Patriots self-inflicted wounds costly in Chiefs loss

The deck was clearly stacked against the Patriots.

In the game that never should have been played — thanks, NFL — the Patriots weren’t expected to have a puncher’s chance with Cam Newton sitting back home with the coronavirus.

But then something happened on the way to the Chiefs’ expected rout at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Patriots actually gave them a run for their money for three quarters, before ultimately losing, 26-10.

And it wasn’t just a token run. The Patriots could have won this game.

Perhaps more unexpected than the Pats making it a game, was the reason for their undoing — mistakes.

There were four turnovers by a team that doesn’t turn the ball over. And, there was poor situational football by a team that specializes in situational football.

It was so un-Patriot-like.

The Patriots were controlling the time of possession. Damien Harris was on his way to a 100-yard game. The defense had Patrick Mahomes out of sorts, and settling for field goals. The Chiefs didn’t score a touchdown until late in the third quarter, scoring with 42 seconds left to be exact, that’s how well the defense was playing.

But the mistakes, miscues Bill Belichick teams don’t usually make, were crushing. The Chiefs scored 14 points off turnovers alone. The Pats needed to play a perfect game, or close to perfect under the circumstances, but didn’t come close.

“We just gotta play better,” a dour Belichick said after the game. “We gotta coach better, and play better in the second half.”

Down just 6-3 at the half, it unraveled from there.

Did the gameday travel, thanks to Newton’s positive COVID-19 test, contribute to all of the uncharacteristic gaffes? Or just the concern over who might still contract the virus cause a lack of concentration?

Who knows?

Whatever the case, mistakes ruled the day.

“That’s just how the cookie crumbles,” said defensive captain Devin McCourty. “If I’m honest, in my 11-year career, we’ve been on the other side of that. … It’s just how it goes … we’re frustrated we didn’t win, but I wouldn’t say we have this huge frustration on the season. Our focus now is trying to turn the page.”

When they look at the film, it won’t be so easy.

Where to begin?

Well, McCourty was actually one of the offenders. He dropped a sure interception on the Chiefs’ first drive. The defense wound up holding Mahomes & Co. to a field goal after that miscue. But that was just the start of the mistake parade.

Before the half, with the score 6-3 in the Chiefs favor, and the Patriots inside the 20 with the clock running and no timeouts left, Brian Hoyer was sacked. Or rather, didn’t realize the situation. Because if he did, he would have thrown the ball away to allow the Patriots to live another down.

They didn’t get a touchdown, and they didn’t tie the game with a chip-shot field goal, had Hoyer had the presence of mind.

Bad mistake.

Moving ahead to the third quarter, with the defense still containing Mahomes and his fleet of track stars, the Patriots once again moved the ball deep into Chiefs territory.

They were in the red zone, but Hoyer was strip-sacked. Frank Clark poked it loose. It was a fumble, recovered by the Chiefs. Hoyer simply held onto the ball too long.

So two times in the red zone, no points. None.

“We were in field goal range and I was getting ready to throw it,” Hoyer said of the strip-sack. “You just gotta do a better job protecting it.”

Of course, after the fumble, Mahomes found some rhythm, and got the ball in the end zone to put the Chiefs up 13-3.

Hoyer was replaced by Jarrett Stidham, who provided a brief spark with a nice touchdown pass to N’Keal Harry. He made a perfect throw on a fade route to make it 13-10.

Stidham looked good, and seemed like he’d keep the Patriots in the game, until a Julian Edelman drop, with the ball going through his hands, led to a pick-six. That was pretty much game over.

J.C. Jackson also had another potential pick, but couldn’t hold on.

To be fair, the Patriots were also hurt by a botched call in the second quarter. Chase Winovich got to Mahomes and forced what looked like a fumble, that Shilique Calhoun recovered. Only, the refs blew the play dead before Calhoun’s scoop.

Belichick should have thrown a challenge flag, but didn’t, because he didn’t believe the ruling would be overturned. Referee Tony Corrente said he felt like Mahomes “was being controlled,” that’s why he called forward progress on the would-be fumble so there was no point, in his mind. It was still the wrong call.

Another second guess?

Should Belichick have started Stidham in the first place? Maybe. He sure looked like the better quarterback, and not a third-stringer. Let’s just say if Newton can’t play Sunday against the Broncos, he should get the start, not Hoyer.

Stidham did throw a pair of picks, but one wasn’t his fault. He finished 5-for-13 for 60 yards with the two picks. Hoyer was 15-for-24 for 130 yards and an interception.

Overall, not a great night for the quarterback position, leaving us to wonder what would have happened if Newton had played.

Hard to say, but his value to the team is obvious, and was only enhanced by his absence.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3lgVM51