The New England Patriots brought the Kansas City Chiefs’ 11-game winning streak and their season to an end on Sunday with a 7-point win, booking their spot in the AFC Championship game.
It’ll be the fifth consecutive year that the Patriots have appeared in the AFC’s deciding match, with tomorrow’s game between the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers to determine their opponent.
Final score
New England Patriots 27
Kansas City Chiefs 20
The New England Patriots welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to the north-east, with the winner going on to play in the AFC Championship Game for a chance to represent the conference in Super Bowl 50. Join The Roar for live coverage of this AFC divisional match-up from 8:35am (AEDT).
The Chiefs come in off a 30-0 win over Houston on the road, but did they look impressive because the Texans were so abominably bad, or does Andy Reid’s squad have a chance at causing an upset?
It’s hard to bet against the combination of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick come January, especially in the fortress that Gillette Stadium has become, and you’d be a brave person to bet against them, especially considering Brady gets one of his favourite and most dependable targets, Julian Edelman, back for this game.
No doubt, Brady will be happy about that, having managed to guide a patchwork offence through the back half of the season, though the Pats did lose four of their last six after opening 2015 with ten straight wins.
There are holes in the Patriots squad, no doubt. Offensively, they were held to just 196 total yards against Miami in a 20-10 loss in the final game of the regular season, and you can bet Reid and his coaching staff have been watching that film during the week!
Kansas City can cause problems up front for the Patriots. The unit, which will likely include Sebastian Vollmer (injured against the New York Jets in the second-last game of the regular season) charged with keeping Brady on his feet hasn’t been great at times this year, and they really need to have their best game of the season or it’ll be a long day going against the likes of potent pass rusher Tamba Hali and excellent linebacker Justin Houston.
There will be a game-long battle between the well-drilled Chiefs secondary, led by Marcus Peters (eight interceptions in the regular season, and two more against Houston) and the inspirational Eric Berry, against Brady’s offensive weapons, led by the imposing Rob Gronkowski. The big tight end is a nightmare match-up for just about every defence in the league, and if the Pats are going to eke out a win, Gronk needs a huge game.
I have some concerns about the Chiefs offence. Alex Smith, a reasonable duel-threat quarterback, doesn’t get much support from his wide receivers, which means that most of his passes are going to be headed in the direction of star tight end Travis Kelce. Smith needs big plays from Jeremy Maclin, and stability in the run game.
The Chiefs backfield is missing the impressive Jamaal Charles, and the slack must be picked up by Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware. Whether they can find holes in the Patriots defence remains to be seen – it certainly won’t be as easy this week as it was against Houston. Patriots pass-rushing star Chandler Jones will make sure of that.
Prediction
The Chiefs defence can slow down Brady enough to keep the game close, but whether Alex Smith and company can take advantage of that and score enough points to pull out the upset is another thing entirely.
Patriots by 10.
WEST
Roar Guru
Classic Tom Brady... vintage performance, completing 13 consecutive passes at one point and finishing with two touchdowns, one rushing score and no turnovers. Brady has now posted a passer rating of 99 or higher in four straight playoff games dating back to last year. Chiefs seemed to have no sense of urgency. The team was still huddling down near the goal line as the final seconds ticked away. New England will meet the winner of Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos for a spot in Super Bowl 50. The Patriots are trying to become the first team to win back-to-back NFL titles since they did it in 2003-04. Patriots and the Cardinals are currently the favorites to meet in Super Bowl 50. New England's postseason success speaks for itself. Arizona hosts Green Bay on Saturday night just weeks after beating the Packers by 30 at home last month. The Packers are a +1200 longshot to win the Super Bowl heading into this tough road matchup. The Carolina Panthers (+500 to win the Super Bowl) host the Seattle Seahawks (+550) on Sunday, and the winner of that game will emerge as a major Super Bowl contender. Carolina would have home field in the NFC Championship Game and was 8-0 SU and 6-2 ATS at home this season. Seattle is 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS over its last eight games and has won six of its last seven postseason games. As the top seed in the AFC, the Denver Broncos would have home field advantage in the AFC Championship Game. This could make a big difference if the Broncos ended up facing the Patriots as Denver is 5-1 SU and ATS in its last six home games against New England compared to an 0-5 SU and ATS record in its last five road games against the Patriots. Im a Seahawks fan. Go Hawks!!
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Thanks for following the blog, everyone. Patriots impressive today, and they'll be tough to beat next week, wherever they play.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
FINAL SCORE: New England defeat Kansas City 27-20!
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Another knee, and the New England Patriots are headed to the AFC Championship Game!
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Victory Formation - Brady takes a knee and KC uses their last time-out 0:59 to play, final quarter, New England lead Kansas City 27-20. The 11-game Chiefs win streak will end in Foxborough.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Tamba Hali had a chance there, but couldn't convert. A strange call to have Brady throw it here.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
WOW!! Brady throws, it's ricocheted into the air and Edelman makes the reception for the first down. It could easily have been an interception, though! 1:01 to play, final quarter, New England lead Kansas City 27-20.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Jackson loses two yards on 1st down, and the Chiefs use their first time-out.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
1:12 to play, final quarter, New England lead Kansas City 27-20.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Gronkowski with the safe hands to recover the onside kick. KC has three time-outs, but this game is basically over. New England begins on the KC 45-yard line!
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
1:13 to play, final quarter, New England lead Kansas City 27-20. We'll probably see an onside kick here.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
TOUCHDOWN KANSAS CITY!! West gets the pitch from Smith and strolls in. Chiefs are still alive -- just!
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
2nd & Goal after Smith lofted a pass out of bounds in the end zone. 1:18 to play, final quarter, New England lead Kansas City 27-13.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Incomplete pass, but flags down everywhere. Defensive pass interference coming here, and a new set of downs for the Chiefs. 1st & Goal. 1:22 to play, final quarter, New England lead Kansas City 27-13.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Avant makes the catch short of the goal line, and it's 3rd and Goal. 1:35 to play, final quarter, New England lead Kansas City 27-13.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Back underway after the 2:00 warning with a flag. It's a false start on Kansas City! 2:00 to play, final quarter, New England lead Kansas City 27-13.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
2:00 WARNING Chiefs need two touchdowns, and have three time-outs remaining.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
West is dropped in the backfield!! 2nd & Goal. 2:10 to play, final quarter, New England lead Kansas City 27-13.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Smith finds a wide-open Wilson and he is down at the 1-yard line. Coverage bust there!! 1st & Goal.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Smith runs, gets the first down, and slides. Inside the New England red zone. 3:09 to play, final quarter, New England lead Kansas City 27-13.