The Patriots' defense impressed Monday night against arguably the NFL's best offense. They also gashed the Chiefs for 185 rushing yards at Arrowhead Stadium.
Unfortunately for New England, poor quarterback play paved the way for a tough loss in Kansas City.
Week 4 starting quarterback Brian Hoyer didn't even make it to the third quarter against the Chiefs. The veteran signal-caller completed 15 of 24 passes for 130 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Hoyer's lackluster spot start was headlined by two costly turnovers in the red zone, something you rarely see from the Patriots.
Hoyer's replacement, Jarrett Stidham, turned in a bright spot with a pretty touchdown pass to N'Keal Harry, but his brief outing largely was mediocre. New England ultimately fell 26-10 to Kansas City in a game littered with missed opportunities.
It's far to assume the game would have had a much different outcome had Cam Newton been under center for the Patriots. Newton's importance to New England was on full display Monday night, and it was summed up in a tweet by Nick Wright.
Wright, of course, isn't actually campaigning for Newton to demand a lucrative lump sum payment, but the overarching sentiment rings true. The star quarterback had established himself as arguably the Patriots' best offensive player through three weeks, and he's among the most critical pieces for New England moving forward.
There's a chance Newton could return to the Patriots in Week 5 when New England hosts the Denver Broncos. But if the 2015 NFL MVP isn't cleared by Sunday, Bill Belichick and Co. will have to roll with one of their two uninspiring options under center.
