6 Chiefs players to watch for in Sunday’s Patriots game
The Chiefs might be reeling, but they've still got plenty of talent.
The last time the Patriots hosted the Chiefs in Foxborough, both teams were the class of the AFC. A lot has changed in New England and around the league since the 2019 matchup, but one thing has remained the same: The Chiefs are still among the league’s elite.
Kanas City has won two Super Bowls since that game in December 2019, with Patrick Mahomes capturing his first Lombardi Trophy two months later and earning his second this past season. Because of that, the Chiefs are still viewed as one of the teams to beat even though they’re 8-5 and have lost two in a row as they haven’t looked like the Super Bowl version of themselves as of late.
As Mahomes and crew look to right the ship against the 3-10 Patriots at Gillette Stadium, here are six Chiefs players to watch in Sunday’s matchup.
Patrick Mahomes
Obviously, the two-time MVP is a player to keep tabs on during Sunday’s game. But the usually impressive quarterback hasn’t put up the production we’ve been used to seeing him up so far in 2023.
Mahomes’s 261.4 passing yards per game, 4.7 touchdown percentage, 2.3 interception percentage, and 93.3 passer rating are all on track to be the worst marks of his career. Of course, his receivers haven’t been up to par this season and are probably the root of Mahomes’s career-low production. Those numbers would also be considered good stats for many other quarterbacks in the league.
Still, Mahomes hasn’t been able to overcome the underwhelming talent around him to make the Chiefs’ offense. They’re averaging just 22.5 points per game this season, scoring fewer than 20 points in three of their last four games.
Sunday’s game doesn’t necessarily look to be too promising for Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense to turn around their struggles as of late, either. The Patriots have allowed fewer than 200 passing yards in three of their last four games, with Justin Herbert’s 212-yard day in Week 13 being the only one to break that mark lately.
In terms of how well he’s played against the Patriots in his career, Mahomes has played fairly well. If you recall, he put up strong numbers in both starts he made against them in his first season as the Chiefs’ top quarterback, throwing for 647 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions against the Patriots that year.
The last two meetings haven’t been as impressive for Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense, though. Mahomes threw for a touchdown and an interception in the 2019 matchup against New England, struggling to finish off drives as it pulled off a 23-16 win. A year later, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense struggled again against the Patriots. They only mustered six points through nearly three quarters before a Brian Hoyer fumble helped turn the game around as Kansas City’s offense scored 19 of its 26 points in the win.
Obviously, Mahomes is still arguably the league’s best quarterback. But it appears the Patriots are getting to play him at a good time.
Travis Kelce
Of course, the superstar tight end is the other player you can’t ignore when discussing the Chiefs.
Amid all of the struggles by the Chiefs’ pass-catchers this season, Kelce has still been pretty reliable. He has 80 receptions for 896 yards and five touchdowns this season, putting him on pace to have one of the best seasons of his 11-year career.
Kelce hasn’t necessarily struggled as of late like the rest of the Chiefs’ offense, either. He has 23 receptions for 299 yards going back to their bye week, but he also only has one touchdown in Kanas City’s last six games.
The Patriots have been able to hold Kelce in check (at least relatively speaking) since Mahomes became their starting quarterback in 2018. Over his last four games against New England, Kelce’s only recorded 15 receptions for 220 yards and a touchdown, adding a rushing score in the 2019 regular-season matchup between the two teams.
Kelce has sparked headlines for other reasons outside of football over the last few months as his relationship with Taylor Swift has gone public. For those of you wondering, Kelce has played pretty well when she’s been in attendance this season. He’s recorded 44 receptions for 596 yards and two touchdowns in the six games Swfit’s attended as the Chiefs have gone 4-2 in those games.
It’s unknown still if Swift will be at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
Rashee Rice
If there is anyone that’s emerged outside of Kelce among the Chiefs skill position players who will play on Sunday (running back Isiah Pacheco is out), it’s the rookie receiver.
Rice has progressed as the season’s gone along, recording at least 60 receiving yards in each of the last three games. He actually had an eight-catch, 107-yard day against the Raiders in Week 12 before having a seven-catch, 72-yard day against the Bills last week, recording a touchdown in each game.
As mentioned earlier, opposing quarterbacks haven’t been able to find much success against the Patriots through the air lately. So, naturally, receivers haven’t been able to have big days either as New England has mostly been able to play against top receivers outside of a back-to-back stretch in late October, early November when Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Terry McLaurin all had notable game against the Patriots.
A big reason for the Patriots defense’s success against the pass as of late is Jonathan Jones. After dealing with an ankle injury for much of the early portion of the season, Jones has played like he did for much of last season, allowing 21 receptions on 34 targets for just 179 yards and a touchdown in the seven games, per Pro Football Focus.
If Jones is on Rice on Sunday, it’d be a good test for each side to see just how well each player can be.
Chris Jones
The top-tier defensive tackle still looks every bit the part this season despite missing all of training camp and the season opener due to a contract holdout.
Jones has 7.5 sacks and 24 combined tackles this season, adding 51 pressures and 16 run stops. But he might actually be peaking at the right time for Kansas City, recording 14 pressures in the last two games even though he didn’t have a sack.
The interior of the Patriots’ offensive line has been shaky through much of the season, but players like David Andrews and Cole Strange have gotten better as the season’s gone along. Still, Andrews, Strange, and Sidy Sow have combined to allow five sacks and 12 pressures over the Patriots’ last three games, per PFF. So, it hasn’t been too great, either.
Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed
The Chiefs don’t have the league’s sixth-best pass defense with just an elite interior pass rusher. They also have a pair of standouts in their secondary.
McDuffie, in particular, has emerged as one of the game’s top corners this season after the Chiefs drafted him in 2022, trading with the Patriots in order to select him. The second-year corner has allowed 47 receptions on 70 targets for 494 yards and two touchdowns this season. While he’s yet to record an interception, McDuffie actually leads the league in forced fumbles, stripping the ball out five times this season.
Sneed, meanwhile, has mostly performed well on the outside this season. He’s given up 35 receptions on 67 targets for 348 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns allowed this season. He’s actually coming off a stellar performance against the Bills, allowing just one reception on seven targets with the lone grab only going for a yard.
That’s obviously not the kind of news the Patriots want to hear as they’re already dealing with a battered receivers room. But Demario Douglas is expected to return on Sunday and DeVante Parker could play as well. He’s listed as questionable after missing last week’s game against the Steelers.
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