Patriots Outclass the Chiefs 27-20

When the New England Patriots opened their AFC divisional round game against the Kansas City Chiefs with 14 consecutive passing plays, it might have been easy to forget that the franchise had running backs on its active roster.

The Patriots started the game with possession of the football and quarterback Tom Brady brought the team down the field in 11 plays, converting three third downs in the process.

The New England Patriots are going back to the AFC Championship game as they beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-20 Saturday at home in a Divisional Round playoff game.

The Patriots will play the victor of Sunday’s game in Denver between the Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers.

After spending the last two weeks recovering from knee and back injuries, Gronkowski caught seven passes for 83 yards, including touchdowns from 8 and 16 yards out.

Alex Smith threw for 246 yards in the loss for the Chiefs, who saw their 11-game winning streak come to an end. Kansas City outside linebacker Tamba Hali tipped the pass in a gulp moment for New England fans, but the ball landed in wide receiver Julian Edelman’s hands.

But Edelman gives Brady a reliable outlet that allows him to get rid of the ball quickly, minimizing the disappearance of the running game and the holes in the offensive line. We had a good week of practice. His energy was through the roof, as you could see on his near touchdown run in the second quarter, in which he went ballistic on the sidelines with coach/best buddy Josh McDaniels (Brady ran for a one yard score on the ensuing play). That did little to help them against the reigning Super Bowl champs. They started the game with 12 straight pass attempts and at one point Brady completed 13 straight passes. “He’s always been one of the hardest workers I’ve ever played with, one of the most determined young men that’s on this team”.

“I think he has worked his tail off”, Brady said.

It’s unknown if Chiefs star wide receiver Jeremy Maclin will be able to play Saturday, and expect tight end Travis Kelce to have a big role if Maclin can’t go.

To hinge the fate of the Patriots struggling offense on the return of one player might not have been fair. You knew all along that the Patriots were merely playing possum the last month and a half of the season, saving their energy and their best football for the Tournament.

New England bounced back from injuries and a week filled with distractions to dominate Kansas City. Jones apologized on Thursday, and coach Bill Belichick kept him in the starting lineup. If the Chiefs had stopped the Patriots on third down, Kansas City could have gotten the ball back with about 50 seconds left, only down by seven points. It was the sixth rushing touchdown of Brady’s postseason career, second all-time on the New England list.

There was a report after the game that Edelman was headed for x-rays, but that may have just been to check on the condition of his foot after the game. It’s an unusual decision considering the Chiefs ran the ball at an average of 4.2 yards per carry.

Stephen Gostkowski hit a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter to make it 27-13 before the Chiefs clawed back to 27-20 on a 16-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Charcandrick West’s 1-yard touchdown run with 1:13 left in the game.

Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. That’s not the type of game the Kansas City offense can win, especially against a team as good as the Patriots.