Don’t Count Out Patriots Defense Vs. Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes In AFC Battle

The New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs prepare to battle in Week 15 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

Patrick Mahomes visits Foxboro for the first time since 2019 and faces the Patriots for the fourth time as a starter, including the postseason.

In his first two meetings against the Patriots, Mahomes dominated New England in 2018 and in the AFC Championship Game. The now two-time Super Bowl MVP averaged 323.5 yards passing in those two games, tossing seven touchdowns and one interception. The Patriots did get the best of Mahomes in those two shootouts, earning a 43-40 win in Foxboro before advancing to the Super Bowl from Arrowhead Stadium.

Since then, the Chiefs quarterback has gotten the best of New England in the next two games. The Patriots did, however, find a way to tone down Mahomes' production in those two games during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Most recently, Mahomes and the Kansas City offense scored just 19 points at home against a 7-9 Patriots team in a 26-10 win during the COVID-affected 2020 season.

Fast forward to the current week.

At 8-5, the Chiefs have lost four of their last six as Mahomes struggles to adjust to a weakened supporting cast outside of All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce. In that six-game stretch, the Chiefs have scored over 21 points just once.

In that span, the Patriots have allowed more than 21 points just once, including a stretch of allowing just 26 points in three games, which is under nine points per game.

Though New England only faced a few legitimate attacks in that span, the Patriots have kept points off the board and put pressure on opponents. New England also holds the third-best run defense in football and the status of Kansas City's leading rusher Isiah Pacheco is unclear for Sunday.

In that case, the Chiefs could get one-dimensional very quickly. Bill Belichick consistently finds a way to take away an opponent's top option, which in this case would be shutting down Kelce. Mahomes would then have to rely on his inconsistent weapons on the outside to do enough against the Patriots.

If New England's offense can wipe away recent performances and build off the three first-half touchdowns it scored against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14, this game realistically could come down to a one-score decision.

The Patriots may not be ready to beat the Chiefs in this moment, but their underrated defense could cause plenty of problems once again for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

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The Patriots look to stifle Mahomes in the latest installment on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.