{"id":4415,"date":"2016-01-15T06:00:51","date_gmt":"2016-01-15T11:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=4415"},"modified":"2016-01-15T06:03:43","modified_gmt":"2016-01-15T11:03:43","slug":"patriots-chiefs-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/01\/15\/patriots-chiefs-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots \u2013 Chiefs, Key Matchups; Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> open their 2015 playoff season with a home game in the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs. The game will be televised by CBS with their announcing crew of Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn. The game can also be listened to on the Patriots flagship station 98.5 FM the Sports Hub with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak on the call.<\/p>\n

New England (12-4), had a rough ending to the season after starting on a 10-game winning streak. Injuries decimated the lineup as the team dropped four of their last six games to drop into the AFC\u2019s #2 seed in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Kansas City (11-5), won ten games in a row to finish the season and secure the #5 seed in the playoffs. Given up for dead at 1-5, Andy Reid rallied his troops and reeled off game after game down the stretch as the Chiefs played inspired football. The team ran their streak to 11 games with a 30-0 demolishing of the Houston Texans in the Wild Card playoff game last week.<\/p>\n

We here at\u00a0PatsFans.com<\/a>\u00a0are continuing our \u201cRazor\u2019s Edge\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0column in 2015 to give a quick break down on some of the key matchups of the game and what you can look for in how the game plays out.<\/p>\n

Series History:\u00a0<\/strong>The Patriots and Chiefs will meet for the 34th<\/sup> time on Saturday in a matchup of old rivals from the earliest days of the AFL. Since the merger, they\u2019ve met rather infrequently and the rivalry between the two teams has cooled.<\/p>\n

The matchup in recent years has been dominated by the home teams. New England has won the last three in Foxboro while the Chiefs have won seven of the last eight at Arrowhead including last year\u2019s 41-14 blowout Monday Night Football win.\u00a0The teams surprisingly have never met in the post-season.<\/p>\n

Here is a look at some of the key match-ups and who holds the Razor\u2019s Edge.<\/p>\n

First up is the Patriots offense:<\/p>\n

Patriots RBs vs Chiefs Front Seven –\u00a0<\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge KC<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\nThe Patriots offense should get a huge boost in the return of Julian Edelman on Saturday.
\n(USA TODAY Images)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Chiefs defense with the #8 rush defense was very tough against the run in 2015. With the likes of Dontari Poe, Jaye Howard and Allen Bailey holding down the fort up front, they do a great job of stuffing the run at the point of attack and allowing the linebackers to clean up. Josh Mauga and Derrick Johnson are active and will make plays for the KC defense.<\/p>\n

The Patriots running game has been mired in neutral all season. With the injuries across the offensive line and the constant shuffling, they\u2019ve gotten very little from the running game especially down the stretch.<\/p>\n

Injuries to Dion Lewis and LaGarrette Blount have forced the team to bring in Steven Jackson for the final two games of the season. Jackson has run well but has had very little room to move thus far.<\/p>\n

On Saturday look for the Patriots to run just enough to attempt to keep the KC defense honest, with a few quick-hitters and some traps and draws.<\/p>\n

Patriots WRs vs Chiefs Secondary –\u00a0<\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>Brady has been hampered by injuries to his receivers and the offensive line where his season during the final six or seven games has gotten frustrating after getting off to a blistering start. Now he should get \u00a0a healthier Julian Edelman \u00a0and Danny Amendola back\u00a0which \u201cshould\u201d help the Patriots short passing game. And we say should because we’ll have to see them in action first.<\/p>\n

Questions about Rob Gronkowski\u2019s knee have crept back up, perhaps he re-injured it during the Miami game, but he missed the last two practices. RB James White has been very good out of the backfield, but they need more from Brandon LaFell. With the return Edelman, now LaFell can get back to doing what he does best, the short slants and the short to intermediate sideline back shoulder routes.<\/p>\n

The Chiefs have a very good pass rush with bookend pass rushers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston as well as Howard coming inside. Their secondary is physical and aggressive\u00a0and their quite adept at turning passes into turnovers. Rookie Marcus Peters had eight INTs this season and he and Sean Smith are a fine pair of corners. Safety Eric Berry has returned from cancer this season and he plays up in the box and can be a disruptive player underneath.<\/p>\n

The Patriots when their troops are healthy love to work the middle of the field. That\u2019s where the Chiefs defense has been their stoutest with the vast majority of their picks coming between the numbers. That\u2019s exactly where Brady loves to work the field with Edelman and Gronkowski. Something will have to give here as it will go a long way in deciding who wins this particular matchup.<\/p>\n

Next up the Chiefs offense:<\/p>\n

Chiefs RBs vs NE Front Seven –\u00a0<\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge KC<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\nDont’a Hightower’s return will be a big boost to the Patriots defense.
\n(USA TODAY Images)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Chiefs running game took a huge hit when Jamaal Charles went on IR earlier this season. But Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware have done a great job along with QB Alex Smith (team\u2019s #2 rusher), of keeping the running game humming along. KC averages 127.8 yards per game on the ground, good for sixth in the NFL this year.<\/p>\n

The Patriots were the ninth best rush defense in the NFL this season allowing just 98.7 yards per game. The front seven with rookie Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Akiem Hicks in the middle has done a great job of disrupting things at the point of attack.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where the Patriots will need a healthy or as close to it as possible Dont\u2019a Hightower. Hightower has been immense this season at stuffing the run and blowing up plays at the point of attack. He\u2019ll need to be on top of his game Saturday as the Chiefs run very close to a 50\/50 split between run-pass.<\/p>\n

