The Patriots’ 10-7 defeat against the New York Giants confirmed that Bill Belichick won’t finish with a winning record for the second consecutive year. Since Tom Brady left the Patriots, the team has only had one playoff appearance in 2021. And, in the post-Brady era, the Patriots are 27-34 in 64 regular season games.
In 2020, the Patriots went 7-9 with a Cam Newton-led offense that generated 20.4 points a game, which was good for 27th in the NFL. After Cam Newton, the Patriots spent their first-round draft pick on Alabama quarterback Mac Jones. Jones had a significantly strong rookie campaign, notching ten wins in the process.
After that, it went downhill, with the Patriots going 8-9 in 2022. The Patriots are on track to have their worst record since Drew Bledsoe’s rookie season in 1993.
Coincidentally, the Patriots are the first team in 30 years to lose consecutive games while allowing ten or fewer points. In Bill Belichick’s 28 seasons as a coach, he’s only lost two games while allowing fewer than 10 points.
The Patriot’s offense has never struggled more, and the stats back up their gut-wrenching performance. New England is 28th in rushing yards (949), 28th in yards per attempt (6.0), and 25th in passing yards (2,135). Not surprisingly, the team is also 31st in points per game (13.5).
What’s this doing to Bill Belichick’s legacy, and how much is it hurting it?
After a devastating loss against the Colts in Germany, there was lots of league chatter that Patriots chairman Robert Kraft would have a conversation about Belichick’s job security.
Since then, several reports have tried to predict where Belichick might coach next season.
Patriots fans probably have these numbers memorized, but it’s important to revisit the Patriots dynasty. Seventeen division titles, 9 AFC championships, and six world titles. However, without Tom Brady at quarterback, Bill Belichick only has one playoff win and is 82-98.
Besides Belichick, it’s noteworthy his fellow assistants haven’t done well as head coaches in the NFL. Matt Patricia, Brian Flores, Joe Judge, Brian Daboll, and Josh McDaniels have all struggled as head coaches. Only two of the ten coaches who worked under Belichick have winning records of their own. Bill O’Brien, who recorded a 52-48 record with the Texans, and Al Groh, who went 9-7 in a short-lived tenure as the Jets coach in 2000.
With Bill Belichick’s legacy in question, NFL players gave their thoughts on the state of the NFL.
The Athletic released an anonymous players poll in late November, which showcased players’ feelings towards different coaches, stadiums, and players. Each player was asked which coach they would enjoy working for. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was 12th, totaling only 2.1% of the vote. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel were at the top of the list. The notorious “Patriot Way” is starting to become a second language for the current Patriots. What was once preached on special teams, has taken a significant regression along with “dumb” penalties and turnovers.
Nevertheless, the Patriots will have their most interesting off-season in years. Robert Kraft will have complete control over the direction of the franchise’s future.
Belichick’s grumpiness with the media might not last much longer, and if he’s not willing to hand over his general manager title, will Kraft decide to “mutually” part ways? Is there a way for Belichick to stay as the head coach and the Patriots hire a general manager to take care of player personnel? What would be the trade compensation if the Patriots decide to move on from Belichick? And if Belichick leaves, how will his hall-of-fame legacy alter? So many questions are left to be answered, but for now Belichick will have to figure out a way to coach the 2-9 Patriots.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
