Packers Player Of The Game
Ahman Green's overtime fumble was costly, but before that play he'd done everything right. On 26 carries Green tallied 139 yards and a touchdown. He also had seven receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown.
Chiefs Player Of The Game
Of Trent Green's 27 completions on 45 attempts, none were bigger than the 51-yard touchdown strike that won the game for Kansas City. Not sacked or intercepted, Green finished the day with 400 yards passing and quarterback rating of 111.3.
Stat Of The Game
The Packers defense failed to force a turnover for only the second time in the last 31 games.
Play Of The Game
The 51-yard touchdown strike to Eddie Kennison sealed the Kansas City win, but an even bigger play occurred just one snap previous. In overtime, after the Packers blocked a Morten Anderson field goal attempt, Ahman Green was stripped at the end of his 8-yard run by Jerome Woods. Mike Maslowski recovered the fumble, setting up the Kennison score.
THEY SAID IT:
GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman -
On injuries: "Joe Johnson strained his quad and there will be an MRI either today or tomorrow. (Mike) McKenzie in the second half was out because something happened, strained his back or took a helmet to the back, we're not really sure. Fisher strained his groin. He had one going in and played with it, but it resurfaced a little bit more during the course of this ball game. Driver just had the wind knocked out of him and was able to return."
On his feeling after the loss: "Well, I never really felt we had the game under control. This is a very explosive team on the special teams and on the offense and so I never totally felt that feeling that we had the game in control. As I told the team, I was very, very disappointed. I am really disappointed for them because they worked extremely hard in the ball game. I told them before the game it was going to be like a heavyweight, 15-round, knock-down, drag-out fight and it was all of that and someone has to win and someone has to lose and we lost. But I am very disappointed for them because they worked so hard to win this football game and it didn't happen. Kansas City won the game. They deserved to win the game. They made the plays they had to in the end and we didn't. But I am disappointed for the football team."
On defense: "I guess I have to look at the tape tomorrow and analyze that and be more worried or less worried based on what I see, but I'm not going to surmise right now where we are defensively. We certainly gave a lot of points today against a very explosive offense, more points than I thought we would. I'm obviously concerned, but I'll know more in the morning."
On stopping Dante Hall: "He still made a couple of plays against us, but I thought (Ryan Longwell) kicked the ball extremely well. We know he kicked the ball out of bounds on the first one, but his second one that went out of bounds was a great kick, it just took a bad bounce. It hit where we wanted to hit and it just ended up bouncing out of bounds. I think overall we did a pretty decent job containing (Hall) and keeping him out of the end zone."
On team responding to loss: "I have tremendous confidence in this football team. I believe in them and I think that we fought well. When you start the season – it's an old cliché – but it's like running a race. Each season, the goal is the same, but sometimes because of the talent or circumstances, you may slip here or you may have to get up or run here, but it's a long race. Right now we fell down and we've got to get back up, but the race still goes on and our players will continue to run and hopefully pick up more speed. We're coming into a place this week that's difficult to play in, but if we can respond to that challenge and maybe have a surge here and then see what happens. Really, it's how you measure it at the end of the game that really counts. I believe that these guys have the character that you need to run this type of race. There's going to be different obstacles you’ve got to go over, but the goal is the same as it always is."
On Brett Favre: "I don't look at things like that. I look at his overall performance. I thought he played one heck of a ball game. One pass that deflects off of somebody's body for an interception certainly is a huge part of the game, but he had other plays that put us in position to win the game. So, no, I don't look at that game and say everything else is terrible – that one pass that wasn't exactly right on the body. No, I can't say that. I thought he played a very good ball game. I thought he showed great leadership and great emotion during the ball game."
Special Teams Coordinator John Bonamego -
On going up against Dante Hall: "It didn't work with the punts. We kept him out of the end zone, but still. Two 30-yard punt returns, we're not satisfied with that at all. Those are big plays for them. I don't care who is back there, we can't be satisfied with that."
On if pleased with special teams success: "I'm not happy because we didn't win the game. We didn't do enough. If we'd have scored on a return or something like that I'd say I was happy. No, I'm not happy."
On Hall's 32-yard punt return in fourth quarter: "There was a questionable block there, although that doesn't affect the other 10 guys. We should stop that."
Marques Anderson -
On defense: "The key word is 'gave' them plays, plays that they really didn't earn. They're a good team, they're going to make their plays, but I think at times they got stuff that they shouldn't have gotten."
