The Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes Chiefs normally rule the second quarter, often scoring as many as 21 points in those 15 minutes, but New England's defense pressured Mahomes (led by edge rusher Chase Winovich), got physical with Kansas City's receivers, and mixed up their coverages, which frustrated Mahomes and Co. The Patriots managed to hold the Chiefs' offense scoreless – yes, scoreless – in the second quarter. The last team to prevent Kansas City from scoring a first-half TD? The Patriots, here at Arrowhead, in the 2018 AFC Championship Game.
"I think we played physical with them, with their receivers, challenged them each and every play, and we got a rush on the quarterback," observed CB Stephon Gilmore. He and his defensive mates limited the Chiefs to less than 100 yards rushing total on the night.
"With everything going on, we were able to come out here, play the game, and fought tough," McCourty maintained, "but obviously, it didn't go our way."
Meanwhile, Hoyer has started plenty of NFL games throughout his 12 seasons in this league, but this would be his first ever for the Patriots, coming in his third stint with the team since making the club as an undrafted rookie in 2009.
Yet, as experienced as Hoyer is in this league, he made a rookie mistake as the final seconds ticked off the clock before halftime. With no timeouts left and deep in K.C. territory, the Patriots needed to stop the clock with a pass completion out of bounds or an incomplete pass. They could then kick a field goal to knot the score at 6, but Hoyer held onto the ball too long and was sacked. Time expired and the score at intermission remained 6-3, advantage Chiefs.
Hoyer and the O further squandered the chance for a double-score by going three-and-out after receiving the ball to start the third quarter. Again, though, New England's D stifled Mahomes and forced them to punt.
Midway through the third, the Patriots found a rhythm on offense, both on the ground and through the air, to get within the shadow of the Kansas City goal line. Once more, alas, Hoyer took an ill-timed sack and coughed up the football. The Chiefs recovered and capitalized.
Mahomes drove his offense 85 yards in just seven plays, with speedster Tyreek Hill finding the pylon of the end zone on a jet sweep-drop pass for the game's first touchdown.
"Yeah, it's disappointing. You never want to get taken out of a game," Hoyer admitted, "but Coach [Belichick] made the decision. I understand. Two bad decisions [by me] down in the red area really cost us points. So, it's frustrating, it's disappointing. I've got to do a better job… I cost us at least six points."
Thereafter, second-year man Stidham took over for Hoyer and handed off to Harris on consecutive plays that gained a combined 50 yards and brought the third quarter to a close.
A few plays later – after a pass interference penalty by Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu negated his would-be end zone interception – Stidham tossed a lovely fade pass to WR N'Keal Harry for a counter-punch touchdown. Nick Folk's ensuing extra point made the score 13-10, K.C. in the early fourth quarter.
"N'Keal made a heck of a play in the back of the end zone… Obviously, I was really excited to get the opportunity to play football with the guys," Stidham stated. "I just wanted to come in and move the chains and give us a shot to score some points."
Mahomes responded with a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive, connecting on another drop-pass, this one to WR Mecole Hardman. A missed PAT by Butker made it 19-10, Chiefs, with only half a quarter left. Very next play from scrimmage, however, Stidham's pass to the flat to Julian Edelman bounced off the receiver's hands and into Mathieu's. The K.C. safety raced 25 yards for a pick-six that, for all intents and purposes, ended the game. When Stidham's desperation heave into the Chiefs' end zone on the next drive was picked off again, that sealed it.
Undermanned and seemingly overwhelmed, the Patriots nevertheless put forth a valiant effort for three-plus quarters against the defending NFL champions on the road.
"It was disappointing," Belichick conceded moments after the final whistle. "We had some opportunities and didn't take advantage of them… we competed hard, just didn't make enough good plays."
"It's frustrating that we couldn't pull out the win," added Stidham, "but we can definitely learn [from it] and get better."
"all" - Google News
October 06, 2020 at 10:11AM
https://ift.tt/3lieZDq
What a Day: Patriots give Chiefs all they can handle - Patriots.com
"all" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2vcMBhz
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "What a Day: Patriots give Chiefs all they can handle - Patriots.com"
Post a Comment