The Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots are playing live on the NFL playoffs divisional round schedule on Saturday at Gillette Stadium. The game starts at 4:35 pm ET and will be on TV and streaming from CBS and the CBS Sports website as Tom Brady and Alex Smith face off.
The Patriots come into the game after having a bye in the first round of the playoffs, while the Chiefs won over the Texans in the wild card round. The Chiefs have won 11 straight games after a 1-5 start to the season and now they will try to keep that going against the Pats. The Patriots and Chiefs each are dealing with some injury issues, as players like Jeremy Maclin, Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady are banged up.
Brady is dealing with an ankle injury and could see some limited mobility in the game, but Brady said that the ankle shouldn't be a major issue. Gronkowski is dealing with some back pain but is expected to play, while Maclin is dealing with a high ankle sprain and could be used a decoy if he plays. The Chiefs have been playing great on defense this season and over this last stretch of games the defense has helped the team win games, including the shutout against the Texans last round.
Alex Smith comes in looking to get things going with the running game, as he was the second leading rusher on the team this season. Smith had 20 passing TDs and added nearly 500 yards rushing, while Charcandrick West has stepped up with Jamaal Charles out for the season. The Patriots lost Dion Lewis and LeGarrette Blount to injuries this season and they will have to find a way to win without their top two rushers from the season.
Gronk led the team with 72 catches for 1176 yards and 11 TDs and he will be the key player for the Patriots offense along with Brady. Jeremy Maclin led the Chiefs in receiving ahead of Travis Kelce and Kelce could be the player that the Pats try to shut down on Saturday. Brady had one of the best seasons of his career with 36 touchdowns and 4770 yards despite multiple players missing time with injuries through the season.
The Patriots are trying to repeat as Super Bowl champions and they are also trying to get to the AFC championship game for the fifth straight season. The Patriots have won 17 games at home in the playoffs and this is the first time the two teams are facing off in the postseason. Andy Reid and Bill Belichick have faced off before back when the Eagles and Pats played in the Super Bowl.
Check here for the Chiefs and Patriots live coverage.
Check here for updates, stats, the score and play-by-play for the game.
