ERST LESEN! » It’s an AFC championship stat special. With the Lamar Hunt Tr

ophy on the line and the Chiefs hosting their first AFC championship Super Bowl Nick Allegretti Jersey , let’s go through some stats that could play a role in Sunday’s highly-anticipated game:First, an overview of the enemy: There’s no place like (Ma)home(s)Home field advantage is desired by all teams in any sport ever — especially when it comes to a playoff situation. Obviously. The reason for this due to the well-known factor that most teams perform much better with their fans’ support and crowd noise, no travel time involved and overall familiarity with the field/environment — amongst other reasons. Let’s take the Chiefs defense, which would stand to benefit more than anything else.Despite its struggles throughout the season, Arrowhead Stadium has made a difference.Take a look at some of these home numbers:For context, the defense had 10 less sacks on the road and gave up nearly double the amount of points per game on when playing away (34.6). And, as it turns out, home-field advantage is proving to be more important now than ever, according to these stats:(Ty)wreaking havoc on the pressEarlier this season, Andy Reid referred called Tyreek a “little joker” after he insisted on playing despite dealing with injuries. The Patriots, on the other hand, may not have a nickname that nice for the dynamic and dangerous wide receiver. And it’s understandable as to why that would be. In Hill’s two career games against the Patriots Football Nick Allegretti Jersey , he did some damage with the 14 total receptions he got in those matchups:Oh, and add four touchdowns to that line. Three of the four touchdowns came in the thrilling 43-40 road loss the Chiefs suffered in New England Week 6 of this season. The Patriots will undoubtedly have a plan to stop Hill from blowing by them again. The question is: will it be enough? Take a look at these numbers from Next Gen Stats: With the Chiefs offense back and healthy and the growing presence of Damien Williams added to that mix, Hill may have even more opportunity to get behind the Patriots’ defensive backs and help lift the Chiefs to a victory.(Justin) Houston...New England may have a problemA lot has changed since the Chiefs played the Patriots on the road in Week 6. A lot. While the Chiefs had a perfect 5-0 record going into that game, they boasted one of the worst defenses in the NFL. And, at that point in the season, the secondary had given up more yards to opposing teams (2,309) than the Chiefs offense had gained (2,065). If that wasn’t bad enough, they had also conceded as many passing touchdowns as Mahomes had thrown (14).Those types of numbers earlier in the season had the secondary ranked at a lowly 28th in defensive DVOA after those trying five weeks.However, things have changed thanks to the Chiefs’ rising pass rush and the return of Justin Houston — who the Patriots didn’t see in their 43-40 win over the Chiefs at home due to a hamstring injury he was fighting at the time. His return has been nothing short of impactful for Kansas City:With Houston, Dee Ford and Chris Jones manning the front line and the Chiefs’ strength in QB pressures, Brady could be in trouble. Especially when looking at his numbers under pressure this season...Despite leading the NFL in passer rating under pressure just last season with 96.6 Mecole Hardman Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys , per PFF, Brady’s QBR in the same category dropped significantly to 71.2 this year. Additionally, he completed less than half of his pass attempts in those situations with just a 45.3 percent completion rate. Run defense vs. run offenseWhile the Chiefs defense did well in some key categories at home, when it came down to the run game, it struggled quite a bit. Kansas City’s secondary gave up an average of 132 yards per game and five yards per carry, placing it at last place on the run defense DVOA this season.This could be an area that New England tries to expose the Chiefs with the Patriots’ incredibly dangerous ground game. This season, the Patriots had 100-plus rushing-yard games in 10 different games, two of which they put up 200-plus rushing yards. Then, last weekend, in their 41-28 win against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Patriots ran 155 yards for four touchdowns, giving them control of the game from the opening whistle forward.In that game Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys 2019 , Sony Michel accounted for 129 of those rushing yards — his fifth 100-plus rushing-yard game of the season. However, Michel — though an important player to watch — is not as good on the road (regular and postseason):Should the Patriots focus their game on the run anyway, regardless of Michel’s road numbers, it may not be enough for them to keep up with Andy Reid’s prolific offense — especially if they find themselves trailing early. Which leads us to...Hot out of the gatesWhen it comes to lighting it up quickly in the first quarter, the Chiefs, thanks to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ dynamic offense, have no problem turning the magic on: The first quarter may be one of the best opportunities for the Chiefs to get up on New England early. If they can do so, it’ll allow them more opportunity to control the rest of the game — particularly after the half — and keep New England chasing rather than the other way around. A what-if draft scenario in which the Chiefs make a team strength even stronger"The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense was the best in the NFL last year, while their defense was one of the worst. The desire to fix the defense this offseason has been evident by both fans and even the Chiefs based upon some of their moves. The Chiefs have made strides to improve their defense with an entirely new defensive coaching staff, turnover along the defensive line, and adding pieces to the secondary. While the defense is still the weaker of the two units, there have been attempts to to improve that side of the ball as a whole.This opens the Chiefs up to an interesting situation. What if the board falls poorly 2019 Mecole Hardman Kansas City Chiefs , as it has in so many mock scenarios this year, and the Chiefs aren’t left with any good value at 29 on defense? What if the Chiefs simply want to build upon their strength and make it stronger to ensure it remains what carries their team in the 2019 season?Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsThis scenario isn’t simply taking an offensive player to help keep the talent level high but rather emphasizing offense while expecting some needs on the defensive side of the ball to improve through moves already made. If the Chiefs feel they can survive with their current defensive end depth chart or make a move at a later date and want to focus some early resources on the offensive side of the ball, the draft could go an entirely different direction than most have been thinking.On this week’s episode of the AP Laboratory, we explored that very option and came away with this draft.29. WR AJ Brown, Ole MissThe Chiefs select the safest, most well-rounded wide receiver that is NFL-ready in the slot, with outside WR1 potential. Brown’s route running, hands and physicality after the catch would fit in perfectly with the current wide receiver room.61. CB Trayvon Mullen, ClemsonComing back around late in the second round, there is a chance cornerbacks are coming off the board quickly and the Chiefs have to reach a little to ensure they get a quality player. Mullen has scheme flexibility and is very physical both in the run and passing game.63. IOL Elgton Jenkins, Mississippi StateDon’t use a first-round pick on the interior offensive line. The end of the second is a great spot to add some top-flight competition to win the center job. Jenkins is a powerful blocker with good movement skills that could provide a long term center to help Patrick Mahomes.92. IDL Trysten Hill, UCFWith the board falling the way it did and an inability to get good value early in the draft at defensive end Mecole Hardman Jersey Cheap , the move here was to go with another best player available. Luckily, it still fills a need, as the Chiefs have no interior pass rushers behind Chris Jones. Hill needs some seasoning, but his burst and energy level also provide a safety net as a rotational pass rusher. KC Draft GuideRead the extensive scouting reports, team fit, and player comparison for all these guys in the KC Draft Guide. You can purchase it for only $9.99! We have over 225 prospect write-ups on prospects (including the players we discussed in this article), including breakdowns of all of these players, with specifics about how prospects fit the Chiefs. There are more than 300 grades on players, mock drafts, positional rankings and features — all specific to the Chiefs. Grab your copy by clicking here!Loading...