Patriots Live Blog: Chiefs Stun Pats With 42-27 Win On Opening Night
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
Final, 42-27 Chiefs: That's all she wrote. The Chiefs picked up a first down and were able to drain the clock.
That was, without a doubt, one of the worst games we've seen the Patriots play here at Gillette Stadium.
Fourth quarter, 2:44, 42-27 Chiefs: This is the worst the Patriots have looked at home in a long time. That drive went nowhere, with Brady taking two sacks before throwing a futile incompletion.
Chiefs take over, and they'll just be running clock.
Fourth quarter, 4:00, 42-27 Chiefs: There's your ballgame.
Hunt ran around the left end and got behind the defense for a 58-yard run to start the drive. West took the next one to the right side and ran 21 yards into the end zone.
The Patriots' defense has been an abject failure on the evening, and the Chiefs have taken full advantage.
Fourth quarter, 4:15, 35-27 Chiefs: Brady's throwing deep. Not working. Forced to punt.
Chiefs ball. Time's a ticking.
Fourth quarter, 4:56, 35-27 Chiefs: Brady took a sack on first down, but Eric Berry suffered what appeared to be a serious injury (speculation: maybe a torn Achilles). He was just carted off the field.
Fourth quarter, 5:14, 35-27 Chiefs: It's officially not looking very good for your defending Super Bowl champions.
The Chiefs just stomped down the field for 60 yards, capped off by a four-yard touchdown run by Hunt, and the Chiefs now lead by eight.
The Patriots' offense has been downright abysmal in this one, and it's going to take some magic from the offense to even tie this one up.
Fourth quarter, 8:55, 28-27 Chiefs: Rough drive for the Patriots. Burkhead picked up a first down but it was followed by three straight incompletions that weren't really close to ever happening.
Chiefs take over at their own 40 after a short return by Hill. And we're right back to where we were two minutes ago.
Fourth quarter, 10:28, 28-27 Chiefs: The Patriots D came up with the stop they needed. Harmon undercut Hill on a high pass to help force an incompletion on first down. Smith ran in a circle and was stopped for a two-yard gain. On third down, Kelce made a catch over the middle and was promptly flipped over the back of McCourty.
The Chiefs faked like they were going to go for it on fourth down but took a delay of game. Pat Chung made a fair catch on the 13. Long way to go for the Patriots.
Fourth quarter, 12:21, 28-27 Chiefs: The Patriots once again went for it on fourth-and-inches. Once again, they were stopped.
The Chiefs have been the better team in short-yardage situations like that tonight, stopping the Patriots twice on fourth-and-1 and once on third-and-1.
Chiefs take over at their own 40-yard line. Points here in any form would represent a problem for the Patriots.
Fourth quarter, 14:07, 28-27 Chiefs: Alex Smith, as we've never seen him before -- as a deep thrower.
On the second play of the quarter, Smith identified Cassius Marsh covering Hunt. He waited for Hunt to gain a step before lobbing a ball up the right seam. Hunt made the catch, Marsh couldn't wrap him up from behind, and Hunt was gone.
And the Kansas City Chiefs have a fourth-quarter lead in Gillette Stadium.
Third quarter, :09, 27-21 Patriots: The Tom Brady-Brandin Cooks connection has arrived.
On the first play of the drive, Brady threw a bomb up the left sideline to Cooks. The receiver made the catch for a 54-yard gain, making up for all that lost yardage on the special teams penalties.
The Patriots drove down to the 4-yard line with James White, but he took a six-yard loss on second down. On third down, Brady threw a touchdown to White ... but he threw it from a yard beyond the line of scrimmage. Brady had escaped pressure and found himself briefly scrambling toward the end zone. Once he realized that wouldn't work, he made the pass, but he was a full yard ahead of the line of scrimmage.
Third quarter, 2:39, 24-21 Patriots: The Patriots defense has awoken. Thanks in part to Travis Kelce taking an idiotic personal foul penalty, the Chiefs once again had to punt.
On third down, Trey Flowers got credit for the sack as the pocket collapsed around Smith.
The Patriots nearly had exceptional field position at the K.C. 43, but a running into the kicker penalty triggered a rekick. And then on that rekick, again, the Pats ran into the punter. First one was on Bolden, second was on Marsh.
So, on fourth-and-2, on the third punt, Amendola returned the long kick to the 28-yard line.
Third quarter, 5:01, 24-21 Patriots: The Pats have the lead back, thanks to Amendola, Cooks and Gillislee.
Amendola came up with a 22-yard grab to start the drive after a K.C. holding penalty. Then Cooks drew pass interference in the end zone. Gillislee needed two tries to score from the 1, but he got it for his third touchdown of the night.
Pats have the lead again but this game is far from over.
