In front of a crowd that once again set the world record for noise level, the Kansas City Chiefs blew out the Patriots Monday night, 41-14, anchored by Jamaal Charles' three touchdowns and the uncharacteristically poor play of Tom Brady and the New England offense.
Patriots vs. Chiefs 2014 final score: 3 things we learned in the Kansas City’s 41-14 victory
The Patriots were a mess in every possible way Monday night and Kansas City took full advantage, as the Chiefs rolled to a 41-14 victory.
Peter Aiken
Charles, who has been dealing with an ankle injury, put everyone's fears to bed (even when he had to leave for a little bit in the third) with a very Jamaal Charles-like performance, while the Patriots were a complete mess and face plenty of questions moving forward.
It got so bad that Jimmy Garoppolo made an appearance in the second half. You’re witnessing a low point.
1) Travis Kelce might just be the next great tight end in the NFL. Remember when there was a time that the Chiefs weren't playing Kelce? Those days are unequivocally over. Against a porous New England defense, Kelce shredded his way for 93 yards and a score on eight receptions and out-Gronked Rob Gronkowski Monday night. Not just anyone can out-Gronk the Gronkster, you know.
Moving forward, Kelce is likely going to be a weapon that Alex Smith relies on pretty heavily, and with good reason. The Chiefs could always use more weapons in the passing game.
2) This isn’t the Patriots team you know and love (though if you hate it, you’re currently in unadulterated bliss). It’s becoming more and more apparent that Tom Brady is playing his age (he does age, and he’s 37), and it might be time for you to reconfigure the way you think about Brady and the Patriots. Every great dynasty comes to an end eventually, and we could be witnessing the slow downfall of the NFL’s dynasty of the new millennium.
Gronkowski likely isn’t fully healthy just yet, and it’s going to be hard for the Patriots to keep riding with this current crop of wide receivers. The days of New England stretching the field are long gone, and teams are now keying in on that, evidenced in part by Brady’s two cringe-worthy interceptions.
Things weren’t any better on the defensive side for the Patriots, either. The Chiefs had 303 yards of offense in the first half, and this graphic will tell you just how significant that was:
The Patriots haven’t experienced many games like this in Tom Brady’s tenure, but there might be at least a few more on the horizon.
3) When healthy and properly utilized, the Chiefs have a very, very good offense. Between Charles, Kelce, Knile Davis and their receivers who will do just enough (here's looking at you, Dwayne Bowe), the Chiefs have an offense that is to be reckoned with - that is, when everyone is actually on the field. Charles has always been an every-down back, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep Davis on the sidelines, and the Chiefs would be well-served moving towards a bit of a 1-2 punch at some point.
The genesis of that was in full effect Monday night.
Injuries
Chiefs
Charles left in the third quarter with cramps, following his third touchdown of the night. He went to the locker room to get an IV, but returned. Donnie Avery left with a groin injury and did not return.
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