The Packers have lost 22-year old rookie OT Derek Sherrod for the rest of the season due to a broken leg suffered against the Chiefs yesterday.  Sherrod played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Packers this year.  He was a first round pick out of Mississippi State last April.  This is a bad break for the Packers and Sherrod as he was likely going to see a bump in P.T. the last two weeks of the regular season.

The Chiefs had the perfect gameplan to beat the Packers today, as they played keepaway.  Aaron Rodgers had a rough game as he only completed 17 of 35 passes for 235 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 32 yards (10.7 ypc) with 1 TD run in this game.  Ryan Grant led the way on the ground for the Packers with 66 yards rushing on 12 carries (5.5 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 35 yards (11.7 avg).  TE Jermichael Finley (3 rec, 83 yards), WR Randall Cobb (4 rec, 53 yards) and WR Donald Driver (2 rec, 7 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Packers today.  The Packers finished up with 102 yards rushing on 18 carries (5.7 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 35 passes (48.6%) for 213 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 23:49.

The defense gave up a ton of yards today, but not a lot of points.  CB Charles Woodson (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed), LB D.J. Smith (9 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and LB A.J. Hawk (8 tackles) led the way for the Packers on D in this game.  The Chiefs finished up with 139 yards rushing on 39 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 31 passes (74.2%) for 299 yards.  The Packers are now 13-1 on the season.

The Green Bay Packers head to Arrowhead Stadium on a roll.  They can’t overlook the Chiefs this weekend as they sometimes step up due to the home crowd getting behind them.  The Chiefs got whacked hard 37-10 last weekend by the Jets and it cost head coach Todd Haley his job.  Enter new head coach Romeo Crennel and new starting QB Kyle Orton.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers are likely going to throw the ball to get a lead and then try to grind it out on the ground some with Ryan Grant.  Aaron Rodgers will be without Greg Jennings in this game, but he still has a lot of weapons in the passing game.  Look for him to spread the ball around to TE Jermichael Finley, WR Jordy Nelson, WR James Jones, WR Donald Driver and WR Randall Cobb.  The Chiefs are giving up 132.5 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry so far this year, so RB Ryan Grant should find plenty of room to run the ball this weekend.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  New head coach Romeo Crennel is likely going to institute an offense that runs the ball a lot more than the Chiefs have been.  That means that Jackie Battle, Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster are going to get a lot of work this Sunday.  The Packers’ front seven will have to step up as they can’t afford to give up the 4.8 yards per rush that they have allowed this year in this game.  Kyle Orton has a broken finger but he also has a decent set of  WRs in Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston and Jonathan Baldwin.  So the Packers will have to get after Orton this Sunday with the pass rush.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 31, CHIEFS 20

28-year old QB Aaron Rodgers is turning in one of the best years in NFL history for a QB.  He has played in 13 games for the Packers so far this year and he has completed 305 of 438 passes (69.6%) for 4,125 yards with 39 TD passes and 6 INTs (123.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 53 times for 207 yards (3.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far this year.  These numbers might surprise people outside of Green Bay, but Packers’ fans know what they have in Aaron Rodgers.  Rodgers has now played in 67 games in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has completed 1,343 of 2,049 passes (65.5%) for 16,848 yards with 126 TD passes and 38 INTs (103.7 QB Rating).  Rodgers has also carried the ball 242 times for 1,133 yards (4.7 ypc) with 15 TD runs so far this year.  Rodgers is making everyone forget about Brett Favre in Green Bay and I never thought that would happen.

The Packers will be without 28-year old WR Greg Jennings for the next 2-3 weeks as he has a sprained left knee.  Jennings has played in 13 games for the Packers so far this year and he caught 67 passes for 949 yards (14.2 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  The Packers are going to miss Jennings some as he is the best receiver on the Packers, but, they are loaded at WR and should be able to get by fine until he’s ready to return to action.

The Packers destroyed the Raiders yesterday at Lambeau Field.  Aaron Rodgers was sharp as he completed 17 of 30 passes for 281 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  Matt Flynn threw two incomplete passes and he was sacked in the end zone for a safety by LB Rolando McClain of the Raiders.  Ryan Grant led the way on the ground for the Packers in this game with 85 yards rushing on 10 carries (8.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  John Kuhn pitched in with 10 carries for 46 yards (4.6 ypc) in this game.  WRs Jordy Nelson (3 rec, 81 yards, TD) and Donald Driver (4 rec, 75 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Packers yesterday.  TE Ryan Taylor pitched in with 1 catch for 4 yards….but it went for a TD.  The Packers finished up with 136 yards rushing on 24 carries (5.7 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 32 passes (53.1%) for 281 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:40.

