Chiefs vs. Patriots picks: Majority of writers predict Kansas City victory

The Kansas City Chiefs are traveling to New England to take on the Patriots. The majority of our writers predict it will be a good one with the Chiefs victorious.

After winning big against the Oakland Raiders last week, the Kansas City Chiefs are now traveling to New England to take on the Patriots. The majority of our writers predict it will be a good one with the Chiefs emerging victorious.

Coming into the season, the Chiefs matchup against the Patriots looked like it would be one of the best matchups of the season. Now, with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady looking vulnerable and the Chiefs in distant position for a top seed, the game doesn’t look quite as big.

However, it should be an entertaining game nonetheless. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is looking back to normal now that he’s healthy and the Chiefs’ entire team is coming together. Last week against the Raiders, the Chiefs dominated on all sides of the ball, as offense, defense, and special teams all contributed to a total team win.

Recently, the Patriots and Tom Brady have been struggling. Though they boast a 10-2 record, they’ve mostly taken advantage of a lighter schedule and coasted to their current position. The two toughest teams they faced, the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans have beaten them. The Chiefs will be an even tougher test if they play like they did last week.

Although Patrick Mahomes looks to be fully healthy, the Chiefs are not as healthy as they’d like coming into the matchup. Cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Rashad Fenton have not practiced this week due to a shoulder and hamstring injury respectively. Running back Darrel Williams was placed on IR earlier this week due to a hamstring injury. Running back Damien Williams continues to not practice because of a rib injury.

Ultimately, the Chiefs might be down two corners and without Damien Williams for the matchup against the Patriots. They would be down to Bashaud Breeland, Kendall Fuller, Charvarius Ward, and newcomer Alex Brown, who they just promoted to the active roster. At running back, it looks like LeSean McCoy and Darwin Thompson will take on the lead duties.

The Chiefs and Patriots matchup, though not as anticipated as it was at the start of the season, should be one of the best games this season. Our writers believe it will be an entertaining one and they predict the Chiefs to emerge victorious. Here are our full writer predictions:

Drew Brooks: Chiefs 38, Patriots 28

This is it. This is the year the Chiefs will finally beat the Patriots. Patrick Mahomes is looking like his normal self, and the Chiefs are clicking. I think this will be a really entertaining game and will be close until the fourth quarter when the Chiefs will pull away and win it.

Matt Conner: Patriots 27, Chiefs 24

I think we’ll see a great game between two contenders and both sides will still feel as confident as they did before. But I think Bill Belichick and company are going to be a bit tired of the questions and will put those to rest with a strong showing here in December.

Jalon Dodson: Chiefs 38, Patriots 34

What’s the best thing about Patrick Mahomes playing in Foxborough? He balls out. What’s the worst thing? The defense makes Brady look like he could play until he’s in his 50s. If the Chiefs can figure things out on the defensive side of the ball, they may just have a shot at winning this football game. Brady has noticeably hit a decline, and the Chiefs need to take it to him if they have any chance at winning.

Jacob Harris: Chiefs 35, Patriots 21

Typical Reid-era Chiefs regular season win against the Patriots. The Pats continue to look done just long enough to look dominant come the playoffs.

Jake Kokoris: Chiefs 24, Patriots 20

The Chiefs defense is well-equipped to shut down Julian Edelman and James White, the only consistent receiving weapons the Pats have. The Pats D is stout, but the collective speed of Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman is an advantage Reid is going to exploit. Most of all, I expect the Chiefs to be psychologically prepared to avenge the AFC championship loss.

Scott Loring: Chiefs 20, Patriots 16

I expect a relatively vanilla game from the offenses as each team will try to rely on its defense to win. Offensively, Kansas City will do well if they protect the football. New England is first in the NFL in turnover differential at +18. The next-best team is +11. Defensively, KC will need to get off the field on third down. Only the Ravens and 49ers are better than the Patriots at controlling the clock in 2019.

Completely baseless hunch: the game will pivot on a special teams play in the 4th quarter.

Jordan Mannix: Chiefs 27, Patriots 20

The Chiefs were a better team in last year’s AFC Championship game and yet they still lost. As much as I love Andy Reid, Bill Belichick is the greatest coach in the NFL’s history. In fact, he might be the greatest coach in the history of sports. In football, that is a major advantage that can often overcome a number of deficiencies. I think the Chiefs can win and should win because of talent, but it is not a given.

Ellen Mathis: Chiefs 27, Patriots 23

This is the match-up I have been anxiously awaiting all year. It looks a little different than I thought it would, but I still can’t wait. The Patriots offense looks weaker than normal and of late, their defense looks more vulnerable. The Chiefs defense seems to be clicking, special teams looked better, but the offense still needs to find their groove. I believe the Chiefs finally put everything together and show why they should still be considered a Super Bowl contender and Patrick Mahomes finally vanquishes Tom Brady.

Byron Smith: Chiefs 42, Patriots 13

Emotions are going to be high, as they should be. Patrick Mahomes said it hurt, and nothing will undo that game, but emotionally, this is a step in the right direction. Expect the players from last years game to give 110%, flexing every muscle and fighting for a yard extra every time. This defense is not as good as the Jets and Dolphins make it look, so be prepared for Mahomes to light the sky up.

Rylan Stiles: Chiefs 31, Patriots 24

The Kansas City Chiefs offense finally comes alive and looks like the elite unit we expected all along. Andy pulls out all the stops and shows plays we have yet to see this year.

Kelly Thompson: Chiefs 31, Patriots 19

The Patriots offense is used to clicking around the start of December and punishing teams through the Super Bowl with an efficient and multi-faceted rushing attack. That’s not happening so far this year and the result is a Tom Brady-led unit in shambles. While the Chiefs offense is less efficient than the 2018 iteration, they’re still a threat to score 30 points every weekend, even against the Patriots stout defensive unit.

The Chiefs boast a top five pass defense by DVOA; and that unit, primarily Charvarious Ward and/or Juan Thornhill, will effectively counter the only passing option at Brady’s disposal (Julian Edelman). As a result, the game comes down to whether the Chiefs defense can stop James White and Sony Michel. The answer is no, but its hard to put up 28 points running the ball with no passing game. The Patriots rush for 200 yards, but the Chiefs come out on top.

Grant Tuttle: Chiefs 31, Patriots 14

The Chiefs appear to be peaking at the right time. And for the first time in a couple of seasons, the Patriots look very vulnerable. I look for the Chiefs to come out swinging and win big against a streaky New England team.

Farzin Vousoughian: Chiefs 31, Patriots 21

It’ll be a back and forth battle. Expect a lot of lead changes, but the Chiefs will pull away in the end.