When:<\/strong> Saturday, January 16, 4:45 PM ET<\/p>\n Line:<\/strong> Kansas City Chiefs (+5<\/strong>)\u00a0at New England Patriots (-5<\/strong>); total:\u00a043.0<\/strong> \u2013 view all NFL lines<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n TV Broadcast:<\/strong> CBS<\/p>\n The Kansas City Chiefs had gone 22 years without a playoff victory ahead of their Wild Card game against the Houston Texans. They poured everything they had to end that draught as they totally demolished Houston, 30-0, to set up a date against the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round.<\/p>\n [sc:NFL240banner ]The last time the Chiefs faced New England, they had a rude welcome for Tom Brady at Arrowhead Stadium. They beat up the Patriots 41-14 on the strength of Jamaal Charles. But the circumstances surrounding this game are much different. The Chiefs will play on the road, and they\u2019ll be without Charles (torn ACL).<\/p>\n Nevertheless, the Chiefs\u2019 rushing offense remains solid. They torched the Texans with 141 yards and a score in their Wild Card matchup on the strength of running back Spencer Ware. Ware had 67 yards and a score on 16 carries. Meanwhile, quarterback Alex Smith was solid with his scrambling, adding 27 yards on five carries.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t expect to have Smith running all around the field, though. He\u2019s been pretty effective throwing the ball recently. Smith has 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in his last seven games dating back to Week 12 of the regular season. He completed 77.3 percent of his passes for 190 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Texans on Saturday.<\/p>\n Tight end Travis Kelce was Smith\u2019s prime target, hauling in team-highs of 128 yards and eight receptions. Kelce had a big game against the Patriots in the teams\u2019 last meeting last regular season with 93 yards and a score. He could explode for another huge outing considering that the Patriots\u2019 passing defense has looked lackluster the past three games, allowing 296 yards per game.<\/p>\n Kansas City\u2019s defense has also looked amazing recently. They\u2019ve allowed just 11.6 points per game in their last 11, including Saturday\u2019s Wild Card shutout. The Chiefs forced five turnovers (four interceptions and one fumble recovery) against Houston. Kansas City could be up for another dominant defensive performance if they can catch a New England team looking to play through an early deficit.<\/p>\n The Chiefs are 8-3 ATS in their 11 game win streak.<\/p>\n The New England Patriots ended the regular season on a bad note, dropping four of their last six games. But they still finished with a first-round bye for some much needed rest with all their injury issues. Quarterback Tom Brady injured his ankle in the regular season finale against Miami, while wide receiver Julian Edelman, offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer, linebacker Dont\u2019a Hightower and defensive end Chandler Jones should all be back for the playoffs after missing time.<\/p>\n One player the Patriots won\u2019t get back is No. 1 running back LeGarrette Blount, who\u2019s on injured reserve due to complications with his hip. Without Blount powering the backfield against a rock solid Kansas City defensive line, expect New England to use Brady\u2019s strong arm as their primary weapon.<\/p>\n Brady is arguably the best quarterback in the AFC, finishing the regular season with a conference-high 35 touchdown passes. He\u2019ll likely have Edelman back to power the receiving corps. Edelman finished the regular season with 692 yards and seven scores in nine games. But even if Edelman is rusty, the Patriots could rely on Danny Amendola as the No. 2 option. Amendola had 648 yards receiving in the regular season.<\/p>\n The Patriots\u2019 wide receivers are capable to get off some big gains. But tight end Rob Gronkowski has been a dominant player downfield. He leads the Patriots with 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also leads all New England receivers with 16.3 yards per catch (minimum of 10 catches). Gronkowski will need to work overtime, though, to get open for Brady. The Chiefs have one of the best passing defenses in the league, ranking ninth in the regular season allowing just 231 yards per game.<\/p>\n New England could get so much more dangerous on the other side of the ball with Hightower and Jones back to power the front seven. Jones is the best pass-rusher on the team with 12.5 sacks. Hightower has also had his moments getting to opposing quarterbacks with 3.5 sacks in the regular season. Assuming they haven\u2019t lost a step, they should have their moments against a vulnerable Kansas City offensive line which gave up three sacks in the Wild Card game.<\/p>\n The Patriots are 4-1-2 ATS in their last seven games at home.<\/p>\n The Patriots halt Kansas City\u2019s hot streak with a dominant home victory. Create a betting account now<\/a> and catch the best NFL Playoff action around.<\/p>\n[sc:NFL620 ]\nBetting on the Kansas City Chiefs<\/h3>\n
Betting on the New England Patriots<\/h3>\n
![\"Chiefs](\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Chiefs-vs-Patriots-AFC-Divisional-Round-Predictions-Picks-and-Preview1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWriter\u2019s Prediction<\/h3>\n