Packers Gameday
Harrell impressive in 24-3 Packers win over Chiefs
Next game: Sunday, September 9th vs. San Francisco
Packers Gameday at 1 p.m. on Newsradio 620 WTMJ, a live blog here and coverage on Live at 10 on TODAY'S TMJ4
4th Quarter
8:55 p.m. Chiefs' 4th Drive 1:46
Run the ball. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Start the real games in 10 days. Favorite time of year. Still summer, and NFL football.
In 10 days, the Packers' 94th season (92nd in NFL) will commence, as they chase their 14th NFL title. Enjoy the ride, Packers Planet.
8:50 p.m. Packers' 4th Drive 2:49
Packers improve to 2-2. They also keep hope for a great stat: in Packers championship seasons, they are 7-0 in Bishop's Charities games.
Gillylen missed a shot at a big play 3rd down bomb. Oh well.
8:45 p.m. Chiefs' 3rd Drive 4:39
We are in big time garbage time. Chiefs are probably willing to just run the ball, let clock run down and put the preseason out of its misery.
That running game of Charles and Hillis will be pretty good this year.
3rd-5 at GB 33: Against a blitz, Tanney houdini's out of a sack, but doesn't get enough for a first down.
4th-3 at GB 31: SACK TIME! Manning, with dreadlocks in his wake, ends the Chiefs' threat. (Gee, I wonder where I got that dreadlocks reference. Hmmmmm.)
8:41 p.m. Packers' 3rd Drive 5:45
Clay Matthews photobombs Aaron Rodgers during his TODAY'S TMJ4 interview with Trenni Kusnierek on the sideline. Wonder what Ol' Vince would say? (First, he'd comment on Matthews' hair.)
Coleman JUST MISSED Gillylen on the sideline. Behind him. If not, HUGE play. 40+ yards.
3rd-5 at GB 16: Bad snap. Worse protection. Coleman is still alive. Barely.
8:36 p.m. Chiefs' 2nd Drive 8:41
Tanney to DiMarco rumbling through two guys for a first down along the right side on a swing pass. Tackling leaving something to be desired by these secondary guys. Mike McCarthy isn't happy.
3rd-5 at KC 42: Tanney forced to scramble and has to run...Brad Jones making a good stop at a time when he absolutely had to do that. All that, while Aaron Rodgers shows off the fu-man-chu on TODAY'S TMJ4.
8:28 p.m. Packers' 2nd Drive 10:57
Now, there's a lot of guys who are hoping for any chance to make a big play or stand out enough for Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson to keep them.
A flag on KC's Thorpe makes up for the overthrow by Coleman to Boykin, who seemed to slow up. The penalty is, well, why.
And, Packers TV network video (TODAY'S TMJ4) video shows that Jermichael Finley has an outtie belly button. The stuff you discover in the 4th quarter of the 4th preseason game.
8:19 p.m. Chiefs' 1st Drive 14:52
Pooch kick. Defensive lineman fair catching. Both are rare. Now why do they call it a pooch kick? Makes no sense. Did a dog invent that kick or something?
Tanny in at QB for KC. Comes from Monmouth College. Easterners pronounce it Mommouth. Silent N.
3rd-4 at 21: SACK TIME! Moses. Blind side. Looked like he was offside. Uh, yeah. He was. Never mind the happy capital letters there.
What? 15-yard unsportsmanlike on Mike Neal? That is the kind of thing that lowers your playing time, even after you miss four games. McCarthy gives him the business, rightfully.
Tanny bombadier and Bellamy reached up and made a circus catch that is coming back, thanks to a holding penalty. Pathetic Kansas City play here. Not very Romeo Crennel-like. 98 yards in losses with penalties.
3rd-19 at KC 43: DRAW! This time, Packers get what Droughn is doing. No leak.
8:15 p.m. Packers' 1st Drive continued from 3rd Quarter
Green Bay 24, Kansas City 3
Crosby 37 yd FG
3rd-5 at KC 19: A rare misfire from a Packers QB.
