Reaction: Patriots Dominated on National Stage by Chiefs, Sent Home Looking for Answers

Tom Brady finished the game on the sidelines after a disappointing blowout loss Monday night. (USA TODAY Images)

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, it did.

The New England Patriots were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs 41-14 on Monday Night Football. The team was dominated in every phase of the game, in one of the ugliest team performances in recent memory. The 27-point loss was the second worse in the Bill Belichick era.

Safety Devin McCourty said post game, "This was probably the most embarrassing game I've ever been apart of."

Hard to disagree, Devin. The Patriots were outplayed, outcoached and looked lost at Arrowhead Stadium Monday night. The Chiefs had a great offensive game plan, mixing up the run and pass to keep the New England defense off-balance. It didn't seem to matter what Kansas City did, it worked.

Going into the game, it was expected the Patriots would try to make the Chiefs offense one-dimensional and take away the running game. New England was unable to contain the Kansas City tailbacks, as Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis gashed the defense throughout the contest. The Chiefs racked up 207 yards on the ground, averaging 5.4 yards-per-carry. Kansas City's misdirection run plays had the Pats over-pursuing and tackling was yet again an issue for New England.

The Patriots offense was abysmal Monday, unable to gain any traction and could not get into a rhythm. Tom Brady had a forgettable performance, finishing 14-of-23, for 159 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. No. 12 wasn't the only problem -- or necessarily the biggest -- the offensive line cracked multiple times, disrupting New England's offense on several occasions.

The Patriots entered the game with only three true wide receivers active -- Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell and Danny Amendola -- Matthew Slater also considered a fourth option, though mainly a special teams player. With second-year receivers Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins inactive, others were called upon and did not rise to the challenge.

New England's pass-catching options have failed to create separation and win one-on-one match-ups throughout the season. That was again the case Monday night, with Brady and the offense coming up short on nearly every opportunity.

One of the few bright spots on offense, however, was wide receiver Brandon LaFell. While the Patriots couldn't get much going through the air, LaFell finished the night with his best performance since joining the team this offseason. He hauled in six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. The offense needs to get more players involved besides Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, perhaps LaFell can be more involved moving forward.

Is the problem playcalling on offense? Execution? Communication? Could be a combination of the three. In any case, a serious shake-up has to occur if this team wants to have success this season.

When you look at the Patriots right now, they seem too tentative on both sides of the ball. Offensively they are struggling to find any consistency or develop an identity. Defensively, they are not playing up to their talent level. A more aggressive style seems to suit the current personnel. The unit played with no energy or tenacity on Monday.

Are the Patriots as bad as they looked Monday? Simply put, no. The game went Kansas City's way and they deserve credit for their performance. There's a lot of problems in New England right now, though. How they respond moving forward will tell us a lot about what kind of character this team has on the roster.

It doesn't get any easier next week for New England. The team returns home to host the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football. Much more on this game and next week's contest coming soon.

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