Kansas City @ New England
This is the Holy Grail for all AFC coaches; to beat Bill Belichick and the Patriots at New England in the AFC Championship game. Only one team has done so in Belichick’s tenure as head coach. That Ravens team went on to win the Super Bowl. The Chiefs can beat the Patriots the same way they did in Arrowhead on that amazing Monday night; get pressure on Tom Brady, run the ball, and use play-action. The one thing the Chiefs have now that they didn’t have a year ago is Jeremy Maclin.
Maclin brings the ability to stretch the field and he takes the safety out of the middle of the field. If the safety comes up to get either Travis Kelce or Albert Wilson, then Maclin is open over the top and vice versa. Smith can also trust Maclin to catch a ball that hits his hands. He led all receivers this season with only one drop among 120 targets. (via PFF) The Chiefs have more than a shot in this AFC title game as long as they can stay healthy themselves. Look for Eric Berry to be the hero here and cause a Gronkowski fumble in the red zone to stop a late Patriots drive. Chiefs 20, Patriots 16
I haven’t mentioned the NFC at all in this article but after what I watched from Seattle last Sunday, I cannot believe that any other team can prevent them from taking their third trip to the big game.
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