FOXBOROUGH -- In a classic quarterbacking showdown, Tom Brady had just enough to outlast Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs, as the Patriots picked up the 43-40 win over Kansas City Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
Stephen Gostkowski connected on a 28-yard field goal as time ran out to lift the Patriots and cap off a wild second half that saw multiple lead changes. It was the third straight win for New England, while the Chiefs suffered their first loss of the year.
Brady finished 24-for-35 for 340 yards and a touchdown, while Sony Michel had 24 carries for 106 yards and a pair of scores. Rob Gronkowski added three catches for 97 yards in the victory.
On the other side, Mahomes ended up going 23-for-36 for 352 yards with four touchdowns and a pair of picks. Kareem Hunt (80 yards rushing, 105 yards receiving) and Tyreek Hill (seven catches, 142 yards, three TDs) were huge for Kansas City in defeat.
The Patriots jumped to an early 17-6 lead — the first time all season the Chiefs trailed by more than 10 all season — over the first quarter-plus with a touchdown run from Michel, a touchdown catch from Julian Edelman, and a 48-yard field goal from Gostkowski, one of five he had on the evening.
The Patriots pushed it to 24-9 at halftime with some excellent defense. Dont’a Hightower picked off a first-quarter pass from Mahomes that set up an early New England score, and Duron Harmon collected a tipped ball in the end zone near the end of the second quarter to allow the Patriots to head into halftime with a comfortable 15-point lead.
The Chiefs cut the lead to one at the end of the third with a pair of touchdowns, making the score 27-26 at the start of the fourth and setting the stage for the crazy finish.
After a Patriots’ field goal to make it 30-26, Kansas City got a 97-yard kick return from Tremon Smith, which set up a go-ahead score that set up a 1-yard TD pass to Hill. That was followed by a follow-up score from the Patriots when Brady plunged over from four yards out to make it 37-33, and a defensive stop and a 50-yard field goal from Gostkowski gave the Patriots a 40-33 lead with 3:15 to go.
But the Chiefs kept coming. A 75-yard scoring strike from Mahomes to Hill on the next play tied the game at 40. That led to the final sequence, a drive where Brady and the Patriots maneuvered downfield into the Kansas City red zone on a 39-yard pass from Brady to Gronkowski with less than a minute to go. Gostkowski tacked on the game-winner as time expired.
IN-GAME UPDATES
11:27 p.m.: That's it. 43-30. Everybody goes home happy.
11:26 p.m.: Angling for a field-goal. Here we go.
11:20 p.m.: Two-minute warning. Pats are sitting on a third and one.
11:16 p.m.: AND WE'RE TIED -- 75 yards from Mahomes to Hill. There's 3:03 left.
11:14 p.m.: Gostkowski is good from 50 yards. Patriots are up by seven with 3:15 left in regulation. This game is starting to really remind me of the 2002 game against the Chiefs here where New England hung on down the stretch for the win.
11:13 p.m.: Kansas City using all its time outs here. That was their second.
11:10 p.m.: Pats need to grind out another drive here. Chiefs have three TOs let.
11:03 p.m.: The Old Man scrambles for a touchdown. It's a streetfight -- Pats back in the lead, 37-33 -- 5:25 remaining.
10:54 p,m.: Mahomes to Hill gives Kansas City the lead. Lot of respect for the young QB here -- lot of kids that age would have folded after that first half. Extra-point is good. 33-30, Chiefs. They went from a 24-9 deficit to a 33-30 lead.
10:51 p.m.: Man, that was a thunderbolt -- 97 yards. Chiefs are on the doorstep again. Slater had a bead on him, and be blew right by him.
10:49 p.m.: Field goal is good. 30-26. 11 plays, 54 yards, 5:34 on the drive -- 39-yard FG.
10:47 p.m.: Michel tops 100 yards.
10:45 p.m.: Marcus Cannon off to the locker room -- questionable to return with a head injury.
10:41 p.m.: Pats are starting to move the ball at the end of the third quarter. New England's margin for error is a lot slimmer than it was at halftime.
