AFC stock reports: Kansas City Chiefs pass Houston Texans for 3rd seed
Defeating the New England Patriots in Foxborough, the Kansas City Chiefs have moved up to the 3rd seed in the AFC playoff picture.
The Kansas City Chiefs broke the New England Patriots win streak of 21 straight home wins on Sunday with a 23-16 victory. While the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans also have wins against the Pats, neither of them were in New England. Foxborough is arguably the hardest place for teams to claim a victory. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes logged his first victory over the Patriots and Tom Brady.
Cornerback Bashaud Breeland deflected a pass to Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman on fourth down in the end zone to put away the game. Despite a rough start that allowed New England to score a touchdown on their opening drive, followed by an interception from Mahomes, the team rallied together to defeat the Super Bowl champions.
Mahomes finished 26 of 40 for 283 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. The offense was moving down the field with ease in the first half and put up 20 points by halftime. Following the first drive out of the half, however, the offense was unable to move the ball and put any more points on the board. Defensively, the Chiefs held Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to 19 of 36 for 169 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1ne interception.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive line coach Brendan Daly knew how to get after Brady. While only coming away with three sacks, the defensive front was aggressive to get hits on the quarterback. Eight tackles for a loss was a major factor in this game as well. The pressure was a major impact in New England as Brady was clearly frustrated after a hit in which he got up and got in defensive end Chris Jones‘ face following the play. s
It wasn’t a perfect game, and there were still some frustrating moments throughout the game. However, coming away with a victory in Foxborough should not be taken lightly. As the playoffs are just a mere month away, coming away victorious in this one should build some momentum for Kansas City. It should also put them at the top of the playoff discussion.