KC Chiefs might not beat Patriots if Cam Newton starts at quarterback

The KC Chiefs dodged a bullet by not having to face Cam Newton.

*THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN WITH THE HELP OF A SCREEN READER*

Kansas City Chiefs fans figured a blowout victory was in the cards when they hosted the Cam Newton-less New England Patriots for an impromptu game on Monday Night Football. Unfortunately it was not the blowout win that most were expecting when news got out that Newton would not be starting due to a positive COVID-19 test, nor was the game as one sided as the final score would suggest.

I would like to pause for a moment to say that completely separated from all football matters, I wish nothing but the absolute best for Newton and anyone else who has been affected by COVID-19, and pray for him and wish him a speedy recovery.

Getting back to football, if we are being totally honest, the Chiefs offense struggled during the entire first half, scoring six measly points in the first 30 minutes of a game. Try as Patrick Mahomes might, Pats defenders kept the Chiefs receivers pretty much handcuffed all during the first half and the run game thoroughly stuffed.

Also, it should be stated that we are discussing a defense made up largely of deck furniture, as eight of the Pats defenders opted out of the season, and yet still managed to stymie an explosive Chiefs offense for the large part of three quarters. Not to mention, there were also shades of last week’s offensive struggles and not in a flattering light.

Sammy Watkins caught the ball down on the Pat 15 yard line for an eight-yard gain, only to fumble the ball and hand it back to the Patriots while trying to gain some yards after contact. Watkins’ fumble took what would have been at least three points off the board in the first quarter, cushioning KC’s lead heading into half time. Fortunately for the Chiefs, they were facing a somewhat inept quarterback in journeyman Brian Hoyer, who was only able to lead the Patriots to three points before being benched.

The Chiefs certainly deserve credit for this victory, especially with how badly they blew the doors open in the final quarter. I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t bring up the fact that the Patriots were in this game until the final quarter and that was with Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham taking the snaps for New England.

This begs the question: Would this game have played out differently had Cam Newton been healthy and taking the field against the KC Chiefs?

With the Chiefs offense being held entirely in check by a stout Pats defense, if Newton suits up for this game, it’s entirely possible that New England scores more than just three points in the first half and put the Chiefs in a deep hole come half time. Don’t get me wrong, the Chiefs won the game in convincing fashion, but between the fumbles, picks, poor decision making, and the bad calls, the Pats backup quarterbacks did everything they could to hand the Chiefs the victory on a red and gold platter, especially in the second half.

You have to wonder if Newton would have made those same crucial mistakes, and my guess is he would not have. Does this mean the Chiefs absolutely would have lost? I wouldn’t go as far as to say that. Mahomes hasn’t earned a rep as the comeback kid for nothing, but the Chiefs’ knack for improbable come-from-behind victories would have been put to the test against a Newton-led offense that has fared pretty well in the first three weeks of the season.

As it is however, a quarterback being unable to play is all part of the nature of football, even if these are extremely special circumstances, and the Chiefs took full advantage of miscues on the Pats side of the ball and inexperience at quarterback and used it to blow the game wide open in the fourth quarter.

Chiefs Kingdom might celebrate the victory over a hated rivalry with the New England Patriots, but it is safe to say that it has lost a bit of its luster without TB12 taking the snaps, and what was supposed to be a clash of Superman VS Magic Mahomes, ended up just being the Chiefs facing off against the Pats backup signal callers, resulting in a fun game to be sure, but not packing quite the punch that a Chiefs/Pats game would have in the past had Brady or even Newton been taking the snaps.

All this being said, as I said after the Chargers game, I would expect that my next piece will be much more entertaining, for this week is Raiders week. Jon Gruden and his Raiders are going to be making their way into Arrowhead Stadium to continue a bitter rivalry. The last time the Raiders were in Kansas City, they were humiliated for four quarters and I don’t expect they will allow that to happen again.

So get ready, it’s Raiders week baby!