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Today is the anniversary of the Pats first game at Fenway Park; a game at Dallas that the defense kept the Cowboys out of the end zone, winning by the largest margin ever versus Dallas; Joe Kapp's debut as a Boston Patriot; and this game, which was actually far more one-sided than the final score would indicate
Sunday October 11, 1998 at 1:01
Week 6, Game 5 at Foxboro Stadium
New England Patriots 40, Kansas City Chiefs 10
Head Coaches: Pete Carroll, Marty Schottenheimer
QBs: Drew Bledsoe, Elvis Grbac
Odds: New England 3-point home favorites
TV: CBS; Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms; Armen Keteyian
Light rain, drizzling, 61º, humidity 93%, 20 mph wind
Paid attendance 60,292 (sellout), 543 no-shows, actual attendance 59,749; time 3:06
Patriots improve to 4-1, Chiefs drop to 4-2
Even though this was in the early time slot, this was a highly anticipated game by NFL fans, a matchup of two one-loss playoff teams from the previous year. Kansas City was coming off a 13-3 season and had plenty of stars: WRs Derrick Alexander and Andre Rison, RBs Donnell Bennett and Bam Morris, and multiple future Hall of Famers: G Will Shields, TE Tony Gonzalez and OLB Derrick Thomas.
Kansas City took the opening kickoff and made a couple of first downs before their drive stalled after a false start penalty. New England went three-and-out despite rookie Robert Edwards' 8-yard run on the Pats first play, and KC took over on their 28.
On the Chiefs' first play of their second possession they appeared to have another first down, on a 12-yard pass from Elvis Grbac to Bennett. But Lawyer Milloy came in and forced a fumble which was recovered by DT Henry Thomas, and the momentum suddenly shifted. The Patriots appeared to be in trouble after a holding call on Dave Wohlabugh resulted in a 1st-and-20 at the KC 35, but on the next two plays Drew Bledsoe connected with Terry Glenn for 12 yards and FB Tony Carter for 14, and the Patriots had 1st-and-goal at the nine. Three plays later Edwards plunged in for a one-yard touchdown, and the Pats were on the scoreboard.
The Patriots almost had another takeaway when Tedy Bruschi jarred the ball loose from Tamarack Vanover on the kickoff, but Joe Horn recovered for the Chiefs. On first down Willie McGinest was flagged for encroachment, then penalized another 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. Grbac completed an eight-yard pass, but two runs up the middle failed to produce a first down. On 4th-and-one from their own 48 Marty Schottenheimer decided to go for it, but the Pats D stuffed the run for a third time, and the Patriots took over on downs in good field position. The Pats got into the red zone with a first down at the 11, but the drive stalled. Adam Vinatieri's 32-yard field goal was good, and very early in the second quarter New England was up 10-0.
The Patriot defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and Troy Brown's 12-yard punt return gabe the offense the ball at the fifty yard line. The drive stalled at the twenty and Vinatieri kicked another field goal - but a penalty on Kansas City gave the Patriots a fresh set of downs. On the next play Bledsoe connected with Edwards for a 15-yard touchdown pass, and suddenly the Patriots were leading 17-0.
Kansas City took possession on their 25 with 9:11 left in the half; plenty of time to score at least once, if not twice. Grbac's first two plays were completions of 10 and 25 yards to Alexander, and the Chiefs had a first down at the New England 40. But a 4-yard run sandwiched between two incomplete passes resulted in a 4th-and-six at the 36. Too close to punt, too far for field goal in the rain and wind, Shottenheimer elected to go for it again. Grbac's pass to Andre Rison fell incomplete, and with 7:15 left in the half the Patriots took over on downs.
