The New England Patriots host the Chiefs at Foxboro tonight as both teams prepare to Kick Off the 2017 NFL season tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Both teams are facing injury issues, but for the Chiefs the most concerning issue is the injury to running back Spencer Ware, who is out for the season and is just one of five players with over 900 rushing yards and over 400 receiving yards in 2016 as he deals with a torn PCL and ACL in his right knee.
In his place rookie Kareem Hunt, a third-round pick from Toledo, is expected to start and the undrafted Charcandrick West, entering his fourth NFL season, will serve as his backup and should see some action.
As for the Patriots, their offense took a huge blow in week 3 of the preseason, when WR Julian Edelman went down and will also miss the season with a torn ACL. Edelman was a key player for the Patriots last year as he caught 98 passes from quarterback Tom Brady and finished the season with 1,106 receiving yards, a career high.
Although it’s nearly impossible that another player will replace Edelman’s numbers, the Patriots will hope that the team receiving corps as a unit can put up similar stats. They will rely on TE Rob Gronkowkski and receivers Chris Hogan, Tony Amendola and Brandin Cooks to try and make up for his absence. The fact that the team has Brady, a future hall of famer, under the helm makes things easier for the team as he tends to make the receivers he plays with, perform at a higher level.
A pair of concerning stats for the Pats though, they are 4-5 in nine games without Edelman in the last three seasons and their offense averages three yards less per play without him.
Also, it’s important to point out that when Edelman is not on the field Brady’s completion percentage drops seven points and his passer rating drops 20 points.
Perhaps this is because the effect Edelman had on opposing defenders. When Edelman lined up next to Amendola last year they often decided to focus on him, thus freeing up space for Amendola and was often left facing one-on-one situations that Brady knew how to exploit to gain considerable yardage.
As for the game itself, the Pats defense will have to look out for Tyreek Hill a speedy wide receiver/kick returner that last year proved he can be Alex Smith’s deep threat as he finished last year with five receptions of 30+ yards.
Hill proved not only his versatility (he finished with 3+ receiving touchdowns, 3+ return touchdowns and 3+ rushing touchdowns), but his speed, as he was the player with the fastest play in football during an 86-yard kick return for TD where he was clocked at 22.77 mph.
The Chiefs will need all that speed and versatility stretching the field with deep balls if they want to have a chance at beating the Patriots at Foxborough tonight.
