Patriots 30, Chiefs 24

FOXBORO, Mass. — One of Monday night's least-meaningful matchups turned into another last-minute thriller. And it ended Kansas City's final hope for a playoff berth.

The New England Patriots held on for a 30-24 victory over the Chiefs in a matchup of teams going nowhere.

It was the third Monday night game in the last seven that was decided on the last play.

"We were able to build a big enough cushion to sustain it, but overall, that's not what we want," New England coach Bill Belichick said.

The Chiefs (5-8) certainly didn't, since their fifth straight loss eliminated them from playoff contention.

"We play as hard as any team can, but it's disheartening," Kansas City coach Gunther Cunningham said. "We keep making mental errors at the wrong time. It's eating away at me."

Drew Bledsoe's sore thumb didn't stop him from having one of his best games, throwing for a season-high 282 yards. He completed 33 passes, third-most in his career, in 48 attempts for two touchdowns.

And Adam Vinatieri kicked three field goals, including a 53-yarder that gave the Patriots (4-9) a 20-10 halftime lead.

But as the game wound down, it sparked memories of the Patriots' 20-19 Monday night loss to the New York Jets in Week 2 when they allowed two touchdowns in the last 6:25.

The Chiefs cut the lead to 30-24 on Elvis Grbac's 19-yard pass to Kevin Lockett with 3:58 left. Then they drove to the Patriots 12 but had no timeouts. Time expired when Tony Gonzalez was tackled by Tebucky Jones in the middle of the field after a 5-yard completion.

"I wasn't going to let him score," Jones said. "I knew if I made the tackle and laid on him, the game was over."

Grbac threw to Gonzalez, who had 11 catches for 147 yards, as a last desperate attempt.

"I probably should have thrown the ball into the end zone," said Grbac, who was 25-for-46 for 350 yards and three touchdowns. "But I saw Tony was open and I got him the ball. Any time I get the ball to Tony, he can score."

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This time, Gonzalez didn't.

The Chiefs gave up two fumbles after losing just four all season and wasted Grbac's 81-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Alexander, who has three scoring catches of more than 80 yards in his career plus an 82-yard TD run.

The loss came eight days after Kansas City became San Diego's only victim of the season. Grbac missed that game with an injured right index finger.

The Patriots treated a chilly crowd — missing 9,964 no-shows — to their best offensive display of a season in which they often faltered in the waning moments of games. They entered with a 7-18 Monday night record, worst in the AFC.

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