After a long offseason, the NFL season finally started on Thursday night with the Patriots and the Chiefs, with the Chiefs pulling a road upset of the defending champs.
Kareem Hunt
Kareem Hunt started the game with a lost fumble on his first carry. The fumble is a rarity for Hunt who only had one fumble in his college career.
Hunt rebounded and turned in a historic debut. He scored once on the ground and twice through the air, while turning in 246 total yards on 22 touches (17 carries and 5 receptions). His game was highlighted by a 78 yard touchdown reception. Hunt is the clear number one in the Kansas City backfield. His value is going to go through the roof. If looking in the trade market, Hunt should return round 2-3 start-up type value in the aftermath of this game.
Charcandrick West spelled Hunt and scored a fourth quarter touchdown after Hunt reeled off a big gain to set up the score.
Kansas City Chiefs Passing Game
Alex Smith won the battle with Tom Brady in Foxboro. Smith played the game close to the vest early, and then took some deep shots to Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt later in the game for long touchdowns. Smith completed 28 passes on 35 attempts, 368 yards and 4 touchdowns. He led the Kansas City offense and silenced any talk of Patrick Mahomes taking the job over.
The Patriots contained Tyreek Hill early, until he exploited a blown coverage by the Patriots for a 75 yard touchdown reception. Hill pulled up lame on a punt return in the second half and left the game. The broadcast announced he was suffering cramps so the injury should not have lasting implications.
New England Backfield
Dion Lewis was the announced starter. Rex Burkhead saw the first touch. James White was running with the offense in the up tempo. Mike Gillislee saw the goal line work, and was the third back to see non goal line carries.
In other words, a headache for picking your starting lineup. Gillislee is the point scorer with three goal line touchdowns, but was otherwise pedestrian. He finished with 45 yards on 15 carries.
White looked effective in the game running between the tackles on a handful of carries. He finished the game with 10 carries for 38 yards in addition to 3 catches for 30 yards. Burkhead looked good on the three carries but was missing for 2 quarters.
If the Patriots passing game is going to grow through an identity crisis, Gillislee is going to be no better than a coin flip to score a touchdown on a goal line carry.
Tight Ends Limited
Rob Gronkowski was targeted 6 times and limited to 2 catches for 33 yards. He had a touchdown in the first half which was called back on review. Gronk’s body language did not look good in the game, and he was largely held in check. The Patriots offense also went run heavy in the redzone, which is a trend to monitor with the Gronk’s historically strong redzone touchdown production.
Travis Kelce was also largely held in check. He had 5 catches for 40 yards on 7 targets. Kelce was used creatively as an option quarterback where he converted the carry for a first down. Kelce was the focal point of the Patriots defense, and never found much room to work in the game.
Patriots Passing Game
Tom Brady looked like he was going to slay the Chiefs on the first drive of the game. He had great protection and all types of time to work in the pocket. The Patriots also went no huddle early and their personnel was creating mismatches with formation variations. However, the offense got stopped on a fourth and goal in the redzone in the first quarter. Afterwards, the Patriots’s offense fizzled.
Danny Amendola led the Patriots receivers with 6 catches for 100 yards on 7 targets. His 7th target was a drop on third down that could have converted a first down. He exited the game with a head injury and entered the concussion protocol. Amendola has a history of concussions so his health is crucial to monitor.
Brandin Cooks was also targeted deep frequently in the game, securing one catch and drawing a pass interference on another catch that set up a Patriots score. Cooks also won on a deep ball late in the game, but was slightly underthrown by Brady which allowed the Kansas City corner to close on the ball and knock it away.
Chris Hogan was held in check for 1 catch on 8 yards on 6 targets. He struggled to create separation throughout the game.
Phillip Dorsett played in a limited role with only one catch.
The Patriots lack an offensive identity without Julian Edelman. They will look to recover next week against New Orleans.
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