FOXBOROUGH Nick Allegretti Jersey nfl draft , Mass. — The Patriots are going on the road again in the playoffs, a place that hasn’t always been kind to them during the Tom Brady era.New England was unbeatable at home this season, going 8-0 during the regular season and rolling past the Los Angeles Chargers in the divisional round.Playing outside of Massachusetts has provided different outcomes. Brady is 8-4 in AFC championship games with a 6-1 record at home. But he’s just 2-3 on the road in the conference title game, with both wins coming at Pittsburgh during the 2001 and 2004 seasons. New England was 3-5 in games away from Gillette Stadium in the 2018 regular season.The Patriots enter Sunday’s AFC title game at Kansas City trying to become the first team since the 1990s Bills to reach the Super Bowl after losing it the previous season. They haven’t won a road playoff game since beating the Chargers 24-21 in the divisional round of the 2006 season.The Patriots lost to the Colts on the road in the 2006 AFC title game and twice at Denver — in the AFC championship game during the 2013 season and again in the 2015 AFC title game. New England has played the rest of its 22 playoff games since 2006 at home or a neutral field in the Super Bowl.“It’s tough to beat the No. 1 seed on the road. That’s the reality, just like we’re tough to beat at home when we’re the No. 1 seed,” Brady said this week. “It takes a lot. It takes a lot of good football. It takes a great complementary game. All three phases have to be on point. We’re going against a team that scores a lot of points.”They will also have to deal with what could be the coldest temperature for a game in Arrowhead Stadium history. An arctic blast is forecast for Kansas City.Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower said his focus will be on trying to contain the NFL’s top scoring offense and not the thermometer.“It’s definitely one of the hardest places to play. But, at the end of the day, it just comes down to executing. It comes down to football and executing plays,” Hightower said. “They’re a high-powered offense and they’re real good on defense, so obviously defensively, we’re going to have to eliminate big plays.”The Patriots opened the week as a three-point underdog, the first time in 68 games, including playoffs, that Brady didn’t enter a week as the favorite.The previous time Brady wasn’t the favorite was on Sept. 20 Super Bowl Nick Allegretti Jersey , 2015, at Buffalo. The Pats were two-point underdogs that day and won the game 40-32.It’s why Chiefs coach Andy Reid is expecting Brady and the Patriots’ best effort on Sunday.“They’re a heck of a team, so I don’t get caught up in all that,” Reid said. “You’re talking about a dynasty, if there is such a thing, in the National Football League. They’ve been that. You’re talking about a head coach that I think the world of him, I think he’s a great coach. He’s done a phenomenal job keeping that thing together. We’re getting ready to get their best shot — offense, defense and special teams.”Brady didn’t hide his thoughts for the Patriots’ critics in the aftermath of their divisional-round win over the Chargers, commenting, “I know everybody thinks we suck and, you know, we can’t win any games.” But he tried to downplay being officially cast in the role of underdog this week.“It doesn’t change much for us, but it just kind of shows you what people think about what our chances are. That’s about it,” Brady said.At least one of his teammates didn’t play it quite as coyly.Receiver Julian Edelman posted #BetAgainstUs on his Twitter account accompanied with a video that featured highlights of the Chiefs’ season. The montage ends with shots of Brady and Edelman from New England’s comeback win in overtime from a 25-point deficit in the Super Bowl against Atlanta in the 2016 season.So Football Nick Allegretti Jersey , is being an underdog motivation or not for the Patriots?“If you’re not motivated this week, you’ve got a major problem,” Brady said. “This is the week where you shouldn’t have to put anything extra in. This is what it’s all about. You sign up any chance you get to play in the AFC championship game, so I don’t care where, when, time, cold weather, rain, blood. It don’t matter.”100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense had heard the chorus of critics all season long, the ones that claimed their sieve-like line and shaky backfield would spoil young superstar Patrick Mahomes and cost them a chance to chase their first Super Bowl appearance in decades.Well, that defense is a big reason why the Chiefs are one step away.With persistent snow turning Arrowhead Stadium into a winter wonderland, the Chiefs successfully shut down Andrew Luck and the potent Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.Mahomes and the rest of their own high-powered offense took care of the rest, rolling to a 31-13 victory in the divisional round to end 25 years of playoff frustration.