Chiefs vs. Patriots: 4 Things We Learned from Kansas City's 34-3 Loss

The Kansas City Chiefs continued their model of inconsistency in tonight's loss against the New England Patriots.

In Tyler Palko's first career start, the Chiefs even outdid themselves. In a season where they play as entirely different teams from one game to the next, Kansas City went from competitive to laughable in the span of one halftime show.

Not that anyone really expected the Chiefs to perform in their second Monday night game this season—with a 17.5 point spread against the Patriots, everyone from Vegas to Hoboken expected New England to steamroll a Kansas City team with issues and injuries galore.

On a night when the Chiefs announced Matt Cassel's addition to the injured reserve roster, Kansas City justified the predictions with a 34-3 loss.

Tonight's defeat made a number of statements about the Chiefs, both to the good and the bad. Kansas City knows a lot more about their team and, through that, should have a clearer picture of how to recover their AFC West title in 2012.

Tyler Palko Won't Be Kansas City's Scapegoat

With the Chiefs only two games away from reclaiming the AFC West despite a 4-5 record, Kansas City fans could blame the ascension of Tyler Palko on the inevitable losing streak that will complete their season.

The truth, however, is that Matt Cassel's broken hand had little effect on the remainder of the Chiefs' season. Cassel completed less than 60 percent of his passes and barely maintained a positive touchdown-to-interception ratio. What's more, his poor plays often came at the worst times in Kansas City's closer games.

Palko ended tonight's game with weak statistics, but they don't tell the whole story. In the first half, Palko completed 10 passes out of 13 attempts before a tipped pass to Steve Breaston ended in an interception.

Much like his two-minute drill against Denver, Palko looked calm and confident in the pocket. He improvised by running a play before New England's defense could get set, and started with a nice touch on the ball.

The game unraveled in the second half, with another interception off a tipped ball in the third quarter. His third pick came late in the game trying to bring the Chiefs after the Patriots took the lead.

Palko might have a ways to go before he deserves a starting role in his own right, but Palko justified my previous article that the Chiefs could do a lot worse for Cassel's replacement.

Defensive Squad Lacks Fundamentals

As well as Tyler Palko performed at the start of the game, Kansas City's defense deserved a gold star for the first half.

Tom Brady couldn't find a rhythm in the passing game; the Chiefs sacked him three times, forced a fumble and caused an intentional grounding penalty before the Patriots hit pay dirt with a 52-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter.

For all the big plays Kansas City's defense produced, the Chiefs let considerably more fall to the wayside. Time and again the Chiefs failed to wrap up the ball carrier, allowing a total of 391 yards on offense.

A number of playmakers beyond the headline players remain on Kansas City's roster. Wallace Gilberry made his presence known with the sack-and-strip, while Amon Gordon played well in place of the injured Glenn Dorsey.

The Chiefs possess plenty of talent, but until they can consistently finish tackles, their squad will never be more than mediocre with flashes of something greater.

Chiefs Must Improve Special Teams Play

Following the point of poor tackling, Kansas City's special teams similarly flubbed tonight's game. Julian Edelman's 72-yard punt return for a touchdown definitively put the game out of reach for the Chiefs.

Edelman produced a great run, but Kansas City's inept tackling deserves some of the credit.

The Chiefs also had a chance to produce a great special teams play of their own earlier in the game when Edelman failed to signal a fair catch. Kansas City made contact almost immediately, but whiffed on the tackle three different times.

Quality special teams play comes from having quality depth on the team's roster. Their play tonight shows that Kansas City doesn't have it, despite the progress made the last few years.

The Chiefs need to improve their depth in a number of position groups like linebacker and secondary to have an effective special teams.

As if the secondary wasn't exposed enough following the loss of Eric Berry.

Offensive Line Continues to Victimize Chiefs' Quarterbacks

Special teams may have allowed the game to fall completely out of reach, but their offensive line is what hobbled any efforts to come back in the first place.

Having already surrendered 25 sacks this season, the Chiefs cannot defend their quarterback. Their pass defense is so porous that two extra players are often assigned to the right side for additional protection.

This shift in formation is more an admission of the team's right side, specifically Barry Richardson. Richardson and second-year guard Jon Asamoah take on a team's defensive end while a tight end and receiver double-team the blitzing linebacker.

Last week, Von Miller took advantage of this formation and brutalized Matt Cassel.

When Richardson does end up in a one-on-one situation, he can't hold his block. He outright gave up twice, leading to a pair of Tyler Palko sacks.

This squad needs major upgrades on the outside before Kansas City can even consider running a high-powered offense.