Joe Andrews
Oct 5, 2020
Kansas City Chiefs
linebacker Ben Niemann (56) celebrates after recovering a fumble by New England
Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer during the second half of an NFL football game
against the New England Patriots, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Kansas City.
Charlie Riedel
After
a low-scoring first half, the Kansas City Chiefs found themselves in the midst
of a relatively quiet game with the New England Patriots.
Then,
the Patriots’ offense and Chiefs’ defense found themselves in a battle for
superiority. At first, it seemed a Brian Hoyer led offense was gaining
traction. Then Chiefs defensive end Taco Charlton sacked Hoyer, forcing the
ball out of his hands.
Linebacker Ben Niemann recovered,
launching a string of events that led to a 26-10 win over the Patriots on
Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium — a day after the game was
originally supposed to be held.
“It’s different,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid
said. “We were expecting different this year, though. We had to put it together
and do it.”
Upon
the positive COVID-19 test of practice squad quarterback Jordan
Ta’amu, the Chiefs were sent home from team facilities on Saturday as
part of NFL protocol.
Coaches
were allowed back on Sunday, but players did not step foot to One Arrowhead
Drive until pregame.
The
precautionary matters set the Chiefs back, as showed early in the first half.
The Chiefs led 6-3 at halftime and did not score a touchdown until the final
minute of the third quarter.
“There’s
no excuse to it, we had a game plan together," Reid said. "It was
just one little obstacle that was in there. They had an obstacle, they had to
fly in today. That’s not an easy thing, plus no quarterback. They were using
backup quarterbacks. It's good experience for those guys, but it is what it
was.”
The
score, a 6-yard shovel pass from Patrick Mahomes to Tyreek Hill, capped off a
drive started by Charlton’s sack turned Niemann recovery.
Charlton’s
efforts led to the benching of Hoyer, who was replaced by Jarrett Stidham.
“Taco’s
made some big plays for us,” Reid said. “That was one of them for sure. It’s
great for his career going forward, that’s a positive thing for him. He’s all
in for right now and enjoys being here.
Stidham
led the Patriots downfield for his first career touchdown pass but proceeded to
throw two interceptions (one to safety Tyrann Mathieu, resulting in a
touchdown, the other to cornerback Rashad Fenton).
For
Reid, the two moments overshadowed the low moments from the first half.
“The four turnovers ended up being big for us —
14 points off of that,” Reid said. “I can go through and name individuals, but
I think collectively as a team we can do better than we did. It’s a win int eh
national football league and these son-of-a-guns are hard to get. I’ve been on
the other end of this where another quarterback comes in and we don’t win the
game.
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