Pats Crush Chiefs

"It's not how you start; it's how you finish."

Last night, the Patriots proved this old saying still rings true by shaking off a slow start to clubber Kansas City by a score of 34-3 at Gillette.  The Chiefs drew first blood on Ryan Succop field goal and the Pats failed to score during the first quarter, but KC's slim lead proved to be short-lived.  New England's defense put the clamps on, not allowing another Kansas City point for the rest of the game, and it was only a matter of time before New England's powerful offense finally kicked into gear and pummeled the Chiefs D.  By the end of the third the game had gotten out of hand, and Kansas City never mounted a serious comeback (or posed much of a threat after the first).

Many were looking forward to an intriguing matchup between Tom Brady former backup, Matt Cassel, but the quarterback duel never materialized as Cassel went down with a season ending injury prior to the game.  His replacement, Tyler Palko, couldn't exploit New England's shaky defense and may have had a case of the jitters in his first career start, as he lobbed three interceptions (two to Kyle Arrington) and failed to score.  Brady, on the other hand, had a pretty quiet evening by his lofty standards, attempting only 27 passes (completing 15) for 234 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Rob Gronkowski.

New England improved its AFC East leading record to 7-3.  They travel to the City of Brotherly Love to play the Michael Vick and the Eagles (4-6) this Sunday.