Quote:
Originally Posted by Detoxing
You guys are taking them way too lightly. Year after year they prove their doubters wrong. I agree with ya'll that their offense looks anemic. But that shit can change in a week. Especially with the Patriots.
When's the last time they've lost two consecutive games?
I'm still counting this as an L, especially if Mahomes doesn't get back on track.
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At least for myself, this isn't about taking the Patriots too lightly. Yes, they have the best coach. Yes, they have Brady, and he's still a very good QB. Yes, they still have Edelman, maybe the best slot receiver to ever play. And yes, they have a top-5 secondary (I think that's still true today).
But here's some reality:
They aren't that good against the run. Ranked something like 17th, IIRC. That's been true since the Browns game when they gave up 190 yards to Chubb and one of the worst OLs in football. Even the Cowboys ran on them at will, until they decided to stop running on their own.
Their running game is average. Sony Michel and Burkhead aren't Dalvin Cook and Derrick Henry.
Their OL is a patch-work that's been worse than ours, and it's not getting any better any time soon.
Their receivers are led by Sanu, who's a top WR2, but not a top WR1. Dorsett and the rest of them are nobodies. And Brady hasn't been able to make them better.
Their only real receiving weapon this year has been Edelman and even he's not what he once was.
And if you look at just exactly how the Patriots beat the Chiefs the last two times, it wasn't because of their utter superiority. They won the first game in 2018 because in spite of Maomes giving us the lead twice at the end, Bob's defense completely failed to stop Brady just one time.
And in the second, we lost by a penalty. Or a coin flip, if you prefer. But the offense scored plenty.
So when I look over the Patriots what I see is a team that's a shadow of itself right now. Their only bright spot is that secondary; it's still very good. But their DL can't get pressure on its own. Their LBs are slow. Their running game is below average. And their passing attack is bottom tier. None of that is going to get a lot better without a big injection of talent. Of which there is none available before Sunday.
The Chiefs simply have to play smart football, not get in their own way, and score efficiently to our average, and we win this game.