New England Patriots vs. Kansas City Chiefs Betting – NFL, October 4, 2020

Could Sunday’s week 4 matchup at Arrowhead Stadium be a preview of the AFC Championship game?

It’s clear the Ravens are no match for the Chiefs, and both Steelers and Bills have a long way to go. The Pats have been there and done that, and Cam Newton appears to be fitting in famously.

Nevertheless, would a “perfect game” from New England even be enough to dethrone Kansas City?

Here’s a Patriots vs. Chiefs betting preview aiming to find out. 

Both teams are coming off blowout victories in week 3. New England dispatched the Raiders 36-20 before the Chiefs went into Baltimore and crushed the Ravens on Monday Night Football.

Each squad is 2-1 against the spread in 2020, and their defenses have given up virtually the identical number of points. KC has surrendered exactly 20 points in each of their three games while the Pats D clocks in at 20.3 ppg allowed.

The total has already jumped to 53.5/54 at lots of the top sportsbooks, although BetOnline was holding firm at 53 as of late Wednesday afternoon.

Sound Game Plan on Defense. Bill Belichick is a genius at taking away an opposing team’s best weapon. We saw that last week with Darren Waller catching 2 balls for nine 9 yards in Foxborough. The problem is, let’s say the Pats zero in on taking Travis Kelce out of the game.

In that case, Patrick Mahomes can flick it down the field to Tyreek Hill or Mecole Hardman. Sammy Watkins has hauled in seven passes in two of the three games, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire looks like a lock to win the Offensive ROY.

Incorporate the Play-Action. We know Cam Newton is a load when he puts the head down and runs the football. That grind-it-out style of play can win a lot of games in this league, but it won’t be enough in Kansas City.

Playing on the road versus a team that can put up 35 points in their sleep – Josh McDaniels needs to open up the playbook and try and catch the KC defense off guard. It’s time for N’Keal Harry to step up.

Contain Pats RBs. Sony Michel got loose and ran for 117 yards last week. Rex Burkhead couldn’t be stopped – contributing 98 yards and a trio of touchdowns. Perhaps the best news for New England’s RB room is the return of their pass-catching specialist.

James White has returned to the Patriots. He is present for the start of Wednesday’s practice.

Several players spoke of how they looked forward to welcoming White back, so they could put their arms around him and try to keep lifting him up. pic.twitter.com/vb7Sf8SMLb

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 30, 2020

Given the lack of outside threats the Patriots possess on their roster, Cam Newton will be depending on his running backs in the passing game to get him out of jams. If Steve Spagnuolo’s unit focuses on taking those options away, it’ll be a long and exhausting evening for everyone on the Pats sidelines.

Keep CEH Involved. When the rookie RB out of LSU is on the field for Andy Reid, good things happen. Defenses have no choice but to keep a safety back to protect Tyreek Hill from roaming free. Linebackers have to be conscious of where Travis Kelce is at all times, otherwise, he slips through the cracks and Mahomes peppers him with targets.

Feeding Clyde Edwards-Helaire the rock will keep all Patriots defenders on their toes so that they can’t accomplish the primary items on the agenda.

The Patriots match up well with a lot of teams in this league. Unfortunately for the Kraft family – and all of the Pats fans for that matter, the Chiefs aren’t one of them.

New England excels when they build a lead and control the game flow. Kansas City has more gears than a 2018 Mustang and can go from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye.

Playing at home against a roster that simply can’t match their explosion, there’s no way I’m fading Mr. Mahomes. My Patriots vs. Chiefs prediction is that KC covers this spread and continues surging toward a second straight Super Bowl.