Packers vs. Chiefs: Offense, Defense & Special Teams

One, perhaps overlooked, thing to watch for in each phase of the game as the Green Bay Packers prepare to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15.

One, perhaps overlooked, thing to watch for in each phase of the game as the Green Bay Packers prepare to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15...

  • Offense: Tight ends not named Jermichael Finley––As Nathan Jahnke of ProFootballFocus.com noticed in an interview on Railbird Central earlier this week, the Packers used a lot more multiple tight end sets once Greg Jennings left the game with an injury last week against the Raiders. The same could happen this week without Jennings, especially if the Packers get out to a lead and don't want to expose stars like Finley and Jordy Nelson to injury late in the game. With the possibility that both running backs James Starks and Brandon Saine could miss today's game with pre-existing injuries, the Packers could also be short-handed in the offensive backfield. Tom Crabtree, D.J. Williams and Ryan Taylor could be seeing more time than usual lined up as a fullback.
  • Defense: Defensive line without Ryan Pickett––Pickett plays the second-most snaps on the defensive line behind only B.J. Raji. And Pickett's value as a run stuffer is highly underrated. The rest of the defensive linemen will have to pick up the slack. Howard Green figures to get a lot of playing time in Raji's place. Will he be able to be as versatile as Pickett playing both the nose and end? Others such as Mike Neal, Jarius Wynn and C.J. Wilson should all see increased snaps as well.
  • Special teams: Pro Bowl potentials––Pro Bowl voting ends on Monday. Both kicker Mason Crosby and special teams jack-of-all trades Jarrett Bush lead their respective positions among fan balloting and stand a decent chance of being elected to the league's all-star game. They could both use a good game before fan voting ends and player and coach voting begins this week. If elected, it would be a first for both of them.
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Comments (2)

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AJKUHN's picture

December 18, 2011 at 11:36 am

I expect a big game from Crabtree and Kuhn today.

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Glorious80s's picture

December 18, 2011 at 12:15 pm

New head coach, some big GB injuries, facing a team with nothing to lose, hope GB is prepared to expect the unexpected, ready to adjust on the fly. Fear a trap game. Go Pack.

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