As this point, being draft kings a goal
Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game . . .
For better and worse, that was probably the best a realistic Patriots fan could ask for.
The Patriots played almost one complete strong half against the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs Sunday. Bailey Zappe went 17 of 19 for 141 yards and a touchdown, playing with poise and even some daring, and the Patriots led, 10-7, late in the second quarter.
Then the Patrick Mahomes/Andy Reid Chiefs did what the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick Patriots did so often in their two-decade heyday. They exerted their will on the game, scoring 17 points in 5 minutes, 35 seconds of game action from the 35-second mark of the second quarter until Clyde Edward-Helaire’s touchdown catch with 10:11 remaining in the third.
The Patriots fought, but that only goes so far in countering their current talent deficit. Ultimately, the Patriots got what they needed Sunday. A minor moral victory in knowing that they were competitive, and a Carolina Panthers win that enhances their chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick.
Some further thoughts, upon immediate review ...
THREE PLAYERS WHO WERE WORTH WATCHING
Players suggested in the Unconventional Preview: Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Hunter Henry: The Patriots tight end apparently has the rapport with Zappe that we thought he had with Mac Jones back in 2021. After catching two touchdown passes in Zappe’s first start of the season in last Thursday’s win over the Steelers, Henry was the Patriots’ most effective pass catcher again against the Chiefs. He finished with seven catches — six before halftime — for 66 yards, both team highs. He also punctuated one of the Patriots’ best and boldest offensive plays of the season, catching a 16-yard touchdown pass on fourth and 2 midway through the second quarter that tied the score at 7-7. Henry almost had a second touchdown on the Patriots’ next possession, but his sliding grab in the back of the end zone was negated by a blatant Conor McDermott holding penalty. Henry now has six of the Patriots’ 14 receiving touchdowns this season.
Rashee Rice: Kelce has had to do even more heavy lifting for the Chiefs offense this season than ever before because of the limited talent that shares the huddle with him and Mahomes. But the Chiefs’ secondary options came through. Running back Edwards-Helaire provided 101 total yards, a leaping touchdown reception, a 48-yard catch-and-run, and a 20-yard run. But Rice, a rookie wide receiver, proved both reliable and efficient. He caught all nine of his targets for 91 yards, including a 24-yarder on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Rice also tallied the game’s first touchdown, a 4-yarder on a shovel pass from Jerick McKinnon.
Christian Barmore: It’s this simple. He’s been playing like a bona fide All-Pro for several weeks now, and he must be considered a cornerstone of this tough and resilient Patriots defense. Barmore finished with six tackles — two for a loss — and a sack, burying Mahomes for a 7-yard loss early in the second quarter. He also was bearing down on Mahomes and seemed intent on performing a particularly rude discount double-check on the quarterback in the second quarter, leading Mahomes to hurry a throw that Marte Mapu picked off. Barmore’s development has been one of the few satisfying story lines of this season.
GRIEVANCE OF THE GAME
The Patriots were sloppy from the get-go, when Jalen Reagor’s 46-yard return of the opening kickoff was called back after Brenden Schooler — who has come to embody their inconsistent discipline — was called for holding.
But the Patriots were really done in by a penalty that was called but shouldn’t have been, and to a smaller degree, one that should have been but wasn’t.
The former: Early in the third quarter, with the Chiefs leading, 14-10, Jonathan Jones forced a Skyy Moore fumble, which Jabrill Peppers recovered and returned 10 yards to the Patriots’ 41. But rookie cornerback Alex Austin, starting because J.C. Jackson has apparently renewed his lease in the doghouse, was flagged for defensive holding, the tickiest and tackiest of ticky-tack calls. The Chiefs eventually punctuated the 11-play drive with a 29-yard Harrison Butker field goal.
As for the penalty that was not called, well, we don’t make a habit of lamenting those in this space. But when Barmore was blatantly hauled down as he closed in on Mahomes on what became a 20-yard completion to Rice on a third and 9 just before the two-minute warning, it was stunning that a flag was not thrown. The Chiefs ended that drive with McKinnon’s 8-yard TD reception with 35 seconds left.
The Patriots gave the Chiefs plenty of chances to punish them for mistakes. That’s hard enough to overcome without the officials also giving the Chiefs a couple of breaks.
THREE NOTES SCRIBBLED IN THE MARGINS
Mack Wilson Sr. finished with a sack and just two tackles, but it was probably his most impactful performance in his three seasons as a Patriot. He clobbered McKinnon after a 5-yard gain on a third-and-16 play on the Chiefs first possession of the second quarter; arrived in tandem with Deatrich Wise Jr. (who got full credit for the sack) to take down Mahomes for a 10yard loss on a third-and-2 play early in the fourth quarter; and buried Mahomes himself for a 9-yard loss on a third-and-8 play with a little over four minutes remaining . . . In his first action of the season, Kevin Harris finished with 25 rushing yards on four carries, the same amount of yardage that Ezekiel Elliott gained in 11 attempts. Harris’s 18-yard burst up the middle for a touchdown with 8:24 left in the game provided the final points . . . Rough stretch for Kelce with a little over 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter, when he dropped a pass in the end zone with Kyle Dugger honing in, took a big hit on a shovel pass that gained 4 yards, then saw a third-and-6 pass thrown his way fall incomplete. Hopefully Taylor was at the concession stand during that sequence. Predicted score: Chiefs 24, Patriots 20
Final score: Chiefs 27, Patriots 17