Here are some half-baked thoughts and knickknacks (AKA NickNacks) I came up with while watching the New England Patriots play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday:
– It was burning red at Gillette Stadium Sunday — and not just because Taylor Swift was in the house to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce play. Swift drew a huge cheer from the crowd when she was shown on the video board at Gillette.
With all the attention on Swift and the Chiefs, it was time for the Patriots to pull out the big guns when it came to their star fans. So, with the biggest pop star in the world right now coming to their stadium, who did the Patriots bring out?
– It was 61-year-old rockstar, Jon Bon Jovi. Robert Kraft’s long-time buddy was on the field before the game and was this week’s Keeper of the Light, the special guest who’s invited to ring the ball atop Gillette Stadium’s renovated lighthouse.
– There was a huge contingent of Chiefs fans in Foxborough. This was apparent well before kickoff a group of away fans could be seen forming behind the Kansas City bench, cheering as the Chiefs hit the field for warmups. By the time we hit kickoff, there were loads of red-and-white dotted throughout the stadium.
– To be fair, a small portion of that did come in the form of Santa hats and Patriots throwback jerseys.
– Swift was clearly a draw for this game. Two weeks ago, you could get tickets to the Patriots-Chargers game for $5. This game? Most tickets were in the $90-100 range, with the cheapest clocking in at $70 from what I saw on Ticketmaster before kickoff.
We even saw a custom Patriots No. 13 “Swift” jersey, with the “13″ representing Swift’s favorite number, which she famously used to write on her hand before shows for good luck.
– As for Swift, she was spotted arriving at the stadium before kickoff (after her plane was tracked to TF Green Airport). She was spotted in a Gillette Stadium box by TV cameras late in the first quarter.
– As for Kelce, cameras spotted him in the tunnel at Gillette Stadium taking a moment to admire a poster of Swift on the wall honoring her shows there.
– Oh yeah, football. Bailey Zappe got the start again and looks to be holding down that job with some solid, consistent play.
– What’s really stood out about Zappe is the way he’s leaned on his top veteran targets. With Zappe behind center, there’s appeared to be a concerted effort to get the ball to DeVante Parker and Hunter Henry — and it’s worked.
It certainly helps that Zappe is making some great throws, especially his second-quarter touchdown toss to Henry.
– Rookie linebacker Marte Mapu made the biggest play of his career. The young defender jumped a pass intended for Blake Bell and ripped the ball right out of the hands of the Chiefs tight end, returning it 20 yards.
– Patrick Mahomes was clearly not happy after that throw. He was spotted tossing his helmet in frustration on the sidelines.
– Tough injury news for the Patriots: Second-year guard Cole Strange was carted off the field in the early minutes of the second quarter. He was quickly ruled out with a knee injury. Rookie Atonio Mafi took over Strange’s spot at left guard.
– New England’s offensive line was already shorthanded Sunday. Left tackle Trent Brown was out due to an illness, leading to Conor McDermott getting the start.
– Rookie Chad Ryland’s kicking woes continue. He had a chance to give his team a lead early. Instead, he missed another makeable kick in Foxborough.
An interesting development in the secondary. Rookie Alex Austin, who was signed on Nov. 2, got the start Sunday over J.C. Jackson. Meanwhile, Shaun Wade was inactive for the game.
– Special teams standout Brenden Schooler wiped out what would have been a brilliant kickoff return by Pop Douglas to open the game with a holding penalty. That gave him a team-high five penalties on the year. It’s been a janky season for Schooler.
