#TBT to the last Patriots-Chiefs matchup
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| Al Bello | Getty Images |
*This article is the first of a weekly Throwback Thursday series that will feature key stat lines and short recaps of the last time the New England Patriots played their upcoming opponent.
Last Time Out…
The New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs last met in the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs on Jan. 16, 2016 at Gillette Stadium. Despite a Chiefs’ rally, the Patriots pulled through with a 27-20 win to reach their 5th straight AFC Championship.
Noteworthy…
Kansas City came into New England on an 11-game winning streak, including a 30-0 victory over Houston in the wild-card round. But Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady had his weapons back - Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman came back from injuries to help the Patriots secure the win.
Brady threw for two touchdowns to Gronkowski and sneaked in another. The QB sneak happened after Brady ran for 10-yards and dove for the pylon at the end. The ball did not clear the goal line, but the Patriots got in the endzone soon after. The 10-yard run was Brady’s longest postseason run in nine years.
In Gronk’s return, he recovered an onside kick by Kansas City, after the Chiefs cut the score to 27-20 with just over a minute left.
The Stats…
Tom Brady went 28-for-42 with 302 yards and two touchdowns. Alex Smith went 29-for-50 with 246 yards and one touchdown.
Kansas City held the rushing edge over New England with a 135 to 38 advantage.
Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski put up impressive numbers on the receiving side. Edelman caught 10 passes for 100 yards, while Gronk caught seven for 83 yards.
Jason Avant led the way for the Chiefs with four catches for 69 yards.
On the defensive side, Patriots’ Dont’a Hightower came up big with a fumble recovery, while Chandler Jones recorded a sack. Logan Ryan and Patrick Chung recorded 9 total tackles each.
For the Chiefs, Eric Berry led the way with seven total tackles.
And Now…
Football is finally here! The NFL season kicks off tonight when the New England Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs in a matchup that is set to start at 8:30pm.
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