A weekly look at what the Chiefs must fix:

Despite getting their first victory Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs have a few things to clean up heading into next Monday night’s game against the New England Patriots at Arrowhead Stadium. Foremost is their protection of quarterback Alex Smith.

Smith has been sacked on 10.8 percent of his pass attempts this season, which is the second-worst rate in the NFL. The Chiefs will be missing starting offensive linemen Jeff Allen and Donald Stephenson again, one because of an injury and the other because of an NFL suspension.

So the Chiefs will again be forced to use an offensive line inhabited by journeymen (tackle Ryan Harris and guard Mike McGlynn) and developing players (tackle Eric Fisher and guard Zach Fulton). That means the pass protection will get tested by the Patriots next Monday night.

The solution is to go with a quick passing game, a strategy that best suits Smith’s abilities. The Chiefs had some success with the shorter passing game in Sunday’s win over the Miami Dolphins. Smith was sacked five times by the Dolphins, mostly when he took deep drops and intended to go downfield with the ball.

But when Smith stayed upright, he got rid of the ball quickly. None of his 25 pass attempts in Miami went beyond 8 yards downfield, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Smith completed 19 of 25 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-15 victory.