The Kansas City defense forced a three-and-out, with Tom Tupa's punt being downed at the 24. Long snapper Mike Bartum drew a flag for holding, and a critical decision was made here. Schottenheimer decided to take the penalty, hoping for either a block or a long return against a gassed coverage unit. That choice backfired when the Chiefs were flagged for roughing the kicker, allowing the Patriots to retain possession with a fresh set of downs. But after a jet sweep for Terry Glenn resulted in a loss of eight yards, the Pats faced a 3rd-and-14 from the KC 47. Out of the shotgun, Bledsoe found Shawn Jefferson, who was pushed out of bounds at the 16 for a clutch 31-yard gain. Two runs around the right end by Edwards put the ball on the two, then Bledsoe connected with Ben Coates for another touchdown.
With 2:48 left to play in the half, the Patriots were up 24-0.
Tamarack Vanover's return to the KC 37 gave the Chiefs good field position with plenty of time, but two incomplete passes forced a punt - and only 55 seconds had come off the clock. The punt went into the end zone for a touchback, and the Patriots had possession with 1:53 to go. Kansas City used its first timeout because the Patriots appeared to be content to just run out the clock. But then on a 3rd-and-9 with 30 seconds to go, Bledsoe completed a pass to Troy Brown that was good for 39 yards to the Kansas City 29. A few plays later Vinatieri kicked a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the half, giving the Patriots a commanding 27-0 lead.
The Patriots dominated the second quarter, controlling the ball for over eleven minutes. A close game had turned into a rout during those fifteen minutes.
The first half statistics were absolutely astounding:
First Downs: NE 20, KC 5
Third Down: NE 50% (4-8), KC 0% (0-5)
Total Yards: NE 246, KC 100
Offensive Plays: NE 44, KC 24
Rushing Yards: NE 72, KC 12
Passing Yards: NE 174, KC 88
Passing Pct: NE 65% (13-20), KC 53% (8-15)
# of scores: NE 5, KC 0
Scoreboard: NE 27, KC 0
Kansas City gifted New England with five first downs via penalty, along with two turnovers on downs and another on a fumble.
But the Patriots were not done yet. On the first play of the second half Edwards bolted through the middle, and ran for 33 yards before being pushed out of bounds. Bledsoe completed two third-and-longs for first downs, first for ten yards to Troy Brown, then 23 yards to Terry Glenn. On the following play Bledsoe hit Ben Coates for an 11-yard TD, making the score 34-0.
On the next possession the Chiefs were flagged for a delay of game on third down, then on the next play Tedy Bruschi sacked Grbac for a loss of eight yards, forcing another punt. Troy Brown had another nice return, this one for 15 yards to give the Patriots first down at the Kansas City 45-yard line. From there the Patriots put together a nine-play drive that consumed 5:25, with Sedrick Shaw getting six carries while Robert Edwards got the rest of the game off. The Pats settled for another Vinatieri field goal, then emptied the bench. Tom Tupa came in for one series, then Scott Zolak for two. On Zo's first series he handed the ball off 12 consecutive times to Derrick Cullors and Sedrick Shaw, eating 7:50 off the clock.
Time of Possession by Quarter:
1st Quarter: NE 8:04, KC 6:56
2nd Quarter: NE 11:02, KC 3:58
3rd Quarter: NE 9:51, KC 9:51
4th Quarter: NE 12:51, KC 2:09
Full Game: NE 41:48, KC 18:12
Drew Bledsoe finished 17-26 for 226 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions, no fumbles, no sacks, and a 131.2 passer rating while taking the entire fourth quarter off. Drew did a good job of spreading the ball around, completing passes to seven different receivers in the first half. Terry Glenn had seven receptions for 78 yards, and Ben Coates caught two TD passes. Troy Brown had three receptions on three targets for 55 yards, in addition to his two crucial punt returns. And rookie Robert Edwards rushed for over 100 yards for the first time in his career, gaining 104 yards on 23 carries. Edwards had two touchdowns on the day, gaining 136 yards from scrimmage on 26 touches.
