night that rightfully will take its place among the greatest regular season contests ever to take place at Gillette Stadium. The team’s 43-40 victory over the visiting Kansas City Chiefs produced not only plenty of points but also plenty of memorable plays. One of which was a first quarter interception by Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower that set up the first touchdown of the night.Let’s take a look at the tape to find out how the Patriots were able to force the quarterback of the undefeated Chiefs into throwing the pick – and thus to lay the groundwork for a strong defensive performance in the first half.1-10-KC 23 (5:12) (Shotgun) P.Mahomes pass short middle intended for T.Kelce INTERCEPTED by D.Hightower at KC 31. D.Hightower to KC 4 for 27 yards (D.Harris).Dont’a Hightower intercepting Patrick Mahomes came right after a Patriots field goal made it a 3-3 game. With Kansas City deep in its own territory after the kickoff Cheap Danny Shelton Jersey , New England did what it tried to do all night long to attack the Chiefs’ first-year starter: force him to set the correct protections and make the right reads pre-snap and follow it up with sound decisions afterwards. While the results were a mixed bag for the Patriots later on, the plan worked well in the first half.It starts with the defense giving Mahomes only limited information before the snap:NFL Game PassThe Patriots have a 2-4-5 nickel package on the field, showing a cover 1 look with the deep defensive back – Duron Harmon (#21) – aligning outside the weak-side numbers to serve as a safety net against speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill (#10). What makes this look hard to decipher from Mahomes’ perspective is not the coverage, though, but the front-line defenders: who is dropping back into coverage, who is going to attack the pocket?Mahomes sees two down-linemen and four standup linebackers, two of which aligning off the ball as potential blitzers. Futhermore, strong safety Patrick Chung (#23) also lines up close to the box:NFL Game PassThe Chiefs use a play action call against this defensive alignment, with Mahomes faking a hand-off to running back Kareem Hunt (#27). Meanwhile, the blockers in front – the five offensive linemen plus tight end Demetrius Harris (#84) – pick up New England’s four on-the-line players: Harris is assigned to account for one of the linebackers or either Chung or Trey Flowers (#98), while right tackle Mitchell Schwartz (#71) picks up Kyle Van Noy (#53).The other linemen use combo-blocks on defensive tackles Danny Shelton (#71) and Lawrence Guy (#93). With Elandon Roberts (#52) covering Hunt out of the backfield, Dont’a Hightower (#54) initially also attacks the pocket. This makes center Mitch Morse (#61) peel off his double-team on Guy to pick up the linebacker. However, instead of taking on Morse, Hightower drops out and back into the underneath zone:NFL Game PassMahomes, however Cheap James White Jersey , does not see Hightower moving back into the hole in the middle of the field. Instead, he turns his attention to tight end Travis Kelce (#87) after his first read(s) on the weak side of the formation are not open. Kelce originally aligned in the X-spot on the left side of the offense and, following an attempted chip by Flowers, runs a crossing pattern about seven yards deep. Covering Kelce is Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty (#32), who gave up the inside release and plays a trail technique. With the big tight end a step ahead of the defender, Mahomes decides to make him the target on the first down throw. What he does not see, however, is Hightower doing an excellent job to adjust to the trajectory of the football and thus take away the passing lane. The result is the game’s first turnover:NFL Game PassHightower returns the interception 27 yards to the Kansas City 4. One play later, running back Sony Michel reaches the end zone to give New England a 10-3 lead and some momentum early in the contest.Overall, the play illustrates how the Patriots planned to challenge the rather inexperienced Mahomes’ reaction and decision making early in the contest. Kansas City was still able to do plenty of damage through tremendous scheme and execution, but the different pressure packages remained a problem for them all game long. While the result was not always as perfect as it was on the Hightower pick, the unit actually had some success with its original plan. How are things going for Bill Belichick this season when he coaches against someone who formerly worked under him as either a player or a coach?Not too great. He’s done it three times now in 2018, and two of those coaches have beaten his New England Patriots.The most recent example came on Sunday, when the Patriots were obliterated 34-10 in a shocking blowout defeat by the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The head coach of the Titans is Mike Vrabel, a former player and Super Bowl winner under Belichick as a member of the Patriots.Vrabel played as a linebacker for the Patriots from 2001 through 2008 Cheap Deatrich Wise Jr. Jersey , though he was also used on offense as a tight end every once in a great while. Vrabel is famous for having caught a touchdown pass from Tom Brady in each of New England’s victories in Super Bowls 38 and 39.But Vrabel’s days as a Patriot are far, far behind him. After Belichick traded him away following the 2008 season, there is no doubt Vrabel took a little bit of extra satisfaction in handing his former coach this defeat. And it wasn’t just a defeat; it was an absolute thrashing. The Patriots offense that seemed to work so flawlessly in recent weeks (minus the Buffalo game) was absolutely bamboozled all afternoon long. There was no rhythm whatsoever, and Brady was clearly frustrated. He only completed 21 of 41 pass attempts, didn’t throw a single touchdown all game, and was sacked three times. Vrabel’s Tennessee defense really took it to him on Sunday.And it felt kind of like de ja vu, because we saw this exact same thing earlier in the season when the Patriots faced another former Belichick student back in Week 3. Matt Patricia, who was with the Patriots from 2004 through 2017 and spent his last six seasons in New England as the team’s defensive coordinator, is now the head coach of the Detroit Lions. In what may have been the most embarrassing loss of the season, Patricia’s Lions handed the Patriots a brutal 26-10 defeat on Sunday Night Football. Only in the season opener, against Bill O’Brien’s Houston Texans, did the Patriots not look totally baffled and hopeless against a former Belichick apprentice. It sure is a heck of a coincidence that two of New England’s three losses in 2018 have come at the hands of coaches who were brought up in the Belichick system. They have certainly been his kryptonite this season.It wouldn’t be a total surprise to see the Patriots get matched up with the red hot Texans in the playoffs, which would give O’Brien another opportunity to join Vrabel and Patricia in the “We Beat Bill” club.