The 2023-24 Chiefs are a bit like what the Patriots were. They have won two of the last four Super Bowls and played in three of the last four. They have Andy Reid as Belichick, Patrick Mahomes as Tom Brady, and Taylor Swift as Ms. Gisele Bündchen. They have internal issues with penalties and dropped passes, but have played with the Patriots down the stretch at Gillette.
In anti-Hoodie fashion, Reid opted not to run the score up at the end (“It was the right thing to do” – Reid), taking three knees in the final two minutes as he got a second-and-goal from the Patriots’ 4. There is a lot of respect/compassion from Reid.
When we last saw the Chiefs, Mahomes was handing off a Jack Nicholson pass, a five-star nut on the sideline, fuming at the officials after a potential game-winning, Travis Kelce sideline TD pass was cleared by the Zebras. Reed joined Mahomes in the post-game protest and were subsequently slapped with $150,000 in fines for inappropriate conduct.
Although these leaders are unlikely to achieve anything close to what Bill and Tom did, they are successors to the Patriot dynasty. KC’s famous troika of Mahomes, Kelce and Reid became the center of the Shield center. It’s as if Don Draper and Roger Sterling set up shop at Bryant’s Barbeque in Kansas City. You can’t watch 20 minutes of any NFL game without Mahomes, Kelce, or Reid urging you to get insurance or get Snickers.
This was the game in which the league bounced back from the “Monday Night Football” game in Eagles-Seahawks favor, a low moment in the 30-year history of Kraft’s management. Without a competitive team or marquee players, the Patriots’ only star power on Sunday was the prospect of Swift in attendance and Jon Bon Jovi ringing the lighthouse bell.
Yes. New England has become a dim bulb in the NFL’s galaxy of stars.
Missing out on the boring “Mac Jones or Billy Zappe”? In the discussion, Patriots fans spent the morning wondering what would happen to Bell and where they could get the best view of Ty Ty’s entry into Gillette.
It was real drama on the level of the Eras Tour. Late in the morning we received a report from Swiftie (@taylorswiftjets has 59,000 followers on X) that one of Taylor’s planes was en route from Morristown, NJ, to TF Green Airport in Providence. By 11:30 a.m., Channel 4’s Dan Roush reported that Swift was expected to be on hand and that the “All Access” gang had produced an old video of Swift’s show in Foxborough when she stood on stage and said, “Gillette Stadium — the most cheerful place on face of the earth.”
Swift exited her limousine at approximately 12:15 p.m., and throughout the match, Fox Sports cameras showed her sitting in a private suite. My favorite moment was Swift’s shot after Kelce dropped a pass in the end zone. I think she was saying, “My friend can’t catch and throw the ball at the same time.”
The rest was to be expected. The Patriots came out strong, leading 10-7, early in the second half and trailing just 14-10 at the break. Zappi completed 17 of 19 passes, but his first pass of the second half was picked off (“terrible on my part” – Zappi) and the result was never in doubt from that point on.
However, Belichick never backed down. Trailing, 27-10, early in the fourth period (a three-point game), Bell elected to play on fourth-and-3 from his own 42.
“It’s not about not wanting to do it, it’s about doing what you feel is best at the time,” Belichick said.
Minutes later, fans booed when the Patriots scored on fourth-and-4 with less than 10 minutes to play.
“We were down three times there and we were concerned about whether we were going to be able to execute in that situation,” Belichick said. “…We got an interception.”
TRUE. But there are times when it seems like Belichick’s goal is to avoid a blowout. Are the Patriots playing to win or just to keep the score respectable?
It won’t change.
Clearly, Bell will still be considering the coveted on-field position. . . All the way to the bitter end.
This is bitter.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at daniel.shaughnessy@globe.com. follow him @dan_shaughnessy.
Bill Belichick, the head coach of the New England Patriots, has undoubtedly left a lasting impact on the NFL. His unparalleled success and strategic brilliance on the field have solidified his place as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport. However, as his time with the Patriots potentially comes to an end, the looming question remains: does it have to be a bittersweet ending for Belichick? With a legacy that spans over two decades, it’s natural to wonder if there could be a more triumphant conclusion to his career with the Patriots.