As the New England Patriots head into halftime of their 2017 season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs with a 17-14 lead, let's take a look at some of the key first half takeaways. 

A Hot & Fast Start- On a night where they honored their blazing hot finish to last season, the Pats came out of the gate firing on all cylinders. New England's offense moved fast, 73 yards down the field, in just nine plays on their first series. With Tom Brady and company in cruise control, they capped the opening drive with a 2-yard rushing score by running back Mike Gillislee.

Missed Opportunities- The Pats put together a solid first half, offensively, though they left more than a handful of point on the field and could be up by four scores. Twice the Pats pounded the ball to at least the KC 10-yard line and were stopped by the Chiefs defense. One drive resulted in a turnover on downs, while the second such drive was forced to end in a chip shot 25-yard field goal.

Big Drives Are Killer- While the Pats had some big missed opportunities offensively in the first half, they also got gashed twice on big drives by the Chiefs. Kansas City's two scoring drives were both 12 plays with each one spanning over at least 90 yards. The Pats are typically a defense that will give up a lot of yards, but find a way to force opponents to settle for field goals. Unfortunately for Pats Nation, New England was unable to pull off the same defensive stands and they're only up by three.

Must Stop To Open The Half- The Pats defense is in a bit of a must stop situation to open the second half,as the Chiefs will be trying to do what New England likes to do to its opponents and try to double up on scores at the end and beginning of the two halves. The Pats can't allow KC to build up serious moment early on.

 

 

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