The Green Bay Packers travel to Kansas City for a Sunday night matchup against the Chiefs.
It will be the 12th regular-season game between the Packers and Chiefs, but the first Sunday night matchup between the two.
It is the third time the two have faced off in primetime, having previously played two games on Monday Night Football (1993, 2015).
It is Green Bay’s first regular-season visit to Arrowhead Stadium since Week 15 in 2011.
Green Bay has won two of the last three games against Kansas City.
Both teams lead their division heading into Week 8 and are each one of four teams in their conferences to have at least five wins this season.
It is the second game of a stretch of three straight games against AFC West teams, the first time the Packers have had three straight games against AFC teams since playing the AFC West in 2003 in Weeks 15-17.
Green Bay is 15-3 against AFC West teams since 2002, an .833 winning percentage that ranks No. 1 in the NFL over that span.
With the victory in Week 7 over Oakland, the Packers improved to 8-0 against the Raiders, dating back to 1990. Green Bay won four of those eight games by 28-plus points (10, 30, 31, 34, 4, 28, 13, 18). The eight-game streak is Green Bay’s longest active winning streak vs. an opponent, with the second longest being a seven-game win streak against the San Diego/L.A. Chargers, who the Packers face in Week 9.
This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).
GOOD START
Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur is the first head coach in franchise history to win six of his first seven NFL games.
Green Bay has started the season with at least six wins in its first seven games for the first time since starting 6-1 in 2015 and the seventh time since 1970 (7-0 in 2011, 6-1 in 2007, 2002, 1996 and 1978).
The Packers (2-0) are one of seven teams to be undefeated on the road this season. Green Bay won its first two road games for the first time since 2015. If they win this week, it will be the first time the Packers have started 3-0 on the road since starting 7-0 in 2011.
Green Bay joins the New England Patriots (7-0), San Francisco 49ers (6-0) and the New Orleans Saints (6-1) as the only NFL teams with at least six wins this season.
The Packers have started 3-0 in the NFC North for the first time since 2012 and for just the fourth time (2011 and 2002) since the division was formed in 2002.
Out of the 26 teams that have played multiple division games this season, Green Bay joins New England and Dallas as the only teams to be 3-0, and is one of eight teams with multiple wins against division opponents.
WITH THE CALL
NBC will broadcast the game to a national audience. Play-by-play man Al Michaels joins analyst Cris Collinsworth in the booth with Michele Tafoya reporting from the sidelines.
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 four states. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play), two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst) and three-time Packers Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro John Kuhn (sideline) will call the action. McCarren first joined the team’s broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 25th season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 21st season of broadcasts together. They surpassed Jim Irwin and Max McGee for the most regular-season and postseason games broadcast for the Packers with 313 at the 2018 season opener against Chicago.
The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio (WTMJ feed).
Westwood One Sports will air the game on radio across the country. Tom McCarthy (play-by-play) and Brian Griese (analyst) will call the action with Scott Graham hosting the pregame and halftime shows.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Chiefs:
All-time, Regular season: 3-7-1
All-time, Postseason: 1-0
All-time, at Lambeau Field: 1-3
Streaks: The Packers have won two of the last three regular-season meetings.
Last meeting, regular season: Sept. 28, 2015; Packers won, 38-28, Lambeau Field
COACHES CAPSULES
Matt LaFleur: 6-1-0, .857; 1st NFL season
Andy Reid: 212-140-1, .601 (incl. 12-14 postseason); 21st NFL season
Head to Head: 0-0
vs. Opponent: Reid 5-5 vs. Packers
MATT LAFLEUR…In his first season as the Packers’ 15th head coach.
In his 11th season in the NFL, having served as an offensive coordinator for two seasons (Los Angeles Rams, 2017; Tennessee Titans, 2018), a quarterbacks coach for six seasons (Washington Redskins, 2010-13; Atlanta Falcons, 2015-16), and an offensive assistant for two seasons (Houston Texans, 2008-09).
Guided the Titans’ offense in 2018 to a No. 7 league ranking in rushing (126.4 ypg) as Tennessee registered 11 games with 100-plus rushing yards, tied for No. 2 in the NFL.
Helped the Rams lead the league in scoring with an average of 29.9 points per game in 2017, more than doubling their average from 2016 (14.0 ppg).
Tutored QB Matt Ryan, who led the league in passer rating (117.1) in 2016 on his way to being named NFL Most Valuable Player by The Associated Press.
Coached rookie QB Robert Griffin III with the Redskins in 2012, who became the first QB in team history to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
ANDY REID…In his seventh year as the Chiefs’ 13th head coach.
Led the Chiefs in 2018 to their third AFC West title in a row, which included hosting the AFC Championship Game. Was named Coach of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club for the fourth time in his career.
Under Reid’s tutelage, QB Patrick Mahomes joined Peyton Manning (2013) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 50 touchdowns and 5,000 passing yards as he earned the 2018 NFL MVP award.
Guided Kansas City to its greatest single-season turnaround in club history in 2013 with an 11-5 record, a nine-win swing from 2012, in his first year with the team.
Has earned playoff berths in five out of six seasons in Kansas City while tallying 70 regular-season wins, including five 10-plus-win seasons.
