Chiefs vs. Patriots: 5 Things We Learned in 34-3 Win on Monday Night Football

The spread on Monday night's contest between the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs was 16 points. Apparently, that was being kind to the visiting team.

The Patriots have won by 21 or more in each of their last two games. Both of these wins have come in games where New England didn't necessarily play a great game all around. The Patriots offense sputtered out to start, but it was the defense that held it together at the start while Brady and the offense found its legs.

That being said, the past two games have come against Mark Sanchez and Tyler Palko. While we learned that the Patriots defense can step up to the challenge against inferior competition, one question will remain until the playoffs: Can the Patriots make it happen against a dominant passer and an offense that can score?

As the Patriots prepare for the Philadelphia Eagles, who are coming off a big win over the Giants, New England learned a lot of things about itself on Monday night. So did we. Here are just a few.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter  @ErikFrenz.

The Patriots Offensive Line Is Highly Susceptible to the Blitz

The Patriots allowed a lot of early pressure on Brady, who was sacked three times in the first half. Beyond the sack total, though, pressure was in Brady's face for much of the first half and it threw him off, holding him to just one completion on five attempts in the first quarter.

The offensive line was able to get some better protection for him in the second half, but the fact that a Chiefs defense that totaled nine sacks on the season before Monday night was able to pick up three so quickly is alarming.

The fact that Matt Light went down with a knee injury late in the game should be cause for concern, too. They will need Nate Solder to step up big-time if Light is out for an extended period of time, which appears to be the case.

Tom Brady Gets Back on Track (Again)

Just like last week, the Patriots got off to a slow start. Just like last week, he picked things up before the half and put the Patriots in a prime position coming out of halftime.

He was just 1-for-5 passing in the first quarter. He finished 15-for-27 for 234 yards and two touchdowns.

The Patriots would have liked to come away with a touchdown on the final drive of the first half, but a bad throw by Brady resulted in the offense getting just three points.

Still, the fact that the Patriots got the ball back after halftime was imperative because they ultimately wound up marching the ball down the field for a touchdown and taking a 14-point lead. They didn't stop adding to the lead until it had reached 31 points.

Rob Gronkowski Is Among the Discussion of Best Tight Ends in the NFL

With two touchdown receptions, Rob Gronkowski moved his total to 10 on the season. This was his sixth career game with multiple touchdowns.

His first touchdown was just a result of a busted coverage, but it was his second touchdown that was the most impressive. His huge frame has made him nearly uncoverable in the past, as has his route-running.

Even in a league that still has Jason Witten and Antonio Gates, Rob Gronkowski is putting his name right in the discussion of the top two or three tight ends in the NFL.

He finished the night with four receptions for 96 yards and two touchdowns, and now has 56 receptions for 805 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Patriots Defense Has Come to Play (Finally)

Say what you will about Tyler Palko, and whatever you say is probably accurate. Still, the Patriots defense played well against an offense that features some talented skill position players.

Much of that was due to some poor decisions by Palko. He threw three interceptions on the night and was sacked three times. Despite his struggles, the Chiefs were able to move the ball pretty well at times against the Patriots.

Overall, though, it was another signature Patriots' defensive performance, with a ton of yards given up and hardly any points. The Patriots gave up 334 yards of offense and just three points.

The pressure was much better, with Mark Anderson and Andre Carter in Tyler Palko's face frequently. They combined for a first-half sack, and Carter had a sack taken away from him that was turned into a six-yard tackle for a loss. With two interceptions on Sunday and seven on the season, Kyle Arrington had his second game with multiple interceptions and extended his league lead in interceptions.

The Patriots have played much better defensively over the past three weeks, and although this performance came against an unproven career journeyman quarterback, the Patriots can take positives from this and build on them. They also build their confidence going forward, which is an important trait for any defenses to play with.

Shane Vereen Is an NFL Football Player

Shane Vereen got his first carry of the 2011 season Monday night and got a total of eight carries for 39 yards and a 4.9 average. He had a couple of very impressive runs, and showed impressive vision, elusiveness and agility. It appeared he would be stopped on third down, but cut back and turned on a second gear to pick up a first down and much more.

Sure, it was in garbage time, but he also picked up his first career NFL touchdown on a four-yard run.

This may have been seen by some as running up the score, but the Patriots did a fine job of finding out just what they have in their young running back.

It turns out, they found out he has quite a bit. Hopefully we see more of him in the weeks to come.