The Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots meet in week 15 NFL action from Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Can the Chiefs pick up a much needed win in Foxborough? Or will the Patriots spring another upset at home? Let’s dive in and give out a Chiefs vs. Patriots Prediction.
Kansas City Chiefs Team Preview
The Kansas City Chiefs come into this game looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses after a 20-17 loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills last time out. Patrick Mahomes has thrown for 3,398 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on 66.9% passing while Isiah Pacheco has rushed for 779 yards and 6 touchdowns. Travis Kelce leads KC’s receiving group with 80 receptions for 896 yards and 5 TDs while Rashee Rice has 663 receiving yards with 6 TDs and Justin Watson has 350 receiving yards. Four more Chiefs have 200+ receiving yards while another pair have 100+ receiving yards as well on the year. On defense, Justin Reid has a team-high 74 total tackles while Drue Tranquill has 73 total tackles with 3.5 sacks. George Karlaftis has a team-high 9 sacks while Chris Jones has 7.5 sacks and Mike Danna has 6.5 sacks.
Kansas City Chiefs Team Facts
- The Chiefs have won each of their last 10 games following a home loss.
- The Chiefs have covered the spread in each of their last nine road games following a home loss.
- The Chiefs have lost the first quarter in each of their last four Sunday games as favorites.
- The Chiefs have won the first half in each of their last four road games against AFC East opponents.
- The Chiefs have scored the first touchdown in nine of their last 10 Week 15 games.
New England Patriots Team Preview
The New England Patriots come into this game after improving their record to 3-10 on the year after a 21-18 win over Pittsburgh last time out. Mac Jones has thrown for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 64.9% passing while Bailey Zappe has thrown for 539 yards, 3 touchdowns and 3 INTs on 55.4% passing. Rhamondre Stevenson has 619 rushing yards with 4 TDs and Ezekiel Elliott has 497 rushing yards and a pair of scores. Demario Douglas leads the Patriots with 410 receiving yards while Kendrick Bourne has 406 receiving yards with 4 touchdowns. Hunter Henry has 353 receiving yards with 5 TDs and another four Patriots have 200+ receiving yards. On defense, Jahlani Tavai has a team-high 87 total tackles and Ja’Whaun Bentley has 4 sacks while Christian Barmore has a team-high 4.5 sacks.
New England Patriots Team Facts
- The Patriots have lost each of their last six December home games against AFC opponents.
- The Patriots have failed to cover the spread in each of their last eight home games in December.
- The Patriots have lost the first half in seven of their last eight Sunday games as underdogs.
- The Patriots have scored the first touchdown in five of their last six games against the Chiefs.
- The Patriots have lost the first quarter in five of their last six games following a road win.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Patriots rank 32nd in the NFL in points per game this season (13.0).
- The Patriots rank 31st in the NFL in average punt return this season (5.9 yards).
- The Chiefs are the only team in the NFL with 100% success rate on field goals and extra points this season.
- The Chiefs rank 32nd in the NFL in Q4 points per game this season (3.0).
Chiefs vs. Patriots Prediction
I’m on the under here because for the spread, I don’t feel like I can really trust either side here. I don’t trust the Chiefs to blow the Patriots out of the water, but New England’s offense has struggled against less as of late, and I don’t want to take points with New England as a feel a blowout is possible. Instead, I’m backing the under as Kansas City’s had scoring issues in the second half of games a lot as of late and New England’s had scoring issues pretty much all season long and can’t always rely on their defense to win games. This just feels like an ugly defensive slugfest. Give me the under here.