Beating the New England Patriots has been the primary focus for the Kansas City Chiefs since losing the AFC championship game last January.
The Chiefs had home-field advantage and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes but the Patriots escaped Arrowhead Stadium with a 37-31 overtime win and went on to win their sixth Super Bowl title.
The rematch Sunday in New England has significant playoff implications for both teams.
The Patriots (10-2) have a one-game lead over Buffalo (9-3) in the AFC East and fell to the No. 2 seed in the conference behind Baltimore (10-2) with a loss at Houston last week.