New England Patriots 4 Downs Review: Week 14 vs Kansas City Chiefs

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FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 08: Julian Edelman #11 of the New England Patriots celebrates scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs in the game at Gillette Stadium on December 08, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /

2nd Down: Quick start on offense

When you go up against a high-powered offense like the Chiefs, you need to put them behind early. A trick play saw Tom Brady hand the ball off to James White, who then executed the flea-flicker to perfection by tossing the ball back to Brady, who finally found Julian Edelman for an early touchdown.

This was the best possible way for New England to start the game against Kansas City. However, that ended up being about the only exciting play for the offense until later in the second half. For whatever reason, the Patriots offense immediately reverted back to its inefficient, middling self just as soon as that first touchdown was over and celebrated.

I also explained that starting quick doesn’t mean just scoring early; it also means quickening the tempo of the game. Right away New England went to a hurry-up offense, and that tempo continued throughout the game. Unfortunately it didn’t help the offense much, as the Patriots couldn’t score any more points until the second half.

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