Chiefs vs. Patriots: Sony Michel, revenge factor should challenge K.C.

We sat down to ask a Patriots expert about the cloud hanging overhead from last year’s loss, Tom Brady’s year and Sony Michel’s potential.

As we prepare for Sunday night’s primetime showdown between the visiting Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots, we wanted to hear from an outsider on the matter to perhaps take some of our own Chiefs-colored lenses out of view.

We recently asked Nick Ziegler, Patriots expert from our sister site Musket Fire, to tell us more about the revenge factor from last season, Tom Brady’s turnovers this year and just how good Sony Michel will be.

All good things must come to an end, they say, and each year brings about a new round of predictions that maybe this is the year the wheels come off for New England. Do you get a sense that this could be that year? Or are they just fine now and for the foreseeable future?

It was certainly not a good start to the season for the Patriots, but things are looking up. The loss against the Lions was a real shock, and since then they have looked much better on both sides of the ball.

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With Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, the Patriots will always be hard to write off. After two convincing wins against the Dolphins and the Colts, the Patriots have to feel much better about where they are compared to the first three weeks.

The slow start to the season is comparable to last year, and this is around the time where they hit their stride in 2017. Getting some help at wide receiver with Julian Edelman returning should continue to help an offense that has looked a little stagnant at times.

As of now, there shouldn’t be too much concern for the Patriots and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them in the AFC Championship Game once again this season when its all said and done.

How much of last year’s opener is hanging overhead for this year’s Pats-Chiefs game?

The Patriots will surely be looking for some revenge in this game after what happened last season. Coming into 2017, the Patriots were being hyped up as a team that could potentially run the table. That perfect season dream ended really quickly thanks to the Chiefs.

While the Chiefs do look noticeably different this season with Mahomes under quarterback compared to Smith, the Patriots will still remember what happened last year. Beating New England at home is no easy task, and doing it two years in a row would really be an impressive feat for the Chiefs. Even though they have had some great wins already this season beating New England would solidify them as top dog in the AFC without question.

With this having a big game feel and a potential statement win for the Chiefs, the Patriots will be motivated to prove that they are still top dog in the AFC.

The Pats have turned the ball over multiple times in most games yet they’ve also forced multiple turnovers in every game but one. Does this team feel a bit more rollercoaster-ish, for lack of a better term, than years past?

The turnovers for the Patriots have certainly been an issue for them early on this season. In the last game against the Colts, Brady was intercepted twice, but they were both on balls that hit Chris Hogan and Rob Gronkowski in the hands.

In recent years, Brady has been really good at protecting the football. The last four years, Brady hasn’t totaled double-digit. However, while they haven’t all been on him, Brady is up to six already in five games. Since some of them have a bit flukey, the turnovers should be something that improves as the season moves on.

With the Chiefs being a very good team, the turnover battle and having an extra possession could be the difference in what should be a shootout.

The teams that present very real problems for the Patriots tend to…?

In order to beat the Patriots, there are a few common things that have historically worked. One of those things is having a strong defense that is able to get pressure on the quarterback. When Brady is rattled in the pocket, his accuracy tends to drop, and he also can be forced into mistakes.
In addition to that, running the football well is a good plan of attack against the Patriots.

As arguably the greatest of all-time, Brady is not able to hurt you if he is sitting on the bench. If a lead is established early and edge defenders can get after Brady when he is on the field, that is certainly a recipe for success against New England.

How good is Sony Michel looking at this point?

One of the reasons for the turnaround on offense the last two weeks has been the emergence of Sony Michel. The Patriots took Michel in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft and he has a lot of potential.

Michel missed the entire preseason and Week 1, but he started to get his feet wet in Weeks 2 and 3, and then had his breakout game against the Miami Dolphins. In the win over the Dolphins, Michel totaled over 100 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He followed up it on a short week with a 98-yard game against the Colts.

Even though the sample size is a bit small for Michel, he is certainly coming on strong the last two weeks. With a little extra rest, expect to see a lot of Michel on Sunday Night Football.

Any predictions for the game?

I’m really looking forward to this game, and firmly believe that this will be the AFC Championship Game barring major injuries to either team. While the Chiefs have definitely been the better team so far this season, this seems like a classic spot for the Patriots to get a big win.
With Belichick as the coach, the extra time to prepare for the Chiefs should help the Patriots scheme some things that might confuse Mahomes a bit. Even though Mahomes has been great, he is still a young quarterback going against one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. In all likelihood this game will be a shootout, but I think the Patriots will be the team that has a little extra motivation and that could be the difference.

Prediction: Patriots 27 Chiefs 24