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It’s not that Patrick Mahomes blinked

.He was just beaten at his own game by Tom Brady.The Patriots quarterback showed his ability to throw the deep ball 鈥?and some timely running 鈥?to lead the Patriots to a 43-40 win over the Chiefs.Brady’s 4-yard touchdown run (which was assisted by Chiefs rookie outside linebacker Breeland Speaks letting him go Color Rush Chase Winovich Jersey , perhaps to avoid a penalty) was the capper on a night of impressive offense by both quarterbacks.Or, it would have been a capper if Mahomes didn’t immediately answer with a 75-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 40, prior to Brady connecting with Rob Gronkowski for a 39-yard connection late to set up the game-winning field goal. It was that kind of night, with the two quarterbacks trading haymakers.Brady finished 24-of-35 for 340 yards and a touchdown, an impressive 9.8 yards per pass attempt.Mahomes threw two interceptions in the first half (matching his total for the first five games of the season), but led his team back impressively from the early problems.They still settled for too many field goals, but their flurry of big plays late made this one of the most entertaining games of the season.Mahomes finished with 352 yards (and a 9.9 yards per attempt average) and four touchdowns to go with the mistakes, but made it clear that even though he lost his first game of the season, he’s leading a team that will likely see the Patriots again in the playoffs.Here are five more things we learned during Sunday Night Football:1. The Patriots have made do with a fleet of replaceable-part niche backs in the past.They may have something approaching a bell cow in rookie Sony Michel.The first-rounder (their second one, chosen 31st overall) finished with 24 carries for 106 yards, continuing a run of solid play.He was inactive in the opener and had just 84 rushing yards combined in his first two games. But with his 112-yard outburst against the Dolphins and another 98 against the Colts last week, he’s showing indications he’s different from their usual assembly line backs.He was part of a dynamic tandem at Georgia with Nick Chubb (who was taken four picks after him, by the Browns in the second round), but with each passing week, he looks like he can be a traditional every-down back Youth Chase Winovich Jersey , as long as he stays healthy.2. Nothing against Dustin Colquitt and Ryan Allen, but no one missed them for the longest time tonight.Amazingly, there wasn’t a single punt until the 3:50 mark of the fourth quarter, as two offenses traded shots (and occasional turnovers).Offense is up league-wide, so high scoring is becoming more common. But it’s still refreshing to see teams play an open style, after years of football being choked to death by cynical coaches who were afraid to let their teams make mistakes. Or excitement.3. Chiefs safety Eric Berry hasn’t played this year, and his absence is evident against the Patriots.Not having him on the field with a “heel” injury (after last year’s Achilles tear) has compromised their ability to cover any tight end, or the middle of the field in general.But they’re also down numbers in the middle of the secondary, with Daniel Sorensen on injured reserve. With聽Eric Murray also inactive, they were without their top three safeties, with Jordan Lucas making his first start next to Ron Parker.Lucas was acquired in a trade with the Dolphins just before final cuts, and Parker was brought back after the Falcons cut him this summer. They performed well enough, but it’s far from a sustainable situation.4. Losing a talented returner such as De'Anthony Thomas to a practice injury was a bad break for the Chiefs. Thomas suffered a broken leg when a teammate stepped on him in practice Thursday, in the same leg he broke last year.But under special teams coordinator Dave Toub, the Chiefs filled in more than acceptably.Tremon Smith‘s 97-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter set the Chiefs up for a go-ahead score.This sixth-rounder from Central Arkansas showed the kind of speed that makes the Chiefs the team most likely to field an Olympic relay team. Smith ran a 4.38-second 40 at his pro day workout Womens Chase Winovich Jersey , putting him in good company.5. Say what you want about Gronkowski. At least he’s house-broken.The subtly hilarious moment of the first half was when Brady yelled at his All-Pro tight end to get out of his three-point stance at the line of scrimmage, and the NBC mics picked it up.“Gronk, stand up,” Brady yelled. Gronkowski immediately stood up, as one does when Brady barks orders.Gronk wasn’t playing as much fetch as he’s used to until late in the game, but I’d bet that if Brady told him to roll over, Gronkowski would have, and waited patiently for the belly rub and the treat. The veteran coach is still enjoying the process." