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New England Patriots: What to root for in Week 17

By Patrick Morgan

New England Patriots, Tom Brady (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
New England Patriots, Tom Brady (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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2. Oakland is an enormous underdog against the high-flying Chiefs, but stranger things have happened…

OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 02: Chris Conley #17 of the Kansas City Chiefs is tackled after a catch against the Oakland Raiders during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 2, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 02: Chris Conley #17 of the Kansas City Chiefs is tackled after a catch against the Oakland Raiders during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 2, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

As of Saturday, the Chiefs are nearly two-touchdown favorites over the Raiders. At 4-11, Jon Gruden’s team is tied with the New York Jets for the worst record in the conference.

Not much has gone right for the black-and-silver in what could be their final season before relocation, but the team did just beat the Broncos in emphatic fashion on Christmas Eve. Perhaps Gruden can channel that emotional high into another win, only this time on the road and against much stronger competition.

Without a doubt, a Raider victory on Sunday would go down as one of the season’s biggest upsets, right up there with that stunning Minnesota home loss to Buffalo in Week 3.

It would also pave the way for the Patriots to leapfrog the Chiefs on the strength of their head-to-head victory… provided the Chargers lose too, of course.

Robbing the Chiefs of home-field advantage would be significantly more advantageous than doing the same to the Chargers. With all due respect to the StubHub Center and Bolts fanatics everywhere, the Chargers have maybe the worst home-field advantage in the NFL. The Chiefs, on the other hand, have one of the best.

We all know what a house of horrors Arrowhead Stadium can be for the Patriots. The last thing New England needs is an AFC Championship Game in Kansas City; better to make the Chiefs come to Foxborough again, where they’ve already lost once in front of a national audience.

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