Despite their 28-22 loss to the Houston Texans, the New England Patriots entered the week as a three-point favorite over the Kansas City Chiefs in their Week 14 clash at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, per Odds Shark. The showdown will be a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship clash where the Patriots emerged victorious en route to their sixth Super Bowl trophy. Even though the Patriots are struggling on offense, former NFL running back Brian Westbrook said he expects veteran quarterback Tom Brady to outplay young Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes.
“This is what I know about the New England Patriots at home: They’ve won 21 straight, including the playoffs, going back to last year. They’re really good at home,” said Westbrook, a two-time Pro Bowl rusher, on Fox Sports 1’s “First Things First”.
Also, Westbrook said the Patriots’ defense at home is spectacular as it has given up only two touchdowns with seven interceptions. The last three quarterbacks – Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns and Daniel Jones of the New York Giants -- who played at Gillette Stadium averaged just 189 yards passing. Westbrook said he factored in the defense in selecting the Patriots over the Chiefs, whose defense has produced a bunch of turnovers.
“In fact, I would take Brady over Mahomes in this matchup based on the defense,” said Westbrook. The Patriots (10-2) dropped to No. 2 in the AFC following their loss to the Texans, but head coach Bill Belichick and Brady are focused on bringing their team back on track against the Chiefs.
Former NFL star says Brady should not retire after this season
The 2019 season has been a struggle for Brady amid the Patriots lack of veteran wide receivers and a shaky offensive line. This season, Brady has completed 297 of 486 passes for 3,268 yards and 18 touchdowns with six interceptions. While the numbers are not bad for a 42-year-old signal caller, it is subpar in terms of Brady’s standards. Amid his struggles, many believe that this season might be Brady’s last and he might call it a career after 20 years in the NFL.
However, former NFL defensive end and current host of FS1’s “Speak For Yourself” Marcellus Wiley said Brady should keep going and get out of the game on his own terms as the greatest player of all time. “Hell no,” Wiley replied when asked if Brady should retire after the season. “If I’m Tom Brady I’m like, ‘Look, you can’t un-GOAT me.’” Wiley said Brady should laugh at opinions urging him to stop because they “didn’t even know how far I could go.”
Brady tops jersey sales on Cyber Monday
The Baltimore Ravens may have beaten the Patriots, 37-20, in their Week 9 clash, but Brady has lorded it over young quarterback Lamar Jackson in terms of jersey sales. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Brady’s jerseys have remained as top-seller on Fanatics.com on Cyber Monday, outselling Jackson. However, Jackson outsold every other athlete when it comes to total merchandise. Throughout his career, Brady has emerged as No. 1 in terms of jersey sales in the NFL several times.