Prediction Roundtable: Week 4
Conor Frederick (@C_Frederick1016):
Patriots by 3:
There's no question that this will be a tough game. The Patriots are struggling, especially on the offensive line, and the raucous atmosphere at Arrowhead will not make it easier. However, I see the o-line improving this week - they'll still have some problems with the noise, but I believe they'll play better than they have been. That'll give Tom Brady more time to get going and pick his targets. I also think he'll spread the ball around more, which has to happen anyway. He needs more than 2 receivers to get open for him, and I think that'll happen this week. Aaron Dobson will make some plays this week, and I also see Shane Vereen making some plays out of the backfield. I also think the defense will play well again and get some pressure on Alex Smith.
Patriots 23 - 20 Chiefs
Paul Murphy (@_prmurphy):
Patriots by 2
Big improvement on the Offensive line. With KC stacked up front to stop the short game of New England, the long bombs from arm of QB Tom Brady were fruitless.
If not for the clutch receptions of Danny Amendola, 3 Patriot drives would stalled outside field goal range.
5 field goals by K Stephen Gotkowski, including last second 39 yarder, provided game winner.
New England 22 Kansas City 20
Sully (@hookingfoul):
Pats by 4
Welcome to week 4 Patriots fans. We all have to wait an extra day to see the Pats this week in Kansas City as they play on Monday Night Football.
What I said in my season preview.
“Not only doesn't Andy Reid scare me as the opposing head coach, neither does Alex Smith as the opposing QB. Jamaal Charles is good and Arrowhead is a tough place to play, but the Pats should walk to a 24-17 win.”
Oh wow how my opinion has changed on the Patriots. Watching them struggle through two of the first three weeks of the season has left a myriad of questions about the effectiveness of the offense, mostly the offensive line. I like the idea of bringing in Biran Stork to center and moving Dan Connolly to one of the guard positions. My opinion of the Chiefs coach and QB hasn’t changed at all though and despite the not-so-friendly confines of Arrowhead the Patriots still win, just by a little less than I originally thought.
Patriots win 21-17
Adam Bogdan (@PatriotsInform):
Patriots by 3.
This may be the scariest game yet to watch as a Patriots fan. Hostile territory, against a great pass rush, and an offensive line yet to get its groove. I'm sending my good vibes to Tom Brady because he will need it should the line continue its mediocre ways.
With Eric Berry not playing it makes the Chiefs secondary not that impressive, which, if Brady has time to throw, could allow the passing game to succeed. Justin Houston and Tamba Hali will give the Patriots issues, so the tackles will need to have a better game, and running backs could be kept in to block on pass plays.
For the defense, they will need to shut down the Chiefs run game lead by either Jamaal Charles or Knile Davis, both of whom can do damage. The Patriots should look to have a safety or Jamie Collins on one or both of their talented tight ends. Anthony Fasano has underwhelmed, but Travis Kelce could cause issues for the defense.
When all is said and done I think the offense can keep pace with a sound passing game performance, and the defense will get some turnovers and hold their ground just enough to pull out the win, but a loss will not surprise me if Brady is constantly pressured or the defense can't stop the run.
Patriots win 27-24
Jesse Gaunce (@JesseGaunce):
The offensive line has finally recognized themselves that there is a serious problem, and have been putting in extra work to right the ship. I still see them struggling against the likes on Dontari Poe, Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, but with some extra time to prepare, I can see a bit of improvement.
If the Patriots are going to move the ball, they're going to need more out of everyone not named Julian Edelman or Rob Gronkowski. I see Brady involving the running backs in the passing game a little more this week, something I think is a feature of this offense that has been somewhat underutilized thus far.
Andy Reid doesn't scare me as a coach, and Alex Smith doesn't scare me as a quarterback. The Patriots should be able to generate some pressure against Smith, who still isn't the best decision maker when under duress. The real challenge will be containing Jamaal Charles. The Patriots lucked out by avoiding Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew in back-to-back weeks. As a result, they were pretty stout against the run. That could change this week, but we'll see if their efforts to shore up the run defense has really worked.
Brian Thibodeau (@b_thibs34):
Patriots by 14
Final Score 24-10
This game should be interesting, because the Chiefs have a solid pass rush with players like Tamba Hali and Justin Houston attacking our sketchy offensive line.
The defense will keep doing what it's doing, which is have the number one pass defense in the league and number three defense in terms of points against. Imagine if the second half meltdown (which can be blamed on the offense not being capable of getting a first down) against Miami didn't happen. I don't see the Chiefs offense doing much against this defense.
I don't expect the Patriots to have a great Monday night on offense scoring wise, but I think they'll play well. They won't light it up, but it won't be as dismal as it was against the Raiders either. Look for the offensive line to step up, and for Brady to throw two pass TD's, and for Ridley to have a great day on the ground including one touchdown.
Final Score: Patriots 24-Chiefs 10
Benjamin Dawes (PatriotsFan1057):
Patriots by 3
Look for this game to be ugly for both offenses.
Alex Smith has not looked sharp in the past two weeks, throwing 3 interceptions in his last game against the Titans. Revis and the secondary will get a lot of turnovers, similar to the Vikings game. The reason why this won't result in a similar blowout is because of the offensive line. Brady will try to get the ball out sooner and run with Ridley. However the Chiefs will be opportunistic and create some turnovers of their own and be in Brady's face whenever he doesn't hit his first read.
