Harrell has big night, Packers beat Chiefs 24-3

The Chiefs kept Rodgers and the Packers out of the end zone in the first quarter, then gave up three straight scoring drives after Harrell took over and the Packers won 24-3 Thursday night.

"We got (Rodgers) off the field before he could go down and score," Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel said. "And then we held our own the second time we were out there. So that's a decent judge of the capabilities of the defense."

Packers coach Mike McCarthy wanted to see more out of his No. 1 offense, even if they weren't in the game very long.

"Obviously, I wasn't very pleased with the way the game started," McCarthy said. "I thought they were moving a little quicker than we were."

But McCarthy was pleased with the performance of Harrell, who completed 13 of 15 passes for 223 yards with two touchdowns for the Packers (2-2).

Harrell's play has been scrutinized by fans and the media all preseason, and McCarthy said handling that was part of his maturation process.

"We talk about it all the time: It's nice when people say nice things about you and it's not so nice when they don't," McCarthy said. "And it's one extreme to the other, particularly at that position. That's part of the deal. I think he handled it very well."

But with the final round of roster decisions looming Friday, McCarthy stopped short of making a definitive declaration when asked if he was comfortable going into the season with Harrell as the backup.

"I think he definitely grew through the preseason, topped it off with an excellent performance tonight," McCarthy said. "But we're not going to make any roster selections here tonight."

Rookie running back Nate Eachus had 21 carries for 99 yards and the Chiefs (1-3) rushed for 247 yards.

Peyton Hillis had 46 yards on six carries, and said the offensive line showed improvement from last week.

"It was a great job up front," Hillis said. "That's where we found the holes. I think as far as coming out and trying to work the running game and try to get that accomplished, I believe we did that."

The two teams had a combined total of 22 penalties, but it seemed an indication of sloppy play rather than mistakes by the replacement officiating crew.

Chiefs starting quarterback Matt Cassel came out of the game a few plays into their second possession. Brady Quinn was 6 of 12 for 83 yards with an interception, while Ricky Stanzi and Alex Tanney struggled to move the ball.