KANSAS CITY, Mo – Slowing down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs under the best of circumstances is hard enough
Try to do this with your star quarterback sidelined by COVID-19, a 40-year-old mate taking his place, your best running back was heading to the injured reserve and a flight that didn’t landed in Kansas City shortly before kickoff
Still, the New England Patriots still managed to give the Chiefs adjustments for most of the Monday night, hanging on a basket from the Super Bowl champions until the end of the third quarter. It wasn’t until Tyrann Mathieu picked up an interception for a fourth touchdown that Kansas City claimed their 26-10 victory at Arrowhead Stadium.
« You saw it this season You saw it last season Even if you keep us going we can go out there and make plays when they count, » said Mahomes, who threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns « When your number is called you have to play, and I thought enough guys made plays that we could come out of there with a win »
Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman won TD for the Chiefs, who have now won 13 straight games
“We played when we had to play,” said coach Andy Reid, “and we can learn from that. There are many areas that need to be done better, but it’s tough to win in this league and it’s hard to beat the Patriots in any situation »
The marquee match was supposed to take place on Sunday, but it was put on hold when New England confirmed that a player – who later turned out to be Cam Newton – tested positive for COVID – 19 Later on Saturday, it emerged that Chiefs QB Jordan Ta’amu training team had also tested positive, forcing the NFL to postpone the game
More tests, including one passed at 6 am ET on Monday, returned no positive results from either team
With their quarterback sidelined and Sony running back Michel hitting the IR with a quad injury, the Patriots (2-2) were forced to rely on mate Brian Hoyer and a team of running backs who never really set the pace
Hoyer, who has now lost 11 straight starts for three different teams, finished 15 of 24 for 130 yards and an interception before being benched in the second half Jarrett Stidham led the Patriots to a touchdown near 13-10, but he also threw two interceptions, including the 6 pick to Mathieu that propelled the Chiefs to their fourth straight start 4-0
« We had opportunities tonight (and) weren’t able to take advantage of them. You can’t give a team like this those kinds of opportunities, » said Patriots coach Bill Belichick « I turned the ball four times Had too many penalties »
The Chiefs walked the field for a basket in their first practice, added another later in the half, but struggled to get going Sammy Watkins wasted a chance to score while fumbling in the red zone Mahomes was under constant duress and the rest of his wide receivers were covered by the New England secondary
The first came in the dying seconds of the first half, when the Patriots had used their timeouts to reach the shooting range Hoyer was sacked by Frank Clark on the third down, and the 40-year-old mate didn’t realize he couldn’t stop the clock He hit zero and the Chiefs took a 6-3 lead in the locker room / p>
Hoyer’s second mistake came at the end of the third quarter, when he again felt the pocket collapse on a third try This time the Chiefs stripped the ball and recovered it, preventing New England from another basket attempt
Finally enjoying a swing in the momentum, Mahomes hit Hill and Travis Kelce with long passes to move quickly down the field And when Hill swept the pylon in the jet for a touchdown, the Chiefs had some leeway
The Patriots responded behind a long run from Damien Harris, who had just been activated off IR, and a nice catch from N’Keal Harry in the end zone. But the Chiefs continued to act on offense, taking advantage of pass interference and personal foul penalties from the league’s lesser team to set up Hardman’s touchdown
When Mathieu was perfectly positioned to catch a flipped pass and take it home, the Chiefs were heading for a winning start in a grueling three-game, 11-day streak that includes a visit to the Buffalo Bills
« I still feel like we can play so much better and I think that’s the goal, » said Mathieu « Forget this game Our young guys stepped up, played well, but we’re getting into the hot topic We have two real tough opponents coming up and we have to find a way to win the next two games «
Patriots running back James White was back after missing two games after his father’s death He carried three times for 21 yards and caught seven passes for 38 yards, then tore in a conference post-match press release
« He meant everything to me, » White said « He pushed me He didn’t always tell me what I wanted to hear But he always wanted me to do the right thing and pushed me to be the better than I could be all the time «
Patriots: Right guard Shaq Mason missed the game after a calf injury late last week The Patriots offensive line again depleted later in the first quarter, when right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor left with migraines
Chiefs: Defensive tackle Chris Jones had a groin injury that sidelined him in training last week Defensive end Mike Danna joined him on the bench with a hamstring injury -legs in the second quarter
Patriots continue AFC West tour when Broncos visit New England on Sunday Chiefs face Raiders the same afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium
Brian Hoyer throws a dart at Julian Edelman, but the pass is tilted and Gunner Olszewski catches it for the first down
Kareem Hunt shakes up several defenders as he enters the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown
Baker Mayfield finds an open Odell Beckham Jr, who says hello to the camera after carrying a short TD for his second score of the game
It didn’t matter that Rodgers didn’t see his top two receivers He found a way, by contacting Tonyan on three of his four touchdowns, to beat the Falcons
The Cleveland Browns may have 12,000 fans – double the number of their first two games – inside FirstEnergy Stadium for this week’s home game against Indianapolis
Falcons owner Arthur Blank held back Quinn with playoff expectations and made it clear that mediocrity would not be tolerated
Patriots vs Chiefs, Brian Hoyer
World News – CA – Patriots vs Chiefs – Game Recap – October 5, 2020 – ESPN