KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Patriots dynasty has reached such ridiculous heights that you can erase everything that happened from 2001-2010 and they’re still probably the greatest superpower in NFL history.

They’ve made eight consecutive conference championship games, a streak that will never be matched. They’re going to their third straight Super Bowl and fourth in five years. And there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight.

Not with Tom Brady slinging the ball, aided by a power rushing attack and the unrelenting strategical brilliance of Bill Belichick.

So much must go right for any team to beat the Patriots in a high-stakes game. The Chiefs couldn’t make it happen despite homefield advantage, an all-time great offense, and a 2-0 advantage in the turnover column.

Here are the grades from the Patriots’ incredible 37-31 overtime win over the Chiefs:

QUARTERBACK: A-minus

The interception in the end zone prevents Tom Brady from earning the straight ‘A.’

Otherwise? Pretty incredible.

The defining moment for the Pats came on a third-and-5 near the end of regulation. What would have been a game-sealing interception had just been wiped off the board by an offsides penalty. Brady went right back to Rob Gronkowski on the next play, perfectly placing a the ball over the tight end’s shoulder for a gain of 25 yards. That set up the go-ahead touchdown.

Brady was unflappable down the stretch. He converted on third-and-10 three times during the overtime drive.

His 20-yard connection with Julian Edelman at the 1:57 mark of the fourth quarter was an absolute bullet.

When Brady has adequate pass protection, it’s almost impossible to beat him.

RUNNING BACK: A-minus

Sony Michel is rapidly turning into the workhorse running back the Patriots drafted him to be.

Michel set a career-high with 29 carries, totaled 113 yards, and scored twice. His vision and instincts, which were always strong, are improving late in the season. His no-nonsense running style is perfect for the Pats.

James White was overshadowed by Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, but his performance at the end of the first half was enormous. On consecutive plays, White converted a third-and-4 in the flat, took a screen pass 30 yards (gaining eight yards after initial contact toward the end of the run), carried for a nine-yard gain around the left end, and then picked up a blitz to give Tom Brady time on a 29-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Dorsett.

Rex Burkhead failed to convert a fourth-and-short with 9:33 remaining in regulation, but he made the most of his opportunities in the final minutes. Burkhead carried 10 yards to the goal line and then punched in the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

WIDE RECEIVER: A-minus

Julian Edelman momentarily appeared to be the goat — not to be confused with the G.O.A.T — after a Tom Brady pass clanged off his hands and landed in the arms of Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen midway through the fourth quarter.

Kansas City took its first lead shortly afterward.

Edelman came roaring back, as he usually does, and dominated at the biggest moments. He absorbed a huge hit and held on for a 20-yard gain on a third-and-10 in overtime. On another third-and-10, the Chiefs went two deep safeties and left the middle of the field wide open. Edelman roasted Kansas City cornerback Charvarius Ward for a 15-yard gain.

Chris Hogan pulled in an improbable one-handed reception on a third-and-8 in the fourth quarter.

Phillip Dorsett displayed excellent concentration on his 29-yard touchdown to close the first half.

TIGHT END: A-minus

Rob Gronkowski was fortunate that Dee Ford was offsides when the ball bounced off his hands for a Charvarius Ward interception that would have sealed a Kansas City win.

But he came right back for one of the biggest plays of his career.

Gronkowski’s 25-yard reception against Eric Berry on third-and-5 will play on Patriots highlight reels for a long time. In overtime, he beat Berry again, this time on a slant for 15 yards on third-and-10. It was a pinpoint throw by Brady.

Gronk did a solid job blocking, as well. On Sony Michel’s 10-yard touchdown run, Gronkowski kicked out on Justin Houston to help open the hole.

He was used as a pass-blocker in some critical situations, too.

There’s a reason why Gronkowski called this one of the sweetest victories of his career. He played a tremendous all-around game.

OFFENSIVE LINE: A

Along with the secondary, this has been the Patriots’ most consistent position group all year.

Tom Brady was hardly touched. The Pats set the tone early and kept Patrick Mahomes on the sideline thanks to a physical rushing attack that overwhelmed the Kansas City front.

Trent Brown, Joe Thuney and David Andrews cleared an absurd amount of space on a 14-yard Rex Burkhead run in the second half. Bill Belichick could have gained eight.

Brady dominated on third down, and deserves a ton of credit for his clutch performance, but it was made possible because the Patriots were usually in third-and-manageable (until the very end of the game).

On a James White screen that went 30 yards, Shaq Mason made the initial block in space and David Andrews demolished Chiefs defensive back Jordan Lucas to create the big play.

On Sony Michel’s 10-yard touchdown run, Marcus Cannon took care of Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens at the second level and got a hand on safety Daniel Sorensen. Michel ran untouched to the end zone.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B-plus

The defensive front did a good job making Patrick Mahomes uncomfortable for the majority of the game.

Trey Flowers’ sack of Mahomes late in the second quarter knocked the Chiefs out of field goal range. The Patriots sent five on the play, and Dont’a Hightower’s pressure up the middle forced Mahomes to retreat. Flowers tracked him down for a 14-yard loss.

