Takeaways from Chiefs-Patriots
Let’s hope that the Chiefs-Patriots season opener sets the tone for the rest of the 2017 season. In a reverse of their epic Super Bowl LI triumph, the Patriots played well for three quarters before imploding in the fourth as Kansas City’s offense rampaged to a 42–27 win. Here’s what we learned;
In a dark knight for the Patriots’ defense, Kansas City racked up 537 yards and 42 points, both the highest single-game totals allowed by a Belichick-era Patriots team. Alex Smith had a career night, completing 80% of his passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns, but the real star was rookie running back Kareem Hunt.
When Spencer Ware suffered season-ending injuries in the preseason, Hunt was thrust into the starting role. Aside from fumbling his first NFL snap, the Toledo product had a historic debut with 246 yards from scrimmage; the most by any rookie since the merger. Hunt finished with 17 carries for 148 yards and a score on the ground alongside five catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns, including an incredible 78 yard catch-and-run.
New England’s defense played well for the first three quarters, sacking Alex Smith three times and employing a bend-don’t-break mentality. But the front seven struggled to stop the run, even before defensive leader Dont’a Hightower suffered an ankle injury in the second half. Even though he played well, top-dollar cornerback Stephon Gilmore played had a miscommunication with safety Devin McCourty that led to a 75 yard touchdown for Tyreek Hill.
After drawing comparisons to the otherworldly 2007 unit, New England’s offense had a disappointing game. Brady kept overthrowing his receivers and only completed 44% of his passes despite good protection for most of the game. Eric Berry locked down Rob Gronkowski while the Chiefs blanketed deep threats Cooks and Chris Hogan, allowing just 96 yards between the two. And even after an encouraging three touchdown performance from new running back Mike Gillislee, the Patriots failed to convert on two crucial 4th-and-short situations.
With an impressive performance, the Chiefs’ offense could be one of the most exciting and versatile units in the league this season. From Hunt establishing himself as a legitimate every-down back to Tyreek Hill continuing to be an electric playmaker and Smith having weapons that allow him to throw deep, this could be the strength of the team.
That could prove crucial, as Berry, their defensive lynchpin and emotional locker room leader, suffered what looks to be a season-ending Achilles injury late in the fourth quarter. Even though the pass rush eventually got to Brady in the final five minutes, it was Berry anchoring the secondary that shut down the Patriots’ aerial attack.
New England also have their own injury issues. With Julian Edelman out for the season and promising second-year wideout Malcolm Mitchell on injured reserve, the Patriots were already thin on targets. Then Danny Amendola left late with a head injury after racking up 100 yards. With three of their top five wideouts injured, the Patriots may have to rely on recent trade pickup Phillip Dorsett to play several snaps in the coming weeks. With their two best slot receivers out, the Patriots’ wide receiver group is now also painfully one-dimensional, as Cooks, Hogan and Dorsett are all deep threats first and foremost.
Ultimately one game won’t dictate the outcome of the season for either team. The last three times the Patriots lost their season opener, they went on to win the Super Bowl. But can Belichick fix the defense ahead of next week’s tilt with the Saints? And can the Chiefs keep the offense rolling enough to overcome the loss of Eric Berry while embroiled in a tough battle for the AFC West? After an epic opening night, we’re left with more questions than answers about how the AFC will shape up come January…
