Eight AFC Championship appearances in a row. While that's awesome, three wins in a row will top that. If the Patriots are going to move onto the Super Bowl in two weeks they are going to need to be zoned in from start to finish.
While I have no doubt that the coaches and players are as mentally prepared for the game as possible, they need to keep that focus until the game is over. The way I see it, the following are the keys to the Patriots having two more weeks of football.
TAKE THE FANS OUT OF THE GAME-In case you didn't know, Arrowhead Stadium is pretty loud. If the Patriots can get off to a quick start, that will make life a bit easier for the offense. The sure fire way to subdue the crowd is to get the ball into the end zone early and often.
TAKE THE FANS OUT OF THE GAME-In case you didn't know, Arrowhead Stadium is pretty loud. If the Patriots can get off to a quick start, that will make life a bit easier for the offense. The sure fire way to subdue the crowd is to get the ball into the end zone early and often.
AVOID MENTAL ERRORS- Penalties due to brain farts are the worst. Edelman can't be so fired up on punt returns that he blocks guys after calling for a fair catch. The offensive line can't have 4 false starts like they did in Pittsburgh. After having a nice gain, there can't be any time wasted on celebrations.
FIELD POSITION- Kickoffs need to sail through the end zone. Should Ryan Allen need to punt, the sideline needs to be his friend.
4TH DOWN- The Chiefs aren't afraid to go for it on 4th down. Why should they be when they are 15 of 19 on the year? With that in mind, the Patriots need to have the mindset of not giving them 4th and short opportunities. Conversely, should the Patriots have that weird field position where it's too far for a field goal and not much room for a successful punt, they need to go for it.
TIMING- The Patriots' offense relies heavily on having excellent timing. With the team needing to go to a silent count this weekend, the timing for all 11 players needs to be on. If the front 7 are not in sync, Michel will be getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage and Brady will be running for his life. Unlike in 2015 in Denver, I don't think David Andrews will be giving the home team a running start on the snap.
CAPITALIZE ON KC MISTAKES- Patrick Mahomes is going to throw some ill-advised passes. The Patriots can't "almost" make a play on it, they need to make him pay for his mistakes. The Chiefs are the post penalized team in the NFL. Twenty of their 26 false starts have occurred at home. While teams have collectively averaged 0.69 taunting fouls this season, the Chiefs have been flagged 4 times.
FIELD POSITION- Kickoffs need to sail through the end zone. Should Ryan Allen need to punt, the sideline needs to be his friend.
4TH DOWN- The Chiefs aren't afraid to go for it on 4th down. Why should they be when they are 15 of 19 on the year? With that in mind, the Patriots need to have the mindset of not giving them 4th and short opportunities. Conversely, should the Patriots have that weird field position where it's too far for a field goal and not much room for a successful punt, they need to go for it.
TIMING- The Patriots' offense relies heavily on having excellent timing. With the team needing to go to a silent count this weekend, the timing for all 11 players needs to be on. If the front 7 are not in sync, Michel will be getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage and Brady will be running for his life. Unlike in 2015 in Denver, I don't think David Andrews will be giving the home team a running start on the snap.
CAPITALIZE ON KC MISTAKES- Patrick Mahomes is going to throw some ill-advised passes. The Patriots can't "almost" make a play on it, they need to make him pay for his mistakes. The Chiefs are the post penalized team in the NFL. Twenty of their 26 false starts have occurred at home. While teams have collectively averaged 0.69 taunting fouls this season, the Chiefs have been flagged 4 times.
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