FOXBORO — Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce needs to be making ready for a irritating day on the workplace Sunday as he will get set to face a Bill Belichick-coached Patriots protection.
Belichick brazenly acknowledged the Patriots had a plan to “neutralize” edge defender T.J. Watt and large receiver George Pickens in final week’s 21-18 win over the Steelers. It labored. Watt was held to only 5 tackles and one deal with for loss whereas dealing with off principally in opposition to proper deal with Mike Onwenu. Watt did get injured on the primary play of the sport however was on the sphere for many of the contest. After the sport, he was recognized with a concussion however has since cleared protocol. Pickens caught simply 5 passes on six targets for 19 yards.
Prior to final week’s recreation, Belichick was requested about Watt and gave a 364-word response about every little thing he does nicely.
Belichick’s longest response on this Wednesday’s presser was when he was requested what continues to make Kelce so harmful. It was solely barely shorter than his reply about Watt.
“He’s acquired an actual good really feel for play, get open. He has an ideal chemistry with (quarterback Patrick) Mahomes. Lots of his performs come on prolonged performs, free performs. He definitely will get his share of run a route, get open, and get the ball, however I’d say quite a lot of his performs don’t come like that. The play begins after which one thing occurs, after which he adjusts the route. Or, Patrick scrambles, after which he finds him. He does a superb job of getting open.
“He’s got good size. Even when you cover him, there’s a place to throw the ball where the defender can’t get it. He’s just big and has a big catch radius. He’s good with the ball in his hands. He’s a good runner after a catch. He’s got a strong, stiff arm. I wouldn’t say elusive, like a slot receiver elusive, but he’s a hard guy to tackle because he’s big and athletic. They get him on some design plays, bubble screens, and things like that where they almost hand him the ball. He can make yards with it after the play, like they do with other players. There’s a few of those for him, too.”
With Tyreek Hill now in Miami, operating again Isaiah Pacheco’s standing unsure and an general depleted pass-catching corps, it’s honest to imagine the Patriots’ defensive recreation plan in opposition to the Chiefs will embrace making an attempt to neutralize Kelce on Sunday.
They’ve carried out it prior to now, too. In seven video games in opposition to the Patriots, Kelce has by no means put up 100 receiving yards. He has simply 37 catches on 55 targets for 376 yards with two touchdowns in these 5 contests. Kelce averages 53.7 yards per recreation in opposition to the Patriots and 74.3 yards per recreation in opposition to each different crew. The Patriots have used cornerbacks in opposition to Kelce prior to now, however they don’t have a participant of that caliber on the roster this season.
The Patriots’ offense has ranked among the many league’s worse this season and are largely guilty for the crew’s 3-10 report. But the protection ranks tenth general in DVOA — twenty first in opposition to the cross and first in opposition to the run. They’re center of the street — 14th — at defending tight ends.
“We’ve got to make sure we tackle,” linebacker Jahlani Tavai mentioned of Kelce. “A lot of his film, he makes plays by breaking tackles.”
Rookie large receiver Rashee Rice is the Chiefs’ second-leading pass-catcher with 59 receptions for 663 yards with six touchdowns. If Pacheco can’t play, then Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon must step up in his place.
Belichick opened himself up for questions on Kelce’s girlfriend, pop star Taylor Swift, earlier than the season started when he talked on WEEI about being at one in every of her live shows this summer season at Gillette Stadium.
“That was pretty impressive,” Belichick mentioned on “The Greg Hill Show.” “She’s tough, man. Just stood out there and played right through it.”
He delivered a basic quote on Kelce on the time saying, “Well, I would say that Travis Kelce has had a lot of big catches in his career. This would be the biggest.”
Now as the sport nears, Belichick was far more keen to speak about Kelce than to play alongside when requested about the opportunity of Swift being in attendance for Sunday’s recreation.
“I’m really focused on trying to get our team ready to play Kansas City,” Belichick mentioned this week on “The Greg Hill Show.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com