Spent 14 seasons (1999-2012) as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, where he compiled the best win total (140) and playoff-victory total (10) in franchise history. The Eagles also earned five trips to the NFC Championship game and made one Super Bowl appearance (LII).
THE PACKERS-CHIEFS SERIES
The first meeting between the teams came in January 1967, when the NFL champion Packers met the AFL champion Chiefs in the first-ever Super Bowl, won by Green Bay, 35-10.
Kansas City has had the upper hand in the series ever since, winning seven of the last 11 regular-season matchups against the Packers.
The Packers ended a five-game losing streak in the series when they defeated the Chiefs, 33-22, at Arrowhead Stadium in 2007.
Green Bay’s 38-28 victory over Kansas City in 2015 marked the Packers’ first regular-season win vs. the Chiefs at home in series history.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst worked for the Chiefs as a scouting assistant for one season (1998)...Packers executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball, a native of Moberly, Mo., worked for the Chiefs for 10 seasons (1989-98), the final two in football operations. Ball’s brother, Randy, is a pro scouting assistant with the Chiefs. Ball also played center at Central Missouri and later served as head strength and conditioning coach for the Missouri Tigers from 1982-89 and earned his master’s degree from Missouri in 1990…Packers S Will Redmond spent part of the 2017 season on the Kansas City practice squad...Chiefs head coach Andy Reid served as the tight ends/assistant offensive line coach for five seasons and quarterbacks coach for two seasons in Green Bay under head coach Mike Holmgren. Reid and the Packers appeared in back-to-back Super Bowls during his tenure, winning Super Bowl XXXI…Chiefs CB Bashaud Breeland played with the Packers in 2018…Chiefs strength and conditioning coach Barry Rubin spent 11 seasons (1995-2005) on Green Bay’s coaching staff…Kansas City director of pro personnel Tim Terry spent 13 seasons in the Packers’ pro personnel department, serving as a pro personnel assistant from 2005-07 and then as assistant director of pro personnel (2008-16)…Packers WR Darrius Shepherd is a native of Blue Springs, Mo. …Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck held the same title with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where Packers TE Marcedes Lewis was on the roster...Packers outside linebackers coach Mike Smith spent the previous three seasons on Reid’s staff in Kansas City…Smith was on the Texas Tech coaching staff when Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes played for the Red Raiders...Packers director of player engagement Grey Ruegamer (1999) and special teams quality control coach Rayna Stewart (1998) played with Chiefs defensive backs/cornerbacks coach Sam Madison in Miami. Ruegamer and Madison also played together with the N.Y. Giants, where they won Super Bowl XLII. Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt was on the Giants’ coaching staff during Ruegamer and Madison’s tenure...Packers LB Za’Darius Smith and Chiefs OL Greg Senat played the 2018 season together in Baltimore...Chiefs strength and conditioning coach Ryan Reynolds held the same position at UCLA when Packers DL Kenny Clark was on the Bruins’ roster...Packers DL Dean Lowry, FB Danny Vitale and DL Tyler Lancaster played at Northwestern when Chiefs offensive quality control coach David Girardi was a defensive graduate assistant...Packers T Bryan Bulaga played with Chiefs college scouting coordinator Greg Castillo at Iowa...Chiefs college and pro scout Jason Lamb was a pro personnel intern with the Packers in 2013...Chiefs national football scout Cassidy Kaminski was born in Green Bay and served as the wide receivers/quality control coach at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis. from 2014-16...Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett coached Lewis, Chiefs TE Blake Bell (2018) and G Stefen Wisniewski (2015) in Jacksonville. Additionally, Hackett’s father, Paul, was the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs from 1993-97...Packers LB Preston Smith played in Washington with Breeland (2015-17), CB Kendall Fuller (2016-17) and C Austin Reiter (2015)…Packers TE Jimmy Graham played with Chiefs DE Frank Clark (2015-17) and Hamilton (2015-16) while with Seattle…Chiefs S Tyrann Mathieu and Packers CB Tramon Williams played together in Arizona in 2017…Williams and Vitale played with Chiefs DE Emmanuel Ogbah, OL Cam Erving, DE Alex Okafor, T Mitchell Schwartz and Reiter in Cleveland in 2016. Schwartz and Erving also played for Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine when he was head coach in Cleveland…Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins played one season under Hackett when he was the offensive coordinator for Buffalo (2014) and head coach Matt LaFleur when he served as offensive coordinator for the Rams (2017)…Packers G/T Billy Turner, Chiefs S Jordan Lucas and RB Damien Williams played together with Miami in 2016...Former college teammates include: Packers P JK Scott, CB Tony Brown and Chiefs WR Gehrig Dieter (Alabama); Packers RB Jamaal Williams and Chiefs S Daniel Sorenson (BYU); Packers S Will Redmond, LB Preston Smith and Chiefs DT Chris Jones (Mississippi State); Packers C Corey Linsley and Chiefs LB Darron Lee (Ohio State); Packers S Adrian Amos and Chiefs S Jordan Lucas (Penn State); Packers DL Kinsgley Keke and Chiefs S Armani Watts (Texas A&M).
