The AFC Title Game will be a rematch of a regular season game that was won by the New England Patriots, 43-40. The Kansas City Chiefs will look to get some revenge on New England in front of a raucous crowd at Arrowhead Stadium. Just like in the NFC, this is a battle of the top two teams in the conference.
Kansas City finished the regular season with a 12-4 record and were the winners of the AFC West division. The Chiefs had little trouble with the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round, winning by a score of 31-13. New England had an interesting season but still ended up winning the AFC East with an 11-5 record. The Patriots held off the Chargers in their first playoff game, winning by a score of 41-28. New England is a three-point underdog in this game.
Patriots Will Run the Ball
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady gets all of the attention, but New England will look to run the ball in this game. The Patriots ran the ball 34 times for 155 yards in their win over the Chargers and will use the same strategy against the Chiefs. Rookie running back Sony Michel racked up 129 yards and three touchdowns in that win and will need another big performance in this game. A solid running attack will keep pressure off of Brady, and keep the Chiefs high powered offense off of the field.
Head coach Bill Belichick has a history of putting together a great defensive game plan, and he will need another one in this game. The Patriots gave up just 20.3 points per game during the regular season but gave up 40 to the Chiefs in their first meeting. Look for Belichick and the Patriots defense to eliminate Travis Kelce to put even more pressure on Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes Trying to Make History
Speaking of Patrick Mahomes, he is trying to become the youngest quarterback to reach the Super Bowl. Mahomes had a monster regular season, throwing for more than 5,000 yards and 50 passing touchdowns. The Chiefs offense averaged a league-best 35 points per game during the regular season, but things won’t come easy against the Patriots. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill will need to find a way to make some big plays to give the Chiefs great scoring opportunities.
The Kansas City defense has been a question mark for the last few seasons, but they stepped up their game in the divisional round. The Chiefs gave up over 26 points per game during the regular season, but absolutely shut down Andrew Luck and the Colts. Kansas City gave up 173 rushing yards to the Patriots in the first meeting and will have to play much better to keep this game close.
New England Pulls Off Upset
It doesn’t seem right seeing Tom Brady and the Patriots as an underdog in the AFC Championship Game. Sure, the Chiefs have the edge of playing at home, but New England has proven the ability to be able to win anywhere. Kansas City might be the better team in next few years, but I’m still betting on Tom Brady on Sunday. Take the points and bet the New England Patriots +3.0 over the Kansas City Chiefs.
