The New England Patriots face their toughest challenge so far in the regular season and Tom Brady says his team is “fired up” to play the undefeated Chiefs.
The New England Patriots are coming off back-to-back wins and feeling better about themselves at 3-2 and Tom Brady is feeling better about his team.
With the offense looking much better with the return of Julian Edelman and addition of Josh Gordon, Brady knows offensively the team is ready to take off. On the defensive side of the ball, well, the Patriots have their work cut out for them.
Coming into Sunday’s Week 6 matchup, the Kansas City Chiefs are 5-0 and are basically looking unstoppable. Patrick Mahomes II is leading an offensive attack that features tight end Travis Kelce, speedster Tyreek Hill, wide receiver Sammy Watkins and dynamic running back Kareem Hunt.
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It’s definitely a challenge and one Brady says his team is ready for. During his appearance on Westwood One Radio prior to Monday Night Football, Tom Brady expressed just how amped up his team is to face the best team in the AFC.
"“They have played us pretty tough and I think it is a big challenge,” Brady said, as transcribed by WEEI. “They are 5-0 and they are that way for a reason. They have got ahead of all these teams they have played. They have an offense that is scoring a lot of points. Like [Sunday] in the game against Jacksonville, they got five turnovers. They are good on both sides of the ball. They are well-coached, and they are hot. They are playing well and playing with a lot of confidence. Anything less than our best game won’t get it done. It is a great challenge for us.”"
Brady went on to say that the team will be “fired up and ready to go.”
It is certainly a great challenge on both sides of the ball and will measure where the team is. It’s a big game and the type of game Tom Brady gets up for. The Chiefs are the flavor of the month right now in the AFC which leads to the following three reasons why the New England Patriots are “fired” up for this showdown.
A matter or revenge
The New England Patriots are not a team that publicly uses revenge as motivation, but this is the team that handed Bill Belichick two of his most embarrassing loses over the last decade.
First there was that 41-14 debacle in 2014, which led to the famous “Onto Cincinnati” game and eventual Super Bowl victory. Then, there was last season’s 42-28 Week 1 loss to basically the same Kansas City Chiefs team.
The difference this year is that Patrick Mahomes II is behind center and certainly presents a different challenge than Alex Smith. The emphasis will be on the coaching in this game. Chiefs coach Andy Reid has gotten the best of Belichick in two of the team’s last three meetings.
In this one, Belichick has to figure out a way to stop Mahomes and the speedy Chiefs receivers. Typically, he does good in these situations. Add the memory of those two bad losses and Bill Belichick and his coaches will be out to prove that they can provide the blueprint to slowing down the impressive second-year quarterback.
You better believe Tom Brady and the players who were on the team last season have that 2017 Week 1 loss in the back of minds also.
Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes II
There is a new quarterback dominating the AFC and Tom Brady is not about to lay down without displaying he is still a force to be reckoned with in the league.
Along with his undefeated Kanas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes enters the game tallying up 1,513 passing yards and 14 touchdowns in his five starts this year. Impressive numbers for a second-year quarterback. Even better than Brady did in his first five starts in 2001.
Totally different situations. Brady was more of a game manager at that time. Mahomes is being allowed to let loose and do his thing. He also has some great weapons around him.
But, Mr. Brady is starting to get some big-time weapons around him as well. Julian Edelman is back. Rob Gronkowski is relatively healthy, Josh Gordon is finding his way and James White has become a consistent mismatch catching the ball out of the backfield.
Add it all up and Sunday night may shape up to be a shootout. While all the attention will be on the new kid in town, Tom Brady will be fired up to prove his age is nothing but a number. The offense as a whole will look to build off two consecutive 38-point performances.
An opportunity to make a statement
At 3-2, the New England Patriots are feeling better about themselves than they were at 1-2. Following their Week 3 loss to the Detroit Lions, the dynasty was basically over.
As always, the overreaction was that Bill Belichick has lost his way and Tom Brady was a lame duck with no one to throw to. Those things changed rather quickly with wins over Miami and Indianapolis.
Neither of those teams are considered favorites in the AFC. That’s why playing well against and beating the Kanas City Chiefs will really show where this team is. The defense will have a lot to prove, the offense will have something to prove and the coaching staff will have something to prove.
Furthermore, it will be an important win to get within 1 game of the Chiefs in the overall standings. Looking forward to the playoffs, the Patriots do not want to have to travel to Kansas City in any potential playoff matchup.
While it’s crazy to start thinking that far ahead in Week 6, with the expectations that come with the New England Patriots, this October matchup could very well determine the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage.