The AFC championship features one of the most compelling games of the season as the New England Patriots visit Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
This will be a fascinating matchup that should render another close game like the one these teams played in Week 6, which the Patriots won 43-40 at Gillette Stadium.
Although they are now at home the Patriots must remain wary as they’re facing Tom Brady, arguably the best quarterback of all time, and a team that is playing in its eighth consecutive AFC championship game.
With that in mind here’s a look at three things the Chiefs’ defense must do to stop the Patriots’ offense :
1.- Hold New England to under 100 rushing yards: The Patriots lost five road games this season and all of them were against non-playoff teams. The common denominator in all of them was that opponents held them to under the century mark rushing. Although holding Sony Michel and the rest of the Patriots’ rushers to under 100 yards will not guarantee a win when playing against Brady, it’s always a good first step.
2.- Get physical against Brady and the rest of the Patriots offense: The Chiefs need to get in the face of the Patriots skill players and hit them in the mouth. The Chiefs defense needs to step up and challenge the wide receivers by jamming them at the line of scrimmage and prevent them from getting free releases. The Chiefs’ pass rush must pressure Brady on the inside and get to him to disrupt his game. The Chiefs must force him to hold to the football longer than he has to wreck the Patriots short passing game because if they choose instead to sit back in zone coverage Brady will simply pick them apart.
3.- Get the Brady to turn the ball over: The Chiefs had the most sacks in the league this season (52), so they know they have the players they need to keep the pressure on Brady, but to win this game sacking him may not be enough. They must use that pressure to force him to make mistakes and turn the ball over. They need to capitalize on his mistakes and get as many interceptions or fumbles as they can to get additional scoring opportunities.
