New England Patriots

Without Cam Newton, Patriots struggle at quarterback in loss to Chiefs

Jarrett Stidham reacts after throwing an interception. GETTY

By Christopher Price

15 minutes to read

The Patriots had their chances Monday night in Kansas City, but missed opportunities and ill-timed turnovers paved the way for a 26-10 loss to the Chiefs.

New England turned it over four times, the secondary couldn’t corral what looked like a pair of sure interceptions on errant passes from Patrick Mahomes, and Brian Hoyer took a poorly-timed sack as time ran out at the end of the first half and the Patriots in field goal range.

The sack was one of the lowlights for Hoyer, who got the start in place of Cam Newton, but was yanked in the second half in favor of Jarrett Stidham. The veteran ended up 15-for-24 for 130 yards and an interception, while Stidham went 5-for-13 for 60 yards with one touchdown and a pair of interceptions.

Patrick Mahomes went 19-for-29 for 236 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Chiefs went to 4-0, while the Patriots fell to 2-2.

The New England defense kept the clamps on the powerful Kansas City offense for most of the first three quarters. Kansas City led 6-3 at halftime — after the late sack of Hoyer — and 13-3 at the end of the third quarter.

That’s when Hoyer was lifted in favor of Stidham, who proceeded to engineer the first regular-season scoring drive of his career, a six-play, 75-yard sequence that ended with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Harry to make it 13-10.

But that would be as close as the Patriots would get, as Kansas City tacked on a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a pick-six by Stidham that Tyrann Mathieu returned 25 yards to finish the scoring.

9:45 p.m.: That’ll do it — Kansas City wins, 26-10.

9:36 p.m.: Stidham is picked on the deep ball, and that will probably really do it. It’s 26-10 with 3:16 left.

9:30 p.m.: This game is going to go down as a 10- to 14-point loss for the Patriots, but it probably won’t be really emblematic of this one. Patriots had plenty of chances when this one was tight, but the missed opportunities really caused the tone of this one to change.

9:27 p.m.: Brutal. Another turnover — the pass for Edelman isn’t hauled in, and Mathieu takes it for six. It’s 26-10, Kansas City. That’s a sizable hole to try and climb out of.

9:21 p.m.: You can’t keep giving Kansas City those sorts of chances — the Chiefs cash in after getting a second chance, making it 19-10. Butker missed the extra point, so it’s 19-10 with 8:57 left in regulation.

9:18 p.m.: J.C. Jackson could have had that one. Put that one in the same column as McCourty’s miss earlier in the night. And Mahomes is able to pick up the first down on the ensuing play.

9:10 p.m.: Big response for the Patriots and Stidham. Sparked by a couple of nifty passes toward Harry, some hard running from Harris and a penalty flag, it was a sequence that ended with a nice fade to Harry in the corner of the end zone. Just a sensational answer for the Patriots, who cut the lead to 13-10. It was only a handful of plays, but Stidham clearly has a nice connection with Harry and Harris. We’ll see how the rest of the final quarter plays out, but that was a dynamite start for the young quarterback.

9:03 p.m.: Huge pickup from Damien Harris — Stidham’s youth football pal — sets up the Patriots nicely as the third quarter comes to an end. It’s 13-3, New England, but the Patriots are at the KC 25-yard line.

9:02 p.m.: Here comes Jarrett Stidham.

9:00 p.m.: You can only hold the Kansas City offense back for so long. Tyreek Hill’s — and ensuing extra point — makes it 13-3 with less than a minute to go in the third. The game is a lot further away for New England than it was a few minutes ago. The Patriots have to answer here.

8:53 p.m.: Hoyer is sacked and fumbles the football. A great play by Kansas City, and another turnover deep in Chiefs’ territory from Hoyer. He was doing so many good things on that drive — just like the sequence at the end of the first half — and it’s all wiped out with an ill-timed turnover. Again, this is such a winnable game for New England, but gaffes like that aren’t helping their cause.

8:50 p.m.: That 25-yarder for Byrd was snuck into such a tight window. Great throw from Hoyer. Patriots are in Kansas City’s red zone.