“We’re such a different team Mecole Hardman Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys ,” said Mahomes, who threw for 278 yards while running for a score. “We have such young players. We have such confidence we’re going to win every single game.”Damien Williams ran through snow and muck for 129 yards and another score, and Tyreek Hill had 72 yards receiving and a touchdown run, as the Chiefs beat Indianapolis for the first time in five playoff meetings to earn their first AFC title game appearance since January 1994.The AFC West champions will play the winner of Sunday’s game between the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers and the New England Patriots next weekend for a spot in the Super Bowl in Atlanta.“We wanted to light up the city,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “We didn’t want to take the road down memory lane.”Andrew Luck was held to 203 yards passing for the Colts, while Marlon Mack was a non-factor on the ground. He had 46 yards rushing before leaving late in the fourth quarter with a hip injury.“Was not expecting it to end today,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “We knew we were going up against a very good team, a very well-coached team. It’s hard to lose. It’s hard to lose when you’ve come this far with the team that we have and the guys that we have, so credit to the Chiefs.“They outcoached us, they outplayed us,” Reich said. “We just gave them too many opportunities.”The Chiefs set out to change history from the opening minutes, when they forced a three-and-out and then waltzed right over a Colts defense that nearly shut out the Texans a week ago. Mahomes and Co. scored on their first three possessions, then again just before halftime, to take a 24-7 lead.If there was any question whether this would be Kansas City’s day Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys 2019 , it was answered when Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri missed a 23-yard field-goal try off the upright just before halftime. It was the first time in 22 postseason attempts that he’d missed from that close.Not that the Chiefs thought they had it wrapped up.They’ve had bigger playoff meltdowns against the Colts.There was the 10-7 loss in which Lin Elliott missed three field goals when the Chiefs were the No. 1 seed, and the loss at Arrowhead Stadium in 2003 in which nobody punted. Five years ago, they blew a 38-10 second-half lead against Luck and the Colts to spoil Andy Reid’s first season.Not this time.Not with this Kansas City quarterback.After shattering nearly every franchise passing record, Mahomes picked up right where he left off in his regular-season finale. He led the Chiefs on touchdown drives of 90 and 70 yards to open the game, quickly identified a favorite target in Travis Kelce, and shook off a banged-up knee to scramble for a touchdown late in the first half to give his team a big cushion.Of course, the Chiefs (13-4) didn’t need it the way their defense was playing.The Colts (11-7) went three-and-out on their first four possessions, were outgained 185-12 in the first quarter, and Luck didn’t complete a pass until he found T.Y Hilton early in the second.Their lone bright spot came when Zach Paschal recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown.Even when the Colts caught a break and Sammy Watkins fumbled the ball to them late in the third quarter, they were quick to give it back. Dee Ford stripped Luck and fellow linebacker Justin Houston plopped on the ball, ruining another red-zone opportunity.“It seemed like the rushers were getting there all night,” Chiefs cornerback Kendall Fuller said. “Guys sticking coverage, playing good technique, good eyes and things like that.”The Colts finally scored an offensive touchdown with 5:31 left in the game. But in the perfect summation of their lousy afternoon 2019 Mecole Hardman Kansas City Chiefs , their erstwhile star kicker missed the extra point.By that point, the party in the stands already had begun.The Chiefs had lost six straight home playoff games, including heartbreakers to Pittsburgh and Tennessee the past two years. But a proud franchise that won its only Super Bowl title with Len Dawson in 1970, and last played for a spot behind Joe Montana, is once more one step away.“I’m just happy for these guys in this locker room,” Kelce said. “Playoff wins are hard to come by, let alone wins in the NFL. So, I mean, it’s just exciting for us to be able to play next week.”100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj MehtaSNOWBALL FIGHTReid was summoned to the corner of the stadium during the two-minute warning in the first half to implore fans to stop throwing snowballs on the field. Earlier in the half, one almost hit Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez while he was kicking.INJURIESColts: Center Ryan Kelly (knee) left late in the fourth quarter. … FS Malik Hooker (foot) and DE Tyquan Lewis (knee) were inactive, while SS Mike Mitchell (calf) was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. That left the Colts defense without some key pieces.Chiefs: Safety Eric Berry (heel) and running back Spencer Ware (hamstring) were inactive, though Berry — the team’s emotional leader — broke down the pregame huddle in the north end zone.UP NEXTChiefs: Await the Chargers-Patriots winner in the AFC title game.Colts: Begin preparing for April’s draft.