Although nobody will feel bad the Patriots, even their biggest detractors must admit that the league is putting them in a tough spot on Monday night.<\/p>\n
New England will travel to Kansas City on Monday morning, then play Patrick Mahomes and the defending champs without star quarterback Cam Newton a few hours after arriving in KC.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Newton tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday and must remain on the COVID-19\/reserve list for a minimum of five days and test negative on consecutive days before he can return.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With Newton in quarantine, the Patriots will turn to veteran backup Brian Hoyer against the Chiefs with the possibility looming of more positive tests.<\/span><\/p>\n There were times in camp where Hoyer was the most comfortable Pats quarterback in Josh McDaniels\u2019s system. But make no mistake about it, he\u2019s a limited downfield passer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hoyer has a quick trigger finger and makes proper decisions with the football. However, his arm talent limits how successfully he can push the ball downfield into closing or tight windows.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n McDaniels will need to manage his backup quarterback, and without the threat of Newton\u2019s legs, the fear is that Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will return to his 2019 game plan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Spagnuolo, especially on third down, limited Tom Brady to 169 passing yards by playing Cover-7, which allows the defense to bracket the quarterback’s top threats. Newton might\u2019ve forced Spagnuolo into other coverages by making him pay for playing without a QB spy. But now the Chiefs defense can go back to their successful 2019 plan against the stationary Hoyer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The odds are long for New England to pull off the upset in Arrowhead Stadium, given their travel circumstances, a whirlwind weekend, and Hoyer starting over Newton. Still, barring a last-minute snag, the game will be played on Monday night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here are a few ways that McDaniels and Hoyer can move the football against the Chiefs defense:<\/span><\/p>\n Assuming the Patriots offense can stay ahead of the chains, we could see them run the football 40-plus times. In all likelihood, they would\u2019ve done that with Newton too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The game’s pace will be critical, as a track meet with Mahomes will result in a blowout loss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n McDaniels is one of the best play designers and sequencers in the league when it comes to marrying his run concepts with play-action passes. With play-action, the Pats can create larger throwing windows for Hoyer, so he doesn\u2019t need to thread the needle all the time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n1. Run, Run, Run, Play-Action, and Run Some More<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n