After seeing three weeks of a slow Gronk, look for him to have a big game. Late in the game I think Brady will take a chance and throw a deep ball to Gronk down the seam which will result in late points that give the Patriots the game.
I also think Lafell will see a lot of snaps because of his blocking ability in the run game.
Final Score: Patriots 17 - Chiefs 14
Stuart Thornton (@ThorntonStuart):
Chiefs by 3
While I’m sure most of us thought that the Dolphins game should be enough of a wake-up call for this team coming as early as Week 1, they have continued to slump. The defense has looked great, but in spells (run defense has proved to be a struggle) and the offense has been nothing short of a shambles. The Chiefs game will be the slap in the face that this team needs.
The offensive line will be dominated again by a strong front, Devey will be pulled from the lineup early and the running game will struggle. Edelman will once again lead the Patriots receiving corps with a hundred-yard game, Gronk will go for 70 against an average secondary but the woefully low yardage totals on behalf of other players will be the undoing of the offense. I have Brady throwing his first pick of the season - surely it’s only a matter of time before somebody undercuts an Edelman route and takes it the other way. A persistent stuffing in the run-game will result in another stagnant offensive performance.
Meanwhile, Travis Kelce has a breakout game against the defense and makes a name for himself as one of the league’s upcoming tight-end. Alex Smith will spread the ball better than Brady simply because he has the option of going deep. A single interception in the turnover column means that not even the defense can save this one for the Pats.
Sorry to put a downer on the week but I think a shocker on Monday night with the world watching is what’s best for this team in the long run. They know they need to do better, but something has to happen to spark the fire, and it will happen in week 4.
Patriots 21 - 24 Chiefs
Thome (@ETthomehome):
Patriots by 5.
We've been seeing Belichick try and shift this team back to being a defensive force and I do believe that has finally happened. It's been years since I've had faith in the defense. Now they are holding strong and allowing the offense to work through their struggles.
I see that happening again this week. The defense will keep KC out of the end zone, forcing them to kick four field goals. Meanwhile the offense looks a little. Enter this week but still has some issues.
Gone are the days of a well oiled offense. We are back to grind it out type of football. And while that might not bode well for the 'ol ticker, it does bode well for the Patriots. Teams that do well in the playoffs are ones that know how to win these tight, grind it out games. So they should have plenty of experience come play off time.
Patriots 17 - Chiefs 12
Ned Brady(@therealnedbrady):
Patriots by 7
This is a strange matchup to forecast. The Chiefs have plenty of weaknesses (poor pass protection, bad run defense, mediocre secondary) that the Pats should be able to exploit. However, the Chiefs definite strength is their pass rush, and the deadly duo of Justin Houston and Tamba Hali has the potential to wreck the Pats offense if the offensive line continues it's woeful play. Combine that pass rush with what figures to be a racous Monday Night crowd at Arrowhead Stadium, and you can certainly make a logical case for a Kansas City upset.
However, I'm going with history on this one. I've seen Belichick's Patriots with their backs to the wall before, and they almost always persevere through tough circumstances and remind you why they've been successful for so long. When the odds are stacked against them, they normally come through with a top performance (think of last years regular season win over Denver, which came with many of the Pats top pass defenders battling injuries). Sebastian Vollmer and Nate Solder are both too good to continue playing this poorly, and I'm predicting bounce back games from those two, who as veterans need to be spearheading the offensive line's improvement. This isn't to say Houston and Hali will be shut out, as those guys are too good to be held down the entire game, but the veteran tackles will play well enough to avoid the doomsday scenarios that many pessimistic fans have predicted.
With Houston and Hali held largely in check, Tom Brady will have enough time to breath some life into New England's stagnant offense. There will still be some rust, and plenty of "we still have a lot of work to do" type comments after the game, but the offense will show signs of life after last week's dismal showing against Oakland. Couple that with the defense continuing to cement their status as one of the league's best, and you have the recipe for a solid, early season gut check win.
Patriots 24. Chiefs 17
Liam Cunningham (@LC_NEP):
Chiefs 24-Patriots 13
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the Patriots offense is going to get steamrolled tomorrow night on a national stage. After two life-altering Super Bowl losses, I've adopted a new kind of mentality towards my favorite team, and it is one that revolves around pure negativity and pessimism. I've found it is hard to be disappointed that way, and it is this very attitude that drives my prediction for tomorrow night's game in Kansas City.
All that aside, I just think this is a bad match-up coming at a bad time for this team that has a very serious core problem with its offensive line. Monday night at a raucous Arrowhead is not the place for the line to "find itself."
Brady is in trouble tomorrow night. And for a team that put up a weak 16 points against the Raiders, I'm not liking their chances against a stout defensive front in KC. In the team's first real test this season, the Patriots will fall tomorrow night.
Josh Powers (@jmano33):
Patriots by 3
It's going to be close in Kansas City as the Patriots are traveling to play in a VERY tough stadium.. With some of the highest decibel levels in the league and a very competent Chiefs team and it creates a very tough matchup for the Patriots.
To add onto the problems, the offensive and defensive lines are still so shaky and aren't being very trusting when it comes to protecting the pocket. For the Patriots to win, the defensive line has to be on their game, Brady HAS to connect to more than just Edelman and LaFell needs to start acting like it's an actual game.. It's going to be mad close so here's hoping the Patriots pull it out
Final score:
Patriots 17 - Chiefs 14
