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New England Patriots 2020 NFL schedule: 5 must-win games

By Mike Phillips

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 08: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs throws a pass in the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on December 08, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 08: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs throws a pass in the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on December 08, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

2. Away: Kansas City Chiefs

One of the NFL’s hottest rivalries in the past few years has been the one between the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. The rivalry ratcheted up a notch when Patrick Mahomes took over as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback, but for a while, the Patriots continued to own the Chiefs.

New England beat the Chiefs twice in 2018, including at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Championship Game to deny them a spot in the Super Bowl. Kansas City exacted some revenge last year, knocking off the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in December.

That contest was a major turning point for the season, setting the stage for a sequence of events that allowed the Chiefs to gain a first-round bye over the Patriots on the strength of the head-to-head tiebreaker. Kansas City rode the momentum of that finish to victory in Super Bowl LIV while the Patriots got bounced in the Wild Card round.

The two rivals will meet in Kansas City this year and it will also be the first time the Patriots face the Chiefs without Brady under center. Mahomes will have a decisive edge over whoever New England puts under center, so the key to victory here will be a stronger performance from the New England defense.

Finding a way to topple the Chiefs would provide massive proof that the New England dynasty isn’t dead even with Brady in Tampa Bay. A win at Arrowhead would also be extremely important in tiebreaker scenarios.

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