Josh Bidwell -
On loss: "It's real tough. This probably stings worse than any loss that I've felt in a long time, but it's nothing we won't bounce back from."
On tackling Dante Hall: "I'm glad that he didn't continue the streak. I'll do whatever I can to take a guy down. If it means diving into five guys that are coming at me, then so be it."
Na'il Diggs -
On Chiefs' fourth-quarter success: "They made a lot of big plays, a lot of big catches and they just really stuck with what they knew. They didn't panic and try to change things up, they just stuck with what they did and went to their playmakers."
On loss: "Bhawoh Jue had nothing to do with the game. Ahman Green had nothing to do with the game. Brett Favre had nothing to do with the game. It never even should have been down to that. I've got to play better and everyone's got to get better and just step up."
On game: "I thought we played our hearts out today, I honestly do. We went into the game (with) heads focused. I think we played the best game we've played this season by far. And when you play like that and you execute well and everybody is focused and doing well, you kind of expect to win the game. But it's the NFL and anything can happen."
Donald Driver -
On loss: "Words can't explain it right now. Guys right now are just - it's hard to let this one go. We worked so hard to win this one and we lost."
On interception: "It was just an incomplete pass. I don't even know. I couldn't even tell you what else happened."
Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila -
On impact of injured defensive linemen: "That's not why we lost the game. I'm not going to say that's why we lost the game. But do you want do know if that affects the D-line? Yes, it does ... It is frustrating? Yes. Does it make it that much harder? Yes. But that's not why we lost the game."
Ahman Green -
On why Packers didn't win: "I don't know, there were a lot of reasons. I really can't put my finger on it right now, but we had penalties, the one turnover at the end, stuff like that you can say. But right now I can't really tell you honestly, because I haven't seen the film yet. We run the ball pretty good. We passed the ball okay, so you really got to look at film to see what was the big factor.”
On offensive mistakes: "When you're shooting yourself in the foot, that makes it a lot easier for the other team."
On whether offense needs more help from defense: "No they were doing their job. Game by game they are going to continue to play. They played their hearts out today, just like we played our hearts out on offense. It's a team thing out there, so collectively we've got to make sure that when we're playing the game that we have the habit of playing where we have to win and give the other team no chances of coming back regarding offensively or defensively."
Ryan Longwell -
On if Packers lack killer instinct: "That's way too harsh. We've seen this team fight from all the way down against Minnesota and when all the world was against us put on a little streak there the last two weeks. We came out of the gates well today, we just didn't close the deal. Obviously it's frustrating."
On kicking away from Dante Hall: "It was so windy today. It was just howling out there. The first kick the ball got up in the wind and it just carried out of bounds. And the second one we got a bad bounce, but it was a pretty good kick. So we kind of had to adjust the game plan a little to deal with the wind, but we had a pretty good handle on it."
Darren Sharper -
On loss: "Very heart-wrenching. Guys went out and fought their tails off, and it's tough to lose one like this."
On if this loss is one of hardest to deal with: "Probably so, because we had 'em. We let them come back. They're a good team and all that, but you can't let a team come back once you've got a team down."
On near interception in overtime: "Say all you want to about it's still third down, knock it down, if I get a hand on it I've got to catch it. I could have intercepted it and we wouldn't have to go back out there and the game could have been over, so those are plays that I need to make. One hand, two hands, doesn't matter."
Mark Tauscher -
On success of running game in loss: "Is it any consolation that we ran the ball well and we did those things? Absolutely not. It doesn't matter. Nobody cares. That's just the way it is. We didn't win the football game and we didn't do enough to allow our team to win so that's something that makes it even a little more painful."
GAME NOTES
Quarterback Brett Favre played in his 181st game for the Packers, tying Leroy Butler for No. 4 on the all-time Green and Gold overall games-played list. Only Hall of Famers Bart Starr (196), Ray Nitschke (190) and Forrest Greg (187) have played more.
Favre has thrown a touchdown pass in 15 consecutive games, tying him with Don Majkowski for the fourth-longest streak in Green Bay history. Cecil Isbell holds the Packer record with 22, accomplishing the feat during the 1941-42 seasons. Favre holds the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, as well, with 18 and 17, respectively.
Favre threw for 2 TDs today, giving him a career total of 156 at Lambeau. The milestone moves him ahead of Dan Marino (155, Joe Robbie/Pro Player Stadium) for the second-most scoring tosses in a stadium in NFL history. John Elway holds the league record with 180 at Mile High Stadium, 1983-98.
