New England Patriots 4 Downs Preview: Week 14 vs Kansas City Chiefs

The New England Patriots welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to Gillette Stadium Sunday in a rematch of last year’s thrilling AFC Championship Game.

New England at one point in the season had a stranglehold on the AFC and the AFC East. But after losses to Baltimore and Houston – and especially with Buffalo playing hot at the right moment – that grip has suddenly become quite loose. Things are looking very gloomy in New England, despite this team sitting in first place in the division and second place in the conference at 10-2.

To make matters worse, both of the Patriots‘ losses came against teams that exposed their once flawless defense, and the offense is still struggling to not only put points on the board but to move the ball in general… and it’s December already.

Tom Brady is getting frustrated with his offensive line and his inexperienced wide receivers. The running game is nonexistent if you take out a few games where it seemed like it was trending in the right direction.

Oh yeah: and the Kansas City Chiefs are coming into town in hopes of getting revenge on the same team that ended their Super Bowl dreams last year in the conference title game at Arrowhead Stadium in front of their home fans.

This is the last game in the New England Patriots’ toughest five-game stretch of this season. So far they are 2-2, with losses to the Ravens and Texans but tough wins against the Cowboys and Eagles. If New England can go 3-2 overall by getting a win today versus the Chiefs, they’ll be in good shape overall as the regular season wraps up.

It all starts with the Patriots focusing on the following four key areas – or “4 Downs” – to victory…