Packers Morning Buzz: Aaron Rodgers enjoying change in locker-room 'fun meter'

Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com.

We'll start with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers talking at length with NBC's Mike Tirico in the lead-up to Sunday night's game at Kansas City. Rodgers speaks with enthusiasm about the "young energy" and the "fun meter" in the locker room.

“I think there’s just such a young energy about this team,” Rodgers tells Tirico. “When you do things for so long, there’s almost an expectation. And we just have so many new guys who haven’t seen me play a whole lot over the years. There’s a new staff who hasn’t been in the same locker room or meeting rooms or on the field at Lambeau here and seen that. That's one part of it.

“The other part is we just really enjoy each other. This is one of the closest teams we’ve had, and definitely one of the closest teams that we’ve had in a long time. It’s just a new energy. There’s an excitement. The guys are having fun. . . . It’s been fun to see guys come together and genuinely enjoy working together. ...

“I think we’ve brought in some hungry guys, and it’s just changed kind of the fun meter in the locker room,” Rodgers said. “Guys are really enjoying each other a lot.”

You can see the entire interview here:

Pete Dougherty writes about the Packers' bold decisions that enabled them to outlast the Kansas City Chiefs 31-24 in a Sunday night thriller:

Tom Silverstein analyzes the big plays that went the Packers' way:

Aaron Jones has stamped himself as a legitimate dual threat, writes Jim Owczarski:

Here's Jones taking it to the house on his 67-yard TD reception:

Twitter went wild over Rodgers' amazing TD toss to Jamaal Williams:

In his Packers Insider, Owczarski describes how the Packers survived the ups and downs of a wild night:

Here's your chance to sound off on the Packers' victory:

In Kansas City, Chiefs observers came away impressed with how the injury-riddled team missing MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes still gave the Packers all they could handle:

Columnist Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star writes:

The Chiefs showed resiliency, falling behind by two touchdowns and rallying. The Chiefs showed creativity, with play calls that focused less on the quarterback (lots of one-read stuff for Matt Moore) and more on playmakers in space.

And the Chiefs showed guts, perhaps best illustrated by Moore’s willingness to wear a series of hits violent enough to put the layperson on bed rest if he had a throw he liked.

The Chiefs are in a strange spot. They’re sort of a placeholder for a Super Bowl contender. What they do offensively has been dictated to varying degrees by challenges with protection (the left side of the line is backups) and volatility, with injuries to Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins.

Defensively, the Chiefs have been a sort of Operation Fake-It-Til-You-Make-It. ...

The important stuff is still on the way. But they’re showing some toughness, and depth. It’s something, at least.

You can read Mellinger's entire column here:

ICYMI: Owczarski tells the story of the dramatic duel we didn't get to see:

Dougherty puts GM Brian Gutekunst's first two drafts under the microscope:

Don't underestimate what outside linebackers coach Mike Smith is contributing to the resurgence of the Packers' pass rush:

Rodgers and LaFleur talk more about their relationship, via Jason Wilde for the Wisconsin State Journal:

ESPN's Rob Demovsky writes about why the Packers' offensive linemen are so devoted to protecting Rodgers:

Former Packers running back James Starks has filed a lawsuit in connection to a traffic incident in 2016:

And finally: This was a nice Sunday sight for Packers fans:

Contact Stu Courtney at (920) 431-8377 or scourtney@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stucourt