Foxboro, MA – The last time these teams met, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady suffered a left knee injury that sent him to the operating table.
On Monday night, Brady was far from surgical but he did throw a pair of touchdown passes to standout tight end Rob Gronkowski in a 34-3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in their first meeting since the 2008 season opener.
Brady finished with a season-low 15 completions (on 27 attempts) and 234 yards for New England, which sits atop the AFC East with a 7-3 record, two games ahead of both the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis gained 81 yards on 20 carries in the win.
At the time, Brady's season-ending injury created an opportunity for little- used backup Matt Cassel to prove to the league he could be a capable starter. The former Patriot was unable to face his old team because of an injured throwing hand that required surgery to repair the damage. Kansas City placed its signal-caller, who was hurt in a Week 10 loss to Denver, on injured reserve hours before Monday's game.
Unproven Tyler Palko, a 28-year-old who had thrown just 13 NFL passes, made his first career start in place of Cassel. Palko finished with 236 yards on 25-of-38 passing with three interceptions, including a pair by Kyle Arrington.
Dwayne Bowe had 87 yards on seven receptions for the Chiefs (4-6), losers of three straight.
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