The Green Bay Packers have been besieged by COVID-related issues in the past couple of weeks.
Defensive coordinator Joe Barry had been missing from in-person team activities due to the protocols, and Green Bay was without two key wide receivers in their prior contest against the Arizona Cardinals.
Davante Adams and Allen Lazard both missed the Cardinals game, which left quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a dearth of options on the outside.
Now, it is Rodgers himself who has tested positive for the virus, and he will not be available to the team on Sunday when they play the Kansas City Chiefs.
A road contest at Arrowhead Stadium without one of the best signal-callers in the league would seem like a pretty daunting task for the Packers.
It won’t be easy, but there are still reasons for optimism that Green Bay could lean on for hope that they could pull off the upset.
3. Aaron Jones And AJ Dillon
It’s usually a good idea to deploy a run heavy scheme against the Chiefs to minimize the number of chances Patrick Mahomes has to beat you.
Eat up the clock, and keep Kansas City’s dynamic weapons on the sideline, which is easier said than done.
However, for Green Bay, it might be more feasible to pull off than for most other NFL teams.
Aaron Jones is one of the premier running backs in the game, and AJ Dillon could be an instant star if he ever had the chance to assume a full workload.
We saw the type of effective output New York Giants running back Devontae Booker had against the Chiefs, and the Packers tandem is considerably more talented.
Don’t be surprised if the one-two punch handles 30-35 touches on Sunday.
No. 3️⃣3️⃣ 😤⚡@Showtyme_33 | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/GD46ORpZ48
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 4, 2021
2. The Chiefs Have Struggled This Year
So far through the 2021 campaign, it seems like these aren’t your older sibling’s Chiefs.
They aren’t waxing teams on a weekly basis by three touchdowns, and uncharacteristic turnovers are keeping opponents in the game.
Kansas City barely did enough to squeak by a New York Giants team that is decimated by injuries.
Green Bay is a much more formidable foe, and appear to be a more disciplined defensive team.
They’re tied for third in the NFL in interceptions, and figure to be more likely than a lot of other teams to secure any errant throws from Mahomes.
Green Bay is also among the leaders in fewest missed tackles in the NFL, so they’re pretty good about ending a play once their defenders reach the ball.
This is a recipe for the Packers to at least hang in there with the high octane Chiefs.
1. The Unknown Potential Of Jordan Love
Losing Rodgers during the lead up to a game is a blow that is unequivocally hard to withstand.
His talent and awareness on the field is nearly impossible to replace.
While it is fair to wonder about how steep of a downgrade a Rodgers to Jordan Love transition is, there is also a possibility that Love might actually step in and play pretty well on Sunday.
He’ll be surrounded by a tremendous supporting cast, and has been preparing for a moment like this for over a year and a half.
Leading into the draft, many evaluators compared Love’s game to that of Mahomes, so it’s fascinating that he’ll get a chance to square off against the prototype.
🤝#GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/4QmmP00RWr
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 4, 2021
In addition to all of that, Love might play with an enormous chip on his shoulder, considering that the Packers received a lot of heat for not selecting a wide receiver instead in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
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