For a minute there, it looked as if the Patriots would give the Chiefs a good game.
Then reality set in at Gillette Stadium.
A 14-10 halftime lead for Kansas City turned into a 27-17 win as Patrick Mahomes and company left New England on Sunday with a much-needed victory. The Patriots even held a lead in the second quarter, but penalties, poor situational defense and, of course, bad offensive execution led to an unsurprising result.
Bailey Zappe got the start and was a force in the first half -- more on that in a bit -- but couldn't keep it up. Overall, he completed 23 of 31 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown to go along with one interception.
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Hunter Henry led the Patriots with seven catches for 66 yards and a score, while Ezekiel Elliott and Kevin Harris combined for just 50 yards and one TD on the ground. Safety Marte Mapu registered the first interception of his career.
On the other side, Mahomes completed 27 of 37 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns to go along with two picks, one of which was a result of another Kadarius Toney drop.
Rashee Rice paced the Chiefs with nine catches for 91 yards and a score, while Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran 13 times for 37 yards. Travis Kelce was held to just five catches for 28 yards.
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The Patriots were outgained 326 yards to 206 yards and posted nine fewer first downs. The Chiefs converted 38% of third downs compared to 17% for the Patriots.
New England dropped to 3-11 with the loss while Kansas City improved to 9-5 with the win. Next up for the Patriots is a Sunday night road matchup with the Denver Broncos.
Here are three studs and three duds from Sunday's loss to the defending Super Bowl champions:
STUDS
Bailey Zappe (first half)
As was the case last week, Zappe was excellent in the first half. The sophomore QB completed 17 of 19 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown over the first two quarters. He played with confidence and poise and made some great throws against a very good defense. Then, the wheels fell off.
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TE Hunter Henry
Think he likes playing with Zappe? Henry caught two touchdowns from Zappe in the Week 14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and hauled in another against the Chiefs. He also had a second TD wiped out by a Conor McDermott holding penalty. Henry now is up to 419 receiving yards on the season, giving him an outside shot at surpassing the 603 yards he posted in 2021, his first campaign in New England.
DT Christian Barmore
Just pencil him in every week. Barmore was a beast again Sunday, finishing with six tackles, one sack, one tackle for a loss and two quarterback hits. So much for that shoulder injury that kept him out of Friday's practice.
Honorable mentions: Jabrill Peppers, Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Ja'Whaun Bentley, Marte Mapu, Mack Wilson
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DUDS
Bailey Zappe (second half)
As was the case last week, Zappe didn't play well in the second half. Over the final two quarters, he completed six of 12 passes for 39 yards to go along with one pick. He also could've had another pass picked off. Pressure was a major issue, but Zappe also must shoulder some of the blame for his play deteriorating.
Offensive line
Losing Cole Strange to a knee injury certainly didn't help, but that's no excuse. The Patriots got nothing going on the ground and Zappe was sacked four times. Once the Chiefs decided to pin their ears back, New England's O-line didn't have a chance. The play at left tackle was especially problematic, with McDermott (filling in for an injured Trent Brown) struggling before getting hurt and being replaced by Vederian Lowe.
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Special teams
Weekly appearance. This week, New England's special teams received a missed field goal from rookie Chad Ryland and a penalty from Brenden Schooler that wiped out a huge return on the opening kickoff. It was the fifth penalty in eight games for Schooler, who began his Patriots career with just two flags in 23 games. At least Jalen Reagor showed something as a kick returner.
Honorable mentions: Kyle Dugger, third-down defense, Jonathan Jones, J.C. Jackson, officials,
Featured image via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
