FOXBORO — In a game overshadowed by officiating errors, the New England Patriots are still plenty to blame for their 23-16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
Especially the offense. Especially the run game.
The Patriots offense failed to run the ball against one of the worst rushing defenses in the National Football League, as the Chiefs entered Sunday having allowed an average of 141 yards on the ground per game. The Patriots rushed for 94 yards on 22 attempts (4.3 per rush).
Of course, with the Patriots chasing the Chiefs through much of the second half, they were forced to abandon the run. But it wasn’t always that way.
The Patriots ran the ball 11 times for a mere 23 yards in the first quarter. They had just two rushes go for four yards or more, while an identical two rushes went for negative yardage.
Sony Michel had five rushes for eight yards in the first half. He did not see another carry, finishing with an abysmal 1.6 yard-per-rush average against the league’s 30th-ranked rushing defense. New England ran for 47 yards on 14 carries in the first half.
Likely in reaction to his performance, Michel played just nine total snaps in the game. He had played just 15 snaps the week prior.
“That’s just how it’s gone,” coach Bill Belichick said on Monday’s conference call when asked about the decreased workload for Michel.
And the inability to run the football played a role in the Patriots failing to make the most of opportune field position, specifically following a first-quarter interception by cornerback J.C. Jackson.
The interception helped the Patriots start the drive from the KC 40-yard line, but the first play went for a Michel run behind Marcus Cannon — a loss of one yard. Two incomplete passes later, the Patriots punted back to the Chiefs after a three-and-out. It was a major missed opportunity.
On their next drive, while leading 7-3, the Patriots covered 45 yards on nine plays (six runs) and reached the KC 30-yard line. However, a Rex Burkhead rush behind left tackle Isaiah Wynn went for a loss of one yard. Two incomplete passes later, the Patriots had a 41-yard field goal blocked, as Kansas City blew up a gap between Marshall Newhouse and Marcus Cannon. Another missed opportunity.
The examples are plentiful. James White lost two yards behind Wynn one play after N’Keal Harry was wrongfully called out of bounds on what should have been a touchdown. Following one incomplete pass and a third-down sack, the Patriots were forced to settled for a 29-yard field goal as they went backwards once they reached the Kansas City three-yard line. Yet another missed opportunity.
The lack of production in the run game and consistent pressure on quarterback Tom Brady have caused the offense to rely on unsustainable offensive plays, much like the 37-yard flea-flicker touchdown from Brady to Edelman, and a 35-yard trick-play pass from James White to Jakobi Meyers.
They were the two longest plays of the game for the Patriots, which is not exactly something to cheer about. In fact, it speaks volumes to where this Patriots offense is with such a sub-par running game.
Sean McGuire is a sports writer with the Sun Chronicle and the Foxboro Reporter and can be followed on Twitter at @BySeanMcGuire.
