There are two Kansas City games on Bill Belichick’s mind right now.

One is the Chiefs’ 30-0 win Saturday over the Houston Texans in the first round of the NFL playoffs.

The Kansas City Chiefs, who have won 11 straight, play the Patriots on Saturday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Last year, the Chiefs crushed the Patriots, 41-17, then it was ‘on to Cincinnati.’. The Associated Press

The other is New England’s most recent encounter with the Chiefs, when they beat the Patriots 41-14 last season – the second-worst defeat of Belichick’s tenure with the Patriots.

“That was a pretty dominant performance by Kansas City,” Belichick told reporters Sunday. “We’re certainly going to have to prepare and coach the team a lot better than we did that night. So that’s what we’ll try to do.”

The loss to Kansas City in Week 4 last season was a tumultuous time for the Patriots, who were in the middle of what constitutes a slump for them. New England was just 2-2 at the time, and was coming off a pair of AFC championship game losses and a 10th straight year without a Super Bowl victory.

New Englanders began to wonder if quarterback Tom Brady, who was pulled from the game against the Chiefs after throwing two interceptions, was slowing down at age 37.

Belichick famously responded to all big-picture questions with a dismissive, “We’re on to Cincinnati.”

And the Patriots did turn things around, winning 10 of their next 11 regular-season games and then earning their fourth Super Bowl title.

“A lot of time has passed there. So there are a lot of things to think about,” Belichick said Sunday.

“There’s been 25 games since then. A thousand plays on either side of the ball. There are some things we can take from it. There are some things that are outdated. … It has relevance.”

The Patriots (12-4), who earned a first-round bye, will play the Chiefs in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Saturday for the right to advance to the AFC championship game.

“They’re doing a phenomenal job,” Chiefs Coach Andy Reid said.

“Bill’s a friend, he’s a heck of a football coach. Tom Brady is unbelievable. And the job they’ve done there, the accomplishments they’ve had, they’ve made history.

“We look forward to the challenge of playing them. That’s what this is all about.”

But while Belichick may be pondering that game against Kansas City last season, Reid is hardly giving it a thought.

“Listen, that was then, this is now, so you prepare yourself,” he said. “We’ve got guys playing now that were watching that on TV.”

New England is trying to reach its fifth straight conference title game, but the Chiefs have a streak of their own.

Kansas City (12-5) has won 11 straight games, including the victory over the Texans. Belichick said it will be harder to prepare for the Chiefs because there are so few examples of things opponents did that worked.

“The fact that they haven’t lost in so long, it’s not like you can go to a game and say ‘This is how this team defeated them.’ That just doesn’t exist,” Belichick said.

“So we’ve got to figure out a way.”

NOTES: Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman has been cleared to play against the Chiefs, according to media reports.

Edelman has been out of the lineup since he broke a bone in his left foot during a win over the Giants on Nov. 15. …

Kansas City wide receiver Jeremy Maclin had an MRI on Sunday that showed his right ACL was intact but revealed a sprained ankle sustained in Saturday’s game.

While the severity of the ankle injury is unknown, it’s unlikely Maclin will be available against New England.

“I hate to jump conclusions or jump ahead. Let me just gather the information,” Reid said.

“Right now I’m telling you most of his pain is in his ankle, more than his knee.”

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