8:46 p.m.: This game is so eminently winnable for the Patriots. They’ve slowed the game down, they’ve gotten good-to-great play from their defense, and they are controlling the clock on offense. A really good two-plus quarters — they just need to do a better job taking advantage of their opportunities.

8:38 p.m.:

8:37 p.m.: This is a really impressive defensive performance here for the first two-plus quarters from New England. The offense needs to start pulling its’ weight. I know they don’t have Newton or Michel, but you have to come up with more than this. They won’t use it as an excuse.

8:34 p.m.: Hoyer back out there to start the second half.

8:23 p.m.: Two quarters are in the books in Kansas City, and the Chiefs hold a 6-3 lead. Here are a few takeaways on the first two quarters:

New England

Damien Harris: 11 carries, 38 yards

Rex Burkhead: 4 carries, 22 yards

Brian Hoyer: 10-16, 73 yards, 1 INT

James White: 5 catches, 5 targets, 32 yards

Kansas City

Clyde Edwards-Helaire: 7 carries, 33 yards

Patrick Mahomes: 11-17, 137 yards

Tyreek Hill: 2 catches, 39 yards

•Just a brutal decision by Brian Hoyer to take that sack at the end of the first half. Awful. No other way to slice it. It not only took at least three points off the board, but negated any sort of offensive rhythm the Patriots had build to that point in an otherwise good second quarter. This one should be a close game, and if New England loses a tight one, that will clearly be seen as a turning point.

•It’s worth praising the Patriots’ defense, because whenever you hold the Chiefs to a field goal or less, it’s a win, and they carried more than their share of the load over the first two quarters. But the defense has also missed out on more than its’ fair share of opportunities. Devin McCourty bobbled and dropped a relatively easy interception chance, and the Chiefs connected on a lengthy third-down play in the first quarter to keep a drive alive, one that ended with a field goal. A good series, but missed chances against a terrific team like the Chiefs might come back to haunt them.

•Best defensive play? Stephon Gilmore punching the ball away from Sammy Watkins to force the takeaway. When you put it in context — right after Hoyer’s ugly early pick that gave the Chiefs great field position — it’s all the more important. Big play by a big-time player.

•Best offensive play was the 11-yard catch from Gunner Olszewski, a ball that was deflected off Julian Edelman. (The scoop a few inches off the turf looked a lot like Edelman in the Super Bowl a few years back, for what it’s worth.) Olszewski gets credit for staying with the play, but Hoyer also gets credit for hanging in the pocket and taking the hit, setting up the play that moved the chains. Good job all around there.

•New England was the victim of a bad call after a sack/incomplete pass late in the second quarter. The play was ruled a fumble and blown dead, but Shilique Calhoun picked up the loose ball and took off for the Kansas City end zone. Upon further review, the Pats had a beef with the call. Credit to the Chiefs for figuring out that New England was going to challenge and racing out there to punt the ball away. But if Kansas City wins a narrow one, that’s a call from Tony Corrente that will be revisited this week.

The Patriots will get the ball to start the second half.

8:12 p.m.: First offensive penalty of the season on the Patriots — Isaiah Wynn is flagged for a false start.

8:09 p.m.: Yeah, that was a bad call by Tony Corrente. Kansas City was really smart to rush out there and punt the ball to prevent the challenge attempt. But that’s rough.

8:07 p.m.: Weird sequence there. It was ruled an incomplete pass, but I think the Patriots may have had a beef. Kudos to Kansas City for recognizing the Pats might challenge to rush out there and punt the ball. Ultimately, New England will get the ball back, but a lot of people are going to go back and dissect that one. Could have been a fumble and great field position for the Patriots. Instead, it’s 6-3, Kansas City, with 5:36 left in the first half.

Update: So it was a sack and the play was blown dead. The Pats still have a beef, though, in my opinion.

8:00 p.m.: The 43-yarder from Folk is good, and it’s 6-3 with 9:31 to go in the half. Let me start by saying you won’t beat the Chiefs with field goals, but to show a little more offensive rhythm than you did in the first quarter-plus, well, I’ll give the offense points for that. That drive featured a really impressive grab from Olszewski, while Hoyer did well to hang in the pocket and take the hit. The Patriots also got good yardage there on the ground, with the highlight coming on the 18-yard run from Burkhead. Good flashes of offense for New England, but the Patriots need to build on that before the end of the half.

