Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots Week 1 NFL Picks & Predictions 9/7/2017

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Gillette Stadium

Get todays NFL Odds & Lines on this game

The Kansas City Chiefs travel to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots on Thursday, September 7, 2017. The opening line for this game has New England as 7 point favorites. The over/under has been set at 50. The Chiefs had an ATS record of 9-7-1 last season while their over/under record was 6-11-0. The Patriots had an over/under record of 8-10-0 and they were 15-3-0 against the spread.

Valuable Kansas City Chiefs Betting Trends

The Kansas City Chiefs were 6-11-0 against the over/under last season

The Kansas City Chiefs were 9-7-1 against the spread last year

Important New England Patriots Betting Trends

The New England Patriots were 8-10-0 against the over/under last season

The New England Patriots were 15-3-0 against the spread last year

Key Kansas City Chiefs Injuries

08/26/17 RB Spencer Ware Knee out indefinitely
08/18/17 K Cairo Santos Groin "?" Thursday vs. New England
07/30/17 DL Chris Jones Knee PUP
07/30/17 LB Dadi Nicolas Knee PUP

Key New England Patriots Injuries

08/28/17 LB Elandon Roberts Ribs "?" Thursday vs. Kansas City
08/25/17 WR Julian Edelman ACL out for season

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Kansas City Chiefs were 13th in the NFL in points scored with 389 last season. They ran 990 plays last year for 5,488 yards, which ranked them 20th in the league in total offense. The Chiefs averaged 5.5 yards per play, which was 16th in the National Football League. As a team they accumulated a total of 305 1st downs last year, placing them 24th overall as an offensive unit. On the ground Kansas City ran for 1,748 yards as a team, which ranked 15th in the NFL. They ran 412 times last year, averaging 4.2 yards per carry as a rushing unit. The Chiefs were penalized on offense 109 times for 848 yards last season, which had them 14th in the league in penalties. Alex Smith threw for 3,502 yards last season. He completed 328 passes on 489 attempts for a completion percentage of 67.1%. His QBR last year was 66.1 while is quarterback rating was 91.2. He averaged 7.2 yards per pass attempt and 10.7 yards per completion.

Defensive Statistics

Kansas City was 7th in the league in points allowed on defense with 311 last year. They surrendered a total of 5,896 yards on D, which was 24th in the NFL. The Chiefs were ranked 16th in yards per play allowed with 5.5. Their pass defense gave up 6.3 net yards per pass attempt, placing them 16th in the league as a unit. Opposing offenses completed 350 passes on 598 attempts against the Kansas City Chiefs defense last season, placing them 15th and 27th in the National Football League. The Kansas City pass defense also gave up a total of 3,958 yards through the air, which was 18th overall in total pass defense. Their rushing defense allowed 437 attempts for 1,938 yards last year, putting them in 26th place in the league against the run. The Chiefs committed 109 penalties for 797 yards on the defensive side of the ball last season. That ranked them 4th in the NFL. They gave up a score on 31.9% of possessions on defense, which was 8th in the league.

Special Teams Stats

Kansas City was ranked 6th in the league in punt returns last season with 40. They accumulated 592 punt return yards and averaged 14.8 yards per return, which was 1st in the NFL. Their longest punt return last year was 95 yards. They returned 40 kicks for 943 yards on special teams, ranking 4th in kick return yardage. The Chiefs averaged 23.6 yards per kick return and had a long of 86 yards last year. They were 5th in the league in all-purpose yards with 7,197. The Kansas City Chiefs attempted 35 field goals last season and made 31, which was 7th in the National Football League. Their kickers had a field goal percentage of 88.6%. Kansas City Chiefs kickers made 92% of their extra points, going 36 for 39 last year. Their punters totaled 3,427 yards on 76 punts, averaging 45.1 yards per punt. That placed them 18th in the NFL in punting average.

Useful Offensive Statistics

The New England Patriots ran for 1,872 yards as a unit last year, which ranked 7th in the league. They ran 482 times, averaging 3.9 yards per rush as a unit. The Patriots were penalized on offense 93 times for 819 yards last season, which had them 28th in the NFL in penalties. They were 3rd in the National Football League in points scored with 441. They ran 1,056 plays last year for 6,180 yards, which ranked them 4th in the NFL in total offense. The Patriots averaged 5.9 yards per play, which was 5th in the league. As a team they accumulated a total of 351 1st downs last season, ranking them 5th overall as an offensive unit. Tom Brady completed 291 throws while attempting 432 passes for a completion percentage of 67.4% last year. He passed for 3,554 yards. He averaged 12.2 yards per completion and 8.2 yards per pass attempt. His quarterback rating last season was 112.2 and his QBR was 83.0.

Defensive Statistics

The Patriots rush defense gave up 368 attempts for 1,417 yards last season, putting them in 3rd place in the NFL against the run. They had 113 penalties for 930 yards on defense last year. That placed them 17th in the league. They allowed a score on 26.8% of possessions on defense, which was 1st in the NFL. New England was 1st in the NFL in points surrendered on defense with 250. They gave up a total of 5,223 yards on D, which was 8th in the league. The Patriots were 8th in yards per play allowed with 5.2. Their pass defense allowed 6 net yards per pass attempt, ranking them 6th in the National Football League. Opponent offenses completed 368 throws on 596 attempts against the New England defense last season, ranking them 17th and 26th in the league. The New England Patriots pass defense also surrendered a total of 3,806 yards in the air, which was 12th overall in total pass defense.

Special Teams Stats

The New England Patriots tried 32 field goals last season and made 27, which was 14th in the league. Their kickers had a FG percentage of 84.4%. New England kickers made 94% of their extra points, going 46 for 49 last season. Their punters accumulated 3,218 yards on 72 punts, averaging 44.7 yards per punt. That ranked them 22nd in the NFL in punting average. New England was 2nd in the NFL in punt returns with 45 last year. They totaled 309 punt return yards and averaged 6.9 yards per return, which was 25th in the league. Their longest punt return last season was 30 yards. They returned 29 kicks for 542 yards on special teams, placing them 25th in kick return yardage. The Patriots averaged 18.7 yards per kick return and had a long of 73 yards last season. They were 6th in the National Football League in all-purpose yards with 7,179.

Who will win tonight's Chiefs/Patriots NFL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Chiefs +7

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