No players have officially been ruled out for the playoff game on Saturday afternoon.
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The Chiefs are the hottest team right now and will be a tough opposition both offensively and defensively.
In his lone trip with the San Francisco 49ers to cap the 2011 season, Smith threw for 299 yards and three TDs without a pick in a victory over the New Orleans Saints. But as the season went on, Peters evolved into an exceptional defensive back, and opponents paid the price for not noticing. The third-year tight end’s 2015 numbers – 72 receptions, 875 yards and five touchdowns – were a slight improvement over his 2014 numbers, and both are very good for a tight end. Brady, playing behind a patchwork line that used 18 different players in combinations this season, was sacked 38 times but intercepted on only 1.1 percent of his pass attempts, best in the NFL.
When asked about the impact on this game, Belichick said “I can just xerox you a copy of the game plan, you can just send it to Kansas City”.
The Patriots are expecting Gronkowski to play versus the Chiefs but as Thursday’s practice ended, he was listed with knee and back injuries. “Every time we play them it’s a battle”.
The first of the four National Football League playoff games this weekend will be a case study of whether momentum matters in the postseason. Kansas City closed the regular season with 10 straight wins – many in impressive fashion – and then bulldozed Houston, 30-0, in the opening round of the playoffs to stretch the streak to 11.
This comes at an opportune time as they are facing the Patriots who had a bye in the previous week. They’re seeking a fifth Super Bowl triumph with Bill Belichick as their coach and Tom Brady as their quarterback.
“This may be his best season ever”, said Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts, who will broadcast Saturday’s game for CBS.
There are a few big chips that would work against the Chiefs – the offense is not built for a high-scoring game and their best playmaker, WR Jeremy Maclin, has what coach Andy Reid described as a “mild” high ankle sprain. “So hopefully we can be more competitive this week”.
New England lost its final two regular season games and have had one of the worst offenses in the league in the final six weeks of the season. Gronkowski has a lengthy injury history but he was mostly reliable this season, so his injuries are coming at a awful time.
Patriots RT Marcus Cannon vs. Chiefs LB Justin Houston: Sebastian Vollmer is expected to return and start at left tackle. While the Chiefs have had success on the ground, it’s not just one individual, as they have just only three games all year with a 100-yard rusher. “We just try to ignore all the distractions, whether it’s that situation or ‘Deflategate, ‘ or any other distraction”. Whoever’s out there, we have to have confidence in. I think you look at it, there are things we can take from it, there are some things that I’d say are somewhat outdated just based on the players and personnel, the situation and that kind of thing.
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“They’re hard to block”, said Belichick.
