Patriots Mindset Before Taking on the Chiefs

For the season they were a plus-14, second in the NFL. “There’s no next week, so we’re going to have to do everything you can do to be out on the field and help us win”.

The New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has always been successful in adapting his team’s offense each week to attack the hole of its upcoming nemesis. Light rain is still in the forecast, but the temperature is expected to be closer to 40 degrees – mild by New England standards – and the wind less breezy. A Pro Bowl selection at defensive end and the Patriots’ leader with 12.5 sacks, will he be disciplined by Belichick and sit out part of the game?

Could be a knockout loss for the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of 11 straight games, including last week’s 30-0 wild-card round blowout of the Houston Texans.

Watch the above game preview from ESPN. Even if Jeremy Maclin plays, he will be extremely hobbled, and I like New England’s chances with Logan Ryan/Malcolm Butler on the outside against him. They pose a lot of different problems in all three phases, so we definitely have our work cut out for us. Of course, New England went on to win the Super Bowl previous year, while Kansas City struggled to a 9-7 finish, missing the postseason. Three of the Patriots’ four losses have come in games in which they’ve given up more than 100 yards rushing. I believe he will play. “Hopefully we can flip the script”. The Patriots are set to host the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday (4:35 p.m., CBS) at Gillette Stadium. And it’s hard to doubt them, after what they have gone through over the last 12 months and beyond. “They can rush and they can stop the run”.

“You concentrate on getting better at your fundamentals, techniques and those great players you’ve got to play against”, he said. While the Chiefs have a very good secondary, I trust Brady to beat just about any secondary in football.

“Ultimately, it comes down to those two guys”, Smith said. Wide receiver Albert Wilson and running back Spencer Ware are also listed as questionable this week, but were able to practice. The Chiefs allowed an average of 329.3 yards per game in the regular season – ninth-best in the National Football League – and only 226 against Houston.

That just about covers the Patriots’ offense versus the Chiefs’ defense.

Not many signal callers in the league make fewer mistakes than Smith, who threw just seven picks all season. “They make you prepare for a lot, absolutely”. The Patriots are also hoping to get some ample production out of left tackle Sebastian Vollmer and wide receiver Julian Edelman.

The question on the minds of many is whether Maclin will play, as he’s nursing a high-ankle sprain.

How they got here: After one of the best regular-season turnarounds in recent memory, winning their final 10 games after a 1-5 start, the Chiefs turned in a rare postseason shutout in the wild card round against the Houston Texans last week, opening with a 106-yard kickoff return touchdown and not letting up.

A season earlier, New England recorded its now-customary 12-win season, AFC East title and trip to the conference championship game despite releasing tight end Aaron Hernandez over the summer, shortly before he was charged with first-degree murder.