Now that the 22-year drought-ending celebrations have settled and the focus has been realigned to new sights, the Kansas City Chiefs have narrowed in on their next obstacle in the Lombardi race: the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.
This AFC Divisional Round game being held at Gillette Stadium will be the first postseason meeting between the teams, with the Chiefs coming in with a 17-13-3 record on the Pats in their 33 regular-season matchups.
"Voice of the Chiefs" Mitch Holthus hosted his weekly Chiefs Kingdom Radio Show on Monday night and had special guests Andy Reid and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Will Shields.
Here are a few highlights and quotes from the show:
BRING ON THE SNOW!
In the AFC Wild Card Round, the Chiefs were able to drop their coats in Houston, but temperatures should be similar to home in Foxborough. Temperatures are expected to be around 37 degrees. But the Chiefs aren't shying away from a little cold.
"Foxborough will be a little cold there. Not the indoor environment we had here. But we've attested in those type of elements. Potential chance of snow, which we're fired up about. Hey bring it on. Whatever you want to give us, we'll take. We've been around the world and back. So we're ready to go. And it's exciting" – Andy Reid (08:20)
SAME TEAMS. NEW FACES.
It's been the talk around both camps. The last time these two teams met, the Chiefs shut down Tom Brady and the Patriots, 41-14, at Arrowhead Stadium. But the Chiefs aren't focusing on past scores; they're focused on what's ahead.
"It's really two different teams. There are some carryover guys, but there are a lot of new faces there. Every time you play a team in the National Football League, it's a new experience. So they know what we do offensively and defensively… Likewise, we know what they do … I think it's important that you go out there and focus on your fundamentals and your techniques ... You exclude all the noise, whatever elements are presented to you. You get down and you get nasty … and you play good, competitive football. Make sure the guy next to you is with you. And you're rolling. And that's how the guys have gotten to this point, and I don't expect anything different." – Andy Reid (12:21)
BREAKING DOWN THE PLAYBOOK.
Tom Brady is 4-2 all-time against the Chiefs, including 3-0 at home. Breaking down the backfield is potentially one of the keys to the Chiefs success Saturday. But Kansas City's defense is ranked fourth in sacks with 47 for -290 yards and has forced 29 opponent turnovers on defense and special teams.
"They do a good job playing in the spots where they are. But they also move backfield guys … to mess up your blocking schemes to try to get you out of place. That's what they do to try to pull you apart ... so you have to communicate even more ... I think that's going to be one of the keys to the game. Sustaining your blocks longer. Fighting through the top ... You sort of let the chips fall where they may, and I think they'll fall in our way." - Will Shields (2:47)
MORE FILM.
New England is second in the league in sacks, and sacks lead to better field position for the Pats. But not so fast. Accounting for zero holding calls this season, with offensive lineman Eric Fisher, the Chiefs have been 11-0 since he's been at left tackle. Protection of the quarterback will be the key in Saturday's game.
"They like to dictate what they do on third down. First and second, you have to get to a manageable position where you can either run or pass. If you get in long distances, that's what they want … Get those sacks and get pressure on the QB" - Will Shields (26:40)
SPEAKING OF QUARTERBACK…
In his first and only matchup against New England, Alex Smith had a total of 248 yards and 3 touchdowns. He shows his athleticism being one of the most mobile quarterbacks, rushing for 498 yards on 84 rushes, ranked fourth most in the NFL and second amongst AFC quarterbacks. Smith has started 46 games in his Chiefs career and has thrown 61 touchdowns with only 21 interceptions, displaying his precision last week against the Texans with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Chris Conley in the third quarter.
"Our quarterback is playing very good football … He's completely the leader of that offensive unit. He's finding everybody. When he gets in the red zone he's decisive … Chris Conley comes in, hasn't run that play. And it was a special play for the Houston ball club. And the quarterback came back after a heavy play fake. Shot it into a tiny window, and Chris went and got it. So there was mutual trust between the two of them. Chris came up big in that one" – Andy Reid (11:09)
ROAD TO RECOVERY.
After coming down with the ball for a 7-yard gain Saturday in Houston, Jeremey Maclin was slow to get up. After a MRI Sunday, it was revealed Maclin suffered a mild high-ankle sprain and will be day-to-day for Saturday's game. Maclin accounted for 87 receptions for 1,088 yards in his first season in Kansas City, with 8 touchdowns.
"We all thought ACL, I sat there and watched the doc do the examination on him… but it wasn't, which is a good thing. Our doc is on top of it. He located it in the ankle, kind of a high-ankle sprain. It doesn't look like one of those nasty ones. But we'll see how he progresses through the week. He's in good hands … It will all work out for him when it's all said and done. We'll see how it goes through this weekend" – Andy Reid (13:50)
HUMILITY IS KEY.
Knile Davis' 106-yard kickoff return was one for the books. Literally. Last week's matchup against the Texans was full of record-setting numbers. Davis' kickoff return is the longest in an AFC Wild Card, and the second-longest kickoff return in postseason history behind Jacoby Jones' 108-yard kickoff return in Super Bowl XLVII. But with 59:89 minutes left in the game, it was too soon to begin celebrating for Reid.
"That was huge … When he hit that thing nobody was going to catch him … Dave Toub was quick to remind me that when they were in the Super Bowl in Chicago they had the same thing happen and they ended up losing. So we had ourselves back humble again and got ready to go defense." - Andy Reid (07:35)
You can listen to the entire radio show by following this link.
