After sluggish start, Chiefs rally for 17-14 halftime lead over Green Bay Packers
If there was a game for the Chiefs to strive for mistake-free football it was Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. Starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes was out with a knee injury. Matt Moore started his first game since 2017 after sitting out last season.
It wasn’t a clean half, but the Chiefs rallied from a 14-0 deficit to take a 17-14 lead at the break.
Harrison Butker missed a field goal. the Chiefs were penalized on a kickoff return. Sammy Watkins dropped what would have been a first-down reception. Tight end Blake Bell dropped a short pass in the second quarter. Cornerback Bashaud Breeland was in position for an interception but couldn’t complete the play.
Breeland injured his shoulder on the play and his return was announced as questionable.
But the Chiefs have enough playmakers to overcome a few mistakes. After a slow start, Moore got into a rhythm with short, intermediate throws. Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and others came up big to give the Chiefs the lead.
The Chiefs get the ball to begin the second half, too.
Early empty possessions
The Chiefs’ first two possessions went nowhere, and the second one could have been crushing.
After a three-and-out on Moore’s first series, the Chiefs’ defense and punt return set him up in great shape.
A Tanoh Kpassagnon 17-yard sack of Aaron Rodgers had the Packers punting out of their end zone. Mecole Hardman’s 18-yard return set up the Chiefs at the 30.
But three plays netted minus-2 yards and Harrison Butker pushed left a 50-yard field goal attempt.
Ah, but ...
On the first two possessions, Tyreek Hill got one target and Travis Kelce none.
When Moore looked to the team’s biggest playmakers, the Chiefs got in the end zone. Hill was the target on a 14-yard completion on third-and-12. Kelce completed the drive with a 29-yard reception, a play that included fake handoffs to Demarcus Robinson and Hill. The defense bit, leaving Kelce to run free.
Kelce played a role in the Chiefs’ next touchdown, a jet sweep flip to Hardman that covered 30 yards. Kelce and Robinson each picked up big blocks on the play. That scored made it 14-14.
Butker’s 28-yard field goal with 56 seconds remaining in the half gave the Chiefs a 17-14 lead.
At hafltime, Moore had completed 15 of 23 for a Mahomes-like 196 yards.
Sack attack
Three times the Packers were forced to punt in the first half, and two of those possessions were short-circuited by a pass rush that has grown more ferocious over the past couple of weeks.
After eight sacks of Denver’s Joe Flacco in the previous game (nine total sacks), the Chiefs came up with two in the first half Sunday. Kpassagnon’s big play was first, and Damien Wilson recorded a nine-yard sack. Kpassagnon ended the half with a sack, his second of the game.
Injury bug
The Chiefs were as impacted by injury as they’ve been in a game this season.
Unavailable were six starters. Patrick Mahomes missed the first start of his 26-game career, including playoffs. We knew that was coming. Defensive tackle Chris Jones and offensive linemen Andrew Wylie and Eric Fisher have been working their way back from injuries.
Cornerback Kendall Fuller missed his second straight game with a broken thumb. New to list was defensive end Frank Clark, who sat out with a neck injury.