Kansas City Chiefs stop the rot and push Bill Belichick one step closer to the end… this win vs. the Patriots should remind Patrick Mahomes and Co that good times never last forever

The signs were there long before this game was taken off primetime TV and these two teams made history for all the wrong reasons.

Long before Patriots fans sat around open fires on Sunday mornings and watched Foxborough being painted red and white.

Long before the end of the Star-Spangled Banner, when an unmistakable shout of “Chiefs” echoed through Gillette Stadium. That turned out to be the signal for an observer to notice something about the mighty fall and its size. The only question: why did it take him so long to notice?

Recent reports suggest that Bill Belichick's fate has yet to be decided. Patriots chief Robert Kraft is still expected to make a decision on the head coach and the next chapter in New England.

What is clear: the 71-year-old who — in 23 years and six Super Bowl victories — built perhaps the greatest dynasty in NFL history has earned every opportunity to right this sinking ship. But if the sport works in cycles, then the magnitude of this downturn has been large. It was sad. And it will be painful that on Sunday it was the Kansas City Chiefs who pushed Belichick closer and closer to the exit.

The Patriots' poor season continued in a 27-17 loss to the Chiefs at Gillette Stadium

Sunday's win should remind Patrick Mahomes and Co. that good times never last forever

Andy Reid has put together the NFL's most dominant team since Belichick and Tom Brady, and after this 27-17 win, he called the Patriots coach the “best in the business ever.” Reid also insisted that the Chiefs were 'right' to take a knee at the end of this game, rather than run up the score. He meant well, but that could be the most damning judgment of all.

It remains unclear whether this loss, a sixth in seven games that leaves the Patriots at 3-11, will mark the penultimate home game of Belichick's remarkable tenure. But after another miserable season, after just one playoff game since 2019, the end certainly feels near — if not near. His post-match press conference on Sunday was a spiky, somber spectacle. No one pressed the coach about his future. No one needs to remind him what's at stake.

For Reid and his players, this trip should serve as a useful reminder that good times never last and that foundations that take years and years to build can crumble more quickly.

The Chiefs have gotten a glimpse of that in recent weeks, as cracks began to appear in the empire Reid has built with the help of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Co. Only twice since 2018 – when Mahomes took over – had the Chiefs suffered. four defeats in six games.

Rarely has all the pressure and tension boiled as high as last week, when Mahomes and Reid protested a late call from the officials. The decision cost them the victory against the Buffalo Bills. Their outburst cost them $150,000 in fines. Here, however, the reigning Super Bowl champions stopped the rot from spreading any further.

They had to get through another wobble after a Mahomes interception and 10 unanswered points kept the Patriots in the lead until the final 35 seconds of the first half

They endured another wobble: 10 unanswered points and a Mahomes interception left the Patriots in the lead until the final 35 seconds of the first half. A Jerick McKinnon touchdown turned the tide and by the time the clock ticked into a fourth quarter, the Chiefs had a 17-point cushion and any hope of any upset, any chance the Patriots had of pushing Mahomes to a first-ever three-point to send a duel. game losing streak seemed to have been extinguished.

Bailey Zappe started to fade, a few crucial decisions went against New England and the injuries also piled up. But then Mahomes threw another interception, the quarterback groaned again on the sideline and soon Kevin Harris had given the home team a lifeline.

The Patriots failed to capitalize, so the decision to pull this game from Monday Night Football turned out to be a smart one. Indeed, it's a sign of how grim things have become that the loss was arguably a plus for the Patriots: If anything, a loss bolsters their faint hopes of becoming the No. 1 pick in next year's draft. In the meantime, a victory would only have saved pride.

New England's fate was sealed last week, when they were knocked out of the playoffs at the earliest point of any season under Belichick. Their record now stands at 3-11. Who can blame the fans who booed and then left before the end?

Taylor Swift, the girlfriend of Chiefs star Travis Kelce, was in the stands during Sunday's game

Pressure is mounting on Belichick in New England as his 23-year reign is in serious doubt

The Chiefs, meanwhile, will go home relieved and re-energized, even if they are not entirely happy. This was a win that secured first place in the AFC West, but did little to allay concerns about their chances of a fourth Super Bowl in five years. Mahomes' two interceptions said less about the quarterback than about his receivers, while Kelce failed to maintain his pass in the end zone.

At least his girlfriend could watch the victories again on the chic seats. Earlier this year, Belichick saw Taylor Swift perform here and joked that she was the biggest signing of Kelce's career. When asked about the pop star in recent days, he was in a less playful mood.

Swift braved the pouring rain to close her show at Gillette Stadium. The heavens opened again on Sunday night and as the storm clouds continue to gather in New England, only time will tell what this loss means for the coach's own era.