Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots Point Spread - Free NFL Pick

<p>Kansas City destroyed Houston 30-0 last Saturday, their first postseason win in 22 years and their 11th-straight win this year. New England had a badly-needed week off.
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<p>The Chiefs are not the most exciting team on offense but they get the job done. RBs Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware have done a decent job of replacing Jamaal Charles (IR) but they face a tough test this week. New England allowed 98.6 ypg on the ground this season but part of that was building early leads and forcing teams to throw. They can be had by good running teams. QB Alex Smith ranked 2nd on the team with 498 yards rushing and he had a 64-yard run negated last week by penalty. As a passer, Smith tied NE QB Tom Brady with fewest interceptions thrown by a starter (7). He did have one last week on a deflection but doesn't throw the ball into coverage. TE Travis Kelce was a beast again last Saturday, catching 8 passes for 128 yards. He is the top target and a player the average secondary of the Patriots has to deal with. WR Jeremy Maclin suffered a high ankle sprain against Houston and is listed as day-to-day. I expect him to play but he will be limited. His backup, rookie WR Chris Conley, caught a TD pass against the Texans. WR Albert Wilson will also have to step it up this week. Smith was sacked 47 times this year while New England recorded 49 sacks, the most in the HC Bill Belichick era.</p>
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<p>New England's offense suffered with WR Julian Edelman on the sideline with a broken bone in his foot. They reached 30 points once in the 7 games he missed after topping that number 6 times in the 9 games he played. The Chiefs have to be physical with him near the line as he is Brady's top target. Edelman won't be 100% but his presence should help the offense. WR Danny Amendola will probably see a lot of rookie CB Marcus Peters, a tough matchup for the Patriot. TE Rob Gronkowski is the big target and very hard to bring down. The Chiefs will double him on occasion but they can't let him roam free like some teams inexplicably do. Brady was sacked a lot in the second half of the season and went down 38 times on the year. The o-line has been reshuffled countless times and has been overpowered with regularity. LT Sebastian Vollmer is back this week but he'll have his hands full with pass rushers OLBs Justin Houston and Tamba Hali. Houston is still dealing with a knee injury and is being spotted by KC but he still can get to the QB. NT Dontari Poe gets a great push up the middle and that is something that has bothered Brady in the past. The running game hasn't been effective with RBs LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis sidelined with injuries. Veteran RB Stephen Jackson has been brought in to pair with RB Brandon Bolden but they haven't done much to move the chains. Expect Mr. Brady to pass a lot in this encounter.</p>
<div class="heading">Consensus Picks</div>
<p>Patriots 53% Over 70%</p>