New England Patriots links 1/17/19 - Belichick: Hardest thing about playing at Arrowhead is the Chiefs

TEAM TALK

• Patriots-Chiefs Wednesday Injury Report.
• Press Conference transcripts: Bill Belichick - Tom Brady, David Andrews, Devin McCourty, James White; More.
• Angelique Fiske highlights James Harrison’s Q&A with the “Undisputed” crew, discussing his time with the Patriots and how he was impressed with Tom as a leader and a teammate.
• Mic’d Up: Best of Chargers-Patriots. (4.40 min. video)
• Patriots Right Now: Arctic Blast, friend or foe? (16.07 min.video)
• Coffee with the Coach: Preparing for the Chiefs. (3.44 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Matt Dolloff tells us why the Chiefs’ pass rush presents a different challenge than the Chargers.
• Nick O’Malley scouts the Pats-Chiefs matchups to see who has the edge at each position.
• Karen Guregian explains why the game ahead is motivation enough for Tom Brady.
• Phil Perry says Tom Brady’s grin when asked about his team’s underdog status told us everything we need to know.
• Ryan Hannable talks with some of Julian Edelman’s former coaches who detail his ability to perform in clutch, which came well before the Patriots.
• Rich Thompson points out how James White continues to deliver in big games.
• David Latham (LastWordOnSports) James Develin crucial to New England’s AFC Championship game victory.
• Kevin Duffy knows facing the Chiefs is a game of whack-a-mole for any defensive coordinator, and looks at whether the Patriots can limit Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.
• Nick Goss says the Patriots’ pass defense has greatly improved since the bye week, and has the stats to back it up.
• Phil Perry reports the Patriots are thrilled to have Dont’a Hightower healthy.
• Tom Keegan talks up the greatness of Patrick Mahomes. /Bestest thing since sliced bread.
• David Furtado (LastWordOnSports) Tom Brady vs Patrick Mahomes: The sequel.
• Steve Hewitt highlights the play of veteran Albert McClellan, who has been a big reason why the Patriots special teams turned around their early-season struggles.
• Mike Reiss notes Bill Belichick is not buying that past road performances will dictate how his team plays this week. “The hardest thing about playing at Arrowhead is the Chiefs...”
• Tom E. Curran brings up how Andy Reid went 3 for 4 on 4th downs vs. Indy, and how the success of fourth-down plays may be the difference on Sunday.
• Matt Dolloff emphasizes how communication will be key at loud Arrowhead.
• Joy Manning (BostonSportsChick) 2018 Patriots’ statistics on grass.
• Matt Dolloff calls attention to how parts of Arrowhead Stadium’s grass field are being competely re-done in advance of Sunday’s game. /Hmm...
• Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) Belichick AFC Championship Hoodie Preview.
• Matt McCarthy ranks the Patriots 8 AFC Championship wins.
• Adam Kaufman reminds everyone that the Patriots are exceptional in cold weather games.
• Michael Hurley warns everyone ahead of time that the Patriots are set to play yet another AFC Championship Game with deflated footballs.
• Staff (BostonSportsExtra) N.E. state of mind - The NFL wants a bad guy. “The hate toward this team is nothing new, but this year the Patriots are embracing all of the talk...”
• Kevin Duffy Patriots Notebook: Bill Belichick vs. Andy Reid will be a terrific chess match.
• Kevin Duffy gives us a practice update: Perfect attendance and relatively good health.
• Michael McMahon notes center David Andrews will go the insane route on Sunday: “Never worn sleeves a day in my life, so I’m going to put on what I put on and go out there and play,”
• Doug Kyed tells us why Brendan Daly is the ideal choice for the next Patriots defensive coordinator.
• Michael McMahon notes Tom Brady jokes that his kids “don’t care much about dad. They’d rather hang with Gronk and Jules.”
• Nick Goss shares Julian Edelman’s new hype video daring everyone to bet against them.
• NESN posts a video comparing Bill Belichick’s TD reactions to other coaches. /Pretty funny.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Dan Wetzel (Yahoo! Sports) Real or imagined slights got Tom Brady to his 8th straight AFC title game.
• Will Brinson (CBS Sports) How the Patriots can win the Super Bowl: Pound the rock, conjure a blizzard and invent a pass rush. /Yeah, right, slights are all imagined.
• Kevin Van Valkenburg (ESPN) The myth of the Patriots’ underdog status. /Tell that to Vegas.
• Jordan Raanan (ESPN) Bill Belichick dismisses excuses for AFC title game, especially weather.
• Kyle Hightower (AP) Patriots preparing for anything in rematch with Chiefs and Mahomes.
• Nick Shook (NFL.com) Andy Reid on Tom Brady: ‘The age thing hasn’t hit him’.
• Sean Wagner-McGough (CBS Sports) Ranking the four remaining quarterbacks, from Mahomes to Brady to Brees to Goff. Brady 2nd, behind Mahomes.
• Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) Here’s who’ll be the X-factor on each of the four teams on Championship Sunday. Patriots: Cordarrelle Patterson.
• Rodger Sherman (The Ringer) The NFL playoffs weren’t designed to produce upsets.
• Kevin Clark (The Ringer) Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and the era of the forever QB.
• Albert Breer (SI) Game Plan: Building a Winner - How the Rams’ blueprint stacks up with the Saints, Patriots and Chiefs.
• Manish Mehta (NY Daily News) Why Adam Gase’s Jets will end the Patriots Evil Empire. /For amusement purposes.
• Conor Orr (SI) Morning Huddle: The Antonio Brown-Steelers feud barrels toward a conclusion.
• Video (ESPN) Steve Young says the predicted freezing temperatures for the AFC Championship game will have an effect on both quarterbacks. (44 second clip)
• NFL Total Access (NFL.com) Sarah Thomas reflects on being first woman to officiate playoff game. (3.04 min. video)