With the loftiest of lofty expectations coming into the 2017 season, including a surprising amount of people questioning if they could repeat their 16-0 performance from a decade ago, the Patriots struggled on Thursday night and answered the undefeated question with a resounding "no." The Chiefs crushed the Patriots 42-27 in Thursday Night's season opener, with Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill having huge nights. So the Patriots won't be going undefeated, but before you preheat the oven to 500 degrees for those takes, remember that this has happened before.
The 2014 New England Patriots started the 2014 season 2-2, including an embarrassing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in primetime by the score of 41-14. After that game, the football world lost its collective mind with people asking if Tom Brady was washed up. After the game, Bill Belichick said four words that should have chilled Bengals fans to their core: "We're on to Cincinnati." When the Patriots move on, they move on, in that case to the tune of a 41-17 drubbing of the Bengals at Gillette Stadium the next week. The Patriots would then go 10-2 over the course of the rest of the reason, and then went on to win the Super Bowl.
Nonetheless, Twitter was having a field day roasting the Patriots or jumping to conclusions after being shocked by the Chiefs on Thursday night.
Bill Belichick not thrilled. pic.twitter.com/uOVOxolFm4
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) September 8, 2017
Interesting question for the tank crowd. If the Jets are 3-2 entering week 6 and the Pats are 2-3, you rooting for the Pats to beat us?
— NYJetsFans (@JetsFanMedia) September 8, 2017
AFC EAST Division Standings:
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) September 8, 2017
1. New York Jets (0-0)
2. Buffalo Bills (0-0)
3. Miami Dolphins (0-0)
4. New England Patriots (0-1)
Between Edelman, other WR injuries, and this humiliating loss to KC, the Patriots' 2017 season is off to quite the ominous start
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) September 8, 2017
When you remember you have to go to work tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/wYeEhNTxCZ
— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 8, 2017
None of this is to say that the Super Bowl is now inevitably in the Patriots' future, but rather to say that one week doesn't preclude the Patriots from being a good team. It's going to be hard not to overreact to a win as decisive as this one, but if Bill Belichick at any point says "we're on to New Orleans," then the Saints have real reason to be concerned heading into Week 2.