Aaron Jones, offense guides Packers to road win at Chiefs
Led by a dominant performance by Aaron Jones, the Green Bay Packers won a fourth straight while remaining undefeated on the road.
With five minutes to go, a seven-point lead and the football in the hands of Aaron Rodgers, it was game over.
But in actual fact, Rodgers just had to keep handing the ball to the other Aaron, Aaron Jones, whose dominant performance not only helped close out the win over the Chiefs, but also set up the victory before that.
Jones had 13 carries for 67 yards, but that’s not the story of the game. It’s once again how much Jones has improved as a pass-catcher. He led the team in receiving with seven catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
The Packers made the perfect start with a long touchdown drive on their opening possession. Jones found the end zone after a drive that included a spectacular Jake Kumerow catch on third down.
Following a missed Chiefs field goal, the Packers went back down the field and scored again. A 50-yard Jones catch was followed with a Jamaal Williams touchdown run.
It was the perfect first quarter, and it seemed too good to be true. That’s because it was.
An awful second quarter followed with the Chiefs moving the ball at ease, scoring 17 unanswered points to take the lead at halftime.
But the Packers bounced back in the second half. The defense forced a punt, and the offense responded with a 15-play drive that lasted over eight minutes, resulting in a game-tying field goal. Moments later, a LeSean McCoy fumble set the Packers up with great field position, and Aaron Rodgers found Williams with an outstanding throw on the run and an equally impressive catch to regain the lead.
The Chiefs bounced back with an impressive 10-play drive that resulted in a Damien Williams touchdown run, once again tying the game.
Yet it took the Packers just two more plays to re-establish their lead, with Rodgers finding Jones for a 67-yard touchdown. Once Jones got into the open field, he was simply too fast for the defenders.
It wasn’t the best defensive performance of the season by the Packers. Not by a long way. But the Chiefs also deserve a lot of credit for that. Andy Reid is one of the best coaches in the NFL and the receiving trio of Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins is arguably the best in the league. Backup quarterback Matt Moore more than played his part.
The defense did just enough, however, to allow Rodgers, Jones and the offense to work their magic.