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhitePats Pulpita New England Patriots communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpPatriots NewsOpinion and AnalysisContribute!About the SiteTopicsPatriotsOddsShopStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhitePatriots News Opinion and Analysis Contribute! FanPostsFanShotsAbout the Site List of Patriots Twitter AccountsWrite For Pats Pulpit!New User Welcome and Commenting GuideCommunity GuidelinesMastheadTopics Patriots Off-Season CoveragePatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots NewsPatriots Draft CoverageSportfolio ManagementFiled under:Patriots First ReadPatriots Offseason CoveragePatriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia still going strong entering his 36th year in the NFLNew,9commentsRelated: Dante Scarnecchia sounds optimistic about Isaiah WynnEDTShareTweetShareSharePatriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia still going strong entering his 36th year in the NFLPhoto by Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesWhen Dante Scarnecchia entered the NFL for the first time, Joe Montana was the reigning Super Bowl MVP and the Colts were still playing in Baltimore. The year was 1982, and with the exception of a de facto two-year sabbatical from 2014 to 2015, Scarnecchia has been around ever since. And the vast majority of his time in the NFL was spent with one team: the New England Patriots, for whom he coached in 33 of his 35 seasons in the league.Entering year number 36 and the fourth since returning from his short-lived retirement, Scarnecchia still appears to be going strong. When listening to him speak about his craft and the challenges that await both himself and his players, one gets the impression that the 71-year-old still thoroughly enjoys what he does — and that his enthusiasm to go through the grind yet again has not changed throughout the years.“Good. Yeah Authentic Chase Winovich Jersey , good,” the soft-spoken Scarnecchia said ahead of the Patriots’ organized team activities when asked about his feelings regarding his return for another year with the Patriots. A teacher at heart — he holds a master’s degree in physical education from U.S. International — Scarnecchia seems particularly thrilled about the outlook of getting some new and young players up to speed through the team’s offseason program.“I love it, I really do,” said Scarnecchia before adding that the process differs fundamentally when working with rookies compared to experienced players who have been around the Patriots or at least in the NFL before. “It’s like night and day [but] the thing about it is, they’re all willing, they all want to do well. I really like it. I like teaching the game and these guys are responsive, and that’s all you can ask.”Scarnecchia has an intriguing mix of veterans and rookies to work with this season, and he certainly seems to embrace the competition that this creates. “I love it, I really do. I think it’s great,” he said. And even though four of the five starting spots are locked up — all except left tackle; a vacancy that is ultimately expected to be filled by 2018 first-round draft pick Isaiah Wynn — there will be plenty of position battles moving forward in regards to backup roster and practice squad spots.“What’s most important is that we give everybody a chance to make the team; that we coach everybody; that we demand the same of the guys that have been here and the guys that just got here,” Scarnecchia continued when speaking about the competition that will take place along the offensive line over the course of the summer. “There’s no sacred cows. We got a lot of things that we need to get better at, a lot of things that we need to improve upon, and I like that. I like that challenge.”One of the biggest challenges for the most experienced assistant coach on New England’s staff this offseason will be to find a capable trio of offensive tackles. “We only go into the game with seven guys, so we need three tackles. All that will manifest itself going forward,” said Scarnecchia. “Other than Marcus [Cannon] Chase Winovich Jersey Boys , we don’t know who the other two will be [but] we’ll have three when we go there.”Cannon is the starter at right tackle, with Wynn the favorite to earn the starting spot on the opposite side of him — depending on the second-year man’s recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, of course. The backup swing tackle, meanwhile, will likely be third-round rookie Yodny Cajuste, who himself is currently rehabbing form a quad injury that required surgery and forced the West Virginia product to sit out the scouting combine.The picture, as Scarnecchia said, will become clearer over the next few weeks and months. One thing is certain, however: the Patriots will once again field one of the NFL’s premier offensive lines, in large parts because of the coach working with it. And heading into his 36th year in the NFL, that coach seems to be as ready and motivated as he has ever been.

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  • Created: Oct 23 '19
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Activity: Jan 10 '20