SHUTDOWN MODE WEEK 5: BUCCANEERS

The Chiefs executed a perfect defensive game plan to stifle two of Tom Brady's most experienced pass catchers: tight end Rob Gronkowski (two receptions, 33 yards) and Chris Hogan (one reception, 8 yards).

But the Chiefs also had elite talent with cornerback marcus Peters and safety eric Berry to deploy on the pair. Few teams in the nFL can field the combination of a safety who can man up Gronk and a corner who can take away any single receiver.

Here are three remaining foes on the Patriots' schedule who can at least try:

Key defensive backs: S T.J. Ward, CB Brent Grimes, CB Vernon Hargreaves

Skinny: The Patriots don't want Ward anywhere near Gronkowski (or anyone for that matter) because he has an established history of dirty hits, but also because Ward loves this type of challenge.

Gronk has gotten the better of Ward over the course of their matchups, but Ward also delivered the hit that shredded Gronk's ACL in 2013. Grimes has always been a nice corner, and Hargreaves was the no. 11 overall pick in 2016. They don't make up a particularly feared defensive backfield yet, but the room to grow certainly exists.

WEEK 7: FALCONS

Key defensive backs: CB Robert Alford, CB Desmond Trufant, S Keanu neal

Skinny: They still aren't household names, but the Falcons are loaded with young talent at linebacker and in the defensive backfield. Their development this season is the unknown.

Will Alford, neal and linebackers Deion Jones and De'Vondre Campbell become erasers in the passing game, or is it still too early? If they emerge into stars, they'll make life tough on the Pats and could very well return to the Super Bowl.

WEEK 10: BRONCOS

Key defensive backs: CB Aqib Talib, CB Chris Harris, S Darian Stewart

Skinny: Stewart has had his share of showdowns with Gronk over the years, and it's been a competitive battle. (Stewart, like his ex-teammate Ward, has also delivered a low shot to Gronk that caused a knee injury in 2015.) The Broncos could also send Talib in Gronk's direction, as Talib would sometimes do during practice in his two seasons with the Pats. With the deepest group of cornerbacks in the AFC, a competent safety in Stewart and a solid coverage linebacker in Brandon marshall, the Broncos can test a number of possibilities against the Pats.