10:37 p.m.: The Patriots had a 27-21 lead going into the fourth quarter of last year's opener and Kansas City won 42-27. Deja vu?
10:36 p.m.: Just a tremendous ball there from Mahomes. 27-26. Four-play drive.
10:35 p.m.: First catch of the night for Watkins. Pats getting into a dangerous area here.
10:33 p.m.: That's on the quarterback. Had multiple receivers open at various times. Big turnover.
10:32 p.m.: First penalty of the night on the Patriots.
10:26 p.m.: 30-yard field goal is good. At this point n the game, any time you can hold a team to three instead of seven, it's a win. It's 27-19 with 3:36 left in the third.
10:24 p.m.: You get the feeling these two offenses are just going to be swinging away at each other the rest of the way. You get two stops, you'll win. Trying to remember an offense the Pats have faced in recent years that is this fast.
10:22 p.m.: Chiefs get the first after the challenge on the Mahomes keeper.
10:19 p.m.: If I had Tyreek Hill on my team, he'd have 40 touches a game. I mean, he'd be burned out by the age of 26, but you know. ... come on.
10:12 p.m.: Missed red-zone chance there. Brady's got to be mad about that one -- 23-yard field goal is good. 12 plays, 65 yards, 6:10 on that drive.
10:11 p.m.: Brady had Hogan open there. Missed him.
10:11 p.m.: Michel about to go over 100 yards ... again.
10:07 p.m.: Pats slowing this one down here. They're getting positive yardage, but they're keeping the pace moderate.
10:04 p.m.: Gordon back in the game to start this drive.
10:01 p.m.: Blink and you'll miss it. 67 yards from Mahomes to Hunt, a dime -- 3 plays. 75 yards, 93 seconds. Chiefs only trail by eight. Looked like McCourty was caught peeking into the backfield.
9:45 p.m.: Halftime. Pats up 24-9.
9:44 p.m.: What did we saw about it being a dangerous moment? Man, that was a really impressive play. Great red-zone D again for the Patriots -- nice zone blitz. Bad throw.
9:42 p.m.: Mahomes is really fun to watch, moreso in person when you get to see the whole play develop.
9:40 p.m.: Pats with no penalties to this point.
9:37 p.m.: Dangerous period here for both teams. Chiefs can't get sloppy and Pats can't let down. KC gets the ball to start the second half.
9:36 p.m.: Gordon out of the tent and walking on the sidelines with a trainer. We'll keep an eye on things. He's sitting on the bench.
9:32 p.m.: Another TD run for Michel. 24-9, pending the extra point, with 1:57 left in the first half. This is all good, but again, you cannot let up when it comes to this Kansas City team. They can put up points in a blink.
9:30 p.m.: Josh Gordon to the blue erect a tent.
9:29 p.m.: Again, my biggest complaint with Michel is an inability to make something out of nothing. Has to do something when it gets closed up. That should come, but it's been slow to develop so far.
9:27 p.m.: That deep ball PI reminds me of old school David Patten.
9:22 p.m.: Odd looking diamond formation from the Pats on that, pre-snap. Inverted bone? Pats get 13. That was new this year. Pats need to keep their foot on the gas -- Chiefs aren't out of any ballgame, not with that offense.
Patterson getting involved pic.twitter.com/girsUfW952
— New Account (@ftbeard_17) October 15, 2018
Brady 17 yard TD to Edelman! pic.twitter.com/GD1q0zpZ52
— New Account (@ftbeard_17) October 15, 2018
Dont'a Hightower with the INT!!! #GoPATS pic.twitter.com/OBO7v2rPBK
— New Account (@ftbeard_17) October 15, 2018
Some clouds around and a few passing sprinkles on Saturday... but drying out for the @RedSox at @fenwaypark ! Busy weekend in #Boston sports! @NHLBruins at @tdgarden Saturday. @NERevolution at @GilletteStadium Saturday then @Patriots are home on Sunday! pic.twitter.com/L6ZjarELnp
— Sarah Wroblewski (@sarahwroblewski) October 11, 2018