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The New England Patriots–again–are headed to the AFC Championship.
It’s the fifth straight year the Pats have advanced this far into the postseason, and the 11th time overall under Bill Belichick.
The Pats will remain in Foxboro, where they’ll play Sunday, January 22, at 6:40 p.m. ET. They’ll assuredly be favored no matter who they’re up against, but here’s a look at their two potential opponents:
Kansas City Chiefs
The last meeting between these two teams, of course, came in the divisional round of last year’s playoffs, with the Patriots holding on for a 27-20 victory.
After losing their first two games on the road this season, the Chiefs won six straight away from Arrowhead Stadium to close the season, an impressive run that featured victories over the Raiders, Colts, Panthers, Broncos, Falcons and Chargers.
Per Football Outsiders’ efficiency ratings, Kansas City ranked 13th in the league on offense, 14th on defense and second on special teams.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers were significantly worse away from Heinz Field this season, going just 5-3 with 21.62 points per game, compared to 28.25 at home. Ben Roethlisberger had similar struggles, averaging 238.0 yards per road game with a TD:INT ratio of 9:8, compared to 319.2 and 20:5, respectively, at home.
That said, if this matchup comes to fruition, it would mean the Steelers knocked off a very good Kansas City team on the road, and when you throw in the Steelers’ red-hot finish to the season, there’s no question this is a dangerous squad no matter where the game is played.
New England and Pittsburgh met at Heinz Field back in Week 7 with the Patriots prevailing, 27-13.