NFL News & Analysis

NFL Week 8 PFF ReFocused: Green Bay Packers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 24

Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones led the Green Bay Packers to a 31-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium in Week 8.

[Editor's Note: All of PFF's advanced stats and grades for every NFL player are made available in PFF's ELITE subscription. Subscribe today to gain access!]

PFF's ReFocused series features immediate takeaways from the two analysts who graded the game live. The two offer a detailed breakdown of the game's most notable performances before the grades and advanced stats are reviewed and finalized by Senior Analysts.

All of PFF's grades and advanced stats from this game and the other games played this week will be finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle. ELITE subscribers can view player grades, advanced statistics, positional snap counts and more in Premium Stats.

PFF's ELITE subscribers can also preview NFL and NCAA games in PFF Greenline, an online dashboard with projections for the spread, totals and moneyline.

Final score

Green Bay Packers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 24

Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers had a mixed game. He was the benefit of a 67-yard touchdown off a screen to help boost his stats but also produced multiple special throws, including the touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to Jamaal Williams in the corner of the end zone in tight coverage while getting hit.

Who needs wide receivers when you have Aaron Jones? The Packers back was isolated on linebackers when he was spilt out wide, and Green Bay took advantage of the mismatch. Jones had two plays of over 60 yards in the passing game, one was a screen he took 67 yards and another in the first quarter where he was able to get behind the linebacker and take it down to the 10-yard line.

One of the quiet heroes for Green Bay's defense on Sunday Night Football was Chandon Sullivan. He didn't make a ton of plays throughout the night but came up huge on third down on what would end up being Kansas City's final possession, breaking perfectly on a ball thrown over the middle to Travis Kelce and getting his hand in there for a textbook pass deflection.

It was a quiet night from Green Bay's pass-rush, but Za'Darius Smith, individually, still created chaos. Smith had both of Green Bay's sacks and knocked Matt Moore down to the turf on an additional play, as well.  He also had a handful of rushes where he beat the offensive lineman blocking him, but the ball just got out before he could land a pressure.

Kansas City Chiefs

Damien Wilson was one of the few bright spots for the Chiefs' defense. Wilson recorded six tackles and a sack. He was used as a blitzer frequently and hit Rodgers to the ground multiple times throughout the game.

The Chiefs' defense started slow but gave Rodgers problems with their blitz packages starting in the second quarter. However, as the Packers adjusted with quicker throws and splitting out their running backs more, the Chiefs' defense couldn't slow down the Packers in the second half.

Nobody is going to mistake Matt Moore for Patrick Mahomes anytime soon, but Moore certainly wasn't the reason Kansas City lost on Sunday night. Moore did a nice job getting the ball out to his playmakers quickly, and he also took some safe, calculated shots downfield. Moore went the entire game without putting the ball in harm's way and had the Chiefs' offense moving up and down the field.

Kansas City's offensive line definitely benefitted from Moore's penchant for getting the ball out quick, but nonetheless, the unit did a good job throughout the night in pass protection. Martinas Rankin and Cam Erving had some struggles at times, but the rest of the unit was stout all throughout the primetime bout.

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit