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When it comes to the New England Patriots’ chances of pulling off the upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, there aren’t a ton of believers. On Friday, NFL analyst and former player Emmanuel Acho took aim at Cam Newton’s teammates and pointed to them as the reason New England will come up on the losing end in Week 4.
Not Everyone Agreed With Acho
If you take a look at the entire segment in the video below, you can see and hear that Acho’s co-hosts, former NFL Pro Bowlers Marcellus Wiley and Lavar Arrington aren’t in agreement with the bleak assessment of the Patriots’ chances to win.
Take a listen:
Does Acho Have a Point?
While this is no insult to players like James White, N’Keal Harry and Julian Edelman, the weapons Mahomes has in Kansas City are unmatched around the NFL. Tyreek Hill is likely the fastest player in the league. His presence on the field commands safety help anytime he extends to go on a longer route, and he has fantastic strength, hands, and leaping ability to go with the world-class-sprinter speed.
The up-and-coming Mecole Hardman is nearly as fast. Having both track stars on the field can create a serious issue for defenses, and that’s especially when Mahomes is getting time to throw the ball.
Sammy Watkins is a valuable possession receiver and tight end Travis Kelce is one of the league’s best pass-catchers at his position. If that wasn’t already a deadly enough amalgamation of talent at Mahomes’ disposal, the team added dynamic rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in this year’s draft to deliver what might be the most complete attack in the NFL.
There is no question, man-for-man, the Patriots cannot compete with that cast of players.
The Patriots Still Have a Path to Victory
Get ready for the understatement and no-crap-Sherlock statement of the week; Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels are smart guys. They’re well aware of their teams’ inability to win a shootout with the Chiefs.
Don’t expect to see the Patriots come out and try to sling the ball all over the yard with Newton. The Patriots’ path to victory lies in their ability to run the ball effectively, chew up clock, protecting the ball, and keeping Mahomes and that offense on the sidelines.
If New England can do those things, they will have a chance to win the game. If they can create two turnovers and at least get some pressure on Mahomes as well, it could be a commanding victory.