Chiefs Kingdom regards particular people from the Patriots dynasty as boogeymen of sorts, but that mentality is changing with the times. The things we fear about New England aren't a part of New England any more. The clock-killing Sony Michel is averaging a full yard less per carry this season compared to last. Tom Brady definitely isn't playing at a top-ten Hall of Fame QB level right now. Rob Gronkowski is done catching footballs and now spends his screen time making quips with Michael Strahan and Terry Bradshaw. However, while New England's 14th-best offense isn't very intimidating this year, the Pats defense certainly is. That same defense that's got a chance to set all-time records this season also helps the reigning champs dominate the turnover battle.
New England forces opponents into turnovers more often than any other team in football. That defense's 20 picks outnumbers every other team total by at least five. The Pats' +18 ratio is seven turnovers better than the second-best ratio in the league. Say what you will about Brady's ugly completion percentage in recent outings, but at least ole' Tom's wise enough to throw the ball into a crowd on the sideline instead of into the teeth of the defense. I will add, however, that Brady threw a pick in both of New England's losses.
Mahomes faces a huge test of his intelligence today. KC averages exactly 29 points per game, which makes the Chiefs the third highest-scoring team in the NFL. The Chiefs offense is undoubtedly good enough to outscore the Pats...if the turnover ratio is even, or if it favors KC. However, if you make mistakes against Brady and Belichick, it will result in the typical Patriots dominance. Patrick's ability to quickly read the defense and make critical decisions will decide who walks awake victorious after this memorable meeting.
The most recent notes about KC's injuries indicate that they may struggle with moving the ball on the ground and stopping the Pats from moving it through the air. This shouldn't take KC out of contention, though. The Chiefs will be missing two cornerbacks and two running backs, while the Pats listed only an offensive and defensive lineman each as officially out on their final report. I didn't expect to be praising KC's depth in the secondary this season, but I will, right now: KC has exhibited remarkable depth in the secondary this season. That should pay off today as New England's offense continues to under-perform against a crew of Chiefs safeties and CB's that continue to go underrated.
Sometimes, even in the game's biggest spotlights, football is still as simple as keeping a group of guys healthy and not turning the ball over. KC looks relatively healthy for this time of year, and the basic principal of ball safety remains crucial to their success, and our subsequent joy. That provides further evidence that our Chiefs are better than your average football team, and the Pats don't have a good track record when facing better-than-average teams in 2019.
There's a very clear relationship between good, mediocre and bad football teams and how the Patriots perform against them. The Pats dominate bottom-feeders, lose to legit playoff contenders and just scrape by against teams that are somewhere in betwen. New England won by at least two touchdowns against the Dolphins, Redskins, Giants, Steelers, Browns, the Jets and the Jets again. The Pats edged out the Bills 16-10 in Week 4 and snuck past the Cowboys 13-9 just before Thanksgiving. Brady's Boys lost comfortably to the Ravens 37-20, and Deshaun Watson's Texans beat New England last week 28-22. That's their whole schedule. Aside from maybe that Bills game, it's a pretty dang black-and-white description of crushing crappy teams and losing to good ones, right? Citizens of Chiefs Kingdom argue over many things, but we all know that KC is an objectively good football team right now. So, why by spooked by The Aging Wonder and that grumpy old Scrooge at Overpriced Razor Stadium?
Andy and Patrick are not intimidated by TB12, The Hoodie or the Foxborough faithful. I expect the Chiefs to win a thriller today and remind the country how good KC can be.
Doug LaCerte is too stressed about his Chiefs and his Christmas budget to update his Facebook or his Twitter.
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