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New England Patriots upset by Kansas City Chiefs in NFL season opener

THE New England Patriots were supposed to be so good this year they’d go through the NFL season undefeated. About that ...

Jai BednallJai Bednall
@jaibednall
2 min read
September 8, 2017 - 3:28PM
Tom Brady is yet to throw a touchdown.
Tom Brady is yet to throw a touchdown.

NEW England — a team some had predicted could go through this NFL season undefeated — has suffered an embarrassing upset in the first game of the year.

The Patriots were trounced by the Kansas City Chiefs 42-27 in an unexpected start to their Super Bowl defence.

Despite playing at home, the Pats struggled to contain Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith who threw four touchdowns. Tom Brady couldn’t manage one as running back Mike Gillislee (three touchdowns) carried the load.

Chiefs back Kareem Hunt enjoyed a dream debut — despite fumbling on his first possession — producing 148 yards and one touchdown from just 17 carries. “I just had to forget about it ... and just keep playing ball,” Hunt said.

Hunt also made five catches for 98 yards, giving him an NFL record for the most yards from scrimmage on debut.

Smith connected on 28/35 passes for 368 yards and did not throw an interception.

He had three drives of 90 yards or more after only recording one in all of last season and it was the most points New England has conceded in a game since legendary coach Bill Belichick took over in 2000.

“This is not New England’s defence,” commentator Cris Collinsworth said.

The Chiefs aren’t exactly easybeats. They finished top of the AFC West with a 12-4 record last season before exiting the playoffs in the divisional round at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Brady had shot down suggestions this Pats unit was one of the best he’d played on when it was raised in the preseason.

“It’s so far from those types of things,” Brady told a Boston radio station. “I mean, you’re talking about some incredible teams that I’ve had an opportunity to be on, very lucky to be on. This team is so far from where we need to be. We have so far to go.

“It’s really unfair to set expectations. It’s really a set up — for this team, we need to be focused on so many other things than what people may think about us or say about us. There’s so much improvement we need to make.”

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick instructs players on the sideline. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick instructs players on the sideline. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

But not everyone in New England was playing a straight bat ahead of the new campaign. The Pats made fun of the Atlanta Falcons — the team they defeated in last year’s Super Bowl — by displaying the famous 28-3 scoreline from the third quarter of that game on their electronic board before today’s game.

The jokes were coming the other way after such a disastrous display, with now 40-year-old Brady a popular target.

Since Brady joined the Patriots through the 2000 NFL Draft the team never surrendered a three-quarter time lead when the star quarterback suited up. Until today.

The Chief’s comeback from a 27-21 deficit at three-quarter time ended Brady’s run of converting 105 consecutive three-quarter time leads into victories.

Originally published as New England Patriots upset by Kansas City Chiefs in NFL season opener

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/american-sports/nfl/live-new-england-patriots-vs-kansas-city-chiefs/news-story/e707b5bf0f0dd4e02731f31eafbafd8e