KANSAS CITY -- Here are five quick-hitting thoughts from the AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and Chiefs . . .
DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING
We wondered all week how the Patriots might choose to match up with the Chiefs. We knew they'd play a lot of man-to-man, but how did Bill Belichick and Brian Flores envision their secondary mirroring Kansas City's weapons? Well, whoever guessed that Keion Crossen would be part of the plan . . . congratulations. The Patriots opted to use two of their fastest players -- Crossen and Jonathan Jones -- on Tyreek Hill with help over the top. That left Stephon Gilmore to lock down Sammy Watkins. As for New England's No. 2 corner? JC Jackson got Travis Kelce. One-on-one. The Patriots doubled Kelce early and often back in Week 6, when Jackson was a healthy scratch. His emergence as a legitimate high-end cover corner gave the Patriots freedom to go one-for-one with the All-Pro tight end and double Hill all over the field. Matchups changed as the game went on: Gilmore took Kelce at times and Jackson took Watkins. But for the most part, Jones was the one on Hill with help. Only one big play allowed to that particular wideout... can't quibble with that part of the plan.
PLASTER PUT TO THE TEST
The Patriots knew that they wouldn't be able to keep Patrick Mahomes in the pocket on every throw. When they didn't, and when he had enough time to make a throw, he made them pay. Watkins was the go-to guy in those situations, and he was able to shake free from Gilmore's coverage twice on third down. The second time, early in the third quarter, Watkins slipped by Gilmore and was hit with an on-the-money throw for 54 yards. One play later, the Chiefs were in the end zone for the first time to cut the Patriots lead in half. The Patriots did a tremendous job of pressuring Mahomes in the first half, but when pressure didn't get there, it opened up big-play opportunities that Mahomes was more than ready to capitalize on.
GRIND-IT-OUT
The Patriots established an identity late in the season. They went about it deliberately. Steadfastly. They were going to be a we're-going-to-run-when-everyone-knows-we're-going-to-run offense. Patriots coaches challenged players to make yards running the football in Week 12, their first game after the bye. They stuck with it, running more two-back sets than any team in football outside of the Niners. They ran all over the Chargers and their defensive back-heavy sets in the Divisional Round. They did the same to open the AFC title game. Sony Michel punched in a goal-line score out of 23 personnel -- two backs, three tight ends -- on the 15th play of the drive. It traveled 80 yards. James Develin was on the field for nine. It was a plan the Patriots stuck with for the entirety of the half until they got to the two-minute drill. We knew this would be a clash of styles coming in. We knew the Chiefs struggled against two-back sets. We didn't know how tightly the Patriots would embrace their old-school approach to kick off the biggest game of the season.
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ROAD ISSUES NEVER WENT AWAY
It was never simply that the Patriots played poorly when away from home. It was the fact that when in hostile environments, in critical situations, the Patriots didn't have their heads about them. It happened with penalties in Pittsburgh. It happened when Tom Brady wiped points off the board at the end of the first half in Miami. It happened again in Kansas City. In a critical spot. With the Patriots leading 7-0 and facing an opportunity to go up 14-0 to put an exclamation point an utterly dominant first 15 minutes, Brady sold a play-action fake at the goal line and tried to rifle one to Rob Gronkowski. One problem: Linebacker Reggie Ragland didn't bite hard enough on the fake. Another problem: Brady's throw had no height on it, which might've allowed the 6-foot-7 tight end to grab it like a rebound. Instead, Ragland picked it, and Arrowhead Stadium woke up. Later there was a fourth-and-one fail. There was Edelman's almost-muff and his dropped pass that led to a pick. There were penalties in the fourth quarter and a pick play where Jackson and Jason McCourty crashed into each other leading to a huge Watkins gain and a go-ahead Chiefs score. Self-inflicted errors.
TOUB CALLED IT
Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub was interviewed by the team's flagship radio station in Kansas City before the game. When asked about Julian Edelman, he made two points. No. 1: Edelman does not want to fair-catch the ball; No. 2: Edelman will try to field and return any punt, even one that's bouncing. Prescient. Edelman tried to field a rolling punt midway through the fourth quarter that appeared to be recovered by the Chiefs, giving them the ball at the New England 26-yard line. After a replay, officials determined that Edelman did not touch the ball. The Patriots dodged a real bullet, but only for a moment. Two plays later, a Brady pass glanced off of Edelman's hands and was intercepted.
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