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New England Patriots: 3 keys to beating the Kansas City Chiefs

By Paul Liacos

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 13: A fan displays a sign of head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 13: A fan displays a sign of head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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New England Patriots Sony Michel (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
New England Patriots Sony Michel (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

1. Ball control/keep the crowd out of it.

This game will not be winnable for the New England Patriots if they decide to get into a shootout as they did in a 43-40 victory over the Chiefs in Week 6 in Foxborough.

Does that mean the Patriots can’t still put up points? Of course not. What it means is they need to use the strategy that so many teams have attempted to use against them in the past by controlling the ball and keeping Brady off the field. That’s what the Patriots will need to do to Patrick Mahomes.

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Simply put, the more possessions that Mahomes gets, the more likely he will be shredding your defense for big plays. Even though he basically is a rookie, we’ve all seen enough of what Mahomes can do to know that there isn’t a way to shut him down. It’s all about limiting your exposure.

The Patriots can do this by dominating in the running game along with the short passing game. Even with the cold weather, I would consider a 3-4 minute touchdown drive as a bad thing this week. The Patriots need to control the ball and have 7-8 minute drives that keep Patrick Mahomes on the sidelines.

If you can cut his time on the field by 3-4 possessions during the course of the game, that could be 1-2 touchdowns you’re keeping off the board.

This means Sony Michel will undoubtedly need to have another big game as he did against the Chargers last week. And even more importantly, HANG ON TO THE BALL. It’s not that Michel is fumble-prone, but when we start thinking about a rookie running back carrying the ball 20-25 times in a big game like this, it makes me a little uneasy.

Also, in very frigid games like we will see Sunday night, if you can keep the crowd quiet and thinking about how cold they are compared to cheering their team on, it can play a huge factor in terms of the momentum.

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