Well here we are. The Evil Empire against the upstart Chiefs. Likely the greatest quarterback of all time when all is said and done in Tom Brady against the alien under center for the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes. The Darth Vader of NFL head coaches in Bill Belichick against easy going Andy Reid who despite a very successful head coaching career has yet to get that elusive ring. Yup, this makes for an intriguing match up. Frankly most the games last weekend were duds but I have a real tough time seeing that being the case this weekend. With that being said, I do like the Chiefs here, a lot. 

I will tell you one of the first things that came to mind when I saw the extended forecast was the bitter cold. By the time they get to kick off it could be around ten degrees, (real temp), and any wind at all will compound the issue. Trust me, I am a season ticket holder at Lambeau so I know a thing or two about games out in the elements. I thought about Mahomes and the fact he was born and raised in warm climates. Tyler Texas is not exactly frozen tundra territory. BUT, it appeared to me he dealt with the cold last week against the Colts just fine. No, it was not the freezer he will be performing in sunday evening at Arrowhead but he did not seem the least bit daunted. In fact he seemed to be having the time of his life. Mahomes is just wired different, in many ways. The phrase special gets tossed around a little loosely these days but unless you are blind, slow or straight up ignorant it is plain to see this young man is indeed something, yes, special. So when it came to capping this sunday and the game my concerns about him performing in the frigid elements were laid to rest some. Okay, when looking at big games featuring two legit teams like this one of the first things I go to is the turnover ratio. Those can often spell the difference in these games. Well that was basically a dry run as they are pretty much mirror images of one another. Now despite the hiccup last week against the Colts last week with the blocked punt the Chiefs special teams are exactly that, year in and year out under Dave Toub. But, the Patriots are no slouch themselves. Joe Judge has capably worked himself up from assistant special teams coach to the head guy and done well. So I moved on. The most reliable took is as old as it gets, the good old fashioned eye test. Here it gets interesting. The fact is the Chiefs have scored 42 & 40 points the last two seasons against the Patriots. And that was in Foxboro, now they get them in Arrowhead in front of their own rowdy home crowd. And having been to Arrowhead countless times I can assure you the crowd will be well lubricated and ready to let it all hang out. I am not sure most of the fans across the country quite grasp just how starved this fan base is for a title. Consider this, it's the first time since 1993 the Chiefs have played in the AFC title game. They lost that game at Buffalo. Other than that appearance this is the only other conference title game since the NFL & AFL merged in 1970. Want more? This is the first title game to ever be played in Arrowhead, the Chiefs home since 1972. So, yes the fans will be worked up into a lather come kick off time. Now back to the Patriots. Brady is now in his insane 8th straight AFC title game. In that stretch he has only played the title game twice on the road. And yes, he lost on both occasions, to Denver. One other note of interest that is hard to get past, and it goes back to the eye ball thing, this Patriots team has been average at best on the road all season long. Not just laying an egg along the way but losing to the Jags, Lions, Titans, Steelers and even the Dolphins. Every team can have it's moments on the road but that is more than stubbing the toe. This team flat out struggled on the road, all season long. Now they go into Arrowhead. A lot of bettors are jerking off over the performance last week in Foxboro. Yes, they looked great. But the Chargers looked like a shell of themselves in that game. Evidently the team was more road weary than I, and many others suspected. Credit where due but in my mind New England did not get the Chargers best shot. This is going to be a different animal sunday night in Kansas City. Well rested and hungry, this Chiefs team will be ready to rumble. No secret the Chiefs defense needs to duplicate the performance last sunday when they completely and utterly throttled the Colts offense under a pretty capable QB in Andrew Luck. Remember how the Colts did not move the chains for a single first down until a couple of minutes remaining in the first half. Here is the deal and the bottom line guys, in my view this Chiefs team at home laying this number is a tremendous value. Brady will perform valiantly but the Chiefs time has come. I know a ton of people keep harping on the Chiefs past post season miseries. Fair enough but how relevant is it really when you consider Patrick Mahomes is now under center. This is not Alex Smith, Rich Gannon, Steve Bono, etc, etc. Comparisons to those past teams is futile, in my humble opinion. I'm going Triple star here with the Chiefs. I see them winning 34-24. Many sincere thanks as always and best of luck to each of us. Enjoy the game.