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Bubba Franks has caught 17 career TD passes from Brett Favre to surpass Mark Chmura and Dorsey Levens (16 each) as Favre's fifth most-favorite touchdown target.
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Running back Ahman Green's 190 total yards today give him 6,214 for his career, surpassing John Brockington (6,099) to take over the No. 3 position for a Packers running back, combined rushing and receiving yards. Jim Taylor is the all-time leader with 9,712 yards (8,207 and 1,505 receiving) and Gerry Ellis is second with 6,340 (3,826 rushing and 2,514 receiving).
Green's 100-yard day (139) is his 18th as a Packer, 19th overall including one such output in 1998 as a Seattle Seahawk. It is the first time a Packer has rushed for 100 yards in three consecutive games since 1997 when Dorsey Levens turned the trick.
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Kicker Ryan Longwell's 50-yard field goal in the third-quarter is the seventh 50-plus yard field goal of his career. It marks his first over 50 since Dec. 16, 2001, at Tennessee when he kicked a career-long 54-yarder.
Longwell moved into third place on the Packers all-time scoring list with his third-quarter field goal, passing Paul Hornung (760).
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Punter Josh Bidwell's 60-yard punt in the fourth quarter was his longest of the season. His previous long was a 54-yard effort vs. Detroit, Sept. 14.
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End of overtime. Game over.
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On first-and-10 at the Kansas City 49-yard line, Trent Green hit Eddie Kennison down the right sideline for a 51-yard touchdown to win the game, 40-34. The Chiefs scoring drive was 1 play, 51 yards. Time of the drive was 0:08.
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Ahman Green fumbled at the end of his 8-yard run, resulting in Kansas City possession at their own 49-yard line.
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Morten Anderson's 48-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Cletidus Hunt. The Packers take over at their own 30 yard line (8:59, overtime).
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The Kansas City Chiefs won the coin toss and elected to receive to start the overtime period.
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End of 4th quarter. Overtime.
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Morten Anderson's 31-yard field goal tied the game, 34-34 (0:01, 4th quarter). The Chiefs had to start from their own 10-yard line, but benefited from a penalty for grabbing the facemask. Kansas City got a 14-yard reception from Johnnie Morton on third-and-9 and a 12-yard catch from Priest Holmes on third-and-3. The Chiefs scoring drive was 12 plays, 77 yards. Time of the drive was 2:42.
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Ryan Longwell's 41-yard field goal moved the Packers ahead, 34-31 (2:43, 4th quarter). Ahman Green led the way on the drive with rushes of 16 and 26 yards. The Packers scoring drive was 7 plays, 48 yards. Time of the drive was 2:58.
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Morten Anderson's 34-yard field goal tied it up, 31-31 (5:41, 4th quarter). Tony Gonzalez made a 67-yard reception to start the drive, but the Packers and a false start penalty pushed the Chiefs backward after that. The Chiefs scoring drive was 5 plays, 63 yards. Time of the drive was 1:42.
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Brett Favre's pass on third-and-7 glanced off the hand of Donald Driver and was intercepted by Jerome Woods, who raced 79 yards for a touchdown, 31-28 (8:46, 4th quarter). Prior to the turnover the Packers seemed poised to score. Najeh Davenport and Ahman Green combined for 30 yards worth of rushing and Driver provided a 9-yard grab. The Packers had driven to the Kansas City 32-yard line at the time of the interception.
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Priest Holmes leaned into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown, 31-21 (12:20, 4th quarter). Holmes made a 17-yard catch-and-run earlier on the drive. Tony Gonzalez had a 16-yard reception. The Chiefs scoring drive was 6 plays, 42 yards. Time of the drive was 2:04.
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End of 3rd quarter.
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The Packers forced another Chiefs three-and-out. Marques Anderson stopped Dante Hall for a 3-yard loss on his end-around run on third-and-2. After Jason Baker's punt, the Packers take over at their own 35-yard line (4:27, 3rd quarter).
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Ryan Longwell's 50-yard field goal increased the Packers' lead, 31-14 (6:01, 3rd quarter). Earlier on the drive, Wesley Walls jumped into the air to snare a 14-yard pass from Brett Favre on third-and-7. The Packers scoring drive was 7 plays, 19 yards. Time of the drive was 3:06.
Longwell's field goal was his seventh of 50 yards or more in his career.
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Following the Najeh Davenport touchdown, William Henderson stopped Dante Hall for an 18-yard kickoff return and the Packers defense made another stop after that, forcing a Chiefs three-and-out. Marques Anderson and Michael Hawthorne provided tackles on first and second down. Hawthorne covered Tony Gonzalez when the tight end missed on Trent Green's third-down pass. After a 28-yard punt from Jason Baker, the Packers take over at their own 49-yard line (9:07, 3rd quarter).