The defense had a fine game as well. Third-year pro Tedy Bruschi, still not yet a starter, had three tackles on defense, a third down sack for a loss of eight yards, plus two more tackles and a forced fumble on special teams. Lawyer Milloy had five tackles, an interception, a pass defensed and a forced fumble, while Tebucky Jones had three special team tackles. Ted Johnson led the D with six tackles, and Bruschi, Chad Eaton and Greg Spires each had a sack. Kansas City's first seven possessions consisted of four punts, a fumble, and two turnovers on downs; at that point the Patriots led by 37 points.
The two late scores by Kansas City mask how much of a blowout this game was. If not for some red zone difficulties - the Patriots settled for Vinatieri field goals of 32, 38, 27 and 20 yards - the final score could have been 56-10.
Box Score, Team & Individual Stats, Halftime, 3rd Quarter and full game stats, Drive Charts, and full Play-by-Play:
National Football League Game Summary
Patriots Starting Offense:
84 WR Shawn Jefferson
78 LT Bruce Armstrong
68 LG Max Lane
64 C Dave Wohlabaugh
71 RG Todd Rucci
77 RT Zefross Moss
87 TE Ben Coates
88 WR Terry Glenn
11 QB Drew Bledsoe
47 RB Robert Edwards
30 FB Tony Carter
Patriots Starting Defense:
74 LDE Chris Sullivan
90 LDT Chad Eaton
95 RDT Henry Thomas
55 RDE Willie McGinest
59 SLB Todd Collins
52 MLB Ted Johnson
53 WLB Chris Slade
24 LCB Ty Law
36 SS Lawyer Milloy
32 FS Willie Clay
26 RCB Chris Canty
Patriots Special Teams:
4 K Adam Vinatieri
19 P Tom Tupa
86 LS Mike Bartrum
29 KR Derrick Cullors
80 PR Troy Brown
Today in Patriots History
October 11, 1998: NE 40, KC 10
Pats dominate on both sides of the ball
Drew throws 3 TD; Edwards 136 yards, 2 TD
October 11, 1998: NE 40, KC 10
Pats dominate on both sides of the ball
Drew throws 3 TD; Edwards 136 yards, 2 TD
Sunday October 11, 1998 at 1:01
Week 6, Game 5 at Foxboro Stadium
New England Patriots 40, Kansas City Chiefs 10
Head Coaches: Pete Carroll, Marty Schottenheimer
QBs: Drew Bledsoe, Elvis Grbac
Odds: New England 3-point home favorites
TV: CBS; Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms; Armen Keteyian
Light rain, drizzling, 61º, humidity 93%, 20 mph wind
Paid attendance 60,292 (sellout), 543 no-shows, actual attendance 59,749; time 3:06
Patriots improve to 4-1, Chiefs drop to 4-2
Even though this was in the early time slot, this was a highly anticipated game by NFL fans, a matchup of two one-loss playoff teams from the previous year. Kansas City was coming off a 13-3 season and had plenty of stars: WRs Derrick Alexander and Andre Rison, RBs Donnell Bennett and Bam Morris, and multiple future Hall of Famers: G Will Shields, TE Tony Gonzalez and OLB Derrick Thomas.
Kansas City took the opening kickoff and made a couple of first downs before their drive stalled after a false start penalty. New England went three-and-out despite rookie Robert Edwards' 8-yard run on the Pats first play, and KC took over on their 28.
On the Chiefs' first play of their second possession they appeared to have another first down, on a 12-yard pass from Elvis Grbac to Bennett. But Lawyer Milloy came in and forced a fumble which was recovered by DT Henry Thomas, and the momentum suddenly shifted. The Patriots appeared to be in trouble after a holding call on Dave Wohlabugh resulted in a 1st-and-20 at the KC 35, but on the next two plays Drew Bledsoe connected with Terry Glenn for 12 yards and FB Tony Carter for 14, and the Patriots had 1st-and-goal at the nine. Three plays later Edwards plunged in for a one-yard touchdown, and the Pats were on the scoreboard.
