Patriots at Chiefs - Week 4 - Record: 4-0

Is it that NE mystique? Is it that this is the NFL? Is it that any big play can hurt you in this game? Is it that with such an overwhelming advantage going in you're bound to have a let-down?

I don't know what it was but it was kind of a surprise to see that we were ahead only 6-3 at the half. This game should've been in the bag from the opening kick. The Pats were without their starting QB, a rejuvenated Cam Newton. They already had a number of players who'd opted out when the season began. They were also without their No. 1 back, Sony Michel.

Thing is, to the Pats' credit that NE mystique is indeed still there. They still have Bill Belichick coaching, and the dude really is a phenomenal coach. With what he's got he's always devised a game plan to mess with us. He was running the ball effectively against our 27th ranked run defense -- yeah, you read that right, 27th is what the graphic said. Abysmal. 

And they did run the ball really well. They chewed up clock and yes, did what they wanted to do -- keep Patrick Mahomes off the field. I am sure moving forward we will play a team that will successfully do this, beating us 18-17 on the strength of the six FGs they'll kick after each time they methodically execute their eight minute drives running the ball ten times in each one. 

So yeah, look out Chiefs Kingdom, I can't see it won't happen. It is pretty obvious that most of us think we're going to wallop everyone 41-2. Well, again, this is the NFL. In fact, we play Buffalo in ten days, in Buffalo, and you can bet they're watching our film. If we can't get more pounding from that front seven watch these teams do exactly that thing.

I knew about midway through the 2nd quarter that this one may just be decided by the big play. In a way, it was, and the two plays that stood out were courtesy of our defensive ends.

At the very end of the 1st half New England was around our ten with seconds to go, and QB Brian Hoyer went back to pass. He waited too long to throw the ball and got sacked by Frank Clark. 0:03, 0:02, 0:01... no time left... NE had already used all its timeouts and Hoyer was supposed to have at least thrown the ball somewhere. Now, not 6-6. Or worse.

After a super-long run-laden drive to start the 2nd half, the Pats again got down to about our ten, and this time it was Taco Charlton with the strip sack to stop that ugliness. That's a potential 14 NE points snuffed out by clutch pass rusher action.

The biggest play on offense was a huge pass completion to Travis Kelce right after that turnover. That got us deep into their territory, and we finished that off with a nifty jet sweep TD to Tyreek Hill. Later we got another one just like it to Mecole Hardman to make the score 19-10 (Butker missed another PAT...) 

We closed it out when Julian Edelman dropped a pass right into the hands of Tyrann Mathieu for a pick-six.

Still, far too close for comfort. This game felt a lot like the Indianapolis game last year, remember that one?  Home game, and were were 4-0. Our offense just couldn't get anything going. We looked like slugs out there with the scant exception of that amazing play when Mahomes hit Byron Pringle in the end zone. Other than that, it was brutal.

Tonight for most of the game, let's face it, it was brutal. The NE defense knew what to do, it played really well -- again give them some cred. We got just enough from Mahomes to put this one away, but our D was facing a 2nd string QB and later a 3rd string QB with whom NE Belichick'd this thing -- you know, like MacGyver'd this thing -- to keep us honest. 

Maybe that's a good thing moving forward, this keeping us honest. We're all reading the Chiefs' press clippings about how dominant we're supposed to be, let's hope the Chiefs aren't.

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The first photo is from Andrew Mather, the second is from Jim Berry, both at the official Chiefs website. Thank you.

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