The first loss this season for the Green Bay Packers means just as much – just a loss. The Packers are still the best in the NFC North, still the best in the NFC. Aaron Rodgers is still the best quarterback around, he just had an off day against the Chiefs.
Not taking anything away from Kansas City, improving to 6-8, with a chance of ruining it for the Broncos on the last day of the season, with a chance of finishing at .500. Kyle Orton didn’t throw any touchdown passes, but had a very good debut (last week doesn’t count) for the Chiefs at Arrowhead, throwing for 299 yards without getting intercepted. He actually threw better than Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers did throw his 40th touchdown this season for the Green Bay Packers, the only one of the day. He also ran for the other one in an abysmal offensive performance. He’s the first Packer to throw 40 touchdown passes in a season, beating Brett Favre’s 39 from 1996. The Packers wont the Super Bowl that year if that means anything.
But that was where the good news ended. Rodgers threw 17-35, as the Chiefs held the Packers scoreless till the middle of the third quarter. A usually weak pass rush outdid itself, sacking Rodgers four times, three by Tamba Hali. Rodgers got shaken up quite a few times, and struggled getting good looks and getting the offense rolling.
Still, the distance from one bad performance to tragedy and lamenting and worrying about the Packers suddenly not as good as they appeared to be seems foolish. Injuries, always a comfortable excuse, were there. Both Greg Jennings and James Starks didn’t play. It seemed plenty of times like too many bad things happened to the Packers at once than actually the Chiefs playing one hell of a game.
Still, no one made any excuses – They had a good game plan. You have to give them credit. Derrick Johnson, the Chiefs linebacker, leading the Chiefs yesterday with 7 solo tackles, just made it sound like business, another day at the office – We set the tone on both sides of the ball. This is the great thing about football. You can’t always look at the records, because you’ve got grown men out there who are all getting paid. You don’t have to be better on paper.
The Green Bay Packers are still the favorites to win the NFC and the Super Bowl in my opinion. Aaron Rodgers is still the deserving MVP. He just had a bad day. Maybe it’s easier having that 0 off the Losses column, taking the pressure and the talk off the undefeated season. In the big scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. Those Miami Dolphins geezers can keep their record. The undefeated didn’t do the New England Patriots any good a few years back, and that Brady bunch might have been the greatest offensive crew ever.