Welcome to Overreaction Monday - that wonderful time when the first week of the NFL season is all but over and what we witnessed over the past weekend is a surefire indicator of what’s to come for the rest of the year.
But since the Patriots played on Thursday and people have been overreacting to their defeat at the hands of the Chiefs for three whole days now, I figured everyone is over that already and we’ve all moved on. So let’s take a look at five positives we can glean from the home opener. I actually could have listed a lot more - but again, I feel like we’re all well past this game already. No need to dwell on it.
It’s Week 1. Week 1 losses aren’t great - of course they aren’t - but if you’re going to take an L, the first week of the season is one of the better times to do it. The defense is clearly still learning each other’s nuances, the offense still needs time to gel and move forward without Julian Edelman, and the Patriots came out completely flat and predictable in a game they 100% deserved to lose. But they’ll be fine. They’ll figure it all out. They always do. A Week 1 loss is never a reason to panic.
No more 19-0. I personally would have liked to be posting this point a little later in the season, but I guess when you look at it objectively, earlier is better. The 19-0 talk was absurd and a complete waste of time and energy. it was just something for the talking heads to blather about in the offseason, and they would have kept doing it right up until New England’s first loss. I had no desire whatsoever for the Patriots to go undefeated in the regular season, I never expected them to, and now that they dropped this game, everyone can blissfully shut up about it.
Home runs. The Chiefs were able to win the game with a few home run plays, courtesy of either a busted coverage or a total defensive mismatch. And while you never like to see that happen against your team, especially twice in one game, it’s better (in my opinion) to give up a few scores on long passes than long, methodical drives that end in touchdowns. Granted, KC had a few of those as well, but the Patriots defense started to adjust in the second half. You just can’t afford to give up the big play like that - and I’d be surprised if that happens again for the rest of the season.
The reactions. Holy Tebow was I enjoying the reactions on Friday morning after this game was over. Why exactly people choose to treat a Week 1 loss, even a Week 1 loss in which the Patriots played terribly, as the equivalent of a five game losing streak in which New England has yet to make it across their own 50 yard line is beyond me - but boy do I enjoy it. It’s always a nice reminder of how fortunate we are as Patriots fans when New England drops a game and the media doesn’t quite know how to react to it.
The last time the Chiefs spanked the Pats... was in 2014. It turned their entire season around. They went on to beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. It turned out pretty well for them. It has to be tough being a Chiefs fan in that Alex Smith is a solid QB who rarely makes mistakes and will get you a decent number of wins, but you also know that you’re never going to win a championship with him. But games like Thursday’s are a great reminder that anybody can beat anybody else on any given day, and the Patriots will be using this game as fuel for the entire season.
SUPER BOWL CHAMPS! The Patriots won the Super Bowl last year. They also won in 2014. They have five this century. Every single yard they gain from this point forward is just gravy. I’m still riding high on last season, and I likely will be all year long. Tough to get too upset over a Week 1 loss when there are five banners hanging from the rafters of your home stadium.