The New England Patriots will be searching for their first victory in Kansas City since 2004 when they hit the gridiron against the Chiefs on Sunday in this season’s AFC Championship Game as 3-point underdogs on the NFL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
New England is coming off a decisive 41-28 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in last weekend’s Divisional Playoff action as it heads into Sunday afternoon’s Patriots vs. Chiefs betting matchup at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Patriots silenced the naysayers with a dominant performance in their win over Los Angeles as 4-point favorites. With the victory, New England extended its current straight-up win streak on home turf to 16 games. However, the Patriots have struggled on the road at times this season, claiming victory in just three of eight outings while losing outright in three of their past four, all as betting favorites.
The Patriots, third at +333 on the updated Super Bowl odds, also have produced mixed results in recent clashes with the Chiefs, alternating between outright wins and losses over their past four, capped by a 43-40 win as 3.5-point favorites back in October. However, the team has come up short in its past two visits to Kansas City, averaging just 15 points per game during that stretch.
Conversely, the Chiefs regularly have run up the score when facing New England, scoring 40 or more points in three of their past four meetings including a 41-14 rout of the Patriots in their last visit to Arrowhead Stadium in September 2014.
Kansas City’s offensive exploits have been far from limited to dates with the Patriots. The Chiefs fueled their rise to the top of the AFC standings with a league-leading offense that averaged 35.3 points per game during the regular season. With last weekend’s crushing 31-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Chiefs now have posted wins by double-digit margins in six of nine home dates this season.
But while the stage is set for the Chiefs to make a bid for their first Super Bowl berth since 1970, the big story in Sunday’s contest may be the weather. With temperatures forecast to dip into the single digits Sunday evening, it remains to be seen how these two offenses will respond.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes racked up 278 passing yards in snowy conditions, but failed to find the end zone in last weekend’s win over the Colts, while Tom Brady has led the Patriots to victory in three of four playoff contests with the temperature at or below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
