After beating the Patriots 26-10, are they still a threat to the Chiefs down the road?
Hello again everyone and welcome to another week of the ArrowChop! This is the column where we look at the positives/negatives of a certain Chiefs/NFL issue and look at both sides of the aisle. Then you, the readers, will come to your conclusions after I lay out the case. So sit back, relax, and enjoy as we breakdown this week’s hot topic.
The Chiefs are the only team in NFL history with four consecutive 4-0 starts after their 26-10 victory over the New England Patriots last night. It was a gut-wrenching, hard-fought showdown between two teams that are eager for a spot in the playoffs; however, if you thought this game was going to be an easy victory, you were hardly mistaken.
While the defense played exceptionally (except for their rushing defense), the offense couldn’t secure any touchdowns in the first half and midway through the third quarter which is rare for such a high-powered offense.
With that game in the books, are the Patriots still a threat to the Chiefs for the AFC crown? Let’s break down both sides of the aisle to find out!
The Patriots are still a threat to the Chiefs
The first point for this side of the debate is the fact that Cam Newton wasn’t playing. If you live under a rock or know nothing about the NFL, Newton sadly caught COVID-19; moreover, it meant that he had to sit out for yesterday’s game (get well soon Cam).
If Newton was suited up yesterday, then the Patriots’ offense wouldn’t have put up a measly 10 points on the Chiefs offense, the Chiefs’ rush defense would’ve had a field day trying to contain him, he probably wouldn’t have thrown a motherload of interceptions like Hoyer and Stidham threw combined, etc. In short, Newton would’ve changed the complexity of the game in a snap which meant that the Chiefs undoubtedly caught a break.
Another point this side brings up is that Bill Belichick will have a brand new plan in store for them. If (and that’s a big if) the Patriots face the Chiefs again, they’ll be ready for sure as Belichick is a masterful coach that always has a masterful plan to lead his team to the promised land dubbed the Super Bowl. He was able to keep the Chiefs offense from scoring any touchdowns for an ample amount of time, yet the offense couldn’t keep the same momentum as the defense did as they ultimately faltered. Don’t expect the same result as yesterday’s game due to that Belicheck will install new plays, remove ones that didn’t work, and find ways to tear into the Chiefs on both sides of the ball.
Also, we mustn’t forget about the Patriots defense as they were able to, in a nutshell, keep Mahomes contained for the majority of the game. As I stated beforehand, the offense couldn’t secure any touchdowns in the first half and midway through the third quarter; furthermore, this was due to exceptional defensive playcalling by the Patriots coaching staff and level of play from the players’ themselves. Let’s just say that the Patriots’ defense is eager for round two to commence somewhere down the line.
The Patriots aren’t a threat to the Chiefs
The first point for this case falls on the fact that the Chiefs have done an excellent job of containing mobile quarterbacks. A prominent example of this is none other than when the Chiefs squared off against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens last week.
The Chiefs were able to hold Jackson, the reigning MVP, to under 100 yards passing and only 83 yards passing which is an exceptional job for any defense playing against Jackson and that killer offense. Reid and Spagnuolo would’ve had the same plan, with a few changes, if they were playing Newton, yet that wasn’t the case due to reasons already known.
Another central point that is discussed is that there is a gargantuan possibility that the Patriots won’t even face the Chiefs in the playoffs. Varying on where they’ll be seeded will determine if they’ll either play in the first round, be victorious in the wild card, and/or divisional games to face them, or they’ll not play at all. It would be interesting and exciting to see them play once again, this time with Cam under center, but the hopes of that are minuscule.
In closing, that’s the case for whether or not the Patriots are still a threat to the Chiefs for the AFC crown. What are your thoughts on this? Leave a comment down below to join the discussion.
Thanks for reading and have a spectacular day!
