The last time the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the New England Patriots in the regular season, both teams looked much different. In watching the replay of that game, I think the 2017 version of the Chiefs is much better than that 2014 team. Remember, the Chiefs only had Dwayne Bowe at receiver, Travis Kelce was still an unknown name in the league, and they did not even make the playoffs that year. And despite all that, the Chiefs had the recipe to shut down All-Universe quarterback, and put up a 40-burger on the Pats.
So what was that magic bullet? What allowed the Chiefs to take the Patriots to task?
“To hit him,” Houston said, in comments distributed by the team. “Because the ball comes out so fast, he’s a smart guy. My main thing is the defense, don’t lose confidence in what you got going on because he’s going to make plays — it’s Tom Brady. Just got to stay together through four quarters.”
It seems like a very simple formula, but if you watch the game film against the Patriots you will see Houston knows exactly what it takes to stop the sure-to-be-first-ballot-Hall-of-Famer in Brady. You can take this theory one step further and compare the two teams’ last regular season matchup to the game they played against each other in the playoffs, you will see Houston’s assessment is dead-on accurate.
In 2014, the Chiefs were able to get to Brady for a total of three times. Linebacker Tamba Hali put a patented “Tambahawk Chop” on Brady’s throwing arm, causing a fumble which led to a Chiefs’ score, and Houston met the perennial All-Star twice in the backfield, forcing a fumble of his own. Brady’s fear of getting hit by the pass rushers in red also forced him to make an errant throw in the fourth quarter which led to a Hussain Abudullah interception, which he returned to his place-of-worship for six points.
If you are keeping score at home, the pressure on Brady and the Patriots led to a rattled quarterback, two turnovers, one defensive score and one offensive score.
The following year’s season, the Chiefs faced the Patriots again, this time in the playoffs, and this time in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Although the game was only decided by a touchdown, the Chiefs ultimately lost. Why, might you ask? They did not get the pressure on Tom Brady. They did not record a single sack. They did not cause any turnovers. It is as simple as that. Justin Houston knows it. Tom Brady knows it. Now you know it.
If the Chiefs want to win tonight and prove to the world they are who they think they are, they have to hit Tom Brady from the opening whistle to the final buzzer.
I’ll see you guys on Monday when my regular time slot begins. Thanks for reading, and GO CHIEFS!
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