AFC Championship : Patriots @ Chiefs
- FootballNewsLeague
- Jan 20, 2019
- 5 min read
This Sunday the New England Patriots will be traveling to Arrowhead Stadium to face off with the Kansas City Chiefs for their record setting eighth straight AFC Championship appearance in a row. Both teams enter this week’s game after dominating performances last week in the Divisional round of the playoffs. For the first time in almost 70 games the New England Patriots are the under dogs. Will the Patriots fall this weekend and give rise to a new dynasty or will they overcome the odds and show the world why they have been the most dominant team in the NFL for nearly 20 years?
New England Patriots; The Patriots entered the playoffs as the number 2 seed and had a first round bye for the 8th straight year. In a game that everyone thought was going to be a good one last weekend, they once again showed the world why they are the epitome of greatness in football this era. The Los Angeles Chargers were tied with the Chiefs for having the best record in the AFC and were a very strong opponent to topple the Patriots, but they did not show up for the game. The final score was 41-28, but that score is not indicative of how lopsided the game was. 14 of the Chargers points came from garbage time in the fourth quarter once most of the Patriots starters had been pulled to keep them fresh for this week’s game. That game was the first game of the season that the Patriots have shown up as a complete team. If they play as good as they did last week there is almost no chance that the Chiefs will beat them. The Achilles heel of the Patriots this season has been poor defensive line play and a receiver corps that just can’t quite seem to put all the pieces together. The Patriots this season have had problems that are very different from their norm. In fact, this Patriots team was seen by many as being one of their weakest teams in many years because they finished at 11-5. What is odd of this “down year” is that all five of their losses came against teams that ended the season without making the playoffs. In the regular season the Patriots went 4-0 against teams that made the playoffs, one of which was the Chiefs back in Week 6. The final score of that game was 43-40 and was one of the best games of the season. The experience of Tom Brady was on full display during the previous matchup between the two teams. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs could score almost at will all during the second half of that match up, but the game was decided in the final three minutes when the Chiefs scored too fast to tie the game at 40-40. They left Tom Brady with 3 minutes to go and he drowned out the clock and the game ended with an easy field goal as time expired. The Patriots should not look at their previous matchup for reference because both teams have lost key players since that matchup. Both teams lost one of their best players to off field issues. The Patriots lost Josh Gordon and the Chiefs lost Kareem Hunt. One aspect of the game that does not bode well for the Patriots is that they are on the road for this one. This season the Patriots have a 3-5 record when away from Gillette Stadium. They have not been a strong team on the road and the Chiefs come in with one of the strongest home field advantages in all of sports. To win this game the Patriots will have to force turnovers, like they did in the first matchup between the two, as well as limit their own mistakes. The Chiefs offense is too potent to give them more chances than you can afford to.
Kansas City Chiefs; The Chiefs have been on a surreal run this season and have many thinking that they just might be the next dynasty. Patrick Mahomes has been sensational during his first season as a starter. He will most likely take home the leagues MVP award next week, regardless of this game final score. He threw for 50 Touchdowns and 5,000+ yards this season and has been the most fun player to watch. Much like the Patriots last week, the Chiefs dominated the Colts in their divisional round matchup to the tune of 31-13. The most surprising part of this game was how well the Chiefs defense played. Going into this game the Chiefs defense was ranked either last or second to last in almost all defensive metrics. They are not a good defense. But something changed this past week. Their defense only allowed one touchdown all game long and were the most dominant part of the game. If the defense that showed up last week does against the Patriots, then they just might make it to the Superbowl this year. The Chiefs will be entering the game with the more dynamic offense and better players at almost every skill position. They are a very scary matchup for any defense because you know they are going to score. The receiving core in Kansas City is almost unstoppable and Mahomes has a highlight reel just about every game of unreal throws that he makes while under pressure. Mahomes will be the key difference for the Chiefs so that they will not end up like the Chargers did last week. The Patriots did not have to worry about Philip Rivers running with the ball like they will with Mahomes. The Chiefs are coming into this game with many advantages, namely players and a homefield advantage. They will win this game if they show up and play like they have most of the season. What will kill them is if they fall into the trap that many teams do when they face the Patriots in January. The Patriots are a terrifying team in the post season and for good reason. If the Chiefs take their foot off the gas at any point during this game they will lose.
Final verdict; This game has all the makings to be an instant classic. Both teams are playing for more than just one game. Both teams are playing for a legacy. One to continue and the other to show that theirs is beginning. Despite the Patriots winning their first matchup this season, the Chiefs will most likely win this one. It will be a very close game that comes down to the wire, but the one thing that has been the Patriots downfall in the playoffs has been playing away from home. Therefore I give the Chiefs the edge and believe that they will ultimately win.
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