Before I dig into the divisional playoff game in Boston, l want to take a minute to point out how rare a performance the Kansas City Chiefs put up last weekend.
There hasn’t been a playoff shutout in the NFL in a decade. A decade!
I don’t care how poor a team network analysts think the Texans are. That is astounding in today’s NFL.
The Chiefs have put to together a squad that is doing what championship teams do. That is more impressive than can be said for a team that started with losses in five of its first six contests.
"They play great defense. – It wins championships. They win close games. – 7 pts or less in 3-of-4 last regular season games They run the ball well. – 141 yards against Texans top-tier defense"
With that in mind, we had quite a show on the Check with Me podcast this week and dug deep into Kansas City’s first playoff win in 22 seasons. On the show, we talk with Herbie Teope about the team’s mentality in turning their season around; go in-depth analyzing the play on the field with Seth Keysor and preview the divisional playoff matchups with Luc Polglaze.
Here’s the podcast.
Keys for Divisional Game vs Patriots
I went through the All-22 of the Chiefs-Patriots from 2014. While both teams have certainly changed, the concepts and tendencies of the game-callers gives an idea of this matchup.
Defending Edelman & Gronkowski
The Patriots’ two primary threats, Edelman and Gronkowski, are a pair of dynamic pass catchers. They both do split out to the edges, but are more troublesome inside. The Patriots’ offense runs through the middle of the field. Either way, the Chiefs have seen them both before. Both Gronkowski and Edelman have had solid seasons in 2015, with Gronkowski topping 1,000 yards receiving.
Edelman, who may be able to return from injury to face the Chiefs, had a lackluster game against them last season. The Chiefs chose to cover Edelman predominantly with Husain Abdullah and Ron Parker. He caught four passes for 23 yards. With Eric Berry on the the field, expect a rotation similar to last season.
In 2014, The Chiefs came out in a mixture of Cover-1 and Cover-2-Man in the first half. The second half, in which Kansas City had a sizable lead, gave way to a higher mixture of zone coverages. They caused two turnovers on interceptions in 2014, both out of zone defenses. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton is likely to use a similar game plan Saturday, though look for the zone blitz as well.
Run the Ball
The Chiefs rushed for 207 yards on the Patriots last season when they demolished them at home in Arrowhead. Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis combined for 34 carries in the contest, running for an average of 5.4 yards per carry. That amounted to 52 percent of Andy Reid’s playcalling. West and Ware will get a shot to try and recreate that performance.
That volume and success in the running game led to another serious advantage for Kansas City that night. The Chiefs held the ball for more than 36 minutes. The team gave Tom Brady only 23 minutes with the ball in his hand.
The Chiefs are 3rd in the NFL this season, rushing for an average of 4.7 yards per carry. By running the ball consistently on Saturday, Kansas City can reproduce the effect on Tom Brady and keep his offense on the sideline.
I know, I know. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. I talk about running the ball in this “passing league” for one reason. It works.
Be who you are. Win the turnover Battle.
This comes down to just “doing what you do.” A lot of national media feel this is a gimme for the Patriots, in large part due to Brady’s very impressive record at home in playoff games. That record is legitimate and without doubt, but it doesn’t just make the Kansas City playmakers stop being who they are.
Marcus Peters is not going to lose his ability to read and jump routes. Eric Berry is not going to forget how to close on seam and crossing routes. Justin Houston, Tamba Hali and Dee Ford are not going to suddenly be unable to get to the quarterback because they can’t understand that thick Boston accent. Allen Bailey, Jaye Howard and Dontari Poe are going to continue to push and breakdown the pocket.
Some basic truths are self evident. 22 interceptions in the regular season (2nd in NFL) and 4 interceptions in playoffs (1st in NFL and in just a single game) are stats that don’t lie.
The Chiefs can come out in Gillette stadium and play their game. After all, its pretty damn good.
Enjoy the game, Addicts!
Follow along on twitter @RyanTracyNFL for game observations.