The Packers’ locker room is crowded – there is an elephant in the room.
The elephant, once again, involves Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers. This time because Rogers, the reigning NFL M.V.P., tested positive for Covid-19 Wednesday morning. And, like most stories involving Rodgers, it is complicated and it is all over the NFL universe.
Rodgers will miss Sunday’s game vs the Chiefs as a result of his positive test. During an August training camp presser, he said that he had “been immunized” when asked about his vaccination status by a reporter. It turns out that this is both true and false. According to the Packers, Rodgers had received an alternative treatment to the COVID vaccines, and he subsequently petitioned the NLF to recognize him as vaccinated. The NFL refused citing the Leagues’ Covid Policy Agreement with the NFLPA. As such, Rodgers was required to follow protocol for “not fully vaccinated” players.
Potentially, both Rodgers and the Packers could face fines and potentially disciplinary action for breaking NFL-NFLPA Player Covid Protocol as Rodgers, for example, hasn’t worn a mask during times when it is required by the Agreement for “not fully vaccinated” players. Under the best-case scenario, the Pack QB can rejoin the team the day before next week’s home game vs the Seahawks. Rodgers has not yet commented on the situation.
At a presser Wednesday, Head Coach Matt LaFleur addressed the situation avoiding questions regarding Rodgers and Covid-19, and talked about what he said to the team about their Sunday match-up vs the Chiefs, “I said hey, it’s a great challenge. Nobody is gonna feel sorry for us, and we all have to prepare to the best of our ability to go down there and get a win.”
It’s a Love-in!
On Wednesday LaFleur inserted Packers backup QB Jordan Love into Rodgers’ role saying, “What a great opportunity for him to showcase what he can do.” This will be Love’s first NFL start. Love was drafted in the first round by Green Bay in 2020.
Moving Line:
The Chiefs opened a 2 ½ point favorite and the line went down to 2 following the Chiefs 3 point MNF win vs the Giants. The line spiked at 8 following the Rodgers’ news and has settled at 7 to 7 ½ at most casinos, books, and online.
Care for Some Series History? Anybody?
The Packers and Chiefs both have full plates as the Packers deal with the Rodgers mushrooming story, and prepare to go on the road and the Chiefs have struggled lately and are in scramble mode to make the playoffs mode at 4-4 and third place in the AFC West.
So, while nobody is thinking about these two teams’ history with one another, it is worth mentioning their most memorable game, “Super Bowl 1”, as it came to be called following the AFL-NFL merger. Originally billed as the “First World Championship Game AFL vs NFL” the two leagues first clashed on January 15, 1967, with Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers winning 35-10 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Here are some other series stats.
Packers vs. Chiefs All-time Head-to-Head (and other) stats:
Wins all-time: 7/5 inc. 1 Super Bowl (1 tie)
Playoff wins: 1/0
Since 2000: 3/2
Points scored: 270/264
In Kansas City: 3/4
Super Bowl wins: 4/2
- First-Ever Meeting: Jan. 15, 1967, S.B. 1, 35-10 GB
- Last Meeting: October 27, 2019 in K.C. 31-24 GB (A-73,558)
- Packers longest win streak: 2 (2015 & 2019)
- Chiefs longest win streak: 5 (1989-2003)
- Neither Jordan Love nor Patrick Mahomes has faced their Sunday opponent.
Sunday Kickoff in K.C. is scheduled for 3:25 p.m. locally.\
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