The Patriots almost had another takeaway when Tedy Bruschi jarred the ball loose from Tamarack Vanover on the kickoff, but Joe Horn recovered for the Chiefs. On first down Willie McGinest was flagged for encroachment, then penalized another 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. Grbac completed an eight-yard pass, but two runs up the middle failed to produce a first down. On 4th-and-one from their own 48 Marty Schottenheimer decided to go for it, but the Pats D stuffed the run for a third time, and the Patriots took over on downs in good field position. The Pats got into the red zone with a first down at the 11, but the drive stalled. Adam Vinatieri's 32-yard field goal was good, and very early in the second quarter New England was up 10-0.
The Patriot defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and Troy Brown's 12-yard punt return gabe the offense the ball at the fifty yard line. The drive stalled at the twenty and Vinatieri kicked another field goal - but a penalty on Kansas City gave the Patriots a fresh set of downs. On the next play Bledsoe connected with Edwards for a 15-yard touchdown pass, and suddenly the Patriots were leading 17-0.
Kansas City took possession on their 25 with 9:11 left in the half; plenty of time to score at least once, if not twice. Grbac's first two plays were completions of 10 and 25 yards to Alexander, and the Chiefs had a first down at the New England 40. But a 4-yard run sandwiched between two incomplete passes resulted in a 4th-and-six at the 36. Too close to punt, too far for field goal in the rain and wind, Shottenheimer elected to go for it again. Grbac's pass to Andre Rison fell incomplete, and with 7:15 left in the half the Patriots took over on downs.
The Kansas City defense forced a three-and-out, with Tom Tupa's punt being downed at the 24. Long snapper Mike Bartum drew a flag for holding, and a critical decision was made here. Schottenheimer decided to take the penalty, hoping for either a block or a long return against a gassed coverage unit. That choice backfired when the Chiefs were flagged for roughing the kicker, allowing the Patriots to retain possession with a fresh set of downs. But after a jet sweep for Terry Glenn resulted in a loss of eight yards, the Pats faced a 3rd-and-14 from the KC 47. Out of the shotgun, Bledsoe found Shawn Jefferson, who was pushed out of bounds at the 16 for a clutch 31-yard gain. Two runs around the right end by Edwards put the ball on the two, then Bledsoe connected with Ben Coates for another touchdown.
With 2:48 left to play in the half, the Patriots were up 24-0.
Tamarack Vanover's return to the KC 37 gave the Chiefs good field position with plenty of time, but two incomplete passes forced a punt - and only 55 seconds had come off the clock. The punt went into the end zone for a touchback, and the Patriots had possession with 1:53 to go. Kansas City used its first timeout because the Patriots appeared to be content to just run out the clock. But then on a 3rd-and-9 with 30 seconds to go, Bledsoe completed a pass to Troy Brown that was good for 39 yards to the Kansas City 29. A few plays later Vinatieri kicked a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the half, giving the Patriots a commanding 27-0 lead.
The Patriots dominated the second quarter, controlling the ball for over eleven minutes. A close game had turned into a rout during those fifteen minutes.
The first half statistics were absolutely astounding:
First Downs: NE 20, KC 5
Third Down: NE 50% (4-8), KC 0% (0-5)
Total Yards: NE 246, KC 100
Offensive Plays: NE 44, KC 24
Rushing Yards: NE 72, KC 12
Passing Yards: NE 174, KC 88
Passing Pct: NE 65% (13-20), KC 53% (8-15)
# of scores: NE 5, KC 0
Scoreboard: NE 27, KC 0
Kansas City gifted New England with five first downs via penalty, along with two turnovers on downs and another on a fumble.
But the Patriots were not done yet. On the first play of the second half Edwards bolted through the middle, and ran for 33 yards before being pushed out of bounds. Bledsoe completed two third-and-longs for first downs, first for ten yards to Troy Brown, then 23 yards to Terry Glenn. On the following play Bledsoe hit Ben Coates for an 11-yard TD, making the score 34-0.
