The Patriots are the two-time defending AFC champions, but it sure sounds like Stephen A. Smith isn’t expecting a trifecta from New England in the conference.
While conventional wisdom might lead one to believe that the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC will go through Gillette Stadium, the “First Take” co-host believes, at the moment, that there’s a new sheriff in town: the Kansas City Chiefs.
Here’s why Smith believes the Chiefs are the team to beat in the AFC, as seen Tuesday on ESPN:
It feels a bit too early to be completely confident in the Chiefs’ offense. Patrick Mahomes has been remarkable through the first quarter of the season, but it’s pretty tough to expect the first-year starting quarterback to keep it up throughout the campaign. Conversely, the Patriots’ offense very well could begin to take off now that Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman are in the mix.
While we probably won’t be able to determine the AFC’s true team to beat until later in the season, we could form a bit of an idea when the Patriots host the Chiefs in a Week 6 “Sunday Night Football” matchup.
