TONIHT

* The line: New England by 1

* Story line: Dennis Miller’s witticisms could be the most interesting moments during this woeful matchup. Both teams appear to have packed it in for the season and are looking to 2001. Kansas City has lost four in a row and New England has only one victory in its last six games.

* Keys to the game: Patriot QB Drew Bledsoe vs. Kansas City’s blitz: With the Chiefs blitzing heavily, Bledsoe needs to take advantage of Kansas City’s young secondary by hitting WR Terry Glenn on quick slants. Kansas City is sixth in the NFL with 37 sacks and the Patriots give up an average of four sacks a game. Chief TE Tony Gonzalez over the middle: Gonzalez is terrific at exploiting zone defenses by finding the seams in coverage. The Patriots’ weakness up the middle may also help the Chiefs establish a running game.

* Injury report: KC--QB Elvis Grbac (finger, questionable). NE--QB Drew Bledsoe (thumb, questionable); WR Troy Brown (leg, questionable); RB J.R. Redmond (ribs, questionable).

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COMPARISON KC NE Points scored 23.6 (8) 16.0 (26) Points allowed 22.8 (T20) 21.1 (16) Passing off. 259.5 (T4) 188.2 (19) Rushing off. 78.8 (28) 85.1 (25) Passing def. 216.0 (20) 208.6 (16) Rushing def. 124.8 (25) 119.7 (22) Time of poss. 27:51 (27) 29:04 (23) Turnover ratio +10 (T6) -3 (T18) Red zone TD% 55.8 (9) 39.5 (25)

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* The pick: Kansas City.