It was one of those “warm up the buses” defeats for the Patriots. They showed little creativity or spunk on offense and looked like they are perfectly content playing out the string for these final regular-season games.
And no one looked more eager to get on the team bus than Belichick. Fox announcers Joe Davis and Daryl Johnston went as far as they could without outright ripping Belichick for his decision to punt the ball in the fourth quarter on fourth and 3 from the Patriots’ 42-yard line while trailing by 17 points. It was yet another white flag moment for Belichick, who has had a troubling penchant of giving up on games this year.
“At that point we had lost three starters,” Belichick said. “Worried about the pass protection. Worried about being able to execute in that situation. Felt like we were playing good defense. Get the ball back on a turnover, three-and-out, get the ball in better field position.”
For everyone who says Belichick is still a top-flight game-day coach, look at his fourth-down decisions this season (and the previous two). He has become arguably the most conservative, anti-analytical coach in the NFL, and once again threw in the towel early. Late in the fourth quarter, Davis and Johnston once again called out Belichick for running clock, calling handoffs, and showing no urgency while down 10 points.
It was doubly disappointing because earlier in the game, Belichick showed signs of being more aggressive by going for it on fourth and 1 instead of attempting a 39-yard field goal. His aggressiveness was rewarded with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Bailey Zappe to Hunter Henry. But it turns out Belichick probably only went for it because he no longer trusts kicker Chad Ryland.
It’s not like we should have expected Zappe and the Patriots to go toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes, even with the Chiefs’ offensive struggles. But the game just confirmed that last Thursday’s win over the Steelers was simply an aberration, or a sign of how bad the Steelers are. There won’t be any magical endings to the Patriots’ season. In three weeks, it’s just going to end.
Another game of Jekyll and Hyde for Zappe. He was smart and efficient in the first half, completing 17 of 19 passes for 141 yards and a beautiful touchdown pass to Henry. Zappe had a great throw to DeVante Parker over the middle for 20 yards, did a nice job of escaping the rush, and had a terrific throw against his body to Henry in the end zone called back because of a holding penalty. The Patriots surprisingly led, 10-7, with 4:47 to go in the second quarter.
And that’s where it all ended. Zappe went 6 of 12 for 39 yards and an interception in the second half, and the only play he ran on the plus side of midfield was off an interception.
“Early in the game we were in man coverage, and he sniffed it out, and they were able to run drag routs away from our leverage and our DBs,” Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton told me. “We found a way to change the matchup a little bit, made some different checks, got some zone pressures in on third down, get them in third and long and get some things in our favor.”
Zappe is at least minimizing turnovers, and give him credit for developing a rapport with Henry, who caught his third touchdown in two games, and Parker (5 catches on 5 targets for 44 yards).
Zappe is certainly playing better than Mac Jones was, and is not the main problem with the Patriots. And give him credit for developing a rapport with Henry, who caught his third touchdown in two games, and Parker (five catches on five targets for 44 yards).
But Zappe is a low-ceiling type of quarterback who needs everything to be perfect around him, which it wasn’t Sunday. He will be a solid backup for the next two years, though.
Interesting offensive game plan by the Patriots, coming out pass-happy against a Chiefs defense that entered the game No. 4 in net passing yards allowed (5.2 per play) and No. 27 in yards per rush allowed (4.6). The Patriots called 21 pass plays against just eight runs in the first half before having to abandon it in the second half once they fell behind by double digits. Ezekiel Elliott only rushed 11 times for 25 yards, so perhaps the Patriots knew throwing the ball would be their only shot.
The Patriots’ defense was flying around early, with Christian Barmore getting a sack and a pressure that led to an interception, and Mack Wilson and Jabrill Peppers racing to the football. But Mahomes finally woke up late in the second quarter, scoring 20 points on four consecutive drives and taking control of the game. The Patriots gave up a few too many big plays, such as a 48-yard screen pass to Clyde Edwards-Helaire and a 31-yard pass to Justin Watson on third and 8. Mahomes finished 27 of 37 for 305 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 picks.
It was a similar script — the overall numbers looked solid for the defense, but it didn’t make enough big plays to keep the offensively-inept Patriots in the game.
Credit the defense for shutting down Travis Kelce, holding him to 28 yards on five catches and seven targets, though he dropped a potential touchdown in the end zone. But rookie Rashee Rice made up for it with nine catches for 91 yards and a TD.
A handful of penalties wiped out some big plays for the Patriots. A holding call on Brenden Schooler negated a 46-yard kickoff return by Jalen Reagor. A facemask by Demario Douglas pushed the Patriots back 15 yards and turned a touchdown drive into a field goal. And rookie cornerback Alex Austin was flagged for defensive holding that negated a fumble recovery by Peppers, but Austin and the Patriots have reason to be upset over that one. It was a phantom call that cost the Patriots 3 points.
Chad Ryland — Ugh. A bad rookie season got worse when he pushed a 41-yard field goal attempt wide left. He’s now 13 of 20 this season for a 65 percent conversion rate that ranks as the worst in the NFL. And his last three misses have come from 35, 35, and 41 yards. It’s that kind of season for the Patriots.
Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].
