It wasn't exactly the start to the 2017 NFL season that the New England Patriots were hoping for after taking a surprising loss at home to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The loss featured many issues arising on both sides of the ball on Thursday night against the Chiefs. One of the areas that stood out was their lack of success on short-yardage plays as the Patriots failed to pick up a first down a couple of fourth-and-one situations that contributed to Kansas City taking control of the game.

Following the contest, the Patriots made it a point to address that they must improve on those type of in-game situations if they want to win games, according to Dan Ventura of the Boston Herald.

“I'd have to go back and take a look at it,” center David Andrews said. “But they just beat us and we can't let that happen again.”

“We just got to do a better job,” fullback James Develin added. “We have to go out there and be better, that's it.”

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What has made it a larger point of emphasis is that the Patriots came up on the short end of the stick against the Chiefs. The importance of having success in the running game, especially in the short-yardage situation, will be critical to the Patriots finding consistency offensively.

It's something that LeGarrette Blount was able to provide last season, and his departure changes it up a bit with offseason addition Mike Gillisee taking over that responsibility. Gillisee did make a strong impression by rushing in three touchdowns, but these type of situations will arise later in the season in tight games against tough opponents down the road.

This is likely something that the Patriots will put much attention on in the film room and the practice field over the next 10 days before their Week 2 tilt against the New Orleans Saints.