The Chiefs have done a great job of running against everyone and they gashed NE for 207 yards a year ago. They like to run often and make their conversions easier on third down. The Patriots will look to force them into third and long with obvious pass situations.<\/p>\n

Chiefs WRs vs NE Secondary-\u00a0<\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>Alex Smith passed for career highs in yards 3486, and touchdowns 20 this season while throwing only seven interceptions. Jeremy Maclin came over \u00a0from Philadelphia and had an outstanding season with 87 catches for 1088 yards and eight touchdowns.<\/p>\n

Tight end Travis Kelce is the Chiefs version of Rob Gronkowski, they move him inline, outside and in the slot. He\u2019s Smith\u2019s biggest target after Maclin and has been superb. He had a big game against the Texans last week with 8 catches for 128 yards.<\/p>\n

The Patriots pass rush has been much improved this season and logged 49 sacks. Edge rushers Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich and Jabaal Sheard have done a great job of getting after the QB. Young corners Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan have outperformed expectations and are physical and play man coverage very well.<\/p>\n

With Maclin injured and limited if he can play at all, the onus will be on Smith to find Kelce often. Secondary receivers Albert Wilson and Chris Conley had only 52 catches between them. NE\u2019s focus will be to take away Kelce and force the younger players to beat them.<\/p>\n

Special Teams-\u00a0<\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>The Patriots have two of the best kickers in the business with Stephen Gostkowski and Ryan Allen. Gostkowski missed only three field goals on the season and hasn\u2019t missed an extra point since Week 17 of the 2006 season, his rookie campaign. He\u2019s the best kicker in the business right now and as close to automatic as they come. Allen averaged 45.4 yards per punt.<\/p>\n

KC has two reliable kickers in Cairo Santos and punter Dustin Colquitt. Santos made 30 of 37 field goals on the season, he was 4 of 8 from 50+ yards and Colquitt averaged 44.4 yards per punt this year.<\/p>\n

The NE coverage units are solid and will have to be. Knile Davis returned the opening kickoff 106 yards for a touchdown last week. Their return game is emerging a bit with Keshawn Martin. KC\u2019s punt coverage unit is outstanding allowing only 6.7 yards per return.<\/p>\n

Next up, our prediction on who wins and why\u2026<\/p>\n

Prediction: <\/strong>This one should be an excellent football game, the Chiefs matchup well against the Patriots and have won 11 games in a row for a reason. They\u2019re playing excellent football right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\nA fired up Tom Brady is just what the doctor ordered for the Patriots at home for the playoffs.
\n(USA TODAY Images)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

On offense, the Patriots need Julian Edelman to be close to his normal self, and if he is, the short-to-intermediate passing game of New England will be tough to stop. KC\u2019s corners like to play off the line and jump on the ball aggressively. But if they play that way against Edelman, he\u2019ll make them pay underneath, so there will be some jockeying around there.<\/p>\n

Edelman\u2019s return should help the beleaguered offensive line because it will help Brady get rid of the ball quicker and negate the Chiefs pass rush. Gronkowski\u2019s health is now a question but how effective he can be against the KC\u2019s safeties and LBs will be a key area to watch. Look for Brady to get White involved early.<\/p>\n

Smith is the \u201cX-factor\u201d in both KC\u2019s running and passing game. One thing to consider is that Bill Belichick has always been a bit passive when facing a quarterback who can run. If they can\u2019t contain him in the pocket or give him too much time to throw, he\u2019ll make them pay.<\/p>\n

With Maclin limited, the Patriots may opt to double Kelce and get after Smith more aggressively and try to force the issue. The Chiefs running game will be tough to stop. They\u2019ve been effective all season and we clearly remember the fits they gave NE in Arrowhead last season. The key for the Patriots is to put them in third and long situations. Smith is careful with the ball and without his most trusted wideout in Maclin, he\u2019ll have to get it to the rookie speedster Conley or Wilson.<\/p>\n

The Patriots home field advantage is a good one to have as Brady and Belichick are a tough combo in Gillette. Look for Brady and Edelman to have big games, and don\u2019t go to sleep on a comeback of sorts for Brandon LaFell in this one in the red zone. New England moves on the AFC Championship game again. Patriots 27-20<\/strong><\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcast on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Smith is the \u201cX-factor\u201d in both KC\u2019s running and passing game. One thing to consider is that Bill Belichick has always been a bit passive when facing a quarterback who can run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":4109,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,10],"tags":[185,460,464,757,756,34,132,37,18,204,763,19,16,768,764,17,762,276,24,15,767,44,70,8,38,40,201,248,117,36,776,761,13,760],"class_list":["post-4415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-commentary","category-patriots-news","tag-2015-nfl-season","tag-2015-patriots","tag-2015-patriots-season","tag-alex-smith","tag-andy-reid","tag-bill-belichick","tag-brandon-lafell","tag-chandler-jones","tag-danny-amendola","tag-dion-lewis","tag-dontari-poe","tag-geneo-grissom","tag-jabaal-sheard","tag-jaye-howard","tag-jeremy-maclin","tag-julian-edelman","tag-justin-houston","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-lagarrette-blount","tag-malcolm-butler","tag-marcus-peters","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-patriots","tag-patriots-edge-rushers","tag-patriots-training-camp-photos","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-predictions","tag-rob-gronkowski","tag-rob-ninkovich","tag-sean-smith-eric-berry","tag-tamba-hali","tag-tom-brady","tag-travis-kelce"],"yoast_head":"\nPatriots \u2013 Chiefs, Key Matchups; Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Smith is the \u201cX-factor\u201d in both KC\u2019s running and passing game. 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