Postgame facts and stats from the Chiefs Wild Card victory over the Houston Texans
CHIEFS WIN FIRST POSTSEASON GAME IN 22 SEASONS: Today's 30-0 win over the Houston Texans snaps an eight-game playoff game losing streak spanning 22 seasons. The Chiefs last postseason win was also in Houston as Kansas City beat the Oilers 28-20 in an AFC Divisional Round matchup. The Chiefs extend their winning streak to 11 games after entering the playoffs on a 10-game streak.
CHIEFS SHUTOUT TEXANS: The Chiefs held the Texans scoreless marking the first time in franchise history the club has shut out an opponent during postseason action. The last time a team was shutout in an AFC Wild Card game was when the New York Jets beat the Indianapolis Colts 41-0 on Jan. 4, 2003.
DAVIS LONGEST KICKOFF RETURN NFL HISTORY: RB Knile Davis returned the opening kickoff 106 yards, marking the longest kickoff return in NFL AFC Wild Card postseason history and the second longest in overall NFL postseason history. Baltimore Ravens WR Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff 108 yards in Super Bowl XLVII. Davis' kickoff return is the first kickoff return touchdown in postseason action since Seattle WR Percy Harvin's 87-yard kickoff return in Super Bowl XLVIII. In two playoff games, Davis now owns three touchdowns, which ties Marcus Allen and Mike Garrett for most touchdowns in postseason play. Both Allen and Garrett had three touchdowns in the six playoff games they saw action in.
SANTOS HITS POSTSEASON FRANCHISE LONG: K Cairo Santos converted two 49-yard field goals and a 33-yard field goal. He set a postseason franchise record as 49 yards is the longest converted field goal in a playoff game. K Jan Stenerud held the previous mark as he hit a 48-yard field goal in Super Bowl IV. Santos' three field goals ties the franchise best mark achieved by three other kickers. Santos recorded touchbacks on all seven of his kickoffs in today's game to set a franchise record for most touchbacks in a playoff contest. Santos ranks first in Chiefs postseason annals recording a perfect seven of seven on touchbacks.
BAILEY & POE COMBINE IN SACK-FUMBLE: DL Allen Bailey logged his first sack during postseason play while forcing a fumble by QB Brian Hoyer, which was later recovered by DT Dontari Poe, also a postseason first in his career. Bailey added another sack for a loss of five yards to give him 2.0 sacks in today's game, which marks the ninth time in playoff franchise history a Chiefs player has recorded 2.0 or more sacks in a single postseason contest. He finished the 2015 season with 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Poe has one other fumble recovery in his career.
HOWARD TAKES DOWN HOYER: DL Jaye Howard recorded his first career postseason sack as he took down QB Brian Hoyer for a loss of seven yards in the second quarter. Howard had a career-high 5.5 sacks during the 2015 season.
FOUR TEAM INTERCEPTIONS: The Chiefs had four interceptions in today's game, which is the second most ever recorded in a playoff game and the fourth time the Chiefs have recorded four or more INTs in a single playoff game. The last time the club had four interceptions in postseason action was vs. the L.A. Raiders on Dec. 28, 1991 in an AFC Wild Card matchup.
BERRY LOGS FIRST PLAYOFF INT: S Eric Berry intercepted a QB Brian Hoyer pass in the first quarter to mark his first interception during postseason action. Berry had two interceptions in 2015 regular season action.
PETERS LOGS FIRST PLAYOFF INT: CB Marcus Peters intercepted QB Brian Hoyer and returned it two yards to mark his first interception in his first playoff game. Peters finished the 2015 season with eight interceptions, a mark that tied the NFL best as well as tied the Chiefs rookie record.
MAUGA INTERCEPTS HOYER: LB Josh Mauga intercepted QB Brian Hoyer at the Chiefs 2 yard line and returned it 20 yards, marking his first interception during postseason play. Mauga had two interceptions in 2015 returned a total of 70 yards.
SMITH ADDS INT: CB Sean Smith recorded his first playoff interception and returned it 13 yards. He had two interceptions during the 2015 season.
CONLEY SCORES FIRST PLAYOFF TD: WR Chris Conley capped an 11-play, 89-yard drive with a nine-yard connection with QB Alex Smith, marking his first playoff touchdown in his first career postseason action. Conley scored one touchdown during the regular season vs. Pittsburgh.
SMITH CONNECTS FOR 10th CAREER POSTSEASON TD: QB Alex Smith hit Conley on a nine- yard pass to give him his 10th postseason touchdown. In four playoff games, Smith has 80 completions on 133 attempts for 1,009 yards and 10 touchdowns. In two playoff games with the Chiefs, Smith ranks third for both pass attempts and completions. His 77.0 completion percentage (17 completions on 22 attempts) is a franchise best in postseason action.
PRECISION PASSING STREAK: With five pass attempts today, QB Alex Smith extended his postseason passing streak to 119 passes without throwing an interception to own the longest streak in NFL postseason history. Earlier this season Smith threw 312 passes without throwing an interception, giving him the second longest streak in the NFL during regular season play.
KELCE RECORDS 100+ RECEIVING YARDS: TE Travis Kelce had eight catches for 128 yards, to become the eighth player in Chiefs history to record 100 or more receiving yards in a playoff contest. His eight catches tie the top mark by a Chiefs pass catcher in postseason history. He is the fifth Chiefs players to record eight catches in a single postseason game. His 128 yards rank third in Chiefs postseason history.
WARE RUNS IN FIRST PLAYOFF TD: FB/RB Spencer Ware ran in a five-yard touchdown, marking his first career playoff touchdown. Ware led the team with six rushing touchdowns in 2015.