7:49 p.m.: From Olszewski’s catch off the deflection to Hoyer hanging in the pocket taking the hit — and the big yardage as a result — made that play the best offensive sequence of the first quarter-plus for New England. Points to both of them when it comes to hanging in and making the play. Let’s see if New England can build on that momentum.

7:45 p.m.: Defense comes up big there with that takeaway. Gilmore with the punch on Watkins, knocks the ball free, and New England has the ball back here at the start of the second quarter. A big play — now, the offense has to take advantage.

7:44 p.m.:

7:40 p.m.: Thornhill with a dynamite play there — great athleticism and terrific smarts dropping and hiding in coverage. Just a brutal pick by Hoyer that sets up the Chiefs with great field position. Thornhill holds onto that interception and McCourty doesn’t. Will that be the difference?

7:39 p.m.: As we said before, any time you hold Kansas City to field goals, you have a chance. Good — not perfect — but good from the Patriots’ defense. It’s 6-0, Kansas City, with 13 seconds left in the first quarter. The D has (mostly) done its’ job at the start — now, you really need to get something going on offense.

7:29 p.m.: Good work by the punters here in the early going. Third straight series that ends with a punt, and all of them have been boomers. KC still holds a 3-0 lead with 4:38 left in the first quarter.

7:25 p.m.: Patriots offensive starters — Hoyer, Johnson, Harris, Harry, Byrd, Izzo, Wynn, Thuney, Ferentz, Onwenu, Herron.

7:23 p.m.: Good bounceback on that series for the New England defense. Saw lots of Williams and Jason McCourty taking their runs at Kelce in the early going. Let’s see if Hoyer and the offense can get into an offensive rhythm here — get White and Burkhead involved and slow this thing down.

7:20 p.m.: Three-and-out is the least palatable option for the New England option on the opening drive. I know that sorta goes without saying, but again, with no margin for error, it’s not an ideal start. You cannot let this thing get away from you early.

7:18 p.m.: Ferentz starting at center. A curveball!

7:16 p.m.: A few early thoughts after that first drive: The Patriots missed a huge opportunity when Devin McCourty couldn’t hold on to that ball, and that third-down pickup by Tyreek Hill was another one for New England. ANY TIME you hold Kansas City to a field goal, it’s a win. But in a game with absolutely no margin for error, a takeaway in that situation would have been huge for the Patriots. … Oh, and we saw a lot of dime from New England to start, which certainly makes sense. We’ll see how it all shakes out moving forward.

7:10 p.m.: Not sure Devin McCourty will get an easier shot at an interception than that ball right there.

7:04 P.M.: Patriots win the toss and defer. Time for the foosball!

6:54 p.m.:

6:50 p.m.: Prediction time. It’s an awfully tall order for the Patriots to go into Kansas City and win, even under the best of circumstances with a full roster. At the same time, as I wrote here (sign up for Point After now!), this is a Belichick Game, the sort of contest he absolutely lives for. With that in mind, I fully expect New England to keep it close and put a decent enough scare into the Chiefs. But Kansas City just has too many options. I’m going with the Chiefs, 34-24.

6:39 p.m.: Looks like it’s Thuney at center tonight between Froholdt and Onwenu.

6:28 p.m.:

6:25 p.m.: The betting lines — at least, the ones I have seen — have pretty much had the Chiefs as a seven-point favorite all week, and that wenty up to double digits after the news that Cam Newton would be out. Given the circumstances, that feels about right. Interesting to see that the line moved so dramatically after the Newton news, but this has all the earmarks of a double-digit line — defending champs at home, on a roll, facing a team without its’ No. 1 quarterback. As for me, I think the Chiefs win, but they don’t cover. The over/under is 48.5, and with Mahomes and the Chiefs involved, I feel good about taking the over. But we’ll see. I’ll be back before kickoff with a final prediction.

