The Chess Match: Chiefs vs Patriots is About Way More Than Winning

The Chess Match: Chiefs vs Patriots is About Way More Than Winning – the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs this year, remind me of a famous quote, by Mark Twain: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Both teams have been largely written off due to inconsistency and some bad losses. Make no mistake, both should still be considered favorites to make the Super Bowl. Bill Belichick is an absolute wizard. He can conjure a great defense out of thin air. The fact that he didn’t, against Baltimore, only tells you one thing: he plans on seeing them in the playoffs, and doesn’t want to tip his hand. Similarly, in Kansas City, Andy Reid’s offense has looked disjointed, vanilla and generally uninspiring. Don’t think that he’s lost the ability to adjust. Just last year he was able to make a dramatic adjustment, at half time against the Patriots, that bought Chiefs to the brink of the Super Bowl (thanks again Dee Ford). Expect two teams who have the ultimate respect for each other, to have other concerns than winning on Sunday.

The Use of Trickery

On offense, the Chiefs will most certainly look to put things on tape to trick the Patriots with, down the line. Belichick isn’t stupid, so they’ll have to be subtle, but don’t be surprised if you see some really weird formations, and plays, that lay the foundation for their next meeting. Still expect the offense to be effective, competitive, and different. If Reid goes too vanilla, the Patriots won’t take any of the Cheese Chiefs put out there, worse yet, they could take it as a sign of disrespect, and use it for motivation in the future. The offense should be the best it’s been since week one but, not the best that it will be. Reid will still hold a lot of his best work for the playoffs.

Holding Something Back

Belichick is in a difficult position. A loss, against the Chiefs, could open the door, for the Buffalo Bills, to take control of the division. This is the sort of game he’d love to pull out all the stops for, but he can’t. The Chiefs came within a whisker of besting him last year and, the Patriots offense is far worse than it was then, with the Chiefs defense being substantially better. If the Kansas City offense gets back on track, the Patriots will need everything in their arsenal to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs. Ultimately, Belichick respects Andy Reid more than he fears the Bills. The Patriots will hold a lot back on defense… for their next meeting. The Chiefs need to be careful how much they take from this week’s game tape.

Winning Barely Matters

Some fans will still talk about the possibility of a first round bye. That’s pretty much a pipe dream. Chiefs will almost certainly be playing on Wild Card Weekend, and I don’t know that it’s particularly important that they get the three seed, over the four seed. As such, the Chiefs can feel free to take some shots, and try some stuff, without worrying too much about the result. Mahomes and Reid are both competitive, but they understand the long game. Don’t be upset with any play called this week. If it seems like a head-scratcher now, it’ll make sense when the play it’s setting up in the playoffs, and leads to an easy touchdown.

The Motivational Factor

K.C. has never been a team that seems to operate off of emotion. Conversely, in their biggest games, the Patriots seem to lean on it, heavily. The perennial cry: “Nobody believes in us”, has grown more comical, with each year, but Bill will use it, till it stops working. The Patriots very seldom lose to the same team twice in an NFL season. The loser of this game may come into the next match-up with a motivation advantage. It’s not worth enough to deliberately lose the game, but it could be a silver lining, if Chiefs lose, by holding too much back.

Staying the Healthy Course

The Patriots aren’t a dirty team, per say, but they won’t shy away from taking some borderline legal shots… where they can. The Chiefs will need to protect Mahomes. Don’t get so wrapped up in the game-plan that you forget the franchise. Reid can feel free to get cute with stuff, provided it doesn’t risk a hit on the QB. On Special Teams, Dave Toub needs to remind his units to keep their head on a swivel. Edelman and Amendola might not be on those units, anymore, but you can’t be too careful: cheap shots are always a possibility. Just ask Jamel Fleming.

In Conclusion

As a fan, it’s hard to wish for anything but a win, especially against a hated rival. This week however, keep the long game in mind. Win or lose, this is about the playoffs. Whichever team holds back the right plays, and gives the best misdirection, will prove the ultimate winner. Andy Reid’s won plenty of battles: so this year maybe he’s finally willing to lose a few, to win the war. I really am starting to believe… that’s at least a partial source of Chiefs offensive woes. If they beat the Patriots twice, great, but don’t empty your bag of tricks trying to do it. Win when it counts, everything else is gravy. Go Chiefs.

Ransom Hawthorne – ArrowheadOne

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