🏈 Chiefs vs Dolphins Preview, Belichick and the Pats Part Ways, Wild Card Weekend, NFL Trivia, and more! - 1/12/24

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Good morning Chiefs fans,

Today, we have a Chiefs preview, the latest on Bill Belichick and the Patriots, the Wild Card schedule, and more!

— Luke Gromer

Chiefs News

Wild Card Preview

• 🏈 Who: Dolphins (11-6) @ Chiefs (11-6)

• 📆 When: Saturday, 1/13, 7:00 pm

• 📍 Where: Arrowhead Stadium, KC, MO

• 📺 Watch: NBC (in the KC area) or Peacock

  • 🎙 On the Call: Mike Tirico & Jason Garrett

• 🎧 Listen: 106.5 FM in the KC area

  • 🎙 On the Call: Mitch Holthus & Danan Hughes

• 📔 Game Line: KC -4.5

• The weather will play a major factor in this game. It’s projected to be one of the coldest games in NFL history. The Dolphins are 0-10 in their last 10 games played in sub-40-degree weather, and the cold air will limit the effectiveness of the kicking and passing games.

  • Will the temperatures lead to an increase in mistakes on special teams and in the passing game?

  • Will the Chiefs place an even greater emphasis on running the ball in the cold against a depleted Dolphins defensive line?

• L’Jarius Sneed vs Tyreek Hill will be one of the key matchups in this game. Sneed has shut down top receivers all season long and has not surrendered a TD reception on over 90 targets thrown in his direction. In the previous matchup, Hill had 8 catches for 62 yards and a fumble that was returned for a TD.

  • Can Sneed and company slow down Hill and limit his explosive plays?

• The Chiefs’ wide receivers have been heavily criticized this season, and rightfully so, the Chiefs led the NFL in drops during the regular season with 44.

  • Can the wide receivers turn things around in the postseason and eliminate drops when it matters most?

• The Chiefs’ defense has been stellar this season, however, their one area of weakness has been surrendering TD drives early in the game. DC Steve Spagnuolo and players have talked extensively about the need to start the game off with stops.

  • Can the defense force the Dolphins to punt early in this game and allow the Chiefs to build a lead and play from in front?

Andy Reid and Travis Kelce spoke to the media on Thursday.

Andy Reid

• Injuries: Wanya Morris (concussion) is out for the game.

• “[Donovan Smith] will probably start.”

• On Belichick and Carroll: “I don’t know if they’re done coaching or not, but [they’re] great coaches…”

• On preparing for the cold: “No [there’s nothing you can do to prepare]. Cold is cold. You prepare and go do your thing. You go play… There’s one thing you don’t have to do and that’s tell them to stand by the warmer.”

• On his intention to coach next season: “I haven’t even thought about that. I’m thinking about one thing… I figured that would come up when you were talking about these things because I’m old, but not that old.”

Travis Kelce

• On not playing last week: “At the end of the day, I just didn’t care enough about [getting 1,000 receiving yards]. I felt like I could get some rest and let the guys go out there and just play the game instead of worrying about getting this old guy 16 yards. It just never felt right.”

• “I’m thinking more Super Bowls when I talk [about] legacy.”

• On retirement: “… I have no reason to stop playing football. I love it… I love the challenge it gives me every single day to try and be at my best. I have no desire to stop anytime soon.”

• On what he would do after football: “The SNL stuff kind of opened up a new happiness and career path for me. But it’s funny for me to even say that at this point in my career because I think it’s so much further down the road than it is right now.”

• The challenges of this year: “I’ve enjoyed the challenge of this year… It’s a different journey, and you’ve just got to appreciate each journey as they come… It’s a new challenge to find a way to get open. it’s a new challenge to find ways to win… We’ve just got to be able to grind it out as a team…”

• “We’re all growing in this thing together… Coach Reid understands what it takes to get there. We are all still learning in this thing together. Every single season is going to be different, and you’ve just got to accept it.

• On Tyreek Hill: “I expect KC to give him nothing but love… Who he was for this community, it speaks volumes… That’s why Tyreek is loved in this city, because of who he was off the field in this community… He’s always one of the best football players in the league when he’s on the field.”

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Around the NFL

The Latest

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots parted ways yesterday after a 24-year run, which included 9 Super Bowl appearances and 6 Super Bowl Championships.

Belichick and owner Robert Kraft held a press conference to discuss the decision. Belichick said, “This is a day of gratitude and celebration.” Kraft also explained his reasoning behind the decision.

According to Ian Rapoport, Jerod Mayo, the current linebackers coach and former player, is the leading candidate to replace Belichick with the Patriots

According to sources, the Patriots already had a succession plan in place with Mayo and will not even have to interview candidates if that’s the direction they go.

Belichick is still 15 wins shy of Don Shula’s NFL record of 347 wins as an HC, and he is expected to land with another team, potentially the Falcons.

All times listed are central time.

Stafford (LAR) vs Goff (DET)

• The Rams and Lions traded QBs on January 30th, 2021. Both organizations have to feel like the trade was a win-win. Since the trade, the Rams won a Super Bowl, and the Lions won their first division title in 30 years. The two QBs have even put up similar numbers since the trade.

  • Which QB will lead their team to victory in this matchup?

Flacco and the Browns

• With 6 games remaining, Joe Flacco came out of retirement and took over as the Browns starting QB and led them to a 4-2 finish. Flacco has been playing at a surprisingly high level and the Browns have the best defense in the NFL.

  • Can Flacco and the Browns make a deep run in the AFC?

The Sputtering Eagles

• The NFC champions from last season are limping into the playoffs at 11-6 after losing 5 of their last 6 games.

  • Can they find their playoff form or will Baker Mayfield and The Bucs put them out of their misery in the Wild Card round?

Trivia

NFL Trivia

Chiefs, NFL, and More

Worth the Click

• 🤔 Andy Reid without Mahomes vs Belichick without Brady, there is a clear winner

• 📺 Mike McDaniel was very honest about his struggle with alcohol and his journey to becoming a HC. We may not like McDaniel and the Dolphins on Saturday, but it’s hard not to respect him as a person!

• 🏆 Nick Wright talks about what it would mean historically if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl this season

• 😬 25% percent of the league has already fired their HC, here are all eight fired coaches

• 🏟 The Titans released a virtual tour of the new stadium they’re building

• 🐘 Alabama released a tribute video for Nick Saban after his retirement. Also, this stat about his players and championships is crazy.

• 🤯 Take a look at how many head coaches the other 31 NFL teams have used since the Patriots hired Belichick

• 👀 The stats for Mahomes and the Chiefs vs Tua and the Dolphins in sub-40-degree weather are VERY different