3rd Quarter
8:01 p.m. Packers' 2nd Drive 5:52
B.J. Coleman time at QB after a perfect (by QB rating definition night): 158.3.
3rd-7 at GB 25: Three guys rush for KC, and they get to Coleman. Just no one open, or it appeared that way, for Coleman to throw to.
Uh oh. Masthay kick blocked...but McMillan makes a recovery for a first down!!! What? I guess if the kick is recovered behind the line of scrimmage, it's still possible for the offense to do something with it.
3rd-6 at GB 43: Coleman gets Boykin! Slant pattern. Unguardable. Receiving corps fantastic tonight. Can the Packers keep seven WRs?
More Boykin! Open on the comeback as Coleman showed he can toss the pigskin while running for his life.
7:52 p.m. Chiefs' 1st Drive 10:12
Chiefs' Baker goes to the 39. Not a good night for the kickoff coverage team. MUST improve.
Stansi now in the game for the Chiefs. And...they run left. They run left again. Draughn. First down after first down. One of the few really dark spots tonight...the right side run defense.
10 penalties for the Chiefs. VERY Raider-like.
Stansi launched deep for his tight end down the seam. He was wide open. REALLY hard to miss that target. 6'-6". But Wilt Chamberlain couldn't catch that overthrow.
SACK TIME! Erik Walden blitzing, spinning, getting the quarterback. Getting his game in before his suspension next Sunday.
3rd-19 at KC 46: Draw play. Draughn. HORRRRRRRRIBLE. 20 yards. Two guys miss. Three guys. FOUR guys. Ugh.
M.D. Jennings broke up a good delivery to O'Connell. Was in O'Connell's shirt, but didn't draw a fflag.
3rd-12 at GB 36: Rross and Worthy hog-tie Droughn for a four-yard loss. A three-point loss, unless Succop decides to try a 58-yarder.
Nope.
7:42 p.m. Packers' 1st Drive 15:00
Green Bay 21, Kansas City 3
Harrell-Boykin 12 yd TD pass
More Harrell time. Give him the rhythm-gathering time he needs. Don't disturb his groove.
Boykin with a fantastic slant pattern. Unguardable, despite Fenner's tight press coverage. Harrell is fantastic tonight. 10-12, 187 yards, TD so far.
3rd-4 at 50: Harrell now 11-13 for 201 yards after Bostic with a square-out from the tight end slot.
12-14, 211 yards after Borel got open to help Harrell who was scrambling for his life. A Chief twisted his leg, though. Slow to get up, but he's staying in there.
More Harrell scrambling. This time an incompletion, as Harrell was being pulled toward the ground because of a Chief, Edgar Jones, hog-tying Harrell by the face mask. Yellow flags to match the Chiefs' jersey trim. At this pace, they'll wear yellow jerseys.
Boykin! End zone! 13-15, 224 yds, 2 TD for Harrell!
2nd Quarter
7:22 p.m. Chiefs' 2nd Drive :50
Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy have some serious wide receiver decisions to make. Jennings, Nelson, Jones, Driver. Do they go five or six? Strongest receiving corps in football.
CHiefs have had tons of yellow flags against them all night. They look more like their divisional counterparts, the Raiders.
Underneath throws for Kansas City. Gain yards. Lose time. Lose time outs.
SACK TIME! Off right end, Mike Neal.
7:05 p.m. Packers' 2nd Drive 5:27
Green Bay 14, Kansas City 3
Harrell-Green 17 yd TD pass
Walden with a shoulder to Jones during the punt return by Borel, and that was just dumb. If you can't see the guy's face, don't block him!
More yellow flaggage. Finner for pass interference, malfeasance against Gurley on an incomplete pass.
Harrell to Gurley and when run perfectly with a good throw, a slant pattern cannot be covered. First down. Harrell 4-4, 94 yds.
