Packers vs. Chiefs: Learning more about Kansas City ahead of preseason game

Ahead of the Green Bay Packers’ final preseason game, we spoke to Kansas City Chiefs expert Matt Conner from Arrowhead Addict.

Thursday night the Green Bay Packers complete preseason with a road game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Many of the Packers’ starters won’t be involved in the game, which gives plenty of opportunities to players on the roster bubble. This will be an important final audition as the Packers finalize their 53-man roster in the coming days.

To learn more about the Chiefs ahead of Thursday night’s game, we spoke to Matt Conner, Chiefs expert over at Arrowhead Addict.

Are the Chiefs a better football team today than they were against the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card defeat last January?

MC: Yes, absolutely. They are much deeper offensively, much faster and younger on defense. They are also much less experienced and walking on thin ice in the secondary. That said, the offense should keep them in games until the very end and they’ll be able to stop the run this year which is more than what I can say for them last January when everyone *knew* Derrick Henry would run the ball and they still couldn’t stop him with the game on the line.

What are your expectations for Patrick Mahomes this season?

MC: I think he’ll average an interception per game but I also think he could average two touchdowns per game as well.

He’s got a loaded arsenal all around him, from the league’s fastest player to the league’s leading rusher to the league’s best tight end to Sammy Watkins as a fourth option.

So yeah, expectations are pretty high. Everyone knows he will need some time, but really how much more will he need when he’s already started one game at the end of last year and sat for a full season under Andy Reid and Alex Smith?

Are there are under-the-radar players to watch this week?

MC: Ben Niemann is an undrafted linebacker out of Iowa who is forcing the Chiefs to sit up straight. If they decide to let him walk, there’s no way another team doesn’t claim him, so the Chiefs face a tough decision with their linebacking corps. You’ll remember Frank Zombo and he could be one player who gets cut to make way for Niemann.

Also keep an eye on the quarterback situation here because undrafted QB Chase Litton has earned high marks out of Marshall. The Chiefs aren’t looking for a QB of the future, obviously, but it can’t hurt to develop a nice back-up that can be used for security and/or flipped for assets.

What is the biggest positive and negative for the Chiefs so far during preseason?

MC: Patrick Mahomes looks as good as advertised. He’s made some mistakes for sure that’s to be expected because you can take those risks in the preseason. However he’s also looked the part of starter-with-swagger and I think the Chiefs are going to be a lot of fun to watch on offense.

As for the negatives, it can be found in the secondary where there are serious concerns about injury and inconsistency. The team needs someone to step up alongside Kendall Fuller and, to a lesser degree, Steven Nelson.

The Chiefs keep signing low-risk investments like David Amerson and Orlando Scandrick, but they went through this same game last year and no one failed to capitalize on the opportunity for starting reps. In addition, Eric Berry’s sore heel has some fans worried that it could linger or even get worse after a season he was forced to sit out.

A prediction for the game?

MC: Packers 13, Chiefs 6. No good reason. Just a vibe.