Tom Brady and the New England Patriots got off to a slow start against the Kansas City Chiefs during last night's Monday Night Football game in Foxboro, MA. In fact, they trailed the Chiefs 3-0 after the first quarter. But after Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski caught a career-long 52-yard TD pass from Tom Brady in the second quarter, New England took a lead it won't not relinquish. Gronk would add another TD later, making it an even 10 for the season. That adds to the 10 TDs he caught in his rookie season last year, making him the fastest TE in NFL history to reach 20 TDs.
Swingman Julian Edelman also had a big night, with his 72-yard punt return for a TD in the second half, as did cornerback Kyle Arrington, who intercepted rookie KC quarterback Tyler Palko twice, for his NFL-leading sixth and seventh such picks on the season.
Filling in for former Patriots QB Matt Cassel, who suffered a season-ending hand injury last week, Palko managed the Chiefs offense ably for much of the first half. But he and the Chiefs could not finish many drives as the game went on. He threw for two yards more than Brady (236 passing yards) and WR Dwayne Bowe caught seven passes for 87 yards, but the team was 0-2 in red zone opportunities, and came away with no touchdowns on the night. Running back Thomas Jones lead the Chiefs' ground game with only 48 yards.
By contrast, the Patriots were 2-4 in the red zone, and ran for 157 yards, with BenJarvis Green-Ellis leading the way with 81 yards on 20 carries.
The 7-3 NE Patriots are in first place by two games over the 5-5 New York Jets in the AFC East division and play the 4-6 Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, while the KC Chiefs are now 4-6 and face the 7-3 Pittsburgh Steelers.
Article comments