KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jamaal Charles found the end zone three times and the Kansas City defense stifled Tom Brady and the New England offense for most of three quarters as the Chiefs scored a 41-14 victory over the Patriots on Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

Returning to action after missing the Chiefs’ last game due to an ankle injury, Charles was the focus of attention for head coach and play caller Andy Reid, quarterback Alex Smith and the K.C. offense. Charles ran two yards for a score and caught touchdown passes of five and eight yards from Smith.

The Chiefs quarterback also found tight end Travis Kelce for a two-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

It was the worst defeat suffered by the Patriots since Sept. 7, 2003, when they lost the season opener at Buffalo 31-0.

The Kansas City defense kept the New England offense under control until late in the third quarter when Brady connected with wide receiver Brandon LaFell for a 44-yard touchdown.

Early in that same quarter, the Chiefs picked up their first takeaways of the season, forcing a Brady fumble and then grabbing two interceptions, including a touchdown return of 39 yards by free safety Husain Abdullah. They converted those Patriots turnovers into 17 points.

After going 14 of 23 for 159 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, Brady was pulled in the fourth quarter and rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw his first NFL touchdown pass, connecting on a 13-yard pass with tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The Chiefs dominated the first half, limiting the Patriots to 96 offensive yards. Brady threw for just 72 yards, and New England managed 24 rushing yards.

Kansas City’s offense produced 303 yards in the first half. Smith hit 14 of 17 throws for 180 yards and a touchdown pass. The Chiefs’ running game banged the Patriots’ defense for 131 yards, with running back Knile Davis gaining 63 yards on just five carries and Charles adding 58 yards on 10 carries.

Kansas City scored first with just over two minutes to play in the first quarter, as Charles finished off an 11-play, 73-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Smith was 4-for-5 in the drive, including a big 15-yard completion to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe on third-and-8 at the New England 17-yard line. Charles made the end zone on the next play.

On their next chance with the ball, early in the second quarter, the Chiefs hit the Patriots with two big plays. Davis ran for 48 yards on the first snap. On the next play, Smith connected with Kelce for 33 yards. Smith then threw 5 yards to Charles for the touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

Kansas City closed out the half with a seven-play, 85-yards drive, and after some suspect clock management in the final minute, settled for a 22-yard field goal from rookie kicker Cairo Santos for a 17-0 lead at intermission.

The domination continued in the third quarter, as the Chiefs forced their first takeaway of the season, as outside linebacker Tamba Hali sacked Brady, knocked the ball loose and then recovered the fumble at the New England 9-yard line.

Two plays later, Charles was in the end zone again, on an 8-yard pass from Smith. The extra point gave the Chiefs a 24-0 lead.

NOTES: The Patriots were without starting RCB Alfonzo Dennard, who was inactive because of a shoulder injury. … The Chiefs were without starting SS Eric Berry for the second consecutive game because of a high ankle sprain he sustained Sept. 14. Ron Parker started in Berry’s spot. … No other game on the NFL schedule this season will feature more victories from the coaches than Monday night’s contest with Bill Belichick and Andy Reid. Combined, they have 373 wins in the regular season and playoffs, including Reid’s victory Monday. Belichick leads all active head coaches with 220 victories, and Reid is No. 4 with 153. … In the first half, the Arrowhead Stadium crowd reclaimed the title of the loudest stadium in the NFL when the sound meter reached 142.2 decibels. That topped the mark previously held by the fans at CenturyLink Field in Seattle that was set last season, just weeks after the Chiefs grabbed the record. The record is determined by the folks at the Guinness Book of World Records.