Aaron Rodgers Has Monster Game As The Pack Dismantles Chiefs
The Cheeseheads got giddy and crazy last night. Lambeau Field fans had a moment to dance in the moonlight. Aaron Rodgers tossed five touchdown strikes to lead the Packers over the Chiefs 38-28 on Monday Night Football.
Since the end of last season, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy had been preaching about a fast start. He stressed the importance of coming out of the gate and getting a lead on the division. On Monday night, part of his wish came true. The Packers overcame the injuries of recent weeks to remain undefeated. The Packers 3-0 start is their best since the 2011 season. That year, they started fast and went 13-0 before ending with a 15-1 record.
The Packers dominated the game on both sides of the ball. They ended the night with more total yards than the Kansas City Chiefs. Behind the arm of Rodgers, the Pack gained 449 yards of offense. The chiefs racked up 325 yards on offense but looked off balance at times.
Rodgers just doesn’t throw interceptions on his home turf. That uncanny streak reached 16 last night. Aaron was a touchdown machine against the Chiefs, tossing five TDs made him the franchise king. The five touchdown game was the fourth of his career.
With the completion of his fourth scoring pass, Rodgers proved he’s a beast. He has 15 games in which he’s thrown four TD’s since the 2010 season. Rodgers’ monster game also included 333 yards and a passer rating of 138.5. Aaron played smart and savvy. He consistently caught the Chiefs in free-play situations. Two of Rodgers’ touchdown strikes came in those types of situations. One was a 27-yard strike to James Jones, and the other score was a bomb to Jones again.
Mike McCarthy praised his quarterback on Packers.com. Not only is Rodgers talented, he’s smart. He recognizes when teams need to substitute. Rodgers will catch a team with too many players on the field and make them pay.
“He’s playing great football. The free plays are unique. It’s become a part of our offense. He always finds the big play. His ability to process information is as good as I’ve been around. He’s playing at a great level.”
Rodgers completed passes to seven different receivers. His command of the offense was the key to the Packers domination of the Chiefs. The war of the trenches was totally in favor of Green Bay.
Rodgers wasn’t the only star of the game. The Green Bay defense was on fire too. The fired-up Packers sacked Alex Smith seven times. The furious defense set the tone in the first quarter. They forced three straight three-and-outs. The Packers defense continued their mastery into the third quarter. With 7:18 left in the third quarter, the Chiefs had only 89 yards of offense.
The bullying Packers defense also held Kansas City running back Jamal Charles to 49 yards rushing. They did the same thing to Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch last week. Beast Mode was off and never got turned on. The Packers defense came to play Monday night. Primetime had them pumped up and the intensity remained until late in the third quarter.
Packers defensive tackle Mike Daniels summed it up. He was quoted by Scout.com.
“We’re competing. I’ll meet you at the quarterback, I’ll meet you in the backfield at the running back. We’re all getting there. Eleven hats to the ball … all those sayings. But they’re sayings for a reason — because they’re true. And we just have to continue to take the steps forward we need to take.”
The fast start has been activated. The Packers are on the move and looking unstoppable. If Green Bay can avoid further injuries to key players, the division may be theirs for the taking.
[Photo by Joe Robbins, Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images]