6:14 p.m.:

6:12 p.m.: Going to be fascinating to see what the Patriots do this week when it comes to their offensive line, one that either features Joe Thuney or James Ferentz at center:

No. 1 (left to right): Wynn, Onwenu, Thuney, Froholdt, Eluemunor

No. 2 (left to right): Wynn, Thuney, Ferentz, Onwenu, Eluemunor

My guess? It all depends on the comfort level with Hjalte Froholdt. If they like where he is and feel he can handle his assignment, they’ll go with the first option. If not, they’ll use rookie Mike Onwenu (who probably exceeded expectations last week against the Raiders) at the right guard spot, stick Ferentz at center and move Thuney back to his normal position of left guard. A lot of options. Just one of a handful of lineup possibilities to keep an eye on this evening.

6:05 p.m.: One of the biggest questions in a week like this: How do the Patriots prepare for facing the sort of speed the Chiefs’ feature? One of the ways Bill Belichick has done that over the years is to allow the scout team players who are working as Tyreek Hill (or another quick opponent) a head start off the line of scrimmage. It’s not as simple as saying “five Mississippi,” but using that approach forces the New England defenders to figure out a way to play catch-up. This gets them in that mindset. I’m not 100 percent sure that’s what they did this week, but I know that has been the case in years’ past.

5:58 p.m.: No worries when it comes to weather tonight in Kansas City, as the forecast calls for highs in the 60s, clear skies, and no chance for precipitation.

5:50 p.m.:

5:42 p.m.: The Patriots have announced their inactives. Here they are, with what some of the moves might mean for tonight.

Shaq Mason: Surprise here, if only because he’s so rarely out of the lineup. He was on the injury report this week with a calf issue, so there is an explanation. But with Joe Thuney likely back at center in place of David Andrews, this will force more shuffling along the interior to New England’s offensive line.

Jakobi Meyers: Another surprise. There was no sign of him on the injury report this week. Could the recently elevated Isaiah Zuber or the newly activated Gunner Olszewski get some significant reps as a result?

Dalton Keene: The rookie tight end has been inactive for the early stages of his New England career — he wasn’t on the injury report, so he’s a healthy scratch.

Myles Bryant: Another youngster who has been a healthy scratch.

(Keep in mind these are in addition to the fact that the Patriots will be without Cam Newton, David Andrews and Sony Michel this week.)

5:27 p.m.:

5:23 p.m.: Lots of personnel moves this afternoon:

– Damien Harris activated: Irrationally excited to see what he might be capable of, the youngster out of Alabama could see some touches tonight with Michel now on the shelf.

– Gunner Olszewski activated: Potentially adds depth at receiver and in the return game.

– Isaiah Zuber elevated: More of the same — Zuber is quick and shifty, an intriguing offensive puzzle piece.

– Sony Michel placed on injured reserve: That’s a hit for a team that, even though it has some nice depth at running back, had gotten an impressive performance out of Michel last week against the Raiders.

– Cody Davis placed on injured reserve: A depth piece in the secondary and on special teams. Both Davis and Michel will miss at least three games.

5:18 p.m.:

5 p.m.: Welcome to one of the most unique Patriots’ games in recent memory, as New England and Kansas City will meet in Arrowhead a day later than initially scheduled.

The Patriots will be without quarterback Cam Newton, who tested positive for COVID-19. Brian Hoyer is expected to get the start against a powerful Chiefs’ team that enters the contest 3-0.

Keep it here, because we’ll have everything you need throughout the evening: Live updates, betting news, weather forecasts, inactive analysis and more. But first, we’ll get things started with your pregame reading list:

Damien Harris and Gunner Olszewski are reportedly available against the Chiefs

Patriots running back Sony Michel ruled out for Monday night’s game vs. Chiefs

Chad Finn: Without Cam Newton, beating the Chiefs becomes exponentially more difficult for the Patriots

Watch: Police halted traffic on I-93 to make way for New England Patriots escort

Chad Finn: If Patriots pull it off, where would this rate among Bill Belichick’s best regular-season wins?Chad Finn: Patriots-Chiefs to be televised nationally on Monday night, with CBS’s top team on the call

 

 

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