Well, it was fun while it lasted.
The New England Patriots got to do the victory dance for a few extra days after their Thursday night upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, before it all came crashing back down to Earth in Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
There was a moral victory baked into the disappointment of defeat. The Patriots went toe-to-toe with the Super Bowl champs, who were coming off back-to-back losses, and kept it competitive. That’s saying a lot when facing an angry Patrick Mahomes-led team desperately looking to get back into the win column.
The Patriots also managed to keep their No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft intact. So it’s hard to think any fans walked away completely unhappy with this game considering the outcome gave them the best of both worlds.
Let’s dive into some leftover notes from Sunday.
Second half woes continue for a second straight week
The first-half version of Bailey Zappe might be the best quarterback the Patriots have had all season. He lit the Pittsburgh Steelers up for two quarters in Week 14, and that fire remained red-hot in the first two quarters against the Chiefs as well.
The offense appeared to be in sync, and Zappe was in complete control of things, throwing 17-of-19 for 141 yards and one touchdown. Granted, there weren’t any deep shots like he had against Pittsburgh, but he was carving a path through a talented Chiefs defense and taking whatever small chunks of yards he could get.
And then the second half came.
It was like Bailey Zappe stepped into the Urkel Transformation Chamber and went from being Stephan Urquelle to Steve Urkel again. He was missing throws, being careless with the football and failing to sustain drives. In the second half, he only mustered 39 passing yards and one interception. It was even worse than the 44 yards and no touchdowns he had against the Steelers in the second half of that game as well.
The injuries have reached levels of absurdity
The Patriots finally got wide receivers Demario Douglas and DeVante Parker back in the lineup, but JuJu Smith-Schuster, who led the team in receiving yards against the Steelers, was inactive with an injury. It’s like the team is constantly taking two steps forward and one step back.
In the actual game, offensive tackle Conor McDermott and guard Cole Strange both exited early with injuries. Tight end Hunter Henry, who finished with a team-high seven receptions, was also banged up by the end of the contest.
We can talk about the much-needed roster improvements for the Patriots until we’re all blue in the face, but none of it matters if the team can’t stay healthy. Injuries have been one of the biggest culprits to the Patriots’ freefall into becoming one of the worst teams in the NFL.
The offensive line especially hasn’t had a chance to gel with guys being in and out of the lineup all season. That hasn’t made things any easier on Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones under center.
Chad Ryland whiffs one, again
The lack of consistency with kicker Chad Ryland is alarming.
He had the back-to-back weeks of missing 35-yard field goals against the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants. That was enough to force the Patriots to hold a mass workout for free agent kickers.
There was hope that would light a fire under Ryland, but he was at it again on Sunday, whiffing on a 41-yarder that would have put the Patriots within a touchdown of the Chiefs. Will Belichick continue to stick with Ryland, or will he consider handing the reins over to another kicker this week?
That’ll be something to keep an eye on in the coming days. The Patriots have a lot invested in Ryland considering coach Bill Belichick spent a fourth-round draft pick on him. It’s proving to be one of the worst decisions he’s ever made draft-wise as the de facto general manager. At this point, it almost feels like the Patriots need to go for it on every fourth down in field goal range.
Plenty of young defensive talent on the rise in New England
There was plenty of young defensive talent that made an impact in Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.
With cornerback J.C. Jackson out due to a personal matter, rookie defensive back Alex Austin stepped up and had an impressive first NFL start. Rookie linebacker/safety Marte Mapu also snagged his first interception on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
It was a coming-out party and full-on youth movement for the Patriots. Christian Barmore also deserves a mention considering how he constantly goes overlooked for his efforts this season. He’s proving to be one of the better defensive tackles in the league with an exceptionally high upside.
Mahomes threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns, but he was also sacked three times and threw two interceptions. The Patriots defense gave him fits throughout the game.
Imagine how good the unit could be when they get star playmakers Christian Gonzalez and Matthew Judon back into the fold.
Has anything changed for Belichick?
A new report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport poured a bucket of ice water on the notion that owner Robert Kraft has already made up his mind to fire Bill Belichick after the season.
Per Rapoport, a decision hasn’t been made yet, and it could ultimately be impacted by the last few games left.
The Patriots didn’t get the win against the Chiefs, but they did put up a serious fight. Some are already wondering if the team’s record would have been different if they started Bailey Zappe sooner. That’s the right kind of question someone in Belichick’s position wants floating around. It could potentially open the door to another opportunity to coach the team in 2024.
The decision will ultimately come to a sit-down between Kraft and Belichick. That’s when all of the cards will be put on the table, and Kraft will decide where he wants to go from there.
