The highly anticipated return of the NFL is finally upon us as tonight sees the Kansas City Chiefs travel to Foxborough, Massachusetts to take on the current Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. After the most dramatic end to the season last year which saw Tom Brady and co rally back from a 25 point deficit in the second half of the Super Bowl to beat the Atlanta Falcons (you may have heard about that a few times over the summer) the Patriots now look to get back to business as they aim for a sixth Lombardi trophy and a third title in four years.
The last time I posted / blogged the Patriots were getting ready to host the Pittsburgh Steelers which was the opening game for the 2015 season; it was that season when the Chiefs and Pats last met with the Patriots winning 27-20 in the AFC divisional round. Within that two year time frame the Pats lost in the AFC title game to Denver in that same playoff year when they beat the Chiefs but came back with a vengeance last season as Tom Brady was banned for four games for his “involvement” in the deflate gate scandal (you may have heard of that as well). The Patriots went 3-1 in his absence and only lost one other game that season as they went 14-2; superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski has his season ended by injury but the Pats still managed to hoist the Lombardi trophy despite being faced with lots of adversity ranging from suspensions to injuries to the hugest of deficits.
One things for sure though and that is the fact that Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and everyone involved in the Patriots organisation will not rest on their laurels following the most spectacular of Super Bowl victories last season. Tom Brady could of ridden of in to the sunset now that he is 40 years old age but he has defied the norm and is playing arguably the best football of his life and some of the best football we’ve seen from anyone at the quarterback position. I find it quite fitting that the Patriots play the Chiefs tonight as it was Chiefs who dismantled New England 41-14 back in September 2014 and that is when all the talk of another title for the Pats was dismissed and some even suggested Brady was done for (who would be stupid enough to say that? Well surprisingly it was quite a few people). Needless to say that provided motivation and kickstarted the Patriots’ season which ultimately ended with a Super Bowl title. Now fast forward and here we are at the start of the 2017 season with Brady being touted as the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) now that he has 5 rings and continues to dominate. Now lets look at tonights game and what to expect:
Over the summer the Patriots have added to their roster to make it look even stronger in comparison to last season even with the season ending injury to Tom Brady’s favourite wide receiver Julian Edelman. Brandon Cooks was acquired from the New Orleans Saints and despite rumours that Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcom Butler was linked with a move in the other direction he stayed with the Pats and then Bill Belichick added corner Stephon Gilmore in free agency to make the Pats secondary even stronger. Rob Gronkowski is back from injury and everyone knows how much of a game changer he is on the field; he will be linked up with Dwayne Allen who has arrived from Indianapolis as the Pats look to implement the two tight end set that has been so successful in years gone by with the likes of Aaron Hernandez causing nightmares for opposition defences from 2010-2012 and most recently Martellus Bennett who was a key cog in the Pats passing attack last year especially when Gronk went down. Bennett received his pay day from Green Bay which is why Allen was acquired.
The Chiefs will be no pushovers though as the current AFC West Champions look to build on their 12-4 season from a year ago which saw them reach the divisional round of the playoffs before losing to Pittsburgh. With the Patriots possessing a high powered offense that is predicted to be so devastating this upcoming season the Chiefs will need their defence to play to their best of their abilities and when they do they are quite devastating themselves as last season they were the best in the league when it came to forcing turnovers with 33 in total. The other key area for tonight is special teams where Kansas Chiefs possess a secret weapon who isn’t so secret now who goes by the name of Tyreek Hill; Hill averaged 27.4 yards per kick return and 15.2 yards per punt return last season and was a breath of fresh air to the Chiefs offense as well as special teams. The Chiefs offense has lacked that spark in years gone by and I expect Hill to have a great year especially with the departure of Jeremy Maclin. Alex Smith needs to rise to the occasion having been deemed as a game manager by many; he is a player who divides opinion and with rookie quarterback Patrick Mahomes playing well in pre season Smith will need to look over his shoulder in case of any slip ups especially in a division that includes the Broncos, Raiders and Chargers where many slip ups can’t be afforded.
It is safe to say that Kansas City are at a bit of a crossroads this season as they need to take the next step to really progress; they have a very capable coach with one of the best football minds in the game and Andy Reid has helped reshape the franchise in to somewhat of a contender and he obviously drafted Mahomes with one eye on the future. With that being said he is a big believer in Alex Smith and despite Smith’s critics did you know that since he arrived in KC back in 2013 Smith has overseen 41 wins which is third in total in the NFL behind only Russell Willson with 43 and tonights opponent Tom Brady with 47 (no surprised there). If Kansas City are to silence any doubters and indeed take that next step then what better way than to knock off the Super Bowl champs on opening night? Well that won;t be such an easy feat as New England have won their past eight home openers played on opening weekend and in Tom Brady’s past 43 games against AFC opponents he is 41-2 including the postseason.
Many have tried to take on the Patriots and many have fallen but of course in the NFL anything is possible. Andy Reid will have spent at least the past 4 months wondering how he can stop this Patriots offense especially when you see that KC’s secondary is quite thin so they’ll have to be very wary of the likes of Cooks, Gronk and Chris Hogan tearing them up If the Patriots get going early on then it could be messy to watch for anyone associated with the Chiefs especially as the crowd will be pumped up to celebrate the Lombardi Trophy being paraded around the field before kick off. The key thing about that is though is that Brady and Belichick won’t let that distract them, in fact with all the experience and success they have now I find it hard to believe that anything distracts them and with their eyes on the prize to win another Super Bowl and create another dynasty well I think that tonight the Pats will put out a warning to the rest of the league with a convincing victory.
Prediction: Chiefs 17, Patriots 37
Prediction: Chiefs 17, Patriots 37
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