Chiefs vs. Patriots: Writers predict Kansas City to win AFC Championship

The Kansas City Chiefs are taking on the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship, and our writers predict the Chiefs to come out on top.

After 25 years, the Kansas City Chiefs have finally done it. They’ve finally won a playoff game at home. Last week, the Chiefs got the playoff monkey off their back by beating the Indianapolis Colts 31-13 in a game that turned all expectations upside-down.

The defense looked surprisingly good, not allowing the Colts to convert on third down all game. The offense looked like its usual self, though it slowed down in the second half. Ultimately, the Chiefs set the tone early on with a defensive stop and never looked back. Now, like Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones predicted last year, the Chiefs will be playing in the AFC Championship.

Two and a half decades of suffering have come to an end in KC, and now it’s time to look forward to a new era of Chiefs football. The Chiefs will be facing the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship for a chance to take a trip to Atlanta and play in Super Bowl 53. Because the Chiefs opened as 3-point favorites, the Patriots have taken the underdog narrative, but in reality, the Patriots are in no way the underdog.

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The Patriots will be entering the game fully healthy, while the Chiefs will be without rookie linebacker Dorian O’Daniel. However, the Chiefs will likely be getting safety Eric Berry back in the lineup, who wasn’t healthy during the first matchup. Berry will provide a huge defensive boost against the Patriots. The Chiefs will also have the added benefit of linebacker Justin Houston in the lineup, who they also missed last game.

Initially, an “arctic blast” was supposed to hit Kansas City during the game, but the weather has now changed and warmed up slightly. Overall, the conditions do not favor either team, as we saw the cold did not slow down the Chiefs at all last week.

The question is, is this the end of the Patriots dynasty? Will the torch be passed from New England to Kansas City? Our writers certainly believe so, as they unanimously picked the Chiefs to win.

Drew Brooks

The Chiefs have exorcized their demons and now are looking to take the next step and make the Super Bowl. Though the Patriots are clearly one of the best teams in the AFC, their defense is ranked 31st in DVOA when on the road. Going up against the Chiefs offense that’s ranked 1st in DVOA, I like the matchup a lot. I think the Chiefs will start very well, but fade in the second half like they typically do in the playoffs. However, when it matters most Patrick Mahomes will deliver and the Chiefs will win. Chiefs 45, Patriots 38

Chantel Buchi

Although Brady had a great game last weekend, the Patriots have been horrible on the road this season. They are 3-5, with three of those being against subpar teams: the Lions, Dolphins and Titans. And yes, two of those were after their “usual bad Septembers.” I see this game being much like the previous game in Week 6 between the Chiefs and Patriots, but this time, the Chiefs will be the team winning by 3. Chiefs 31, Patriots 28

Matt Conner

The narrative on the Chiefs has changed completely in the last couple weeks, and the team is playing inspired football. The defense is no longer the pushover unit it was for 15 games. Instead they’ve found their mojo and they are instilling their will on opponents. If they can do that even for a few drives against the Patriots, the Chiefs will roll. Chiefs 33, Patriots 24

Jalon Dodson

Crazy game. Has the potential to go for either one of the highest post-season scoring games, or the Chiefs defense stepping up. Brady gets dethroned. Chiefs 35, Patriots 14

Lyle Graversen

While Tom Brady and the Patriots can never be counted out, they simply haven’t been good on the road this year with just a 3-5 record. The Chiefs will have multiple defensive starters playing that didn’t play in their first matchup and I expect Arrowhead will be rocking. Patrick Mahomes and the offense keeps rolling and the defense does enough. Chiefs 34, Patriots 27

Jacob Harris

I don’t think it’s gonna be close. The Pats had to play near perfect on the offensive side to win last time despite the Chiefs barely showing up until the 3rd quarter. They won’t be perfect this time, and KC will eat them alive. Chiefs 41, Patriots 21

Matthew Loomis

The cold is not going to affect the crowd noise, but it will affect both team’s offensive scoring abilities to some degree. Which means the score will be lower than the last three times these two teams have played each other. The defense will continue their home field dominance and help the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl! Don’t freak out when Patrick throws an early interception. He will adjust and be fine. Chiefs 28, Patriots 20

Ellen Mathis

Well, well, well, we meet our old foes the New England Patriots yet again. This is a rematch of an incredible Sunday night game that saw the game come down to a field goal with the clock at double zeros. That won’t happen again. This game is at Arrowhead. This team is on fire. New England will obviously be a tough opponent, no doubt – I would never count them out, but this feels different. The Chiefs offense is back to looking dominant with the return of Sammy Watkins. The defense is playing better each week with the help of young guys like Charvarius Ward and Jordan Lucas. The D-line is looking dominant. I believe the Chiefs will win this weekend. I believe in the Mahomes magic. Chiefs 42, Patriots 30

Grant Tuttle

I expect the score to look like a bigger win than it actually ends up being. James White will be stifled by Chiefs safeties, but Sony Michel has a solid rushing day. Unfortunately for the Patriots, Andy Reid has a trick or seven up his sleeve… On the backs of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the Chiefs go to the Super Bowl to face off with the Rams. Chiefs 38, Patriots 28

Farzin Vousoughian

I think this will be close and come down to the wire. Kansas City needs to minimize its mistakes, get off to a fast start and be consistent. Most importantly, Andy Reid and Bob Sutton were aggressive last week and they need to repeat that. Chiefs 38, Patriots 35

Thomas Welte

This is the closest the Chiefs have been to a Super Bowl in my lifetime. This is a big game, at Arrowhead, with the world watching. This is the matchup the players wanted. I’m plenty nervous, and no one should ever sleep on New England in the playoffs but I think momentum is on Kansas City’s side. The Chiefs bring the Lamar Hunt trophy home. Chiefs 41, Patriots 28

Mason Whitlock

This is Arrowhead’s first time hosting the AFC Championship game. The Chiefs first AFC Championship appearance since 1993. Arrowhead is going to be crazy, regardless of the weather. This is a huge advantage for the Chiefs. The Patriots played a perfect game last week, and I fully expect that to drop off on Sunday. Our offense is going to put up 35 points, hell maybe even 45. Damien Williams is going to be another huge factor on Sunday, since the Patriots struggle covering backs out of the backfield. Mahomes will be, well Mahomes. Our defense is going to show up, big time. Eric Berry will hopefully play the whole game and be the leader he is. I hate sounding overconfident, but this game could get out of hand in our favor. Chiefs win AND MAKE THE FREAKING SUPER BOWL BABY!! #LetsRoll Chiefs 42, Patriots 28

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