Chiefs vs. Patriots: Who Holds the Edge in Every Phase of the Game?

The injury to Matt Cassel may have taken away one of the storylines of the New England Patriots welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs, but it didn't take away any of the excitement from this game.

There are still enough storylines to go around, with Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel each making their first trip back to New England since they left the team.

But none of those storylines will matter when the opening whistle sounds on Monday Night Football. All that will matter is, who holds the edge in the battles on the field?

Let's take a look at how it breaks down.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @ErikFrenz. 

Patriots Pass Attack vs. Chiefs Pass Defense

After having run cold for several weeks, the Patriots offense picked it up in the second half against the Jets. That's no small feat, considering it went up against what was once the league's best in defensive passer rating (59.4) but now ranks second (67.4).

The Chiefs pass defense had been pretty bad all season, with just one good performance against the Raiders where it let up no touchdowns and had six interceptions. For context, that game helped it move up 21 spots, from fifth-worst to seventh-best.

Since then, Kansas City has come back down to earth a bit and have a modest defensive passer rating of 84.1. With Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers both nursing injuries, though, Wes Welker and Deion Branch look poised to take advantage of inferior competition in Kansas City's defensive backfield. Look for Brady to target the outside of the field a bit more than he has in the past few weeks, and to have success doing so.

Advantage: Patriots

Patriots Running Attack vs. Chiefs Run Defense

The Chiefs would love it if the Patriots run the ball all day long. This has me thinking the Chiefs will do all they can to make that happen, even dropping seven or eight men into coverage as stated previously. The Patriots have been efficient running the ball, but their best weapon is clearly Brady, and any play he hands it off has to be considered a win for the defense.

They will likely do everything they can to stop Brady from torching them even if it means giving up whatever the Patriots want to take on the ground. That being said, the Patriots haven't run the ball with much consistency this year and struggled mightily to run against a Jets defense that's been very kind to opposing running backs this season.

The Chiefs have a very solid front line that is capable of clogging the lanes. Kelly Gregg, Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson have all been stout in run defense this year. The Patriots just haven't had a very consistent running game, and unless BenJarvus Green-Ellis returns to full health, look for that to continue against the Chiefs.

Advantage: Chiefs

Chiefs Pass Attack vs. Patriots Pass Defense

With Matt Cassel out, this battle takes on a completely different complexion. Ordinarily, you wouldn't expect a quarterback who has started just four games to come in on short notice and be prepared for an NFL opponent. But these are no ordinary circumstances.

The Patriots pass defense has been a very predictable unit until just two weeks ago. Since their thrashing at the hands of Ben Roethlisberger, the Patriots have held Eli Manning to a 77.9 passer rating and Mark Sanchez to just 64.7.

They are fortunate to get Tyler Palko instead of Matt Cassel, but they still have to deal with Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston, who have both been explosive receivers despite not getting into the end zone with much consistency.

New England's improving but unproven defense will go up against Kansas City's unproven quarterback. 

Advantage: None

Chiefs Running Attack vs. Patriots Run Defense

The Patriots haven't been as bad as advertised against the run this year. Although they gave up 4.4 yards per carry to the Jets, that was part of a game plan that literally dared the Jets to run the ball.

Though the Chiefs' running game has stayed afloat despite losing Jamaal Charles to injury, they aren't a real threat. Jackie Battle has been so hot-and-cold that it's hard to get a real read on him, and Dexter McCluster has been effective but so rarely utilized that it's hard to project his impact.

We could see more of the four-man front that the Patriots used on Sunday against the Jets, consisting of Mark Anderson, Vince Wilfork, Brandon Deaderick and Andre Carter. Although it has weaknesses against the run, those four were able to create a substantive amount of pressure on Sanchez. That would lend itself to a decent day on the ground for the Chiefs, but the Patriots would likely rather allow a big day running than allow Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston to run free in the secondary.

But can the Chiefs running backs even capitalize? Right now, it doesn't look so sure.

Advantage: Patriots

Special Teams

The return game hasn't been much of a factor for either team. 

Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski and Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop have a very close average and range, while the same can be said for punters Zoltan Mesko and Dustin Colquitt.

Headed into the game, this one's a wash.

Advantage: None

Coaching

Obviously, Bill Belichick is a more revered and more proven head coach than Todd Haley, but the real story is Romeo Crennel coming back to town.

If anyone knows how to throw a wrench in the Patriots offense, it's Crennel. Whether it's dropping seven or eight men in coverage, or moving the front seven around at the line of scrimmage to screw up the offensive line's protection calls and mess with Brady's pre-snap blitz reads, Crennel is the key to slowing down the Patriots offense.

That knowledge may give Kansas City a slight edge over New England, but there are always little apples that fall off the tree and carry with them the knowledge of where they came from. In that regard, Brian Waters is a very big apple, and could probably offer some insight on the Chiefs' defense having lined up across from them so many times in practice.

Advantage: None

Key Player for Patriots' Success

Jerod Mayo

The Chiefs would like to make Sunday as easy as possible for Tyler Palko. That will mean a lot of short passes and a lot of running the football.

The passing game will likely come primarily on short patterns to running backs, and one of Mayo's responsibilities will be coverage on tight ends and running backs out of the backfield.

Likewise, Mayo will also have to be a sure tackler. Although the Patriots defense as a whole has struggled with sure tackling, Mayo has missed just three tackles this year.

Key Player for Chiefs' Success

Tamba Hali

Hali leads the team with six sacks and has really evolved as a standout pass rusher under Romeo Crennel. Hali has consistently been able to rush from all over the field, acting as a chess piece of sorts.

The Patriots have struggled with that type of pass rusher, specifically Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware and Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley.

Romeo and Hali could pick up a tip or two on how to attack the Patriots offense from watching those games, and Hali has the skill set to make it work.

Conclusion

Although the Patriots was able to get back on track offensively against the Jets in the second half on Sunday night, Romeo Crennel and the Chiefs defense will likely have something special waiting for them on the other side.

That being said, the Patriots usually show up in top form for prime time games, and Tyler Palko just doesn't have the big game experience that someone like, say, Matt Flynn did.

Patriots 31, Chiefs 17