The defense made a lot of big plays in this game.  LB D.J. Smith (10 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception), safety Morgan Burnett (10 tackles) and LB Rob Francois (9 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Packers on D in this game.  LB Erik Walden (2 tackles and a fumble recovery that he returned 5 yards for a TD) and CBs Sam Shields (interception) and Charles Woodson (interception) also made big plays on D in this game for the Pack.  The Raiders finished up with 117 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 43 passes (55.8%) for 245 yards in this game.  The Packers are now 13-0 on the year.

The Packers are coming off a very hard fought win against the Giants.  They still have found a way to win every game they have played so far this year.  The Raiders are now tied with the Broncos atop of the AFC West, so this is a HUGE game for them.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers are going to try to get this game over quickly.  Aaron Rodgers is going to be throwing the ball all over the field in this game, in order to build a big lead.  The Raiders are giving up 239.1 yards passing per game so far this year, but they do have 14 interceptions, so they can make some plays.  I still don’t see them offering must resistance to the Packers’ air attack.  James Starks and Ryan Grant will try to grind the game out late on the ground against a Raiders’ D that is allowing 141.2 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry so far this year.

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders like to run the ball and throw it deep.  RB Michael Bush is a good power running back, so the front seven of the Packers are going to have to tighten up the chinstraps.  The Packers must also watch out for FB Marcel Reece.  He doesn’t get the ball a lot, but he makes plays both running and catching the ball when he does get his chances.  The Packers are going to have to get after Carson Palmer, because he still has a good enough arm to get the ball deep to his WRs.  He doesn’t have a favorite receiver which makes the Raiders’ passing game hard to defend.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 37, RAIDERS 20

26-year old WR Jordy Nelson is really stepping up for the Green Bay Packers this year.  He has played in 12 games for the Packers so far this year and he has caught 48 passes for 876 yards (18.3 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Nelson has already set career highs in receptions, yards and TDs with 4 games left in the 2011 season.  Packers’ QBs are completing an amazing 48 of 63 passes (76.2%) thrown in Nelson’s direction.  The most amazing thing about that completion % is that a lot of Nelson’s catches are down the field.  Nelson has now played in 57 games in his first four years with the Packers and he has caught 148 passes for 2,144 yards (14.5 avg) with 15 TD grabs.

23-year old TE Andrew Quarless is done for the season due to a knee injury that requires surgery.  Quarless played in 10 games for the Packers this year and he caught 3 passes for 36 yards (12.0 avg).  He has now played in 23 games in his first two years with the Packers and he has caught 24 passes for 274 yards (11.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Quarless was the Packers’ #3 TE, so they should be o.k. without him the rest of the way.

The Giants tied this game up with 58 seconds left in the game, as they scored too quickly.  Aaron Rodgers quickly drove the Packers right down the field for a 31-yard, game winning field goal from Mason Crosby.  Rodgers completed 28 of 46 passes for 369 yards with 4 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 32 yards (8.0 ypc) in this game.  Ryan Grant “led” the way on the ground for the Packers yesterday with 13 carries for 29 yards (2.2 ypc).  WR Greg  Jennings (7 rec, 94 yards, TD), WR Jordy Nelson (4 rec, 94 yards), TE Jermichael Finley (6 rec, 87 yards, TD) and WR Donald Driver (4 rec, 34 yards, 2 TDs) led the way in the passing game for the Packers yesterday.  The Packers finished up with 89 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 47 passes (59.6%) for 360 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:03.

The Packers gave up a ton of yards yesterday as the Giants’ offense gave them fits all day long.  Safety Charlie Peprah (9 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and LB D.J. Smith (8 tackles) led the way for the Packers on D in this game.  NT B.J. Raji (fumble recovery) and OLB Clay Matthews (38-yard interception return for a TD) also made HUGE plays for the Packers in this game.  The Giants finished up with 100 yards rushing on 20 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 40 passes (57.5%) for 347 yards.  The Packers are now 12-0 on the season.