AGH! First incompletion of the night...ball off Gurley's hands deep far sideline. That could have been six, with a good catch.
Harrell to Moss. Not Randy, but still pretty good. Harrell 5-6, 109 yards. "As close to a tracer as Graham Harrell gets. A well thrown ball." - Larry McCarren
3rd-5 at GB 49: Flaggage in the deep secondary as Harrell had to run for his life. Thankfully, defensive holding means a first down.
2 minute time: Harrell shows he can scramble. He also shows he can make a smart decision and throw a ball away. An incompletion is a win when you get harried like that.
3rd-9 at KC 45: More scrambling by Harrell for about five years, and an across the field throw to Boykin got the first down.
90 seconds left: red zone time. Borel with a tackle-breaking catch-and-run. Lot of guys who all want jobs playing well at wide receiver - Borel, Gurley, Moss.
SCREEN! GREEN! PAYDIRT!
6:58 p.m. Chiefs' 2nd Drive 7:33
3rd-1 at KC 26: FANTASTIC penetration by Mike Neal slamming the running back three yards in the backfield. The back spinned off it, but was stopped before a first down.
Neal won't be playing a while. Suspended.
6:50 p.m. Packers' 1st Drive 10:55
Green Bay 7, Kansas City 3
Green 2 yd TD run
Green cannot run left. Green Bay cannot run left today. Kansas City can. If the most important things in football was running left, the Chiefs would be Super Bowl champions and the Packers would have the No. 1 pick.
3rd-12 at GB 18: THERE YOU GO! Finley with a fabulous leaping grab for 27 yards.
Harrell - HUGE BOMB! Gurley with a great catch at the five! 81 yards on two throws. That's productivity.
2nd-goal at KC 2: Green - FINALLY! End zone!
6:43 p.m. Chiefs' 1st Drive continued from 1st Qtr
3rd-7 at KC 33: Quinn launches and Bellamy is more wide open than me at a dance in high school. (I didn't want those high school girls anyway.) No one even close to around him. Horrible coverage.
3rd-9 at GB 46: Again. 3rd down success against soft coverage. Tight end wide open for 15 yards.
Another 3rd down, this time, 3rd-8 at GB 28: Quinn draws and the green sea parted. Absolutely no one available to make a tackle. Huge first down.
Goal to go time: Quinn PICKED! Shields cuts off Quinn's rifle attempt for Hemingway.
1st Quarter
6:41 p.m. Chiefs' 3rd Drive :07
More backups in on both sides.
6:38 p.m. Packers' 2nd Drive 2:11
Rodgers still in the game. He only had one throw. Wants to get more of a groove. I see why. Unfortunate that they didn't get it going 1st drive.
3rd-5 at GB 25: Benson slams off right side, and Kansas City's left side defense just smothered him. Not good. 1st team did NOT impress tonight, but at least Rodgers is safe and healthy.
6:23 p.m. Chiefs' 2nd Drive 8:15
Kansas City 3, Green Bay 0
Succop 26 yd FG
Chiefs keep most of their starters in against PAckers backups, and Peyton Hillis mushes them like oatmeal for 16 yards. Three broken tackles. Bad tackling form.
Two offensive tackles false starting, a special teams fight, a Benson fumble...REAL fundamental football, people. <---facepalm--->
3rd-3 at KC 39: Charles outside, and the Packers have not stop the run on their right defensive side, either the starters or backups. This could be a long night.
Breaston, the Packer killer last year, wide open on a square out for eight yards. First down. Shields gave too much cushion.
Chiefs run left. Chiefs run over a lot of green grass. Like clockwork. 11 yards. Brad Jones is losing a lot of battles at linebacker tonight.
Red zone for the Chiefs. Hayward got beat by a tight end-like WR. Baldwin has about six inches on Hayward. No way the rookie could stop that.
