20 of 30

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

Week 1 Opponent: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Score: Lost 42-27

Believe it or not, the New England Patriots lost on opening night. Not only did they lose, but they gave up 42 points at home.

A few things stood out in particular.

First, this was not the best showing in the world from Tom Brady. Yeah, he's Brady so we give him a pass, but he made plenty of errant throws. That said, there were a few good ones sprinkled in there, like the long pass to Brandin Cooks that went beautifully over his shoulder and right into his arms.

Stat lines don't tell the full story, but Brady's completing under 50 percent of his passes is not something you see every week. Not to mention he threw the ball over 20 yards 10 times, which is quite a bit for Brady and the Patriots offense.

The running game was solid. In the first half, Mike Gillislee may have scored a couple of times and ran well, but fellow running back James White was even better (not to mention that stiff arm—whew).

With wide receiver Danny Amendola in concussion protocol, the Patriots are going to be even more thin at the position now with Malcolm Mitchell placed on injured reserve officially prior to the game. From here on out, we'll see more of newcomer Phillip Dorsett, I'm sure. Speaking of Amendola, he had 100 yards receiving, too.

Like Dorsett, there is another newcomer to the Patriots: Cooks. His speed allowed for the Patriots to get up the field, as he drew two pass interference calls and two defensive holding calls. While that doesn't get reflected on the stat sheet, it will help the team win ballgames, especially when we see Cooks and Dorsett both lined up on the outside.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski was nonexistent in this one thanks in large part to Chiefs safety Eric Berry, who kept him in check all night up until he suffered a torn achilles.

Defensively, the Patriots had their fair share of blunders. For starters, while Jordan Richards—who was playing linebacker but was drafted as a safety—made a few good plays in which he forced a fumble and drew a holding call, he otherwise looked out of sorts. With Rob Ninkovich retired, that is an area of concern.

After Richards, reserve defensive end Cassius Marsh should never be in pass coverage again.

One more negative was the miscommunication between safety Devin McCourty and cornerback Stephon Gilmore on Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill's long touchdown. It appeared to be McCourty's assignment, but obviously something happened because Gilmore did not look like a person who would be covering a speedster like Hill.

Some positives now: Outside of the miscommunication, McCourty was fantastic. He had some brutal tackles, leading the team with nine and was his usual self. Defensive lineman Trey Flowers had a great game as well, picking up two sacks. And rookie Deatrich Wise got his first career sack (though it came on a trip).

Lastly, the offensive line played well for the most part, though the Chiefs seemed to only rush three guys for quite some time there. They did manage to get more pressure on Brady as the night went on.

Special teams played well, too.

All in all, though the Patriots lost, there was a lot of good in this game, but you don't give up 42 points without doing some bad. They could not convert on either of their fourth-down attempts, which also helped the Chiefs maintain momentum.

The team will be fine, of course, and maybe this is exactly what the Patriots needed.

Week 1 Grade: C+

Season Average Grade: C+