AFC Divisional Game: N.E. Patriots vs. K.C. Chiefs

The biggest name on the inactive report is guard Tre Jackson, the rookie has been a consistent player in the Patriots offensive line rotation. Somehow though, the Patriots are five point favorites in this one. Without him, they are in huge trouble because Edelman is a master in the slot area. Edelman is playing for the first time since breaking a bone in his foot in Week 10. Since then, the team has averaged 23.1 points while ending the season on a 3-4 skid. Travis Kelce had a career-best 72 catches in regular season, joining Tony Gonzalez as Chiefs tight ends with 70 or more receptions in a single season.

Since he became the starting quarterback in 2001, the Patriots have missed the postseason just twice – in 2002 (when they suffered a post-Super Bowl championship hangover) and 2008 (when Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter of the first game).

Late Friday night, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reported that Gronk will “be limited, but he’ll play”. Look for a lot of these role players on the Steelers to come to life. Gronkowski is dealing with knee and back injuries.

A bit of an odd situation we have here. Or, how about Rob Gronkowski or Julian Elelman or Chandler Jones. He was admitted into the local hospital, but Jones was present at Patriots practice the very next day. Sure, they are a talented team, but injuries are also an issue. Jones led the Patriots in sacks this year with 12.5.

When it comes to Alex Smith, people throw the term “game manager” around to slight him. Belichick would not say whether the incident would affect Jones’s playing time against the Chiefs, but fans should look for No. 95 on the field.

I hope you are ready for one heck of a game. The Packers offensive line will be seeing that same aggressive defense again. After getting the news that Tom Brady’s suspension had been overturned, the Patriots started the season in overwhelmingly confident fashion, demolishing all-comers to drive to a 10-0 record. Currently, Vollmer is listed as “probable”.

“There’s no excuse, first of all, to start 1-5”, Chiefs Coach Andy Reid said during a conference call with reporters this week. “This is the week … we’re talking about, why I chose to take coach up on the offer”.