The Patriots were supposed to celebrate one Super Bowl title while beginning the march to another Thursday night at Gillette Stadium in the 2017 NFL opener.
Apparently, though, Alex Smith didn't get the script of the night and ruined things for Patriot Nation as Kansas City pulled off the shocking, 42-27 upset.
The Boston Globe says the Chiefs pulled a stunner on Bill Belichick’s team. Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy declares that the Patriots and their fans were “a little full of themselves” heading into the opener. On a reactionary Friday, the Globe says New England will be fine, it just may take a while to get to that point. Adding injury to insult, the Globe notes that Danny Amendola left the loss early due to a head injury. The Globe accurately states that the Chiefs offense came up big – as in big plays – over and over again. The Globe looks at how K.C. rookie running back Kareem Hunt went from a first-carry fumble to an historic debut performance. In an effort with few bright spots, the Globe says Mike Gillislee had a productive Patriots debut.
Boston Herald columnist Ron Borges says the Chiefs put a “perfectly punishing end” to Patriots 19-0 talk. The Herald *states that the Patriots attitude needs an adjustment, a point brought up by Tom Brady in his postgame comments. The *Herald says the Patriots opening night party was ruined when K.C. rolled in the second half. Despite his three touchdowns, the Herald *says Gillislee’s debut was far from a charmed night. The *Herald looks at NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s visit to Foxborough. The Herald lists the best and worst that the opener had to offer. The Herald *notebook notes that wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell was placed on injured reserve prior to the opener. The *Herald writes about what started as a banner night at Gillette with an entertaining pregame ceremony.
The Providence Journal *writes that the Patriots dropped the opener "in embarrassing fashion.” The *ProJo declares that the loss revealed some glaring New England weaknesses that the team might not be able to fix. The ProJo declares that the Chiefs tore the Patriots banner day to shreds. The ProJo looks at the offensive struggles as New England’s wide receiver depth dwindles. The ProJo relays Brady wondering aloud about his team’s lack of a sense of urgency in the opener. The ProJo also notes the injuries to Amendola and Dont’a Hightower.
ESPNBoston.com declares that a Week 1 loss doesn’t define a season. ESPNBoston.com says the Patriots defense got exposed with Drew Brees and the Saints on the horizon of Week 2 action.
ESPN calls the opener a super letdown. ESPN also says the Patriots got the humbling loss they probably needed.
WEEI.com declares that the Patriots can go one of two ways after the blowout loss in the opener. WEEI.com wants to finally put the Patriots-Goodell clown show to bed. WEEI.com offers seven stats that show just how bad the loss to the Chiefs really was. WEEI.com puts forth observations from the loss. WEEI.com has Rob Gronkowski calling the loss a wakeup call, especially for him.
CSNNE.com writes about the Patriots lamenting their own lack of intensity in the loss. CSNNE.com has Brady saying New England needs to be better without Julian Edelman. CSNNE.com notes the Amendola and Hightower injuries. CSNNE.com relays Belichick’s displeasure with his team’s performance.
Sports Illustrated says that Smith made the Patriots look like clowns in the opener. SI also writes that there is plenty wrong with the New England defense right now.
The Kansas City Star observes that the Chiefs “mental toughness, downfield dynamism” keyed the big upset. The Star also has K.C. cornerback Marcus Peters saying, “(Expletive), we won!”
