Tom Brady still cant deliver any last-minute heroics with this Patriots offense – Boston Herald

FOXBORO Tom Brady has the ball. Game on the line. Patriots are in the red zone. First-and-10 at the Chiefs 12-yard line. Down seven with 2:41 to play. Fans chanting his name.

For the GOAT, this scenario has been automatic. Never a doubt. Just chalk it up. He ties the game. Play on.

Only, this isnt the Brady, or the offense, weve been accustomed to seeing for nearly two decades. Its not the same group that kept trading scores with the Chiefs late in the AFC Championship game last season before finally putting them away in overtime, with three long third down conversions, before striking in the red zone.

Brady can no longer will this offense to score points when it has to produce. He can no longer deliver the Patriots when the defense has one bad half, and one good half, as it did against the Chiefs in defending Patrick Mahomes last night.

This offense went 2-for-12 on third down, and 1-for-3 in the red zone during Sundays 23-16 loss to the Chiefs.

Blame the officials all you want, and they certainly deserve blame for botching calls that impacted the outcome.

But the Patriots still had their chances to tie the game, or even win the game, but couldnt put the ball in the end zone.

We got the ball. We moved it. We had some plays there where we could have scored, Brady said, we had some in the red area, we had a couple fourth downs, we just didnt make the plays when we needed to make them.

Its been that way all year. At this point, its hard to see that changing. The Patriots went 2-3 over the toughest part of their schedule with the three losses to AFC opponents (Ravens, Texans, Chiefs) theyre likely to see in the playoffs. All three losses were similar in that the defense couldnt hold the opposing team under 20, while the Patriots offense wasnt capable of bailing them out.

We just got to go out and play better and try to win next weeks game, said Brady, as the Pats are onto Cincinnati. Its disappointing. Were not going to feel sorry for ourselves.

The heart and competitiveness of the 42-year-old quarterback was certainly still there down the stretch, as he took off on a 4th-and-6 from the Chiefs 29, gaining 17 yards to bring the Pats closer to the endzone, and keep their last gasp drive alive.

That was the play that set up first-and-goal from the 12. But then there was an incomplete pass to tight end Matt LaCosse in the end zone. Brady hit Julian Edelman for a nine-yard completion setting up fourth-and-goal from the three.

Again, the expectation was for Brady to deliver. Only, his try for Edelman in the endzone was broken up by KC cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who made a nice play to bat the ball away.

That was the plan. The plan is to always score, but at the end of the day, we didnt, said Phillip Dorsett. We cant say the refs blew the game, because we still had a chance to score and we didnt. Weve got to play better.

The Patriots resorted to trickery once again, to try and inject some life in the offense. On the opening series of the game, they used a flea-flicker, with Brady hitting Edelman for a 37-yard-scoring pass. They also had James White throw a pass to Jakobi Meyers for a 35-yard gain during the final, and futile drive.

Just trying some different things to give us a little spark or momentum, said Brady. You know, we had a couple big ones (Sunday) on the flea flicker and then on the other one with the halfback pass. So, those were good plays, those were good momentum plays. I wish we could have made a few more of the other ones, too.

Brady, who entered the interview room wearing a big bandage around his right throwing elbow, claimed it was nothing to worry about. He said it was the result of a hit, but that he would be fine and ready next Sunday for the Bengals.

Hes been on the injury report with an elbow problem. He didnt seem hampered by the elbow on Sunday, even though his numbers werent very good (19 of 36 for 169 yards with one interception).

Patriot fans actually booed the offense as it left the field for half-time. The Chiefs were in control of the game at the intermission as the offense was still having breakdowns, drops, a lack of protection and bad throws from the quarterback.

But then something happened on the way to completely losing hope that order would be restored within the AFC landscape: the Pats rallied.

With the help of another special teams punt block, the defense standing tall in the second half, Brady & Co. were able to creep back in the game.

With the fans chanting Brady, Brady, Brady for every fourth quarter possession, they felt something great was going to happen in the end. Only, it didnt.

We still had a chance, Brady said. Wish we could have scored there at the end.

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Tom Brady still cant deliver any last-minute heroics with this Patriots offense - Boston Herald