Malcom Brown held his ground and teamed with Hightower and Kyle Van Noy for a stop on third-and-short early in the second quarter.

In the third, the combination of Lawrence Guy and John Simon got to Mahomes for a sack that put the Chiefs in third-and-18. Simon drove Pro Bowl left tackle Eric Fisher backward. Flowers looped around him. As Mahomes moved up in the pocket to avoid Flowers, Guy and Simon engulfed him.

LINEBACKER: B-plus

Kyle Van Noy was everywhere in the first half.

On a third-and-10 in the first quarter, Van Noy stunted inside of Adam Butler and sacked Mahomes for a loss of 14. On the final play of the second quarter, he split Eric Fisher and Cam Erving to chase down Mahomes for a strip sack. The Chiefs were lucky to pounce on the ball. It easily could have been 21-0 Patriots by halftime.

Van Noy also forced a throwaway with a pressure off right tackle in the second quarter.

Hightower was active when deployed in a pass-rushing role. Hightower jammed Travis Kelce a few times when Kelce lined up as a traditional tight end.

Elandon Roberts came through with a few big hits, including a run stuff of minus-2 yards in the first quarter.

It was unclear who was responsible for covering Damien Williams on the 23-yard touchdown reception, but the entire second level of the Patriots defense drifted toward Travis Kelce as Mahomes rolled right and threw across the field to a wide open Williams.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: B

The Pats weren’t going to let Tyreek Hill or Travis Kelce beat them. They were willing to live with anyone else doing it.

Jonathan Jones, arguably the fastest player on the Patriots, did a great job on Hill. He and Devin McCourty often doubled the electric receiver. Hill caught only one pass — a 42-yard reception against rookie Keion Crossen.

Rookie J.C. Jackson handled the Kelce assignment well. He limited Kelce to three receptions for 23 yards. Stephon Gilmore took over Kelce duty in the fourth quarter.

Because the Pats were devoting so much attention to Hill and Kelce, Gilmore was on an island against Sammy Watkins the entire game. He allowed a 54-yard reception to Watkins on the first drive of the second half, a play that ignited the Chiefs offense.

On the next play, Jackson gave up a 12-yard touchdown to Kelce on a slant. The Pats generally double team Kelce in the red zone, but they left Jackson one-on-one with the tight end while Devin McCourty bracketed Hill.

Jackson was flagged for two pass interference penalties. One of them, against Sammy Watkins along the Patriots’ sideline, was an iffy call.

Jackson also allowed a 27-yard reception to DeMarcus Robinson on the Chiefs’ final drive of regulation.

The Pats used four cornerbacks for the majority of the game. Duron Harmon played only two snaps.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-plus

Stephen Gostkowski remains perfect in the postseason.

The Patriots much-improved coverage units showed up on a third-quarter punt. Matthew Slater denied Tyreek Hill the sideline, causing Hill to reverse field. Albert McClellan and Ramon Humber converged on Hill after he went 11 yards in the wrong direction.

Keion Crossen made a great tackle on the Patriots’ first kickoff of the game, forcing the Chiefs to start at their own 16-yard line.

And does the coin toss count as special teams? Matthew Slater’s call of ‘heads’ was pretty important, too.

COACHING: A

There was a point in the second half when Keion Crossen, a rookie drafted in the seventh round, was covering Tyreek Hill and J.C. Jackson, an undrafted rookie, was on Travis Kelce.

God bless Bill Belichick.

He’s always willing to try unconventional strategies. Usually they pay off. And this one wasn’t perfect — the Pats did give up 31 points — but it worked well enough.

If the Patriots were going down, it was going to be Damien Williams, Sammy Watkins and DeMarcus Robinson who beat them. Belichick wasn’t getting burned by Hill for a third time.

No team held Hill and Kelce below 100 combined yards this season. The Patriots limited the duo to 65.

Up front, the Pats were effective in sending a fifth rusher to get to Mahomes. On a third down in the second half, for example, the Pats blitzed Devin McCourty and Mahomes was forced to unload a low-percentage throw down the sideline for Hill.

Offensively, the Pats attacked the Chiefs’ weakness, running right up the middle against a defense that allowed 5.0 yards per carry during the regular season (the league’s worst run defense, the Los Angeles Rams, awaits them in the Super Bowl). The Pats went with heavy formations to begin the game. Their early approach served them well for two reasons: It kept the clock ticking as Patrick Mahomes stood on the sideline, and it put Tom Brady in manageable third-down situations.

HEAD OF THE CLASS

Tom Brady: This guy really can play until he’s 45, huh?

Julian Edelman: One of the best postseason performers in NFL history.

Rob Gronkowski: Delivered one of his best games of the season. The Pats needed every one of his 79 yards.

BACK OF THE PACK

Keion Crossen: Gave up the 42-yard reception to Hill. Also was slow to react to a Damien Williams pass to the flat. He inadvertently got in Kyle Van Noy’s path, allowing Williams to bust loose for 33 yards.

Referees: They were all over the place…for both sides. Chris Jones’ roughing the passer in the fourth quarter was brutal. The officials also missed a blatant offensive pass interference on Chris Conley, which freed Sammy Watkins for a 38-yard gain down the sideline.