Patriots Replay: Key plays from New England’s loss to the Chiefs

Here’s our weekly look at the key plays in the Patriots’ game after reviewing the film.

Shaky start

Quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots got off to a shaky start immediately.

On the first play of the game, the Patriots dialed up a wheel route for tight end Dwayne Allen.

The play worked — the Chiefs were confused and Allen was wide open for a potentially big gain.

But Brady’s throw was high and to the wrong shoulder, making it a nearly impossible catch for Allen.

Containing Gronk

Tight end Rob Gronkowski had a tough time getting open, with safety Eric Berry shadowing him all game and linebacker Justin Houston often chipping him at the line of scrimmage.

New-look defense

Meet the Patriots’ new-look defense: Devin McCourty and Jordan Richards playing down in the box, Duron Harmon playing free safety, Kyle Van Noy patrolling the middle and Dont’a Hightower on the edge.

The Patriots also played a lot of zone defense, which was surprising given that they have two excellent man cornerbacks in Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler.

Tyreek Hill’s 75-yard TD — how did it work?

Once again, the Patriots came out in a zone defense. Gilmore’s body positioning is the giveaway.

The Chiefs run three vertical routes, with Hill at the bottom. The question: Were the Patriots playing Cover 2 (two deep) or Cover 4 (four deep)? Should Gilmore have stuck with Hill, or was he McCourty’s responsibility?

It was easy to blame Gilmore, but considering he and Butler were on about the same yard line, it looks like the Patriots were in Cover 2. McCourty probably should have covered Hill. Running three vertical routes against Cover 2 is the perfect play.

Offensive snap counts
	Chiefs (81)
LT Nate Solder	81
RT Marcus Cannon	81
G Shaq Mason	81
G Joe Thuney	81
C David Andrews	81
QB Tom Brady	81
TE Rob Gronkowski	78
WR Chris Hogan	73
WR Brandin Cooks	67
RB James White	43
WR Danny Amendola	32
TE Dwayne Allen	27
RB Mike Gillislee	24
FB James Develin	19
WR Phillip Dorsett	18
RB Rex Burkhead	10
OT LaAdrian Waddle	8
RB Dion Lewis	6

Defensive snap counts
	Chiefs (69)
LB Kyle Van Noy	69
CB Stephon Gilmore	69
CB Malcolm Butler	69
DE Trey Flowers	69
S Devin McCourty	68
S Duron Harmon	63
DT Malcom Brown	49
S Patrick Chung	45
S Jordan Richards	42
DT Alan Branch	42
CB Eric Rowe	37
LB Donta Hightower	35
DE Lawrence Guy	26
DE Cassius Marsh	24
DT Adam Butler	21
DE Deatrich Wise	18
LB Elandon Roberts	9
CB Jonathan Jones	3
LB David Harris	2

Follow Ben Volin on Twitter @BenVolin.