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Patriots Blog: Chiefs Look To Stop Gronk, Hernandez

FOXBORO (CBS) - Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley knows that he has a challenge ahead of him.

The first, and obvious, is Tom Brady.  The New England quarterback is always the first Patriot on every opponents board to stop.

Haley's focus though was on the tight ends.  He finds Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez the keys to slowing down the Patriots offense.

"Both these guys are really playing well. Hernandez and Gronkowski are players that I both, personally, really thought a lot of coming out [of college] and we spent time with both the guys at the combine," Haley said. "We spent a lot of time watching tape and [they're] players that [we] really, really thought had a chance to be good and they haven't disappointed."

Read: Levan Reid's Patriots Blog

Although he isn't the first guy to make this realization, Haley is right.

Gronkowski is second on the Patriots in targets at 73, behind Wes Welker's 101. Hernandez is fourth with 55. Between the two of them, Gronk and Hernandez have 89 receptions and 13 touchdowns.

Brady also love going to them in the red zone, throwing their way 28 times inside the 20 in their first year and a half in the NFL.

So yeah Todd, you might want to focus on those guys...

Tune in to the Patriots-Chiefs Monday Night showdown on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Pregame coverage begins at 5 pm, and after the game tune in to the postgame show on 98.5, and Patriots Fifth Quarter on My TV38.

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