On the next possession the Chiefs were flagged for a delay of game on third down, then on the next play Tedy Bruschi sacked Grbac for a loss of eight yards, forcing another punt. Troy Brown had another nice return, this one for 15 yards to give the Patriots first down at the Kansas City 45-yard line. From there the Patriots put together a nine-play drive that consumed 5:25, with Sedrick Shaw getting six carries while Robert Edwards got the rest of the game off. The Pats settled for another Vinatieri field goal, then emptied the bench. Tom Tupa came in for one series, then Scott Zolak for two. On Zo's first series he handed the ball off 12 consecutive times to Derrick Cullors and Sedrick Shaw, eating 7:50 off the clock.
Time of Possession by Quarter:
1st Quarter: NE 8:04, KC 6:56
2nd Quarter: NE 11:02, KC 3:58
3rd Quarter: NE 9:51, KC 9:51
4th Quarter: NE 12:51, KC 2:09
Full Game: NE 41:48, KC 18:12
Drew Bledsoe finished 17-26 for 226 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions, no fumbles, no sacks, and a 131.2 passer rating while taking the entire fourth quarter off. Drew did a good job of spreading the ball around, completing passes to seven different receivers in the first half. Terry Glenn had seven receptions for 78 yards, and Ben Coates caught two TD passes. Troy Brown had three receptions on three targets for 55 yards, in addition to his two crucial punt returns. And rookie Robert Edwards rushed for over 100 yards for the first time in his career, gaining 104 yards on 23 carries. Edwards had two touchdowns on the day, gaining 136 yards from scrimmage on 26 touches.
The defense had a fine game as well. Third-year pro Tedy Bruschi, still not yet a starter, had three tackles on defense, a third down sack for a loss of eight yards, plus two more tackles and a forced fumble on special teams. Lawyer Milloy had five tackles, an interception, a pass defensed and a forced fumble, while Tebucky Jones had three special team tackles. Ted Johnson led the D with six tackles, and Bruschi, Chad Eaton and Greg Spires each had a sack. Kansas City's first seven possessions consisted of four punts, a fumble, and two turnovers on downs; at that point the Patriots led by 37 points.
The two late scores by Kansas City mask how much of a blowout this game was. If not for some red zone difficulties - the Patriots settled for Vinatieri field goals of 32, 38, 27 and 20 yards - the final score could have been 56-10.
1998 Chiefs at Patriots Week 6
2:01 Highlight Video
2:01 Highlight Video
Box Score, Team & Individual Stats, Halftime, 3rd Quarter and full game stats, Drive Charts, and full Play-by-Play:
National Football League Game Summary
Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots - October 11th, 1998 | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Kansas City Chiefs 10 at New England Patriots 40 on October 11th, 1998 - Full team and player stats and box score
www.pro-football-reference.com
October 11, 1998 - Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots Box Score and Game Statistics
The most complete, accurate and reliable reference source for October 11, 1998 - Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots boxscore and game statistics.
www.profootballarchives.com
Patriots Starting Offense:
84 WR Shawn Jefferson
78 LT Bruce Armstrong
68 LG Max Lane
64 C Dave Wohlabaugh
71 RG Todd Rucci
77 RT Zefross Moss
87 TE Ben Coates
88 WR Terry Glenn
11 QB Drew Bledsoe
47 RB Robert Edwards
30 FB Tony Carter
Patriots Starting Defense:
74 LDE Chris Sullivan
90 LDT Chad Eaton
95 RDT Henry Thomas
55 RDE Willie McGinest
59 SLB Todd Collins
52 MLB Ted Johnson
53 WLB Chris Slade
24 LCB Ty Law
36 SS Lawyer Milloy
32 FS Willie Clay
26 RCB Chris Canty
Patriots Special Teams:
4 K Adam Vinatieri
19 P Tom Tupa
86 LS Mike Bartrum
29 KR Derrick Cullors
80 PR Troy Brown