Third quarter, 6:22, 21-17 Chiefs: The Patriots defense didn't get down after the Hightower penalty. McCourty ran step-for-step with Kelce on second down and broke up a deep pass on second-and-9. On third down, Gilmore broke up a pass intended for Conley to force a punt.
Amendola was apparently not injured by that hit on the last drive, as he made the fair catch on his own 46.
Third quarter, 6:53, 21-17 Chiefs: Here's something that no Patriots fan wanted to hear: Dont'a Hightower is injured.
The body of Mitch Morse fell on Hightower's right leg, and Hightower went down in pain. After a minute or two on the turf, he was able to walk to the sidelines with the trainers. That's a positive that he could walk, but there's still a chance that some damage was done.
Third quarter, 7:08, 21-17 Chiefs: The Patriots offense is out of sorts. Though Brady did connect with Gronkowski for a 17-yard gain on a third-and-6, the offense is just not rolling like it should be. They just ran a flea-flicker that appeared to be in slow motion; nobody on K.C. was fooled. And on third down, Brady threw a pass over the middle that got Danny Amendola laid out by Justin Houston. Amendola was slow to get up after appearing to have the wind knocked out of him (in a best-case scenario).
Chiefs take over at their 14 after Ryan Allen angled a punt out of bounds. Some tension is rising here at Gillette.
Third quarter, 9:19, 21-17 Chiefs: Oh my! I didn't know Alex Smith could do that!
On the first play of the drive, Tyreke Hill ran a deep route up the right side and he was all alone. Devin McCourty was drawn to the middle of the field, and Gilmore played underneath the route, as if he'd have safety help. Alas, he did not. Smith let it rip, Hill made the catch, and he was gone. Seventy-five yards for the touchdown.
And just like that, the Patriots are losing in the second half to the Chiefs.
Third quarter, 9:28, 17-14 Patriots: That was an ugly drive for the Patriots. Amendola picked up a first down on a screen, but he had to recover his own fumble to keep possession. Two Gillislee runs then set up a third-and-12, and Brady threw incomplete.
Hill muffed the punt and recovered it, but the Chiefs picked up a personal foul for picking someone off the pile. It's first-and-10 for the Chiefs on their own 25.
Third quarter, 11:53, 17-14 Patriots: The Chiefs took a holding penalty that negated a 10-yard run, and it proved costly. They worked back to a third-and-5 but Malcolm Butler was there to tackle Hill a full yard short of the sticks to force a punt.
Patriots offense is back at it, on their own 17.
Third quarter, 17-14 Patriots: Second half is underway. Chiefs begin at their 25.
Halftime, 17-14 Patriots: Brady takes a knee and this one heads to halftime. Up-and-down performance thus far for the home team.
Second quarter, :13, 17-14 Patriots: The Chiefs have flipped this game on its head with a 91-yard touchdown drive.
The Patriots nearly made some stops, but Smith completed two passes on third downs to keep the drive alive. Malcolm Butler committed pass interference in the end zone on Demarcus Robinson, setting up a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. The Chiefs scored two plays later on a quick pass to Hunt.
The Chiefs will be receiving the ball to start the second half, so this game could continue to turn.
Second quarter, 2:47, 17-7 Patriots: Instead of a score before halftime, the Patriots went three-and-out. A short run by Lewis followed by incompletions to Hogan and Cooks led to that quick drive.
On the punt, the Chiefs held, so it's first-and-10 from KC at their own 9-yard line.
Second quarter, 3:44, 17-7 Patriots: Deatrich Wise is having a nice night. He has generated pressure on two straight drives on third down to help force a punt. Granted, Alex Smith helped this one along by running in circles and falling over, but still. Good look for the rookie.
Amendola was interfered with while catching the punt, so it's first-and-10 at the New England 40 as the Patriots look to tack on another seven points before halftime.
Second quarter, 7:27, 17-7 Patriots: Mike Gillislee looks good so far in his Patriots uniform.
He just barreled his way right through the chest of linebacker Ramik Wilson to finish off a 2-yard touchdown drive.
Gillislee now has 42 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, doing everything the Patriots need him to do so far.
Hogan also had a 22-yard rush on that drive, and Gronkowski ran a tough route to gain 16 yards on a third-and-10 near midfield. Good protection allowed Brady to stand in the pocket for what felt like an eternity on a second-and-goal from the 5, and the Chiefs eventually committed a holding penalty in the end zone to set up a first down at the 2-yard line.
Eleven plays, 82 yards, 5:50.
Second quarter, 13:17, 10-7 Patriots: The New England D looked much better on that drive, which ended with a third down sack by Trey Flowers. Rookie Deatrich Wise initially forced Smith out of position with pressure off the edge.
Patriots take over at their own 18-yard line after Danny Amendola's fair catch on the punt.
