7 key matchups and predictions for Week 6 of 2018 NFL season
By Ian Wharton
1. Can Bill Belichick best Andy Reid again?
The game of the week will be Sunday Night Football’s affair as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the New England Patriots. All eyes will want to see what defensive genius Bill Belichick can concoct to finally slow Andy Reid’s offense. Belichick is 5-2 all-time against Reid.
But things do appear different this time. The Chiefs have a quarterback who may be elite just six games into his first full season as a starter in Patrick Mahomes, and their offensive personnel is one of the best we’ve seen in two decades.
The Patriots are coming off back-to-back 38-point totals in home victories too, so they’re starting to find their own groove. What’s promising still for them is that Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon aren’t fully integrated back into the flow of the offensive unit and yet they’ve still found success using Sony Michel in a growing role.
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Josh McDaniels and Tom Brady figure to have a monstrous night against the Chiefs’ defense. The Chiefs’ secondary has been better than expected, but the front seven hasn’t finished plays in the open field enough to build trust. Even if Justin Houston were to play, he hasn’t been his same self this year as a pass-rusher.
It’s fitting that the Chiefs’ first loss would be in Foxborough. The Patriots have been almost invincible at home in the Brady-era for good reason. The home-crowd makes a difference and the Patriots aren’t going to get flustered even if they fall down early.
Prediction: Patriots 38-35