Patriots 43, Chiefs 40: Insta-reaction after Chiefs’ comeback ... and loss to Patriots

Patrick Mahomes never looked worse, and then he never looked better, and now he has his best opportunity yet to improve.

Mahomes, the future of the Chiefs and in some ways the NFL, covered the entire spectrum of an outrageously talented young quarterback — two awful interceptions in the first half, then two spellbinding quarters in a wildly entertaining but ultimately missed comeback attempt in a 43-40 loss to the Patriots here on Sunday night.

This was everything. Mahomes was hit, rushed, confused and at times overmatched.

Then he was dynamic, athletic, creative and dangerous.

The Patriots won, because they’re the Patriots, at home with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and that’s almost always what happens, particularly after a 15-point lead at halftime. But the Chiefs took a pound of flesh, and there is no such thing as a moral victory, but it’s also true that not all losses feel the same.

This one, it felt like we saw Mahomes grow up a little bit. The steady progression continues, and in terms of both the immediate and long-term future, that’s the most important thing.

We have seen so much, already. Seventy yards in the air. The Houdini touchdown pass to Chris Conley. Left handed against the Broncos. But even six games and a growing list of miracle plays in, this new normal will take some getting used to — the Chiefs have replaced a line of old Buicks with shiny red Ferrari.

This is the rare Chiefs loss that doesn’t feel like a failure. There is no tougher assignment in the NFL than Foxborough at night, and without Justin Houston, without Eric Berry, without two starters on the offensive line or much composure in the first half, the Chiefs pushed the NFL’s 21st century dynasty to the wire.

We’ve known this defense had problems from the beginning, and those problems are only worse now. Mahomes possesses supernatural talent, but this is still his first year as a starting quarterback, and the front office approached the offseason like a soft rebuild. This may still all be prelude to another playoff collapse.

But it’s a different team now, one that requires a different perspective. They have more room for error than ever, the ability to push back from 15 down at halftime even with a defense that can’t get stops.

The Patriots won, and they deserved it. They were the better team for longer than the Chiefs.

But the Chiefs were the more exciting team, the more dangerous team, and nothing that happened here tonight is convincing proof that they can’t be the better team in a playoff rematch.

Even with this loss, after all, theirs is the inside track for home field advantage. The schedule is about to loosen up, after next week’s game against the Bengals.

This was a loss. This was not the end.

Sam Mellinger

Sam Mellinger is a Kansas City Star sports columnist.

This story was originally published October 14, 2018 at 10:36 PM.