Foxborough, Pennsylvania On Sunday afternoon, there were a few things for the Gillette Stadium crowd to shout about.
Jon Bon Jovi rang the bell atop the lighthouse before to the official start of the event. To the joy of those in attendance, Taylor Swift was then featured on the big screen during the first half.
There wasn’t much to be happy about on this particular day, save from a couple strong plays by the Patriots offense in the first half. After trailing 14-10 at the half, Bailey Zappe and the Patriots gave the Gillette Stadium supporters some cause for optimism. However, the Kansas City Chiefs promptly proved why they are the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Any good fortune the Patriots had in their unexpected victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week was quickly gone as they were getting blown out at home. The Patriots committed too many infractions, Zappe was unable to fully replicate that magic, and the team’s defense was limited.
After falling to the Chiefs 27-17 on Sunday, the Patriots dropped to 3-11. The Patriots have not had an 11-loss campaign since the 2000 campaign.
This is the reason the Chiefs defeated the Patriots:
Bailey Zappe blew up after a fiery start.
Like they did in Pittsburgh last week, the Patriots offense followed a similar playbook. Although Zappe was blazing hot in the first half, the quarterback once more lost his calm in the second half. In contrast to last week, the Patriots’ offensive faltered in the third quarter and they were unable to hold on.
The Patriots offense started the game on a three-and-out. In the following series, Zappe’s team had a drastically different appearance, but the Patriots’ kicking problems prevented them from jumping out to an early lead. During this drive, Zappe went 7 for 7, making accurate reads and speedy passes. Two plays later, he connected with Demario Douglas on a 16-yard pass play after hitting DeVante Parker for a 20-yard gain.
Although the defense was good, Patrick Mahomes was superior.
The Patriots defense held its own, but Patrick Mahomes proved to be too good on Sunday.
The group opened this game with a bending but not a breaking. On Sunday, Mahomes found tight end Noah Gray for 32 yards on his opening pass play. The Patriots’ defense stayed firm and it paid off, even though the Chiefs were now within striking distance. Harrison Butker, the Chiefs’ kicker, missed a 39-yard field goal at 9:56 in the first quarter. That was Butker’s first failure of the year.
Patriots inflicted self-harm through fines
If the Patriots were going to defeat the reigning Super Bowl champs, they had to play flawless football.
That did not occur, and penalty issues arose from the opening play of Sunday’s game.
The first kickoff was returned 46 yards by Jalen Reagor, but the gain was nullified due to a holding call on Brenden Schooler. The offense’s opening drive began at the 13-yard line as opposed to the 49-yard line.
In the second part, the pattern persisted. Jabrill Peppers recovered the ball after Jonathan Jones forced a fumble on Skyy Moore at 13:40 in the third quarter. But that was nullified by a defensive holding call against Alex Austin. The Chiefs took advantage of that and converted it into a field goal to put the Patriots out of the game.
