FOXBORO — The Patriots’ defensive success Saturday against the Chiefs hinges on their discipline in the front seven.

The Chiefs offense is predicated on a deceptive rushing attack that yields a balanced operation when everything runs smoothly. Quarterback Alex Smith is the driving force behind that success, but the Chiefs get contributions from many, including running backs Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware and their wide receivers.

“A great running team, a great team philosophy,” Pats defensive tackle Akiem Hicks said. “You’ve got to keep your eye out for Alex Smith.”

The Chiefs’ traditional runs are OK, but because their offensive linemen aren’t overly powerful in one-on-one situations, they tend to have more success by creating mismatches in numbers. They’ll pull their linemen, similar to the Pats’ scheme, and use tight ends in wham blocks to create lanes.

The deception is created in other areas. Smith will run read-option plays and often roll out after handing off to force the defense to keep an eye in his direction. And maybe, if the Chiefs notice a tendency, Smith eventually will pop a big play later in the game. They do similar things with end-around runs to receivers, who will fake and fake and fake before finally taking the ball.

There was a great collaborative example of this effort in Week 17 against the Raiders when wideout Jeremy Maclin took an end-around for 18 yards, and on the next play, the Chiefs faked an end-around, West sold a pitch to the right and Ware, who was lined up as an offset fullback, took a misdirection handoff to the left for a 3-yard touchdown.

It was a beautiful blend of plays that showed the Chiefs’ dedication to putting stress on the defense.

“They’ll lull you to sleep, lull you to sleep, and then hit you with a big play for a touchdown,” Pats safety Duron Harmon said.

The Patriots historically have been strong against read-option teams because they’re well-coached to stay in their lanes, but that has to hold true when Smith drops to pass, too.

Among quarterbacks, Smith’s 34 runs for first downs, including 17 third-down conversions, were both ranked second to Cam Newton this season. Smith does a great job of keeping plays alive, mostly out of survival because he was sacked 45 times this season, so the Pats have to finish the play when they get a chance. And their pass rushers can’t get caught trying to make hero plays.

“I think that you just have to understand your responsibilities and not try to do somebody else’s responsibility,” defensive end Rob Ninkovich said. “Do your job and play it to the best of your abilities on every single play.”

If the Patriots can neutralize the run, they’ll have a monstrous advantage because of Maclin’s ankle injury. Maclin caught 87 of Smith’s 171 completions to wide receivers this season (50.9 percent), so the quarterback might have to rely upon Albert Wilson, Chris Conley and De’Anthony Thomas to complement Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce.

The Pats need to jam Kelce on every single play. Kelce lines up in tight before creating plenty of his damage, so Ninkovich, Jabaal Sheard and Chandler Jones need to chip him on those occasions before he ultimately stares at a sea of Patrick Chung, Devin McCourty and Jamie Collins. If Kelce moves to the slot, Collins might take him at the line and leave him for Chung, or Chung could square him up with help on the back end from McCourty or Harmon.

Kelce is a tough cover one-on-one, so the Pats have to force him to work for everything he gets.

“Look at their weapons. You’ve got to see who is getting the yards,” Harmon said. “If you try to neutralize them, stop them from making the plays and then make the ball go into other places that maybe the quarterback isn’t comfortable or the receiver isn’t used to getting that many targets, it makes it a little bit harder on their offense.”

Finally, cornerbacks Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan should play close to the line to prevent the Chiefs’ penchant for screens and quick throws. Smith is happy to take easy yards when they’re presented.

It all starts with the run, and the Pats should wreak havoc at the line with Collins and Dont’a Hightower while playing smartly on the edge. They can take advantage of an undermanned passing attack from there.

“Your best opportunity at stopping the run is stopping it early,” Hicks said, “and that’s what we try to do.”