Good grades all around, especially in pass defense, for Chiefs’ victory over Patriots
The grades are in, and how can it not be a good report card for the Chiefs after their 23-16 victory at New England that clinched the organization’s fourth AFC West title?
KC Star of the Game
Let’s give it to Bashaud Breeland. He had perfect coverage on the pass breakup in the end zone on Julian Edelman on the Patriots’ final snap, getting his hand on the ball without making much body contact. The crucial fourth-down pass was incomplete with a minute remaining and the Chiefs clinched their huge victory.
Reason to hope: The Chiefs ended New England’s 21-game homefield winning streak, including playoff games. They played an excellent second quarter, outscoring the Patriots 17-0, and that was enough to hold on for the victory. And there’s this: In the end, the game was won by the KC defense. Who’d have thought that would be possible in the season’s first month?
Reason to mope: The Chiefs worked hard to build a 23-7 lead in the third quarter. The only way to let the Patriots back in the game was to make mistakes, and no team is better putting pressure on team with a lead than the Patriots. A blocked punt, a Travis Kelce fumble, and it soon became a one-score game.
Next: The Chiefs play host to the Denver Broncos in a noon kickoff next Sunday. Denver has won its last two games with a new starting quarterback, former Missouri and Lee’s Summit High star Drew Lock.
Report card
Passing offense: B
Mahomes was solid, but he was spectacular on the Chiefs’ first touchdown possession. He found Tyreek Hill for 21 yards on a third-and-19 before his 48-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman. The Travis Kelce fumble to end the third quarter was a killer, and the Chiefs needed to take more shots in the fourth quarter when they were trying to protect the lead. But against the Patriots’ defense, 283 passing yards is a strong total.
Passing defense: A
After a rough start, the Chiefs rose to the occasion. Breeland’s interception set up a touchdown. Pressure by Steve Spagnuolo’s group rushed Brady all game. The Chiefs got burned on a couple of trick plays when the Patriots took advantage of their aggressiveness. But pressure is ultimately what got it done for the Chiefs. They rattled Brady, who passed for 169 yards and had a quarterback rating of 63.3.
Rushing offense: C
Hey, Kelce’s 4-yard touchdown run counts here. It wasn’t a smashing day for the ground game, but it was good at times, like Spencer Ware’s 2-yard run on fourth-and-1 on the Chiefs’ first series of the third quarter.
Rushing defense: B
Great job stuffing the Patriots’ two-point conversation after a blocked punt got them back in they game. The Chiefs maintained a two-score lead with the play. But they got caught when Brady kept it for 17 yards, his longest run since a game in 2014, on fourth-and-6 to keep New England’s final drive alive.
Special teams: B
For the second straight week, Tanoh Kpassagnon blocked a kick. Last week against the Raiders it was an extra point that turned into a two-point score. Against the Patriots, it was Kpassagnon blocking Nick Folk’s 41-yard attempt. But the Chiefs should have anticipated pressure on the punt the Pats blocked in the third quarter. The Patriots were desperate and needed a big play. They got it. Underrated play: Dustin Colquitt’s 57-yard punt that flipped the field late.
Coaching: A
The game plans were winners. For three quarters, the Chiefs had answers for the Patriots’ defense, and Spagnuolo knew to bring the heat on Brady. Kelce’s touchdown run was a fabulous call. You’d like to see more touchdowns than field goals, but hat’s off to New England for doing everything in its power to let the game not get away and create a final-possession scenario.
This story was originally published December 8, 2019 at 7:12 PM.