Even if Chiefs' Jeremy Maclin plays vs. Patriots, impact could be minimal

Maclin could be limited if he does play

Even if Jeremy Maclin suits up for the Chiefs for today's Divisional round matchup against the Patriots, his impact could be limited.

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NFL Network's Jeff Darlington reported on Saturday morning that Maclin (ankle) is facing an "uphill battle" to play today in Foxborough. Then early this afternoon, Darlington's colleague Ian Rapoport reported that Maclin was struggled to walk earlier in the week.

If Maclin plays, it's likely that he would just be a decoy. Bill Belichick often does a great job finding ways to take away the opposition's best weapon so with Maclin banged up, the Patriots will likely devise a scheme that blankets tight end Travis Kelce in coverage. If Kelce is also taken out of the mix, that puts a lot of pressure on quarterback Alex Smith to move the ball consistently against New England's defense.

According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Chiefs are currently a 5-point underdog versus the Patriots while the over/under sits at 43.5 points.

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