3rd-3 at GB 4: 2nd straight flag. Brazllian flagmakers aren't happy. No fabric left for them.
3rd-8 at GB 9: 3rd straight flag. The Rio de Janerio version of Betsy Ross is really getting flummoxed because the refs need so many yellow hankies.
3rd-13 at GB 14: Quinn runs himself for a useles gain.
6:17 p.m. Packers' 1st Drive 10:03
Benson. Fumble. There went the first series for the offense. What? They got it back Miraculously. Replay showed three Chiefs within inches. Weird.
And the series is pathetic, even more. Newhouse with illegal procedure.
3rd-12 at GB 42: Defense offsides, so the pick on the deep play to Nelson means naaaaaathin'. What a lovely combination of patheticness on this field so far.
3rd-7 at GB 47: Jennings with a fast two-yard catch, but why do that when you need seven? Useless throw, unless Rodgers is about to be decapitated.
6:05 p.m. Chiefs' 1st Drive 15:00 left in 1st Qtr
Crosby's kick goes eight yards deep, and Arenas, the kick returner for Kansas City, took advantage of malfeasant Packers kick coverage. No excuse letting him get to the 20.
The Chiefs and Packers both go first-team for the first series.
NO! B.J. Raji down on the first play. Grabbing his leg. But he's able to walk off on his own power. That defensive line is thin in terms of depth. Daniel Muir takes over.
3rd-4 at KC 35: Charles right side....but cutback running proved to do the well-blocked Packers in. First down.
3rd-3 at KC 47: No pass plays yet for KC. Again, nothin. Monstrous hole for Hillis to rumble for 16 yards on their left side. They look like the Badgers with a little red trim.
Clay Matthews got his lather up...and he's out now of this game. Probably out until Sun. Sept. 9.
Richardson, free agent safety, just demolished the KC run right on 2nd down. "He tackled like a 6-2, 215 lb. safety." - Larry McCarren
3rd-9 at KC 37: Drone squashed like grape. This sounds like four-down territory in the preseason, but Succop will kick. The thing fluttered short like my drives.
Pregame
6:02 p.m.
Wayne Elliot is in charge of the replacement officials tonight.
Coin toss time: Crosby, Lang, D.J. Smith the captains for Green Bay.
Chiefs call heads; and they win the toss...they will receive.
5:56 p.m.
This is the 52nd Bishop's Charities game in Green Bay, and the Packers have raised more than $3.5 million for them since 1961.
5:27 p.m.
Highlights from Coach Mike McCarthy with Wayne Larrivee:
On backup quarterback Graham Harrell and the other offensive 2nd-stringers:
"He needs to perform like that whole second offense needs to perform better tonight."
On his impression on the 1st half in Cincinnati and the week of practice that came from it:
"We definitely felt good coming off the field in Cincinnati. I felt as a whole, our whole football team took a big step...it's something we built off of. We shifted some gears to get ready for tonight...different things we were able to get done this week. We were able to work some concepts for the future, and get some players who won't play a whole lot tonight some extra work."
On who will play a lot, and a little tonight:
"We're looking for the first group to play one series, six-to-seven plays. I want them to...establish the drive. There's a second group of guys that will play a little bit, because they haven't played a lot - Jermichael Finley, John Kuhn. There's a third group that will play a ton."
5:21 p.m.
We had a great conversation with Kerry Byrne of ColdHardFootballFacts.com who revealed to us how the Packers' history of passing excellence (and excellence in pass defense) has been the the defining characteristic of their championship teams - even the "Run to Daylight" teams of Vince Lombardi.
5:07 p.m.
It's the game that is most meaningless, theoretically, to fans. It's the game where the superstars, the Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson-level guys see little if any playing time.
But this is also the most important game of many players' lives - the dozens of players on every team who are begging for one final chance to make an NFL roster this season.
Our Larry McCarren came up with five questions to be answered, five things to watch tonight.
Click here to check out his list.
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.