Here are the winners and losers from the New England Patriots’ tough 23-16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on Sunday in Week 14. New England managed one final drive into the red zone with a minute left in the game. But the effort to tie the game came up short on the 4-yard line with quarterback Tom Brady throwing incomplete to Julian Edelman on fourth down. The misfire essentially ended the game.
Winner: Julian Edelman, WR
On an ugly offensive night, Edelman was consistent, fiery and productive. Basically, he was everything that the rest of his skill players weren’t. While the rest of the pass-catchers not named James White or Edelman managed 82 yards, Edelman had eight catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. By the end of the first half, he had four catches for 70 yards.
The one downside for Edelman’s night was that he couldn’t haul in his final target of the game on a fourth-and-goal, which would have tied the score in the fourth quarter. Instead, the Bashaud Breeland reached over for a pass breakup, and essentially ended the game.
Loser: Tom Brady, QB
It was another mixed performance for Brady. Again, he had moments of brilliance that went with obvious errors. The most glaring issue, his interception, came on a first-and-10 on the 25-yard line. It was the first play of the team’s drive, and set a poor tone that would carry through the next two quarters.
Brady didn’t anticipate cornerback Bashaud Breeland cheating off coverage of receiver Julian Edelman. So when Brady saw tight end Matt LaCosse with significant separation, the quarterback zipped the ball in that direction. But Breeland closed on the ball and managed a takeaway.
Brady put together a solid fourth quarter, and nearly tied the game. But his struggles were a large reason why New England fell into a quick hole. The Patriots quarterback isn’t to blame for all of the offense’s problems. His supporting cast, past Edelman, has yet to step up. This has been the story for weeks. In a sense, that’s also why Brady is a “loser.” His supporting personnel hasn’t been good enough. His final is a good example. He needed better protection, so he could step into his throw and get it over Breeland. But Brady lacked the arm strength, in part due to his poor protection.
Winner: Stephon Gilmore, CB
As usual, Gilmore provided a bright spot on defense. He shut down Sammy Watkins for the entire night.
It was strange, however, to see Gilmore on Watkins the entire night. He can’t control his matchups (though he has some input). But while Gilmore was on Watkins, the Patriots put a mix of Patrick Chung and J.C. Jackson on Travis Kelce (seven catches, 77 yards). They are good players in coverage — they’re not as good as Gilmore. And in a week after Bill Belichick said Kelce was “one of the best receivers in the game,” the coach might have been wise to deploy one of the best cornerbacks, Gilmore, on Kelce.
Loser: Jonathan Jones, CB
He allowed the Chiefs to score an easy touchdown in the first half with Mecole Hardman blasting past Jones on a flag route. With Hardman wide open, quarterback Patrick Mahomes fired the ball to his receiver. Jones then left his feet in an attempt to knock the ball away from Hardman as he made the catch, but the Chiefs wideout held onto the ball and was free to generate yards after the catch, ultimately dancing past another Patriots defender for a long touchdown. The fact that Jones blew the coverage was rough. But his aggressive play on the ball gave the Chiefs an easy touchdown.
Jones had tough assignments in Hardman and Tyreek Hill. In a sense, he did a nice job considering how explosive they are. Still, he struggled to tackle them after the catch (as so many have before him).
Winner: James White, RB
He had six carries for 33 yards and five receptions for 27 with a 35-yard pass to Jakobi Meyers. It was an impressive all-around performance — even if his touches were limited early in the game.
Loser: N’Keal Harry, WR
His first snap came after 22 minutes. It was his only snap of the first half. Harry then got back in the game in the second half, when Brady targeted him for an easy dump-off. Harry hauled in the ball and powered upfield for a beautiful 12-yard gain. So why is he a loser? Well, it was a mishap. Harry should have gotten his second touchdown of his rookie season. Instead, the officials said he stepped out of bounds.
Harry’s night ended early with a hip injury. He didn’t return.
