It was again a tale of two halves for Zappe, who got his fifth career start. He threw for one touchdown and one interception.
The Patriots are now 3-11 on the season, with their only victories coming against the Jets back in Week 3, the Bills in Week 7, and the Steelers last week.
The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, who came in struggling after losing back-to-back games for the first time since September 2021, avoided losing a third straight game, improving to 9-5 on the season.
The highlight for many at Gillette Stadium on Sunday was seeing Taylor Swift on the videoboard, as the pop superstar returned to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to watch her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.