PACKERS FINISH THE PRESEASON AGAINST THE CHIEFS
The Green Bay Packers will travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs in their final game of the preseason.
It will be the eighth time, and the sixth since 2010, that the Packers and Chiefs will face each other in the final preseason game.
Green Bay is 4-3 when closing out the preseason against Kansas City and 8-7-1 overall when playing the Chiefs in the preseason.
The Packers have won three of the last four preseason matchups against the Chiefs and two of the last three regular-season contests, including a 38-28 win at Lambeau Field in Week 3 of the 2015 regular season.
Green Bay’s last victory at Kansas City came during the 2007 regular season (33-22).
The Packers have won four of their last five preseason finales. Over the last two years, Green Bay has outscored its opponents, 72-24, in Week 4 of the preseason.
Green Bay is 3-0 in the preseason for the first time since 2009, when it also started 3-0.
Thursday marks the second of four consecutive road games (two preseason, two regular season) before hosting the Detroit Lions on Sept. 25. This is the first time Green Bay has closed the preseason as the away team in the final two games and opened the regular season on the road in the first two games.
The Packers will open the regular season at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 11.
WITH THE CALL
Flagshipped by Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV and in conjunction with WGBA-TV in Green Bay, the game will be televised over the 16-station Packers TV Network throughout the state of Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, northeastern Minnesota, the Quad Cities, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Waterloo in Iowa, Omaha in Nebraska, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau in Alaska and Honolulu in Hawaii.
The top-notch broadcast team includes CBS’s Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) alongside fellow CBS broadcaster Rich Gannon (analyst), with Lance Allan of WTMJ-TV serving as the sideline reporter. Allan will also host an informative half-hour pregame show featuring former Packers tackle Mark Tauscher.
In addition to WTMJ-TV (Milwaukee) and WGBA-TV (Green Bay), preseason games will be televised over WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau/Rhinelander, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire, Wis.; WLUC/NBC, Escanaba/Marquette, Mich.; KQDS-TV/FOX, Duluth/Superior, Minn.; WHBF-TV/CBS, Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities); KWWL-TV/NBC, Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa; KCWI-TV/CW, Des Moines, Iowa; KMTV-TV/CBS, Omaha, Neb.; KYUR/ABC, Anchorage, Alaska; KATN/ABC, Fairbanks, Alaska; KJUD/ABC, Juneau, Alaska; and KFVE-TV in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In its fifth season, in conjunction with the Packers TV Network, Telemundo Wisconsin (WYTU-TV in Milwaukee, WACY-TV/My32 in Green Bay/Appleton and on Time Warner Cable, Dish, U-verse and Charter Cable in Wisconsin will broadcast the final two preseason games with Kevin Holden (play-by-play) and Epigmenio (Epi) Guerrero (analyst) calling the action.
Milwaukee’s WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since November 1929, heads up the Packers Radio Network that is made up of 50 stations in five states. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst) call the action. McCarren first joined the team’s broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 22nd season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 18th season of broadcasts together.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Chiefs:
All-time, Preseason: 8-7-1
All-time, Regular season: 3-7-1
All-time, Postseason: 1-0
Streaks: The Packers have won two of the past three meetings.
Last meeting, regular season: Sept. 28, 2015; Packers won, 38-28, Lambeau Field
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 112-62-1, .643 (incl. 8-7 postseason); 11th NFL season
Andy Reid: 172-121-1, .587 (incl. 11-11 postseason); 18th NFL season
Head to Head: McCarthy 4-1
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 2-1 vs. Chiefs; Reid 5-5 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY…Is in his 11th year as the Packers’ 14th head coach.
Joined Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the only coaches to guide the Packers to a Super Bowl title with a win over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
Led the Packers to their seventh consecutive playoff appearance last season, joining New England as the only two NFL teams to do so over that span. Has also led the team to eight playoff appearances in the last nine years (2007, 2009-15).
Guided the Packers to top-10 finishes in scoring in eight straight seasons (2007-14), joining the Patriots as the only other team to accomplish the feat over that time; Packers finished first overall in scoring in 2014.
His .653 winning percentage during the regular season (94-55-1) ranks No. 2 among active NFL head coaches (min. 50 games).
Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head-coaching job after 13 years as an NFL assistant.
ANDY REID…Is in his fourth year as the Chiefs’ 12th head coach.
Only four of his 17 seasons as a head coach have resulted in losing records.
Inherited the No. 30 offense and No. 17 defense in Philadelphia, improving the offense to No. 10 and defense to No. 4 after four years.
Owns the most wins by a head coach in Philadelphia history and led the Eagles as the NFC representative to Super Bowl XXXIX.
Took Kansas City from the worst scoring offense and 25th-best scoring defense in football to top 10 in both scoring offense (T-sixth) and defense (T-fifth) after only one season at the helm.