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Najeh Davenport broke one tackle on an 18-yard touchdown run up the middle to increase the Packers' lead, 28-14 (10:47, 3rd quarter). Ahman Green provided runs of 9 and 16 yards and made an 8-yard catch on the Packers' opening drive of the second half. Antonio Freeman had an 8-yard catch. Donald Driver had a 6-yard grab. The Packers scoring drive was 8 plays, 76 yards. Time of the drive was 4:13.
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End of 2nd quarter. Halftime.
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Ahman Green broke past several would-be tacklers for an 11-yard catch-and-run touchdown, 21-14 (2:14, 2nd quarter). Green's touchdown catch, which came on third-and-6, was the Packers' fourth third down conversion on the drive. Javon Walker had a 25-yard catch on third-and-14. Robert Ferguson had a 13-yard catch on third-and-5. Green had a 3-yard run on third-and-2. The Packers scoring drive was 14 plays, 80 yards. Time of the drive was 7:02.
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Johnnie Morton dove for the pylon on a 10-yard touchdown catch that allowed Kansas City to tie the game, 14-14 (9:16, 2nd quarter). The Chiefs faced third and long twice on the drive. Dante Hall provided a 16-yard catch on third-and-seven. Morton's touchdown reception from Green came on third-and-8. Hall nearly broke a punt return for touchdown. After Josh Bidwell placed his 42-yard punt perfectly against the sideline, Hall shook past several defenders before Bidwell made the touchdown-saving tackle to stop the return at 30 yards. The Chiefs scoring drive was 8 plays, 55 yards. Time of the drive was 4:14.
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End of 1st quarter.
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Trent Green's 26-yard touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez put the Chiefs on the scoreboard, 14-7 (0:36, 1st quarter). The Packers looked like they might force another three-and-out, but on third-and-9 at the Kansas City 21-yard line, Green connected with Johnnie Morton for a 38-yard gain. Morton also had a 21-yard catch on the drive. The Chiefs scoring drive was 6 plays, 80 yards. Time of the drive was 2:03.
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Ahman Green finished off the Packers' second drive with a 4-yard touchdown run, 14-0 (2:39, 1st quarter). Green had a 21-yard catch-and-run to start the drive, which he followed with a 13-yard run. Wesley Walls provided a 36-yard catch across the middle to set up Green's score. The Packers scoring drive was 6 plays, 74 yards. Time of the drive was 2:34.
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The Chiefs' second drive looked similar to the first. Ryan Longwell's kickoff went out of bounds near the 1-yard line, allowing Kansas City to take over at the 40-yard line. Priest Holmes was stopped for only 1 yard on first down by Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Hannibal Navies. On second down Na'il Diggs put pressure on Trent Green, while Marques Anderson tackled Tony Richardson at the line of scrimmage for a 0-yard reception. On third down Darren Sharper tackle Marc Boerigter after a 7-yard gain. A 39-yard punt by Jason Baker and a 13-yard return by Antonio Chatman let the Packers take over at their own 26-yard line (5:13, 1st quarter).
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On first-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Brett Favre found Bubba Franks wide open in the end zone to cap off the Packers' opening drive with a touchdown, 7-0 (7:14, 1st quarter). Earlier on the drive, Ahman Green came through with a 6-yard run on fourth-and-1, after Brett Favre's scramble on third-and-3 came up 1 yard short. Donald Driver had a 26-yard catch-and-run on third-and-6. Robert Ferguson made a 23-yard catch across the middle. William Henderson had a 10-yard catch-and-run on the drive and Wesley Walls made an 8-yard catch. The Packers scoring drive was 11 plays, 80 yards. Time of the drive was 6:17.
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The Packers defense held the Chiefs to a three-and-out on the game's opening possession. Ryan Longwell's opening kickoff sailed out of bounds, giving Kansas City field position at their own 40-yard line. Trent Green fired incomplete for Tony Gonzalez on third-and-5. After Jason Baker's punt sailed into the end zone, the Packers take over at their own 20-yard line (13:31, 1st quarter).
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The following Packers players are inactive for today's game: Brennan Curtin, Antuan Edwards, Aaron Kampman, Nick Luchey, Craig Nall (third quarterback), Chukie Nwokorie, Marcus Spriggs.
Marques Anderson will start in place of Antuan Edwards. |
