A rematch of last January’s AFC Championship is on tap for 4:25 p.m. today as the New England Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs. New England has won the last two meetings against Kansas City, but the Chiefs know how to play tough in Foxboro. Before falling 43-40 in a Week 6 battle at Gillette Stadium last season, Kansas City spoiled the hearts of Patriots fans in a compelling 42-27 Week 1 victory in 2017.

To get more of an inside scoop on the Patriots’ rival, we spoke with Charles Goldman of Chiefs Wire about Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City’s defense, and more.

Given that Patrick Mahomes missed a few games earlier this season and backup quarterback Matt Moore took over, how do Chiefs fans feel about this Kansas City team sitting at 8-4?

I think the general consensus is that everyone is happy to be at 8-4 at this point. The Chiefs had one of the toughest schedules in the NFL this season, so to be approaching the last quarter of the season and in complete control of the AFC West is about as great of a position as you could ask for. There’s also a lot of fans out there that believe they haven’t seen this Chiefs team play their best game of the season yet. Last week against the Raiders was close, but the offense didn’t quite play up to what fans know they’re capable of.

We know about Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill. What are the other offensive pieces that Patriots fans should know about?

The pair of offensive rookies, Mecole Hardman and Darwin Thompson, are the two players I’d keep an eye on during this game. Hardman has been a consistent offensive weapon throughout the season. He really rivals Tyreek Hill in terms of speed, but he’s not quite as refined as a route runner yet. I expect Andy Reid to find ways to get him involved during this game. As for Thompson, he really just emerged this past week against the Raiders. He had 11 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown late in the game. With Darrel Williams going to IR and Damien Williams unlikely to play, he should be in line for touches behind LeSean McCoy.

Last year, the Chiefs gave up a combined 80 points in their two matchups against New England. With how much the Patriots have been struggling offensively, how does this current Chiefs defense line up against New England’s offense?

I think this defense is playing some of its best football right now. They’re getting pressure and turnovers, plus the coverage on the back end is much better than Tom Brady and the Patriots saw last season. The one area where I think the Patriots offense can get an advantage is by using their running backs in the passing game. Linebacker is very clearly the weakest position in Kansas City and they don’t do a good job covering running backs in man coverage. If the Pats can force those matchups they can certainly get their offense going against the Chiefs.

In order for the Chiefs to go to the Super Bowl this year, it’s looking like they will have to win on the road in January. How confident are you that they could pull it off?

Arrowhead Stadium used to have one of the best advantages home field in the NFL, but I think that has since wavered a bit. The Chiefs have done a good job this season proving that they can win anywhere if they play their best football. They have wins on the east coast, west coast and even Mexico City. They’ve even had some really good fan turnout for several away games. If Kansas City can get a win against the Patriots in Week 14, they’ll have regular-season wins against both teams that likely secure the No. 1 and No. 2 seed in the AFC (Ravens and Pats). That’d certainly add to their confidence when it comes to going on the road.

Since I told you I predict for the Chiefs to win Sunday, what are your thoughts on this week’s matchup at Gillette Stadium?

I think there are a lot of people out there overlooking the Patriots because of their recent offensive struggles. At the same time, I think there’s an equal amount of people underrating the Chiefs because of history. Before last season, the last time the Patriots lost back-to-back games in December was 2002. The crazy streak of success in Foxboro is hard to contend with.

I feel these teams are evenly matched and I’m expecting a lower-scoring game than usual because of it. The Chiefs will find some success in frustrating Tom Brady and the Patriots offense, but Brady will get the best of the Chiefs’ defense at times. I think it comes down to a field goal in the end with a 20-17 type of victory favoring Kansas City