season by being the last undefeated team in the NFL before finally dropping one in Week 10 against the Denver Broncos. As they enter their preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers tonight, coach Andy Reid will be watching to see which backup players position the Chiefs to repeat that success.
Kansas City’s ground game is anchored by Jamaal Charles, who over the past two season has had 544 carries and 105 catches. Last season, Charles tallied 1,287 yards rushing, 70 pass receptions and 19 touchdowns, showing his rookie season before that wasn’t a fluke.
Not surprisingly, Charles will be resting in tonight’s Green Bay Packers game. No need to risk injury to a key player on offense. But the decision to rest Charles and the rest of the offensive starters is still being questioned by some.
The Chiefs first-team offense hasn’t scored a single touchdown in 16 preseason possessions, a large reason their record is 1-2. Last week the Chiefs, with starting QB Alex Smith at the helm, got the ball inside the Minnesota Vikings red zone three times and still managed to come away with only three points.
The defense has looked a bit better. ESPN’s ranking of the top 100 defensive players has Chiefs safety Eric Berry at No. 21 and outside linebacker Tamba Hali at No. 27. And while linebacker Joe Mays is expected to miss at least six weeks after having surgery on his wrist, Kansas City looks ready on the defensive side of the ball.
That D will face a tough test in tonight’s Packers game, even with Green Bay’s starters resting. The Green Bay Packers have said they want to field the fastest offense in the NFL this season. Their goal is to run 75 plays per game. Any bets how Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly will respond to that?
The Packers’ plans were dealt a blow when starting center JC Tretter went down with injury. Tretter anchored Green Bay’s offensive line for the first three preseason games, when the Packers’ no-huddle offense was cruising. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers can likely overcome the loss, even with a rookie center in Tretter’s place, but we’ll see how well the Packers no-huddle offense in tonight’s Chiefs game.
Tonight’s Kansas City Chiefs / Green Bay Packers game kicks off at 7pm EST from Lambeau Field. The game isn’t being televised, but you can watch Chiefs vs Packers game live online free preseason week 4 if you’ve signed-up for the NFL Preseason Live service. That program lets fans watch all preseason NFL games for $19.99. NFL Network subscribers have another option to watch the game live on the NFL Online website. All that’s required there is to enter your login info for your satellite or cable TV provider.