Takeaways from the Patriots’ Week 15 Loss to the Chiefs

Following another strong defensive effort and stunning 2nd-half offensive collapse, the Patriots have fallen to 3-11. Though the team was officially eliminated from playoff contention last week, but they entered this game fighting for pride, respect, and potentially their head coach.

NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran reported that, following New England’s Week 10 loss to the Colts in Germany, Robert Kraft decided to move on from Belichick after the season. According to Curran, the team planned “to play out the string, and at the end of the year, there would be a parting of the ways for a variety of reasons.”

NFL Network’s Ian Rappoport added his own perspective to the discussion on Sunday morning, saying that while Kraft “hadn’t come to a firm conclusion,” New England’s final stretch of games “could go a long way in determining what’s next.”

The odds weren’t in Belichick’s favor with the Chiefs coming to town, despite a 2-2 career record against reigning MVP and Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes. A banged-up receiver group saw Demario Douglas (head) and DeVante Parker (knee) return to the lineup, but JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) and Kayshon Boutte (shoulder) were ruled out. Left tackle Trent Brown (ankle/hand/illness) was also ruled out after rotating with Conor McDermott the past few games.

New England seemed like a sneaky candidate to upset the Chiefs, who entered this game having lost four of their previous six games. Instead, Team Tank is stronger than ever, particularly with the Panthers’ loss putting the Patriots one game away from #1 overall pick territory.

Here are my top takeaways from New England’s 27-17 defeat.

Patriots Defense Falls Short in Another Valiant Effort

The Patriots intercepted Patrick Mahomes twice, sacked him thrice, held Travis Kelce to 28 yards on five catches, forced two fumbles, and allowed 2.2 yards per carry on the ground. Despite another resilient performance from the group, it wasn’t enough to secure the win.

Marte Mapu made one of the game’s best plays after a mistake-prone start to his career, ripping a pass from Blake Bell for an interception.

Turnover-magnet Jahlani Tavai added a pick of his own later in the game, stealing a pass bobbled by Kadarius Toney.

Christian Barmore was a game-wrecker up front, totaling six tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and a pair of quarterback hits.

Mack Wilson’s post-bye hot streak continued, particularly when lining up on the edge. He tallied a sack, a quarterback hit, and a tackle for loss.

The Chiefs deserve plenty of credit, as Mahomes did his thing outside of structure, and Andy Reid dialed up some nasty plays in scoring territory, The defense also had communication lapses that led to big plays.

Still, New England stopped KC on two of their five Red Zone trips, held their offense under a 50% 3rd down conversion rate, and clamped down late in the 2nd half to create a comeback opportunity. Tip of the cap to the group for an impressive, if imperfect performance.

Where’s JC?

In a twist that surprised even his teammates, J.C. Jackson missed today’s matchup despite being in the locker room before the game. Players expected Jackson on the sideline but didn’t know what happened. Bill Belichick confirmed that Jackson was unavailable for the game but wouldn’t clarify why he was active.

MassLive’s Karen Guregian clarified the matter, reporting that the corner was absent due to a “personal matter.”

Alex Austin started over Jackson and Shaun Wade, who was a healthy scratch after missing time due to illness. The rookie was called for two questionable penalties but seemed solid otherwise.

Offense Collapses in 2nd Half (Again)

For the second week in a row, New England’s offense looked functional for two 1uarters, then reverted to incompetence when the clock struck halftime. After a low throw led to a three-and-out on the opening drive, Zappe seemed locked in and showed the most confidence I’ve seen from him as a pro.

He completed multiple downfield and tight-window throws to Hunter Henry, who ended the day 66 yards and a touchdown on seven catches, and DeVante Parker, who caught all five of his catches in the 1st half. These connections were highlighted by a backshoulder shot to Parker while fading away from pressure and a top-shelf pass to Henry that beat tight coverage for a 4th & goal score.

As effective as Zappe was, protection issues crept up early. Conor McDermott and Mike Onwenu allowed the edges to cave in for KC’s first sack, which turned a 1st & 25 into an even more impossible 2nd & 27. Zappe was sacked again to open the offense’s first scoring drive, but he overcame a 3rd & 12 with a completion over the middle to Henry.

But just like in Pittsburgh, these protection issues and Zappe’s performance took a nosedive in the 2nd half. The quarterback’s first throw of the 3rd quarter was an inexcusable interception that should’ve been thrown away.

He also should’ve been picked on a spray miss that soared over a wide-open Demario Douglas.

New England’s next drive was a three-and-out that included a 2-yard loss due to poor run blocking inside, a batted slant the Chiefs nearly intercepted, and a sack where no one accounted for a corner blitz. Zappe took his final sack on the next possession when Conor McDermott lost the edge, and Zappe stepped up into a spy.

The offense would go three-and-out on each of its next two possessions before turning a turnover into a score, but New England never felt like it had the firepower to pull off a comeback.

Zappe’s strong starts have provided hope that he can at least develop into a high-end backup, but his sharp declines can’t be overlooked. And the offense’s final few games could get even tougher with players at several spots banged up.

Injuries and Penalties Pile Up

No one’s making excuses for the Patriots, who didn’t execute enough in critical moments to earn a win in this game. But even Bill Belichick acknowledged how injuries and flags affected the outcome this afternoon while speaking to reporters. Cole Strange (knee), Conor McDermott (head), and Hunter Henry (knee) throughout the contest. Strange’s loss was especially demoralizing, as he required a cart and had played well since New England’s bye week.

Belichick told reporters the team was “worried about the pass protection and being able to execute” after losing three starters when asked about punting on 4th & 4 in the 4th quarter. And while he didn’t directly blame the officiating, Belichick noted how penalties wiped a turnover and touchdown off the board for the Patriots.

The first of these calls was a hold against McDermott that erased a Hunter Henry touchdown, forcing New England to settle for a field goal shortly after. The second was a highly debatable holding call that took away a Jonathan Jones forced fumble that Jabrill Peppers recovered.

There were other head-scratching penalties throughout the game, including a hold against Brenden Schooler that nullified a 46-yard opening kick return, a facemask penalty on Demario Douglas, and an illegal contact call that offset intentional grounding.

Once again, I’m not defending what was an insufficient performance from New England. But in a game that was so competitive, even throughout the offense’s struggles, these questionable calls were hard to ignore.