It sounds trite and a tad disingenuous, like something a vanquished head coach would say during a press conference, but it's as true as anything else in the National Football League:

More often than not, games are decided on the outcome of a handful of key plays.

Here is a look at some of the plays that made a difference in the Packers' 33-22 victory Sunday in Kansas City. We'll leave off the obvious ones -- like Brett Favre's 60-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings with 3 minutes and 5 seconds left in the game or Charles Woodson's victory-sealing 46-yard interception return -- and focus on some under-the-radar moments that loomed large as Green Bay improved to 7-1.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The Packers scored a TKO on the opening kickoff. (That's coach-speak for keeping a team inside the 20-yard-line on a kickoff. Special teams player Jason Hunter planted Chiefs kick returner Eddie Drummond. Not many successful games begin with a bad play on special teams.

Kansas City's first play from scrimmage was a seven-yard pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez. That set an ominous tone. The Packers, who have struggled to contain tight ends this season (Jeremy Shockey, Antonio Gates, Greg Olsen, Chris Cooley and Daniel Graham).

GOOD HANDS
Packers rookie Mason Crosby opened the scoring with a 48-yard field goal that barely cleared the crossbar. In the second quarter, Crosby drilled a 36-yarder. Both kicks were aided by punter / placeholder Jon Ryan, who fielded low snaps from long snapper Rob Davis.

HAVING A BLAST
After Brett Favre threw an interception in the first quarter, Chiefs quarterback Damon Huard threw a pass to Dwayne Bowe, who got blasted by Atari Bigby. Hits like that make an impact.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
Favre fumbled at the Green Bay 45, but Mark Tauscher fell on the ball. The Packers went on to take the lead on Crosby's first field goal. Tony Moll also fell on a fumble.

OOPS
The Packers got a break when their former kicker, Dave Rayner, booted a ball out of bounds after the Chiefs had taken a 14-13 lead on Larry Johnson's 30-yard screen / touchdown. The Packers went on to score a field goal to retake the lead.

HAPPY RETURN
Woodson returned a punt 27 yards in the fourth-quarter. The ensuing drive sputtered when Daryn Colledge (who had a bad day) was whistled for a penalty, but the Packers did get a 45-yard field goal from Crosby that would have been impossible without the field position provided by Woodson.

HANGING ON
During a 48-yard catch in the second quarter, Packers tight end Donald Lee wrapped both arms around the ball in order to prevent a strip.

HAWK'S NEST
Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk picked off a pass in the third quarter, broke up an attempted pass to Gonzalez. He also tackled Larry Johnson, causing an ankle injury that sent the standout running back to the sideline.

BOOM
Ryan averaged 50.5 yards on his two punts. Performances like that are critical in the field position battle.

EYE IN THE SKY
The biggest play of the day for the Packers, outside of the obvious, came from the coaches' booth. With 2:52 left and the Packers clinging to a one-point lead, the Chiefs appeared to complete a 36-yard pass to Jeff Webb.

The coaches upstairs convinced McCarthy to challenge the play. McCarthy was right.