Chiefs must seize advantages against the Packers

By Mike Ash  |   Wednesday, October 31, 2007  |  Comments( 21 )

Kansas City Chiefs
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When the 4-3 Kansas City Chiefs host the 6-1 Green Bay Packers on Sunday, all the intangibles appear to be solidly in the home team's favor. Here's a look at a few of the advantages they'll have going into the game.

History

Even though the two teams only play each other every few years, the history between the Packers and Chiefs goes back to 1967 and the very first Super Bowl. And while Vince Lombardi's Packers were victorious in the inaugural championship game, the Chiefs have dominated the series in the years since. Kansas City is 5-0 over Green Bay since 1989, making the Chiefs the only team in the league - other than his own, of course - that QB Brett Favre has never beaten.

NFC teams at Arrowhead

Even more impressive than its streak over the Packers is Kansas City's mark against the NFC in general. Since 1995, the Chiefs are 21-4 when playing an NFC opponent at home.

The bye week

Over his head coaching career, Herm Edwards' teams are 4-2 after the bye week, including a 41-0 dismantling of the San Francisco 49ers a year ago. Of his two losses after the bye, one (in 2001) came by a single point to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. The other, during the New York Jets' injury-plagued season in 2005, was a mere five-point loss to the heavily favored San Diego Chargers.

Year after year, Edwards' teams appear to take advantage of the extra time they have to prepare for an opponent.

The schedule

Green Bay is coming into Arrowhead Stadium on a short week, having played a road game at Denver on Monday Night. Over the past seven seasons, the record of teams in a second straight road game on a shortened week is right at .500. Factoring in the advantage of the home team coming off its bye week, though, surely drops the average lower.

Analysis

If games were won by intangibles, Kansas City should have an easy time of it on Sunday. But that's not how it works, of course, and very few of the above items will mean a thing when the ball is kicked off Sunday.

The timing of the Chiefs' bye week and Green Bay's schedule work in Kansas City's favor, though. And they'll need to take full advantage of everything they can if they want to pull off the win.
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CommentsComments: 21  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Chief Tom		11:12 PM
10/31/2007
Brett Favre will be put out of the game permanently in the 2nd Quarter, therefore ending his career for good. Jared Allen will ...
No.2
Chef Tom		11:32 PM
10/31/2007
Im the only guy in here. where is everybody?? am i the only chef fan. darn! i think i will go bother the raider fans. atleast ...
No.3
Gothic Tom		01:55 AM
11/01/2007
HEY CHEF, you're not the only one in here... ...but you are the only cheif fan as of now ;) Packers will have a chance to prove ...
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