New England Patriots defeat Kansas City Chiefs in a shootout

FOXBOROUGH, MA - OCTOBER 14: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots reacts with his teammates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - OCTOBER 14: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots reacts with his teammates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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The New England Patriots (3-2) take on Patrick Mahomes II and the Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) in a Sunday night showdown at Gillette Stadium.

Following a Thursday night thumping of the Indianapolis Colts, the New England Patriots have a major test ahead of them when they take on the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.

There will be a few storylines to keep your eyes on in this one.  First, how will Bill Belichick slow down second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes II and the high-octane Kansas City Chiefs offense.

With the weapons the Chiefs have as well as Mahomes ability to get the ball anywhere on the field, Belichick may go Nickel most of the game.  He may find ways to confuse the young quarterback, but the Patriots’ defense may be at a disadvantage when it comes to the speed of Kansas City’s weapons.  That’s why the best defense may be the offense.

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The New England Patriots may try to get out on top early and then throw heavy running game at the Chiefs to keep their offense off the field.  This could be a real breakout game for rookie running back Sony Michel who is starting to find his way in the Patriots’ offense the last couple of weeks.

In all, Tom Brady knows it is important for his team to get out to a fast start.

"“It’s pretty important,” Brady said on Friday. “I think we’ve always talked about starting fast and I think they have a pretty good advantage in the first quarter of these games. They’re getting ahead of all these teams and playing from ahead, and that’s obviously where we want to play, but it’s tough to do. I think fast starts, we’ve seen this year, when we start fast, the games have ended well and when we haven’t and when you get behind, it makes it really tough. So going against a team that’s 5-0, there’s really no margin for error and we’re going to have to do a great job of possessing the ball and try to score as many points as we can.”"

Besides Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes, also watch the battle of the two tight ends.  All week there has been debate on who is the current top tight end in the NFL.  The two men wearing No. 87 for opposing teams, Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce, will be in the spotlight Sunday night.  The debate may not be settled come the end of the game, but both will factor into the success of their offenses.

How to watch Kansas City Chiefs vs. New England Patriots

Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

Kickoff: Sunday, October 14, 2018 8:20 p.m. ET

TV: NBC (Check local listings)

Streaming:  fuboTV

Week 6 Prediction:

The Kansas City Chiefs are the flavor of the month in the AFC.  With the national attention on their high-powered offense, this is exactly the spot where the New England Patriots show up and show the NFL that the dynasty is not over just yet.

Next. New England Patriots: 3 reasons team is ‘fired up’ to face the Chiefs. dark

The defense will find a way to show up in this one and Tom Brady will continue to build chemistry with his current crew of weapons.  Mahomes will be forced into a turnover or two and the Patriots end the undefeated season by winning 41-24.

For live updates of the game, see below.

[update: 7:48 p.m.] – inactives: Defensive tackle Malcolm Brown, CB J.C. Jackson, DE Keionta Davis, DE Geneo Grissom, OL Cole Croston, OL Ted Karras, DE John Simon.

Chiefs 3, Patriots 0 1st QTR – Kansas City takes an early 3-0 lead on a 42-yard field goal by Harrison Butker.

Chiefs 3, Patriots 3 5:22 1st QTR – New England Patriots tie the game 3-3 on 48-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.  The drive was highlighted by a 12-yard run by Sony Michel.

Patriots 10, Chiefs 3 4:57 1st QTR – Sony Michel with a 4 yard TD set up by an interception by Dont’a Hightower.

Patriots 10, Chiefs 6 3:291st QTR – Chiefs cut the lead to 10-6 on a 43-yard field goal by Harrison Butker.

Patriots 17, Chiefs 6 12:58 2nd QTR – 17-yard touchdown reception by Julian Edelman from Tom Brady.

Patriots 17, Chiefs 9 6:24 2nd QTR – Kanas City Chiefs cut the lead to 17-9 on 24-yard field goal by Harrison Butker.  His third field goal of the night.

Patriots 24, Chiefs 9 1:57 2nd QTR – Sony Michel with a 1-yard TD run put New England Patriots up 24-9 late in the quarter.  Michel’s 2nd touchdown of the game.

Patriots 24, Chiefs 16 13:39 3rd QTR – Patrick Mahomes with a 67-yard TD reception to Kareem Hunt to cut the New England Patriots lead to 24-16.

Patriots 27, Chiefs 16 7:20 3rd QTR – Stephon Gostkowski with a 23-yard field goal extends the lead back to 11.

Patriots 27, Chiefs 19 3:40 3rd QTR – Chiefs cut the lead to 8 on a 30-yard field goal by Butker.

Patriots 27, Chiefs 26 1:03 3rd QTR – Patrick Mahomes with a 14-yard touchdown reception to Tyreek Hill.

Patriots 30, Chiefs 26 10:25 4th QTR -Gostkowski nails a 39-yard field goal to extend the lead to 30-26.

Chiefs 33, Patriots 30 8:44 4th QTR – Mahomes to Tyreek Hill for a 1-yard TD reception.

Patriots 37, Chiefs 33 5:32 4th QTR – Tom Brady scrambles for a 4-yard touchdown to give the New England Patriots back the lead.

Patriots 40, Chiefs 33 3:19 4th QTR – Stephen Gostkowski makes it 40-33 late in the 4th QTR.

Patriots 40, Chiefs 40 3:15 4th QTR – Mahomes with a 75-yard touchdown reception to Tyreek Hill.

Patriots 43, Chiefs 40 0:00 4th QTR – Stephen Gostkowski wins the game on a 28-yard field goal.