Second quarter, 14:56, 10-7 Patriots: The Pats have the lead again after a short field goal by Gostkowski, but they did not get what they wanted.
They drove down the field with relative ease, thanks to a 27-yard catch by Amendola over the middle and a 15-yard catch-and-run by Cooks on a crossing route. But on a third-and-1 at the KC 8, the Patriots rushed to the line and tried to pick up the yard. White was stuffed on the inside handoff out of the shotgun, and the Patriots had to settle for three.
First quarter, 3:03, 7-7: The Chiefs are showing some mettle here in the first quarter.
After making that fourth-down stop on defense, the Chiefs attacked the Patriots' defense with crossing patter after crossing pattern after crossing pattern. The Patriots had no answer.
Eventually, the Chiefs faced a third-and-goal from the 9-yard line, and Alex Smith was able to hang in long enough for Demetrius Harris to find space in the end zone. The two connected, and now we're tied.
That drive went 12 plays, 90 yards, 6:22. Smith went 7-for-7 for 66 yards and the score. Tyreek Hill led the way with two catches for 25 yards. Four other receivers caught passes on the drive.
First quarter, 9:25, 7-0 Patriots: On a third-and-11 from the 20-yard line, the Chiefs jumped offside. Knowing he had a free play, Brady tried to fit a pass over the middle into a really tight window. Fortunately for him, the large mitts of Rob Gronkowski were there to haul in the pass. Gronkowski made a really impressive diving catch ... but replay showed the ball hit the ground during the course of the catch.
With the free play gone, the Patriots lined up for third-and-6 from the 15-yard line. Brady hit Amendola on a quick slant, and Amendola was stopped a yard shy of the first-down marker.
On the ensuing fourth-and-inches, Gillislee ran up the gut and into a wall of bodies. He didn't get it.
Disappointing end to the potential momentum swinging drive for the Patriots there.
Chiefs take over at their own 10.
First quarter, 12:08, 7-0 Patriots: Oh, dear.
On the Chiefs' first offensive play, Kareem Hunt found a huge hole and burst through it for a first down. But while being tackled by Stephon Gilmore, Hunt coughed up the ball. Jordan Richards jarred it loose, and Devin McCourty recovered it.
Patriots take over at the Chiefs' 32-yard line.
First quarter, 12:08, 7-0 Patriots: The Patriots' first offensive drive on the season went as well as anyone could have hoped.
James White ran for eight yards to convert a third-and-2, Brandin Cooks picked up 19 yards on a back-shoulder pass, Amendola picked up another 16 yards, Cooks drew a pass interference penalty on the 2-yard line, and Mike Gillislee scored a touchdown on his first rush as a Patriot.
This team might be good.
Nine plays, 73 yards, 2:52. Brady went 3-for-4 for 43 yards. White ran for 16 yards on three carries.
It's 7-0 Pats.
First quarter, 14:55, 0-0: Dion Lewis took the opening kickoff out to the 26-yard line. This one is underway.
8:37 p.m.: The Chiefs won the coin toss and deferred. Tom Brady will start this one with the ball.
8:34 p.m.: The banner has been revealed. That was quite the celebration. Mark Wahlberg, Flo Rida, Matt Light, Deion Branch, Kevin Faulk and Julian Edelman were all involved before the Super Bowl LI banner was finally unveiled. The crowd is ready for this one ... and once the smoke clears from all the pyrotechnics, the players will be too.
8:24 p.m.: Rapper Flo Rida is out on the field getting the fans fired up, and the banner celebration is officially underway.
7:30 p.m.: The inactive lists are out, and the Patriots will be weak on special teams tonight. Both Matthew Slater and Nate Ebner will not be active for this one.
Here are the complete lists:
PATRIOTS
Cam Fleming, T
Cole Croston, OL
Nate Ebner, S
Matthew Slater, WR
Harvey Langi, LB
Vincent Valentine, DL
Jacob Hollister, TE
CHIEFS
Tyler Bray, QB
D.J. White, CB
Reggie Ragland, LB
Parker Ehinger, OL
Jarvis Jenkins, DL
5:40 p.m.: Good evening, on what is a banner night for the New England Patriots.
There's always excitement surrounding the season opener, but this year has the added oomph of being a celebration of the Patriots' still-unbelievable comeback victory in Super Bowl LI.
The banners are hanging high above the video board, and they're also sprawled out on the field, as the participants in the pregame ceremony are currently running their rehearsals for the grand affair.
After what should be a memorable moment in Gillette Stadium's history, there will be an actual real, live football game played. Should be a fun night.
And it will be busy, so check back with us early and often for live updates and analysis from Gillette Stadium as the Patriots take on the Chiefs in the NFL season opener.
