Subscribe
Follow Us
The Kansas City Chiefs continued their strong start to their Super Bowl defense with a 34-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens in a highly-anticipated game on Monday. In Week 4, the Chiefs face another test in the New England Patriots, which is coming off a 36-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in their previous game. The Chiefs and Patriots have had entertaining battles in the last couple of years, including last year’s AFC Championship Game which was won by New England in overtime.
But unlike in previous years, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes will not be facing Bill Belichick and Tom Brady on the field. Instead, Belichick will have a new quarterback in former MVP Cam Newton, who has played well for his new team. The Chiefs’ passing attack remains lethal with Mahomes under center, ranking third in the league in terms of passing yards per game. The Patriots’ on the other hand, have been the best on the ground, leading the NFL in rushing yards per game.
New England’s defense, meanwhile, remains a threat despite the loss of some important players, while Kansas City’s defense, while not as good as its world-beating offense, has shown that it can get stops when needed. If there is a game in the NFL’s slate of games this week that is a must-watch, it’s probably this one.Here are four things that could happen to the Chiefs when they welcome the Patriots at Arrowhead Stadium:
1. Patrick Mahomes passes for 3 touchdowns
Despite entering the season as a Super Bowl champion, Mahomes was ranked just fourth in the NFL’s annual Top 100 Players of 2020 list. And in the first two weeks of the season, much of the discussion was focused on the play of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who were considered early MVP candidates. But all it took was one game and a brilliant performance for the 25-year old to remind everyone of just how good he can be.
On Monday against another title contender in the Ravens, Mahomes’ talent was on full display, as he completed 31 of 42 passes, passed for 385 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions, while adding four carries, 26 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown to power the Chiefs to a win. The 2018 MVP faces another test this week against New England, but as he did against Baltimore, Mahomes proved that he is still the league’s best quarterback even if he isn’t the MVP frontrunner this season.
This week, Mahomes faces a Patriots defense that allowed an average of 235.3 passing yards to quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick, Russell Wilson, and Derek Carr in their first three games, which ranks 11th in the NFL. New England, however, is one of the worst teams in the league in terms of yards allowed per pass, as they give up an average of 7.8, the third-worst mark in the league.
The Pats will have a hard time preventing Mahomes from finding his targets, as Kansas City has a bunch of pass catchers like like Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Sammy Watkinds, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire capable of making the defense pay. Perhaps the only thing that can prevent the Chiefs’ signal-caller from getting more touchdown passes is the Patriots’ expected strategy of relying on their running game and using as much time to keep Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense off the field for as long as they can.
2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushes for 75 yards and a touchdown
The Chiefs rookie running back had a memorable NFL debut in their season opener against the Houston Texans, where he had 25 carries, 138 rushing yards, and a touchdown in Kansas City’s 34-20 win. In just his first game, Edwards-Helaire showed that a potent Chiefs offense somehow got better with his arrival, and that the defending champions can be lethal on the ground as they are in the air.
He was unable to surpass his strong debut performance in the Chiefs’ next two wins against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Ravens and has not scored a touchdown since his first one against Houston. However, the 21-year old back showed that he can also be a dual threat, finishing with six receptions and 32 receiving yards against the Chargers in Week 2 and five catches and 70 yards last week against Baltimore.
Article Continues Below
The Patriots’ defense remains stout despite the departure of some key players, but three games into the new season and they’ve only been average in defending the run. They allowed an average of 122.3 rushing yards against the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, and Las Vegas Raiders, which ranks just 19th in the NFL, while allowing 4.6 yards per rush, which is just 21st in the league.
With New England focusing its defense on Mahomes and the Chiefs’ passing attack, Edwards-Helaire could have a big game while also picking up some receiving yards as he continues to showcase how much of a threat he can be for opposing defenses. Expect him to find the endzone for Kansas City after going two weeks without a touchdown.
3. Cam Newton gets sacked at least twice
Kansas City’s defense looked impressive against Baltimore last Monday, as they were able to sack Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson four times, with defensive tackle Chris Jones taking down the reigning MVP twice and defensive end Frank Clark and linebacker Ben Niemann tallying one sack each. Through three games, the Chiefs have 10 sacks, which is tied with the Denver Broncos for sixth in the NFL.
Heading into the game, Newton has only been sacked five times, including twice against the Raiders last week. However, New England has not yet faced a defense capable of pressuring the quarterback like the Chiefs,’ with Las Vegas being ranked as the team with the second-fewest sacks in the league, two of which came against the Patriots. Miami, meanwhile, is tied for 17th with seven total sacks, while Seattle is ranked 23rd with just five sacks.
Jones already has 3.5 sacks on the season, which leads the AFC, while Clark has two, and four other Chiefs players have at least one. Even if Jones has been listed as questionable against the Patriots due to a groin injury, It wouldn’t be surprising to see them get to Newton at least twice to disrupt the New England offense.
4. The Kansas City Chiefs win a close one
While the Patriots will likely have a difficult time to slow down Mahomes and the Chiefs’ passing attack, Kansas City could also have trouble stopping New England’s run game. The Patriots are the league’s best rushing team, averaging 178 yards per game, while the Chiefs rank just 27th in the league when it comes to stopping the run, allowing 153 yards per game.
Running backs Rex Burkhead, Sony Michel, and the returning James White could all have big games for New England, while having a quarterback like Newton gives their running game another weapon. With the Patriots using their ground game and limiting Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense time on the field, it wouldn’t be surprising to have a thrilling, back-and-forth game.
However, Mahomes and the Chiefs will likely still end up with the victory, as the Super Bowl MVP is playing too well right now, and has too many weapons at his disposal on offense. The Chiefs defense has also shown that it can slow down a team’s running game when needed, as they did against the Ravens last week. Though Belichick and the Patriots can make a game out of it, Kansas City is still poised to emerge with a victory and continue their undefeated start to the season.
