The Kansas City Chiefs travel to historic Lambeau Field this weekend for a prime-time battle against the Green Bay Packers.
Here are five things to keep in mind heading into game day.
1. Here’s a look at the final injury report for both teams.
The Chiefs are in good shape injury-wise heading into Sunday’s game as every member of the active roster participated in Friday’s practice. Only tailback Jerick McKinnon (groin), who is listed as “Questionable” for the game, carries an injury designation into Sunday among players on the active roster.
Linebacker Nick Bolton, who remains on Injured Reserve due to a wrist injury suffered in Week 7, also began practicing this week. Bolton won’t be activated prior to Sunday’s game, but he appears to be making progress in his return to the field.
As for the Packers, starting tailback Aaron Jones will miss his second-straight game due to a knee injury. Green Bay also listed eight players as “Questionable,” including starting cornerback Jaire Alexander (shoulder), starting linebacker De’Vondre Campbell (neck), starting safety Rudy Ford (biceps/groin), and rookie wide receivers Jayden Reed (chest) and Dontayvion Wicks (knee).
Reed is the Packers’ leading receiver this season with 497 yards through the air. Wicks has also proven dangerous, averaging 16.6 yards-per-catch. Defensively, Campbell missed last week’s game vs. Detroit due to his neck injury, while Alexander hasn’t played since Week 8 and Ford hasn’t played since Week 9. It’s possible that the Packers’ defense could be getting all three players back for Sunday. Safety Darnell Savage, who started each of the Packers’ first six games before heading to Injured Reserve with a calf injury, is also listed as “Questionable” for Sunday.
2. Can rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice stack another strong performance?
Rice compiled the best game of his young career last week, catching eight passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. Four of his eight receptions picked up a fresh set of downs, and two of those catches took place on third down. The rookie wide receiver now has 44 catches for 527 yards and five touchdowns – the third-most among all rookies – and according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, only the Rams’ Puka Nacua and the Texans’ Tank Dell have earned higher grades among rookie wide outs.
It’s all to say that Rice has been a solid contributor as a rookie, and following a game in which he rewarded the coaching staff for playing him on 67 percent of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps – his second-highest usage rate of the season – the challenge now is for Rice to stack it with another strong game.
The Packers have been one of the league’s better defenses against the pass this year, holding opponents to just over 200 passing yards-per-game on average. They’ve also yielded just 15 passing plays of 25 or more yards, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. Green Bay has largely struggled on third down, however, surrendering conversions at a 40 percent clip. Rice was excellent on third down last week, and his ability to do the same on Sunday could prove critical.