The Kansas City Chiefs dominated the New England Patriots in a 41-14 beatdown on Monday Night Football in Kansas City. This game wasn’t even as close as the final score.
The Chiefs are very good at home, but who expected this on a Monday Night, from the New England Patriots, with head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady still around? While their offense again struggled, their defense surrendered 303 total yards, and a 17-0 deficit to Kansas City, by halftime.
Chief’s running back Jamaal Charles outscored the Patriots by himself, with a rushing touchdown and 2 receiving touchdowns, giving Kansas City a 24-0 lead halfway through the 3rd quarter. Quarterback Alex Smith had a great game, with 20 of 26 passing for 248 yards and 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions.
On the other hand, Tom Brady had a miserable game, especially by his standards. He was 14 of 23 passing for 159 yards, with one touchdown, and 2 interceptions. The last of those interceptions resulted in a Husain Abdullah 39-yard interception return for a touchdown, which put the nail in the coffin for this game at 41-7.
After that interception, Brady watched the rest of the 4th quarter from the bench. Rookie Jimmy Garoppolo came in and drove the Patriots 81 yards for their 2nd and final touchdown, a 13-yard reception by tight end Rob Gronkowski. Remember him?
No there isn’t a quarterback controversy in New England, but many so-called experts are already questioning if this is the beginning of the end for the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era. Talk about jumping the gun. They aren’t 0-4, they are 2-2, and tied for 1st place in the weak AFC East. The Miami Dolphins seem to be the only threat to the Patriots winning this division once again.
While the Chiefs are also 2-2, this was a big win for them. With the Denver Broncos being the favorite in the AFC to make it to the Super Bowl, the other first round bye in the conference seems to be available to only a few teams, including the Chiefs. The undefeated Cincinnati Bengals, who had a bye this week, and the 3-1 San Diego Chargers are the only other teams looking capable of earning a top 2 seed in the AFC, barring a huge turnaround from the Patriots.
The Patriots will need to figure things out quickly, as they welcome the rested Bengals next week. It’s a long season, and we’re only 1/4 of the way into it, but with a porous offensive line, and with only a few reliable receiving options available, this may be a tough season for the New England Patriots.
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Sports With Frank Thomas
