It wasn’t the blowout most were expecting, but there were many of the same frustrations for the New England Patriots in their 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Quarterback Bailey Zappe and the Patriots offense got off to another hot start in the first half. After two quarters of action, Zappe was 17-of-19 throwing for 141 yards and one touchdown.
And then the offense went off a cliff in the second half.
Zappe couldn’t get anything going on the field, and multiple injuries along the offensive front caused serious protection issues down the stretch. Third downs were the Achilles heel for the Patriots with the team going 2-for-12 on the must-have downs.
The defense kept them in the fight with key takeaways and creating all sorts of havoc in the offensive backfield for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. By the end of the game, Mahomes was sacked three times and threw two interceptions.
Of course, it wasn’t all perfect for the Patriots defensively. They gave up too many YAC-driven chunk plays. Mahomes was Houdini in the pocket, scrambling around and buying extra time for his receivers. But then again, there’s only so much any defense can do to stop an otherworldly talent like Mahomes.
The Patriots can walk away from this game with their heads held high. They’ve certainly played better in recent weeks, and they managed to put up a fight against a desperate Chiefs team coming off back-to-back losses.
A road trip to Denver is next on the schedule for the now 3-11 Patriots, who are still clinging to the hope of closing out a disappointing 2023 season with some dignity.
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