Patrick Mahomes returns to Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon, but his weapons aren’t exactly stockpiled.
The Chiefs will be without top running back Isiah Pacheco, Travis Kelce has begun slowing down at 34, and despite having a generational talent at quarterback, no wideout on the roster has topped 700 receiving yards in mid-December. This isn’t the Kansas City offense fans are accustomed to seeing, but will it still be enough to knock off the woeful 3-10 Patriots?
Let’s get to the predictions and find out:
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1. Mixed bag for Zappe
Eyeing his third start, Bailey Zappe’s self-confidence has become very evident. He’s not afraid to take some risks and throw downfield, and against this Chiefs defense, that may be a blessing and a curse.
“You say cool, calm, and collected mentality but underneath that shell of him, he has a lot of confidence,” Zappe’s mentor Zach Kittley told MassLive this week. “You saw that. That swag and confidence he had when he threw that touchdown to Hunter Henry up the sideline (in Pittsburgh). You saw him get after it and show a lot of emotion. That’s really who he is at heart. He tries to stay even-keeled, but he has a lot of confidence. He really believes in himself.”
The guess here is that confidence crescendos on Sunday and Zappe channels his inner Brett Favre, throwing two touchdown passes and two interceptions. Zappe believers will point to the touchdowns, detractors will bemoan the interceptions, and ultimately the truth will lie somewhere in the middle.
2. Taylor Swift shows up
If readers are sick of Swift, feel free to scroll to prediction No. 3, but like it or not, she’s become a part of the Chiefs game day experience since she began dating Kelce.
The bet here is that she shows up in Foxborough, even though this game was flexed out of Monday Night Football. Gillette is the first NFL stadium she ever played, and the pop star has now headlined more than a dozen shows there.
For what it’s worth, it sounds like Zappe will be pleased when he won’t have to worry about Swift landmines anymore. After saying he wasn’t a fan of hers on Monday, he went out of his way to clarify his feelings on the pop star during his Wednesday afternoon press conference.
“Listen to the whole quote. I said I’m not, not a fan,” Zappe said. “I used to be a fan. I’m a country guy. I listen to country music. She used to be country. There was times where, of course, Taylor Swift’s country songs came on. I’d listen to it. Now she’s moved over to pop. I’m not a pop guy. So, I’m a fan. I just don’t listen to that type of music. So, just to clear that up in there.”
This is life as a 3-10 team at the bottom of the conference in December.
3. Kansas City wins
Despite their attrition on the offensive side of the ball, Mahomes still finds a way to lift the Chiefs to a victory. New England’s offensive line struggles to handle Chris Jones, Zappe gifts Mahomes a couple short fields, and ultimately, Kansas City leaves Gillette Stadium with a 27-17 victory.
Glass half full: The Patriots will still own the No. 2 overall pick heading into Week 16.
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