The Patriots beat the Chiefs 17-10 Sunday, a score that was overshadowed by a season-ending knee injury to quarterback Tom Brady.
It may be the most bittersweet win in the history of the NFL, but they will enter this Sunday’s showdown with the Jets 1-0.
“I think any time you’re not facing Tom Brady; it gives you a better chance,” Brett Favre says. “I’m just giving him the respect he deserves. The guy has been outstanding, as good as anyone that has ever played the game. Matt Cassel played great the other day when he came in. They assume he will do that.
“Tom Brady is Tom Brady. So that does give us a better chance.”
After Brady went down with a knee injury that ended his season, Cassel stepped in and drove the Patriots 98 yards ending with a Randy Moss touchdown. In the third quarter, Cassel took the team 80 yards for another touchdown.
But in the end, the game likely was much closer than it would have been had Brady been healthy. The Chiefs got down to the Patriots 5-yard line with 50 seconds left, before the Patriots defense stiffened.
So instead of Favre vs. Brady, it will be Favre vs. Cassel this Sunday at 4 p.m.
“They still have a lot of great players,” Favre says. “Bill Belichick is one of the best, if not the best coach in football right now. I don’t see how people can say we’re the team to beat. I think we have a better chance given the circumstances, but we still have a long way to go.”