New England Patriots links 1/18/19 - Pats-Chiefs: Fastest start wins?

TEAM TALK

• Patriots-Chiefs Thursday Injury Report.
• Broadcast Info: Patriots at Chiefs.
• Paul Perillo’s Scouting the Matchups: Surging Patriots head to KC.
• Press Conference Transcripts: Patrick Chung, Stephon Gilmore, Rob Gronkowski; More.
• What They’re Saying: Kansas City Chiefs.
• Kraft family to celebrate 25 years of owning Patriots: Flashback to January 21, 1994, the day Robert Kraft purchased the Patriots, which kept the team in New England. (4.12 min. video)
• Don Banks makes his NFL Conference Championship picks: With big-game experience and superb coaching schemes providing their most obvious edge, some how, some way, I expect it to once again be New England’s day.

LOCAL LINKS

• Evan Lazar’s Patriots Gameplan: How can the Patriots slow down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense?
• Ryan Hannable tells us why the outcome of Sunday’s game will be decided in the first few minutes of the game: The Patriots are 11-1 when scoring first this season, while the Chiefs are 11-2.
• Michael Hurley sets the tone with ALL the reasons to feel good about the Patriots chances in the AFC Championship game.
• Phil Perry digs into the Pats-Chiefs matchups: 1. Patriots man coverage vs. Mahomes.
• Karen Guregian takes a look at the matchups: Sony Michel, James White, Rex Burkhead vs. Damien Williams, Spencer Ware, Charcandrick West.
• Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Patriots-Chiefs AFC Championship, Key matchups: Who has the razor’s edge?
• Thomas Murphy (DiehardBostonSportsFans) Monster keys to AFC Title. 1. Explode then implode.
• Devon Clements (PatriotsWire) 3 Matchups to watch in Patriots’ AFC title game vs. Chiefs. 1. Stephon Gilmore vs. Tyreek Hill.
• Zack Cox talks with members from all three levels of the Patriots defense for their keys how to defend Patrick Mahomes.
• Phil Perry discusses how the lessons learned from Week 6 could help the defense slow down the Chiefs.
• Nadav Amar (LastWordOnSports) What to watch for during AFC Championship Sunday. 1. Defensive schemes in the passing game.
• Nick O’Malley presents his Patriots-Chiefs anti-analysis: There is some weird moon nonsense going on in Kansas City.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) 5 Unheralded Patriots who must step up vs. Chiefs in AFC championship. 1. David Andrews.
• Zack Cox talks about how J.C. Jackson is thriving under Stephon Gilmore’s mentorship.
• Ryan Hannable highlights Patrick Chung on how the Pats can’t focus too much on their Week 6 win vs. Chiefs or ‘they’ll kick our ass.’
• Ryan Hannable relays Devin McCourty on how well the Patriots need to play vs. Chiefs: We can’t have anybody have a bad game.
• Evan Lazar mentions how the Patriots are just 12-9 in the Brady-Belichick era in postseason games where they played their opponent during the regular season.
• Ryan Hannable notes Rob Gronkowski isn’t taking any of these games for granted.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Rob Gronkowski’s evaluation of Travis Kelce is telling.
• Alex Reimer has an interesting media column on how Tom Brady has handled going from Football Cinderalla to everyone’s dinner.
• Ryan Hannable notes Robert Kraft calls Tom Brady the greatest player of all time, not just greatest quarterback.
• Andrew Callahan writes what a win on Sunday would mean to the twelve Patriots veterans who have never been active for a Super Bowl.
• Mike D’Abate (FullPressCoverage) In a league of ‘coaching carousels,’ Bill Belichick keeps his own counsel.
• Doug Kyed addresses his Friday Mailbag: What is rookie CB J.C. Jackson’s future ceiling?
• Chris Warner (BostonSportsMediaWatch) Patriots Thursday Notes, Chargers review. “A game that [Brady] helped the offense control from the start, using up time like a day at the DMV.”
• Ross Gienieczko Patriots Notebook: It’s different for Rob Gronkowski at this stage of his career.
• NBC Sports Boston reports the Arrowhead Stadium surface looks good to go for Sunday.
• Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) Foxboro & Friends: 2018 AFC Championship Edition. Breaking down the Chargers win and previewing the Chiefs with our old pal Fitzy. (53.10 min. video)
• Jim Lazar predicts a Golden-Oldies Super Bowl as he makes his Conference Championship picks. Patriots win 30-26.
• Michael Hurley posts the CBS Boston Pats-Chiefs predictions.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Ty Law (The Players’ Tribune) Letter to my younger self. /Great read.
• Greg Bishop and Ben Baskin (SI) Robert Kraft and the Patriots: From fan to owner, from losers to dynasty, in 25 years.
• Andy Benoit (SI) Can the Patriots put up enough offense to beat the Chiefs in Kansas City?
• Danny Heifetz (The Ringer) The Keys to the AFC and NFC Championship Games.
• Bill Connelly (SB Nation) The AFC Championship preview, tale of the tape, and prediction. Patriots 27-23.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Patriots brace for the latest attempt to contain Tyreek Hill.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Tom Brady has rewritten the postseason record book, and no one is close.
• Adam Kilgore (Washington Post) Dead headsets, paranoia, ‘chasing ghosts’: What it’s like to face Bill Belichick in playoffs.
• Bill Barnwell (ESPN) Fact-checking Patriots’ 18-year NFL dynasty: What’s real, what’s a myth. 1. Fact check: You can’t touch Brady without being flagged. Verdict: False. /Take that, haterz.
• Rodger Sherman (The Ringer) The Patriots’ underdog narrative must die.
• Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) Gronk: Healthy team makes practice “that much better”.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Kansas City forecast improves yet again.
• Russell S. Baxter (Fansided) NFL Playoffs 2019: Power Ranking the 4 remaining teams: Patriots 3rd.
• Harry Lyles Jr. (SB Nation) The possible Super Bowl 53 matchups, ranked by the ones we ACTUALLY want to see.
• Adam Stites (SB Nation) NFL fans overwhelmingly don’t want the Patriots to go to the Super Bowl again.
• Pete Thamel (Yahoo! Sports) The unsurprising rise of Brian Flores.
• Jay Rigdon (Awful Announcing) Chris Berman and Tom Jackson reuniting for NFL Primetime this Sunday.
• Charles Robinson (Yahoo! Sports) Super Bowl ticket brokers cheering for Chiefs, Saints this weekend.
• John Breech (CBS Sports) Eight bold predictions for AFC and NFC Championship games, including Tom Brady struggling.
• Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com) QB Index: One big question facing each playoff QB 1. Can Chiefs rattle Brady?
• Sean Wagner-McGough (CBS Sports) 2019 NFL playoffs odds, picks: Patrick Mahomes outduels Tom Brady, Saints’ defense shuts down Jared Goff.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) PFT’s conference championship picks. MDS: Chiefs 42-35, Florio: Patriots 30-27.
• Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) NFL picks: Take the unders and the underdogs as best bets in Rams-Saints and Patriots-Chiefs.
• NFL Staff (Bleacher Report) Expert NFL Conference Championship picks & predictions. Winner: Chiefs.

VIEW FROM KANSAS CITY

• John Dixon (ArrowheadPride) Five things to watch in the Chiefs-Patriots AFC Championship Game. 1. The chess game, part II.
• John Dixon (ArrowheadPride) Report: Eric Berry expected to play against Patriots.
• Lynn Worthy (Kansas City Star) Bob Sutton’s Chiefs defense must hold its ground against Tom Brady.
• Blair Kerkhoff (Kansas City Star) Chiefs’ defense has been about more than pass rush lately. Next up: Brady’s Patriots.
• Lynn Worthy (Kansas City Star) Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes gets another crack at defensive mastermind Bill Belichick.
• Vahe Gregorian (Kansas City Star) My friend, my nemesis: Bill Belichick again stands in Andy Reid’s path to greatness.
• Pete Grathoff (Kansas City Star) Map shows most of the U.S. is rooting for Chiefs to win AFC Championship Game.
• Pete Grathoff (Kansas City Star) Chiefs name drum leader, announce when parking lots, gates open for AFC title game.