Winners and losers from Patriots’ heart-breaking loss to Chiefs in Week 14

Tom Brady and Julian Edelman couldn’t pull off the comeback.

Here are the winners and losers from the New England Patriots’ tough 23-16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on Sunday in Week 14. New England managed one final drive into the red zone with a minute left in the game. But the effort to tie the game came up short on the 4-yard line with quarterback Tom Brady throwing incomplete to Julian Edelman on fourth down. The misfire essentially ended the game.

Winner: Julian Edelman, WR

On an ugly offensive night, Edelman was consistent, fiery and productive. Basically, he was everything that the rest of his skill players weren’t. While the rest of the pass-catchers not named James White or Edelman managed 82 yards, Edelman had eight catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. By the end of the first half, he had four catches for 70 yards.

The one downside for Edelman’s night was that he couldn’t haul in his final target of the game on a fourth-and-goal, which would have tied the score in the fourth quarter. Instead, the Bashaud Breeland reached over for a pass breakup, and essentially ended the game.

Loser: Tom Brady, QB

It was another mixed performance for Brady. Again, he had moments of brilliance that went with obvious errors. The most glaring issue, his interception, came on a first-and-10 on the 25-yard line. It was the first play of the team’s drive, and set a poor tone that would carry through the next two quarters.

Brady didn’t anticipate cornerback Bashaud Breeland cheating off coverage of receiver Julian Edelman. So when Brady saw tight end Matt LaCosse with significant separation, the quarterback zipped the ball in that direction. But Breeland closed on the ball and managed a takeaway.

Brady put together a solid fourth quarter, and nearly tied the game. But his struggles were a large reason why New England fell into a quick hole. The Patriots quarterback isn’t to blame for all of the offense’s problems. His supporting cast, past Edelman, has yet to step up. This has been the story for weeks. In a sense, that’s also why Brady is a “loser.” His supporting personnel hasn’t been good enough. His final is a good example. He needed better protection, so he could step into his throw and get it over Breeland. But Brady lacked the arm strength, in part due to his poor protection.

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