The Green Bay Packers (2-0) host the Kansas City Chiefs (1-1) at Lambeau Field this week. The NFL’s fifth-leading rusher, Jamaal Charles (182 yards, 1 TD) will be the focal point of this contest. It will begin Monday, Sep 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN.
Green Bay beat Seattle 27-17 last week. Randall Cobb had a big game in the win, registering eight catches for 116 yards. Aaron Rodgers also had a big game with 249 yards and two TDs through the air. Kansas City didn’t have the same success as Green Bay, getting beat by Denver 31-24. Travis Kelce had a good game for the Chiefs, totaling four catches for 58 yards. Jamaal Charles had a big game as well, totaling 125 yards and a TD on 21 attempts.
Green Bay is a six-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 48 points.
The Packers have been a strong bet early this season with a 2-0 record Straight Up (SU) as well as Against The Spread (ATS). Green Bay has a tight pass defense, allowing a completion percentage of 56.1%. One of the keys to the game will be if the Packers can take advantage of the turnover-prone Chiefs, who rank 26th in the league in turnovers with 2.5 per game. Kansas City wants to avoid a close contest. The Packers are the top-scoring team during the final quarter, averaging 12.5 fourth-quarter points.
Compared to the Packers, the Chiefs have 1-1 SU and ATS records this season. If Green Bay’s earlier games are any indication, the Chiefs should lean on a solid rushing attack. The Packers allow 154 rushing yards per game, 31st in the NFL. Special teams is an area of weakness for the Packers, giving up 87.5 return yards per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, ATS Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 16 of Green Bay’s last 24 games.
Green Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Green Bay’s last 10 games at home.
Green Bay is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Kansas City.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Green Bay’s last 5 games when playing Kansas City.
Both teams are 1-0 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter.
Kansas City is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 12th-ranked rushing attack will face the 31st-ranked run defense of Green Bay, while its eighth-ranked rush defense will look to contain the ninth-ranked run game of the Packers.
Green Bay has given up 20.0 points per game this year, which is ranked only 28th in the league. Kansas City has scored 25.5 points per contest this year, ranked ninth overall.
