Patriots at Chiefs: Week 15 preview, odds and injuries

Week 15 · Mon, Dec 21 · Arrowhead Stadium8:15 PM ET

at8:15 PMET · ABC · ESPN

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 10:04 PM ET

The New England Patriots (5-4) visit the Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) on Mon, Dec 21, 8:15 PM ET at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO (Week 15, 2026 season), on ABC / ESPN.

When and where is Patriots vs Chiefs?

Mon, Dec 21, 8:15 PM ET at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. TV: ABC / ESPN.

Who is injured for Patriots vs Chiefs?

Patriots: Ben Brown (C, doubtful, knee), Rhamondre Stevenson (RB, doubtful, knee), A.J. Brown (WR, questionable, knee), Brenden Schooler (S, questionable, hamstring), Carlton Davis III (CB, questionable, knee) and Charles Woods (CB, questionable, hamstring) (plus 2 more). Chiefs: Omarr Norman-Lott (DT, out, knee - acl), Jaylon Moore (OT, questionable, ankle), Mansoor Delane (CB, questionable, shoulder), Patrick Mahomes (QB, questionable, elbow), Peter Woods (DT, questionable, neck) and Xavier Worthy (WR, questionable, hamstring).

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Patriots at Chiefs: Week 15 preview”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2026-12-21-ne-at-kc (updated 2026-11-11).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

Regular season through week 14 · rank out of 32

Where this game will be decided

1Chiefs big-play offense vs Patriots defense against big plays
The Chiefs' big-play offense ranks 4th in explosive-play rate (10.9%, 485 plays) against a Patriots defense against big plays ranked 24th (10.1% allowed, 535 plays faced).
4thKC offense20 spots apart24thNE defense
2Chiefs dropback offense vs Patriots pass defense
The Chiefs' dropback offense ranks 8th in EPA per dropback (+0.16, 290 dropbacks) against a Patriots pass defense ranked 24th (+0.14 allowed, 323 dropbacks faced).
8thKC offense16 spots apart24thNE defense
3Chiefs ball security vs Patriots takeaway defense
The Chiefs' ball security ranks 5th in turnovers per game (0.8 giveaways a game, 8 games) against a Patriots takeaway defense ranked 26th (0.9 takeaways a game, 9 games).
5thKC offense21 spots apart26thNE defenseSmall sample, read with care Why sample size matters

When the Patriots have the ballEdge KC · +15 ranks

NE dropback offenseEPA per dropbackKC pass defense

10th+0.15330 dropbacks

-0.01 allowed305 dropbacks faced10th

NE run gameEPA per rushKC run defense

21st-0.12217 rushes

KC +15

-0.16 allowed197 rushes faced6th

Dropbacks include sacks and scrambles; rushes are designed runs. What EPA measures.

When the Chiefs have the ballEdge KC · +16 ranks

KC dropback offenseEPA per dropbackNE pass defense

8th+0.16290 dropbacks

KC +16

+0.14 allowed323 dropbacks faced24th

KC run gameEPA per rushNE run defense

2nd+0.09195 rushes

KC +11

-0.10 allowed212 rushes faced13th

Third downNo big edge

NE third-down offensethird-down conversion rateKC third-down defense

9th43.4%106 third downs

37.6% allowed109 third downs faced10th

KC third-down offensethird-down conversion rateNE third-down defense

12th42.1%95 third downs

37.6% allowed109 third downs faced10th

Conversions are third-down snaps that gained a first down or scored.

Red zoneEdge KC · +18 ranks

NE red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateKC red-zone defense

21st54%26 trips

KC +18

38% allowed21 trips faced3rd

KC red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateNE red-zone defense

10th63%30 trips

50% allowed32 trips faced11th

A trip is a drive with at least one snap inside the opponent's 20; the rate is trips that ended in an offensive touchdown. Small samples swing fast here.

Explosive playsEdge KC · +20 ranks

NE big-play offenseexplosive-play rateKC defense against big plays

3rd11.5%547 plays

7.6% allowed502 plays faced7th

KC big-play offenseexplosive-play rateNE defense against big plays

4th10.9%485 plays

KC +20

10.1% allowed535 plays faced24th

Completions of 20+ yards and runs of 10+, per snap. Definition.

Pressure & sacksEdge NE · +14 ranks

NE pass protectionsack rateKC pass rush

17th6.1% sacked330 dropbacks

NE +14

4.6% of dropbacks305 dropbacks faced31st

KC pass protectionsack rateNE pass rush

6th3.8% sacked290 dropbacks

7.7% of dropbacks323 dropbacks faced5th

Sacks per dropback. The public play-by-play has no pressure charting, so this is the sack side of it only.

TurnoversEdge KC · +21 ranks

NE ball securityturnovers per gameKC takeaway defense

31st2.1 giveaways a game9 games

KC +17

1.3 takeaways a game8 games14th

KC ball securityturnovers per gameNE takeaway defense

5th0.8 giveaways a game8 games

KC +21

0.9 takeaways a game9 games26th

Interceptions and lost fumbles on offensive snaps, per game. Turnover rates are among the least stable numbers in football.

AbsencesNE 2 · KC 0 regulars out or doubtful

Patriots8 listed

2 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QWill CampbellOT90% offense · 9 wk
QCarlton Davis IIICB87% defense · 5 wk
QA.J. BrownWR70% offense · 3 wk
DBen BrownC67% offense · 7 wk
DRhamondre StevensonRB64% offense · 9 wk
QCharles WoodsCB44% defense · 8 wk
QTreVeyon HendersonRB33% offense · 6 wk
QBrenden SchoolerS9% defense · 5 wk

Chiefs6 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QPatrick MahomesQB99% offense · 8 wk
QJaylon MooreOT87% offense · 7 wk
QXavier WorthyWR83% offense · 8 wk
QMansoor DelaneCB79% defense · 5 wk
OUTOmarr Norman-LottDTno snaps
QPeter WoodsDTno snaps

Snap share is the average of the weeks each player was on the field this season. Full injury report ↓

Rest & travelNE +3 days of rest · NE travels 1,233 mi

AwayPatriots

11days since last game

1,233miles to get here

1time zones

Last: Thu wk 14 vs MIN · 11,863 mi flown this season

Normal week

Rest edge+3NE daysTravel gap 1,233 mi

HomeChiefs

8days since last game

0miles · home

0time zones

Last: Sun wk 14 at CIN · Cincinnati · 8,895 mi flown this season

Normal week

League splits for these situations ↓

Sample: NE 9 games, 547 offensive and 535 defensive plays · KC 8 games, 485 offensive and 502 defensive plays. Rank 1 is the best offense or the best defense in each stat. Keys are the largest rank gaps (12+ spots) between an offense and the defense it faces, one per stat. Ranks are not schedule-adjusted.

Season to date · rank out of 32