New England Patriots vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs will host the New England Patriots for what will be its first primetime game of the year Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs enter this one hoping to build off a strong showing last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins at push its record to 2-2 . On the other hand, the Patriots are looking to prove they are still among the AFC’s elite, despite a not-so-great start to the season.
Details for Sunday’s game are below:
Date: Sept. 29, 2014
Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Radio:For Chiefs, click here. For Patriots, click here.
Ticket information: For Chiefs ticket info, click here. For Patriots ticket info, click here.
Keys to Victory
For the Chiefs, it will be absolutely crucial to not allow Tom Brady and the Patriots to get into a rhythm. Brady hasn’t looked sharp so far this season, and the Chiefs need to keep it that way. Also, Kansas City will need to rely on its running game, whether Jamaal Charles plays or not. Knile Davis is a more than capable back, so whoever is behind quarterback Alex Smith, the Chiefs will need to hand him the ball a lot.
New England will need to make Smith beat them. The best way to make Kansas City’s offense inadequate is to put into positions where Smith has to throw the ball. Keying in on stopping Charles or Davis early on and forcing the action from Smith is crucial. The Patriots also better hope Brady gets going in this game. This team will go as far he takes them this year and right now that doesn’t seem as very far.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Patriots (-3.5)
Moneyline: KC: 160, NE: -180
O/U: 45.0
Prediction
Brady could end up making me look bad here, but he and the Pats offense simply haven’t shown enough this season to warrant confidence that they can go out and have success against a tough defense in a hostile environment. Kansas City will play defense and run the ball en route to its second victory.
Final Score: Chiefs – 17 Patriots -14