Chiefs’ defense is gearing up for challenge of slowing down the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ last visit to Arrowhead Stadium didn’t go so well.
During the 2011 season, Rodgers and the Packers were cruising with a 13-0 record before running into a defensive buzzsaw in Week 15.
The Chiefs, then 5-8, stymied the vaunted Packers offense with a complete team effort, sacking Rodgers four times en route to a 19-14 upset behind Ryan Succop’s four field goals. Former Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali led the defensive charge with three sacks.
New characters are in the spotlight this time — Succop plays for the Tennessee Titans and Hale has retired — but it might take a similar effort for the Chiefs to emerge victorious Sunday night.
They know they’ll have their hands full against a Rodgers-led offense.
“What we talked about the other day was that because of the respect that we have for him, to me, I think the most important thing is the (Packers’) other 10 (players), if that makes sense,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. “I think it’s important to win your one-on-one up front, make sure that the guys on the back end win their one-on-ones and try to make it tough for No. 12 (Rodgers).”
Spagnuolo’s strategy sounds simple enough, and the Chiefs do enter the game ranked ninth in the league against the pass (228.6 yards allowed per game).
But many teams have tried over the years and found it difficult to truly contain the Packers’ star quarterback.
Even at 35, Rodgers remains one of the NFL’s elite signal-callers. His 2,019 yards passing entering Week 8 currently ranks fifth in the league, and his 64.8 career completion percentage ranks ninth all-time in league history.
Rodgers also comes off a Week 7 game against the Oakland Raiders where he completed 25 of 31 passes for 429 yards and five touchdowns en route to a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Rodgers is also mobile and ran for a score in the Packers’ 42-24 win over the Raiders.
Chiefs defensive end Alex Okafor knows a thing or two about playing with and practicing against some of the NFL’s best quarterbacks from his time with the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints and now Kansas City.
Okafor has practiced against Carson Palmer, Drew Brees and, of course, Patrick Mahomes. He sees plenty of similarities between Rodgers and the NFL’s other top signal-callers.
“They don’t miss open guys,” Okafor said. “I think that’s the difference between elite quarterbacks in this league and average quarterbacks in this league.
“The elite quarterbacks — whether it’s the first or third read — if somebody is open, they’re hitting that open man. They don’t miss those reads. There’s no difference with No. 12 back there.”
When looking back at the Packers’ tape against Oakland, another area that jumped out to Okafor was the fact that Rodgers connected with five different receivers for scoring passes. Rodgers did that damage without top wideout Davante Adams, who has been dealing with a toe injury and is doubtful for Week 8.
The fact that Rodgers is deadly in finding other ways to hurt a team means the Chiefs can’t afford to lock onto one threat. Rather, they must be on their toes for anything.
“They keep you honest as a defense,” Okafor said. “There aren’t many tendencies that you can play towards as a defense, so you just kind of have to be alert for everything. Everything is on the menu with them.”
Chiefs cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who was teammates with Rodgers in Green Bay last year, agreed with Okafor’s assessment, adding he notices a little extra pep in Rodgers’ step now.
“He’s playing ball and having fun,” Breeland said. “You can really tell he’s having fun out there. He’s enjoying spreading the ball around to all his guys. No matter who you are, he’s giving you a chance to really go out there and make plays and catch passes from him.”
While Rodgers is known for producing a highlight-worthy pass on any given play, he’s also widely regarded as possessing one of the NFL’s best deep throws.
Three of Rodgers’ five touchdown passes in Week 7 came from 20-plus yards, which included a safety look-off by Rodgers before he connected with wide receiver Jake Kumerow down the right sideline for a 37-yard touchdown.
“Without a doubt,” Chiefssafety Tyrann Mathieu said of Rodgers’s reputation as one of the league’s best deep passers. “I will say this, too: If you watch him on tape, he holds that ball quite a bit. I think he enjoys the camera on him and he enjoys those deep shots down the field. That’s going to be a challenge for us.”
The Chiefs know they need to trust one another in order for the defense to function effectively as a unit.
“It just means everybody has to step up and do their job,” Breeland said. “When you have your one-on-one matchups, you have to focus on winning that matchup.”
Mathieu agreed.
“He’s going to make some plays Sunday night; he’s Aaron Rodgers,” Mathieu said. “The biggest thing I mentioned is just limiting the explosive plays. We’ll put ourselves in a position to play some good defense Sunday.”
The Chiefs hold a 7-4-1 all-time edge against the Packers, including their 35-10 loss in Super Bowl I.
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Chiefs’ defense is gearing up for challenge of slowing down the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers."
