It’s okay that you doubted the Patriots, just don’t do it again

It’s okay if you didn’t believe the New England Patriots were going to win on Sunday night in Kansas City. Maybe you were trying to be unbiased and think with your head instead of your heart. Maybe it was the fact that they were on the road. Maybe you thought the explosive Chiefs offense would be too much for the Patriots. Maybe you thought Andy Reid would be the X-factor. Well, no, you didn’t think that, but the other two were valid concerns.

I call them valid, because they were mine.

That’s right, I picked against the Patriots last week, and now I’m here to talk about how great it was to be wrong, and how far this team has come this season. We watched them get destroyed all year on the road. Throw out the game in Miami, where they always have a hard time. You can even throw out the Jaguars’ and Lions’ Super Bowls, it was the other two road losses that really concerned me.

I was with half of New England in Nashville to watch the team get curb stomped by the Titans. Corey Davis made Stephon Gilmore look terrible, the Patriots couldn’t do anything on offense, and they ended up getting completely blown out. Then I was on my couch, with my soon to be brother-in-law, watching them squander opportunity after opportunity against the Steelers. It was clear that this was a different team on the road than the one they were at home.

They couldn’t possibly go into Arrowhead Stadium and come out with a win. And yet, they did. The defense got a little shredded in the second half, but they played well enough in the first to keep the Patriots in the game when the Chiefs offense finally clicked into gear. Tom Brady made a horrible decision in the red zone, but when the chips were on the table, he was the best player on the planet... again.

In the end, the coaching, experience, and talent won out for the Patriots. The Chiefs gave everything they had, and, although Dee Ford should probably hide for a few weeks, they played a very good game. The Patriots were just too much. They blocked too well, they ran the ball too well, they covered too well, they rushed the passer too well, and, even though the Chiefs have likely league MVP Patrick Mahomes, they don’t have the GOAT.

So, were the pregame concerns legit? Maybe they were, but one very important thing was forgotten: the Patriots have Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, and whether it’s putting in offensive plays on Sunday morning, finding a way to contain Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill to four catches combined, or making a perfect throw with your season in the balance, there’s no one better, and there never will be.

I may have bet against them last week, but I know I won’t be making that mistake again.

Pat is the host of The Patriot Nation Podcast

Interact with him on Twitter @plane_pats