KANSAS CITY, Mo. — From Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson to New England’s Cam Newton, the task of preparing to defend against a dual-threat quarterback doesn’t get easier for the Chiefs.

Or does it?

“Realistically, they’re pretty much the same guy,” Chiefs free safety Juan Thornhill said. “I see it as we’ve had four games in a row where we have a mobile quarterback pretty much.

“I mean the Chargers’ (Justin Herbert) was pretty mobile as well, but these guys are all great and athletic, so it’s pretty much going to be doing the same things that we’ve been doing. Just hopefully we just come out with the win.”

Thornhill has a point, of course, as the Chiefs emerged victorious against Jackson, Herbert and Deshaun Watson in their previous three games.

Newton, however, provides a unique challenge as the Chiefs prepare to host the Patriots at Arrowhead Stadium this weekend.

At 6-foot-5, 245-pounds, Newton is an imposing physical specimen and is easily the biggest signal-caller the Chiefs will face through the first four games of the regular season. He uses his size well in the pocket, but he’s especially effective in the running game, with 4,995 career yards rushing and 62 touchdowns entering Sunday’s game.

Without Tom Brady, who signed a free-agent deal with Tampa Bay during the offseason, this is clearly a different Patriots offense that Chiefs are facing in Week 4.

The Patriots currently rank first in the league in rushing, totaling 534 yards in three games for a healthy average of 178. Newton, who spent nine seasons in Carolina before joining the Patriots in the wake of Brady’s departure, has done his part with 149 yards and four touchdowns.

And statistically, the Patriots have adjusted how they run their offense with their new quarterback, according to personnel groupings as monitored by SharpFootballStats.com.

In their two previous seasons with Brady, the Patriots ran 54% of their total plays in 11-personnel packages (one running back, one tight end), meaning three wide receivers on the field. They ran that look 32% of the time in 2018 and 32% in 2019.

With Newton, the Patriots’ are running 11-personnel groupings at 60% through three games. Their running plays out of the package are also up, at 39%.

For comparison purposes, Watson’s Texans have run the ball just 29% of the time out of 11 personnel, while Jackson’s Ravens have run it 37%.

Brady won’t ever be considered one of the NFL’s more mobile quarterbacks, but Newton, a three-time Pro Bowl selection and the NFL’s 2015 MVP, gives the Patriots another weapon to deploy on the ground to keep defenses on their toes.

And New England doesn’t have to unleash its running attack through 12-personnel (one running back, two tight ends) or 21-personnel (two running backs, one tight end).

“They do a heck of a job on the offensive side,” Chiefs Coach Andy Reid said. “They’ve got a great coordinator (Josh McDaniels) who has been doing it a long time and done it a bunch of different ways, and they’ve got good players.

“Cam being in a role there that he has fully accepted and I think he’s enjoying, so he’s doing a great job. So, we anticipate them being able to run the ball, but don’t be fooled because Cam can throw the ball, too, very well and they mix it up and have the flexibility to do so.”

Newton anchors a unit featuring running backs Sony Michel, James White and Rex Burkhead to go along with wide receivers Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry and Damiere Byrd, among others.

The Chiefs’ defense will have its hands full with the Patriots’ offense, which ranks eighth overall in total yards (409 per game). But the Chiefs know they must also account for the threat of a running game whenever the Patriots are in a three-wide receiver set.

“With this team, especially with a dual-threat quarterback and multiple different running backs and receivers that’s not scared to block, so that’s why they can do it out of the receiver personnel, the 11-personnel,” linebacker Anthony Hitchens said. “It’s just a different challenge for us this week and we realize that.”

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo agreed the task awaiting his unit is tough against New England’s offense, which has enjoyed success through three games with Newton running the show.

But the Chiefs hope they can take away the run game and make the Patriots a one-dimensional offense by playing good defense.

“We’re going to have to play that game within the game,” Spagnuolo said. “We’re going to have to mix it up. Hopefully, we can get in a situation where you want to get them one-dimensional. That’s what every defense tries to do.

“So, be successful on first down, try to do the same on second down and get them in a situation where you know they have to throw it. Hopefully, when we get in those situations, we can win them.”

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