KANSAS CITY (12-5) at NEW ENGLAND (12-4)
Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET, CBS
OPENING LINE -- Patriots by 4 1/2
RECORD VS. SPREAD -- Kansas City 9-8-0, New England 7-6-3
SERIES RECORD -- Patriots lead 17-13-3
LAST MEETING -- Chiefs beat Patriots 41-14, Sept. 29, 2014
LAST WEEK -- Chiefs beat Texans 30-0; Patriots had first-round bye
AP PRO32 RANKING -- Chiefs No. 3, Patriots No. 5
CHIEFS OFFENSE -- OVERALL (27), RUSH (6), PASS (30).
CHIEFS DEFENSE -- OVERALL (7), RUSH (8), PASS (9).
PATRIOTS OFFENSE -- OVERALL (6), RUSH (30), PASS (5).
PATRIOTS DEFENSE -- OVERALL (9), RUSH (9), PASS (17).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES -- Only matchup in divisional round not rematch of regular-season meeting. ... Teams meeting in postseason for first time. ... With victory at Houston last weekend, Chiefs earned first playoff win since beating Houston Oilers in divisional round in January 1994. ... Kansas City has won 11 consecutive games, longest in team history and longest active streak in league. Chiefs are first NFL team to have 10-game winning streak and five-game losing streak in same season. ... Andy Reid has more victories (32) in first three seasons with Chiefs than any other head coach in franchise history in three-year span to start with team. ... QB Alex Smith has 10 TDs and just one INT in four career playoff games. He beat Patriots in only career start against them in teams' last meeting, going 20 of 26 for 248 yards with three TDs and no INTs for 144.4 rating. ... RB Knile Davis returned opening kickoff vs. Texans 106 yards for longest in AFC wild-card history and second-longest overall in postseason history, topped only by Baltimore's Jacoby Jones (108) in Super Bowl in 2013. ... Jeremy Maclin led Chiefs with career-high 87 catches in regular season, most in team history by Chiefs wide receiver, but status was uncertain because of sprained ankle. ... Chiefs rookie WR Chris Conley had 9-yard TD catch in playoff debut. ... Chiefs TE Travis Kelce had career-best 72 catches in regular season, joining Tony Gonzalez as only Chiefs TEs with 70 or more receptions in single season. He had career-high 128 yards receiving on eight catches vs. Texans. ... LB Justin Houston returned last week from hyperextended knee. ... Chiefs rookie CB Marcus Peters tied for first in NFL with eight INTs, including two returned for TDs. He has five INTs in last six games, including one last weekend vs. Texans. ... K Cairo Santos kicked 49-yard FG last week, longest in playoff game for Chiefs. ... Patriots tied for fourth in NFL history with 11 trips to AFC championship. They would clinch fifth consecutive appearance with win over Chiefs, and tie Oakland (1973-77) for most in row. ... New England won AFC East for seventh straight season, tying 1973-79 Los Angeles Rams for most consecutive division titles in NFL history. Also first team to win 12 division titles in 13 seasons. ... Patriots 17-4 at home in postseason. ... With 22 postseason victories, Bill Belichick has most in NFL history. Belichick and Tom Brady also have most postseason wins by coach-QB combination with 21. ... Brady's 21 playoff wins are most of any QB in NFL history. He holds league career marks in playoff yards passing (7,345), TDs (53), completions (683) and attempts (1,085). Brady is 21-8 in playoffs. ... TE Rob Gronkowski led Patriots with 11 TD catches during regular season and is only TE in NFL history with five career 10-TD seasons. He has 37 catches for 527 yards and six TDs in eight career playoff games, and needs one TD catch to tie Dave Casper and Vernon Davis for most by TE in postseason history. ... WR Julian Edelman likely to return after missing two months with broken foot suffered against Giants in Week 10. ... LB Chandler Jones was Pro Bowl selection who was fifth in NFL with career-high 12 1/2 sacks, but was admitted to hospital Sunday and released later that day with unspecified emergency that also involved Foxborough police. Team said in statement that he had not missed practice or any team meetings. ... K Stephen Gostkowski ranks seventh in NFL history with 117 career postseason points, tied with Adam Vinatieri for most in franchise history.
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