Every Kansas City Chiefs fan will probably circle the Week 11 match-up as the highlight of the entire season on what is already a loaded 2011 calendar. The Monday Night Football match-up at the New England Patriots features several stories between two inter-connected franchises that should serve up some intriguing football. And that’s exactly what other NFL experts are picking up on as they observe the schedule ahead.
Sports Illustrated Don Banks highlighted his favorite contests for the 2011 season in a recent column, including this Week 11 game:
I don’t have to tell a Patriots fan what happened the last time the Chiefs trucked into Gillette Stadium for a ballgame. Everybody remembers where they were during that 2008 season-opener, when quarterback Tom Brady proved mortal for the first time, going down with a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter (Bernard Pollard became a dirty couple of words in New England that day). Ironically, Matt Cassel’s starting career was launched with that hit, and now he’s back in Foxboro on a Monday night facing Brady as the Chiefs’ Pro Bowl quarterback. Small world, the NFL.
Gregg Rosenthal mentions the same game in his column on most intriguing 2011 NFL games, noting the Scott Pioli-Bill Belichick connection. In a stretch against formidable opponents, it seems this particular match will be interesting on several levels.