MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Good teams always seem to bring out best in the Chiefs

Kansas City will be without Priest Holmes, its No. 1 offensive weapon.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The New England Patriots might have a better chance of winning their 24th game in 25 tries tonight if they were 1-8 instead of 8-1.
It's the good teams that seem to have trouble handling the up-and-down -- but mostly down -- Kansas City Chiefs.
So far in a bitterly disappointing season, Dick Vermeil's team is 3-2 against teams with winning records and a puzzling 0-4 against those south of .500.
"It's a great thing to be able to say at the end of the year, 'Hey we beat all those teams that are in the playoffs,'" said left guard Brian Waters. "But it's not great when you're sitting at home and not in the playoffs yourself."
Examples
The Chiefs' best offensive outburst came in a two-week span when they piled up 101 points and more than 1,200 yards in victories over division leaders Indianapolis (6-3) and Atlanta (7-2).
But reverting back to their stumbling, fumbling ways, they lost back-to-back games at Tampa Bay (3-6) and New Orleans (4-5).
Their other win was a Monday night upset of Baltimore (6-3)
"The sad thing about it is most teams that go to the playoffs do a great job of beating the losing teams," Waters said. "Right now, that's where we're having problems, taking care of teams that don't have the greatest record in the world."
If it's a challenge the Chiefs enjoy, they should get all they want from the defending Super Bowl champions.
Winners of 23 of their last 24, the Pats are also coming off one of their best performances in two years, a 29-6 rout of Buffalo in which the defense did not give up a touchdown, Corey Dillon rushed for 151 yards and Adam Vinatieri was 5-for-5 in field goal attempts.
Sounds like just the sort of team that brings out the best in the Chiefs, especially at home on a Monday night when they've got all this frustration bottled up, ready to erupt behind one of the league's most dangerous offenses.
They might also draw inspiration from New England quarterback Tom Brady, who beat them in overtime 41-38 in their last meeting in 2002 while throwing for a career-high 410 yards.
Strategy
"Their offense is one of the best in the league," said Brady, who's thrown at least one TD pass in 12 straight games. "They have proven that year after year after year. It is going to be important for us to try to stay on the field. Anytime you play a really good offense, the best way to defend them is to keep them on the bench."
The Chiefs will be short-handed, with running back Priest Holmes sidelined with a knee injury. Holmes, whose 27 touchdowns last year set an NFL record, leads the AFC in scoring despite missing last week's game.
In his place, Derrick Blaylock rushed for 186 yards in a 27-20 loss to New Orleans.