New England Patriots Vs Kansas City Chiefs: 2015 NFL Divisional Round: Prediction/ Breakdown
Keys to victory for Kansas City Chiefs
In order for the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the New England Patriots, they have to call a good amount of intermediate to long pass plays because the New England Patriots are going to put seven to eight players in the box to try to prevent Kansas city Chiefs running game from impacting the game. As a result, Alex Smith will be forced to throw the ball a lot early and he should focus on the open space between the cornerback and safety. This is because the New England Patriots love to put one or two of their outside cornerbacks in press coverage with a safety over the top in case the wide receiver gets past the cornerback. As a result of this, opposing wide receivers can get a step or two in front or away from the cornerback as he is turning his body around. Since the Patriots like to put one or two of their outside cornerbacks in press coverage the Chiefs should design pass plays that include fade, streak and slant routes. Most of these routes will allow Alex Smith to release the ball quickly and take advantage of the five to ten-yard window where the wide receiver may be open to catch the ball before the safety or linebacker can get there and break up the pass. If Alex Smith is able to complete four or five of these passes early it will force the Patriots to put more players in coverage and giving the Kansas city Chiefs more running room.
Keys to victory for New England Patriots
In order for the New England Patriots to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, they have to call a good amount of short to intermediate pass plays because the Kansas City Chiefs secondary tends to give opposing wide receivers a 5-10 yard cushion to avoid getting beat over the top. The Patriots should design plays that have short out, drag and curls routes to take advantage of the 5-10 yard cushion and keep moving the chains. If the secondary starts to move up and play closer to the wide receivers then the Patriots can attempt a pass downfield
Ultimately i believe that Alex Smith will be able to complete passes between cornerback and safety which will eventually force the Patriots to put more players in coverage and giving the Kansas city Chiefs more running room.
Winner: Kansas city Chiefs
