The Kansas City Chiefs travel to Gillette Stadium to face the second seeded New England Patriots in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs. The Chiefs are the hottest team in football and have won 11 consecutive games going into Saturday's matchup against the defending Super Bowl Champions. The Patriots lost their chance at the top seed in the AFC after finishing the season 2-4, but New England expects to be the healthiest they have been in weeks.
The Patriots had an extra week to rest leading up to the anticipated playoff matchup, and Brady is expected to be a full go after suffering an ankle injury in the final game of the regular season. The veteran quarterback is a leader on the field for the Patriots and has had another incredible season under head coach Bill Belichick.
Brady has thrown for 4,770 yards this season with 36 touchdowns to seven interceptions, and he will look to target both wide receiver Julian Edelman and tight end Rob Gronkowski on Saturday afternoon. The Patriots star tight end is reportedly expected to play despite pain in both his knee and back.
Gronkowski is a matchup nightmare for defenses, as he is too fast for linebackers and too big to cover for defensive backs. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound tight end leads the team with 1,176 yards and has scored 11 touchdowns. The Patriots will also have star wide receiver Julian Edelman back on the field Saturday and is expected to wear orthotics to brace his foot, according to NFL reporter Albert Breer. Edelman was having another huge season before the injury, recording 61 receptions for 692 yards with seven touchdowns.
The Patriots know how tough it is to get a win against the Chiefs, as the last time these two teams played, Kansas City won 41-14 in September of 2014. That game was in Arrowhead Stadium, and Brady and Belichick have had two weeks to prepare for a playoff matchup. Kansas City head coach Andy Reid will look for his defense to contain the Patriots offense and are coming off an impressive shutout of the Houston Texans in the first round of the playoffs.
The Chiefs defense finished the regular season ranked third in the league, holding opponents under 18 points per game. Veteran linebacker Derrick Johnson leads the Chiefs defense in tackles and disrupts opponents' offensive game plans. Johnson has 116 combined tackles this season, four sacks, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions. The Chiefs talented linebacker will look to lead his team to huge playoff victory in Foxborough but is likely focused on just slowing down the Patriots offense.
The Chiefs offense was able to move the ball against Houston last week, and Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith will look to keep the momentum rolling. Smith is having arguably one of his best seasons of his career, throwing for 3,486 yards this season with 20 touchdowns to seven interceptions. The Chiefs veteran quarterback is a dual threat behind center and has rushed for 498 yards and scored two touchdowns.
It's unknown if Chiefs star wide receiver Jeremy Maclin will be able to play Saturday, and expect tight end Travis Kelce to have a big role if Maclin can't go. The Chiefs tight end is coming off a huge performance in the wild card round, with eight receptions for 128 yards.
The first game of the NFL playoff divisional round is an exciting matchup between a dominant defense and a high-scoring offense.
Where To Watch: CBS at 4:35 p.m. Eastern time.
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New England Patriots Radio Broadcast: click here.
