Amazing defense, struggling offense: Patriots are a mixed bag headed into Chiefs game
Get ready, because we’re sizing up the New England Patriots, who play host to the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday afternoon.
The Patriots are looking to hold onto a top-two seed for the AFC playoffs, and a victory would go a long way toward securing a week off to begin the postseason.
Coach
The greatest of all-time? Bill Belichick could be. His six Super Bowl victories top the modern-era list of NFL coaches (in the pre-Super Bowl era, George Halas and Curly Lambeau won six NFL titles). Belichick’s teams have dominated in different ways through the years, and now it’s with his specialty: defense. That’s what makes Sunday’s game so appealing: New England ranks first in scoring defense at 12.1 points and second in yards per game allowed at 258. The Chiefs are third in points at 29 and fourth in yards at 384.7.
Offense
Patrick Mahomes is convinced Tom Brady will play for a few more years, but will it be in New England? There has been plenty of speculation of Brady’s future, as he technically becomes a free agent after this season: Will he remain with the Patriots, look for another team or retire? Fueling some of the chatter is the state of the Patriots’ offense. The Pats rank 14th in yards and 23rd in yards per play (5.12). But keep in mind their offense looked good against the Chiefs last season, and New England found a groove late and got into the playoffs ... and then won the Super Bowl again. Brady has had difficulty getting on the same page with his wide receivers this season. The go-to remains Julian Edelman, who is on his way to another huge year with 82 receptions so far. Running back Sony Michel topped 100 rushing yards in both games against the Chiefs last season. James White is a major receiving threat out of the backfield. Will the Chiefs cover him with a cornerback?
Defense
The Patriots have found defensive success in spite of losing their best pass rusher in Trey Flowers. After eight games, the New England defense had scored as many touchdowns as it had surrendered (four). Since then, the Patriots have lost twice to a pair of teams with dynamic, young quarterbacks — the Ravens and Lamar Jackson, and the Texans with Deshaun Watson. Now they’ll face the third in that group of young AFC gunslingers: Patrick Mahomes. The reigning MVP had success against the Patriots in his two games against them last season, with a total of seven touchdown passes with two interceptions. His passer rating in those games was 110.0 and 117.0, respectively. But he has had his two lowest-production games in the Chiefs’ last two outings, against the Chargers and Raiders. It’s a difficult ask to get better against New England’s defense — linebacker Jamie Collins is having an outstanding year, with six sacks and three interceptions. But if anyone can do it, it’s probably No. 15.