His 10 seasons with 10-plus wins ranks second among active NFL head coaches, trailing only Bill Belichick (16).
THE PACKERS-CHIEFS SERIES
After securing a second straight NFL Championship, the Packers were world champions for the 10th time after beating Kansas City 35-10 in Super Bowl I.
Kansas City won five straight contests in the 20 years between Green Bay’s second and third victories of the series.
The Chiefs’ win against Green Bay in 2011 was the only loss for the Packers during the regular season and the only game where the Packers scored less than 24 points.
This will be the sixth time in seven years that Green Bay and Kansas City have squared off in the fourth week of the preseason, with the lone exception being 2015.
The Packers haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher against the Chiefs since 1990.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was Kansas City’s offensive assistant/quality control from 1993-94 before coaching quarterbacks from 1995-98...McCarthy (2005) and defensive quality control coach Ejiro Evero (2011-12) coached Chiefs QB Alex Smith in San Francisco...Kansas City head coach Andy Reid won a Super Bowl in 1996 with the Packers and coached tight ends/offensive line in Green Bay for five seasons (1992-96) as well as the quarterbacks coach from 1997-98...Kansas City general manager John Dorsey played linebacker for the Packers from 1984-98, was the director of college scouting from 2000-11 and director of football operations in 2012...Chiefs LB Frank Zombo played for the Packers from 2010-12 after being signed as an undrafted free agent and became the only rookie in NFL history to tally a start, five-plus tackles and a sack in a Super Bowl win...Packers special teams coordinator Ron Zook coached defensive backs in Kansas City in 1999...Green Bay associate head coach/offense Tom Clements coached quarterbacks for the Chiefs in 2000...Chiefs defensive assistant/secondary coach Al Harris was a two-time Pro Bowl selection (2007-08) during his seven years (2003-09) as a cornerback for the Packers...Chiefs director of pro scouting Will Lewis spent three years (1997-99) in the Green Bay personnel department...Kansas City strength & conditioning coach Barry Rubin held the same position in Green Bay for 11 seasons (1995-2005)...Packers WR Jordy Nelson is from Manhattan, Kan., and attended Kansas State...Kansas City LBs Dezman Moses (2012) and Andy Mulumba (2013-15) played for the Packers...Kansas City defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas was the defensive coordinator in Green Bay in 1999...Packers vice president of football administration/player finance Russ Ball lettered four years at Central Missouri and spent 10 seasons (1989-98) with the Chiefs...Ball is the brother of Kansas City pro scouting assistant Randy Ball...Green Bay CB LaDarius Gunter spent 2010-11 at Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kan. ...Packers CB Damarious Randall played baseball from 2010-11 at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan. ...Kansas City TE Demetrius Harris played basketball at Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 2011-13...Chiefs co-offensive coordinator Brad Childress coached at Wisconsin as a running backs coach (1991) and quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator (1992-98)...Packers LB Julius Peppers spent three seasons (2010-12) in Chicago with Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub...Moss coached in Seattle with Chiefs defensive line coach Tommy Brasher in 1998...Green Bay defensive line coach Mike Trgovac coached with Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck in Washington in 2000 and defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas in Philadelphia from 1995-98...Thomas also worked with Packers secondary-cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr. in Atlanta during the 2007 season...Zook spent three seasons (1996-98) in Pittsburgh with Chiefs assistant head coach/wide receivers David Culley...Kansas City running backs coach Eric Bieniemy was the Buffaloes’ offensive coordinator when coached Packers T David Bakhtiari at Colorado...Green Bay TE Richard Rodgers played the 2011 season at California with Chiefs OL Mitchell Schwartz...Chiefs DL Allen Bailey played at Miami from 2007-09 with Packers CB Sam Shields ...Kansas City OL Jah Reid played with Packers G Josh
Sitton at Central Florida in 2007...Packers FB Aaron Ripkowski played at Oklahoma with Chiefs FB Trey Millard (2011-13) and LS James Winchester (2011).
This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF)
LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON
Sept. 28, 2015, Lambeau Field, Packers won, 38-28
QB Aaron Rodgers threw five TDs and 333 yards on 24-of-35 passing (68.6 percent; 138.5 passer rating) in a wire-to-wire victory.
WR Randall Cobb had seven receptions for 91 yards and a career-high three TDs, while also adding 12 yards rushing.
WR James Jones’ seven receptions were good for 139 yards and a TD.
Rodgers was sacked just once by the Chiefs, who finished with the fourth-most (47) sacks in 2015.
QB Alex Smith and the Kansas City comeback attempt fell short after trailing 31-7 late in the third quarter.
- depending upon your view. sounds about par for the course for rookies.