The New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs will face off in Foxborough Saturday the first of two AFC Divisional playoff games this weekend. The Patriots and Chiefs have not played against each other this season, and it will be the first time these two franchises clash in the postseason.
Last week, the Chiefs dismantled the Houston Texans on the road, 30-0, at Reliant Stadium in the AFC Wild Card. It was the first victory in the postseason for Kansas City since 1994 when Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana was under center. Knile Davis opened the game with a 106-yard kick return touchdown, and the Chiefs never looked back. Kansas City's defense, led by All-Pro safety Eric Berry, forced five Houston turnovers in the victory. Tight end Travis Kelce had a career-best 128 receiving yards on eight receptions against the Texans. Linebacker Tamba Hali, who reached 86 sacks for his career this season, is second all-time in franchise history.
On the other side, the Patriots won the AFC East for the seventh straight season, tying the Los Angeles Rams (1973-79) for most consecutive division titles in NFL history. The Patriots are 17-4 at home in the postseason and with a win against the Chiefs, would advance to their fifth straight AFC Championship game. Three-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady's 21 playoff wins are the most of any quarterback in NFL history. Brady is also the leader in career playoff passing yards, touchdowns, completions and attempts. Brady has a 3-0 record at home versus Kansas City. Tight end Rob Gronkowski, who led the team with 11 touchdowns, is the only tight end in NFL history with five seasons with ten or more touchdowns. With two more touchdown receptions in the playoffs, Gronkowski -- who currently has six -- will have the most of any tight end in NFL playoff history. Defensive end Chandler Jones, who led the team with a career-high 12.5 sacks, had a bad reaction to synthetic marijuana last weekend, according to the Boston Globe, but he is expected to play.
Game Details
Game Time: 4:35 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Announcers: Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts, Evan Washburn
Radio: Westwood One: Dan Miller, Tony Boselli, Ross Tucker (field reporter). SIRIUS: 88 (WW1), 83 (KC), 82 (NE). XM: 88 (WW1), 226 (KC), 82 (NE).
Odds: Patriots -4.5
Chiefs blog: Arrowhead Pride
Patriots blog: Pats Pulpit
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