Coach Bill Belichick’s final game against the New England Patriots may go down in history — in a way he doesn’t want to remember.
The Patriots lost 17-3 to the Jets on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, ending New York’s 15-game losing streak to New England. The Patriots had 119 yards of offense, their fewest in the Belichick era. The team’s last low score was 149 points against the Miami Dolphins on October 7, 2001.
Rumors abound that Belichick and the Patriots could part ways at the end of the season — as they have for much of the fall. Answers about the team’s future are expected to come shortly after Sunday’s game during a sit-down discussion with owners Robert Kraft, Jonathan Kraft and Belichick.
When asked about his future postgame plans, Belichick said he would only talk about Sunday’s game.
“Disappointed with the way the game ended,” Belichick said when asked if he thought he would return to the Patriots. Belichick added that he “still loves coaching.”
The offense struggled this fall, weighing between quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe before settling on Zappe as the starter in late November. He went 12-of-30 for 88 yards and no touchdowns against the Jets, who have had dramatic quarterback issues this season.
The Jets’ Trevor Siemian — who started Saturday over Zach Wilson, who was moved to injured reserve with a concussion — also failed to score a touchdown. He was 8-of-20 throwing for 70 yards.
After Sunday’s loss, the Patriots finished the season with a 4-13 record and were last in the AFC East for the first time since 2000, Belichick’s first year on the job.
Belichick is one of the most successful coaches in NFL history, building a dynasty with quarterback Tom Brady and winning nine AFC championships and six Super Bowls (2001 years, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018). Under Belichick, the team posted a winning record in 20 of his 24 seasons.
However, the relationship between Brady and Belichick fell apart at the end of the 2019 season, and Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent. The following season, Brady led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory, the seventh of his storied career.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have experimented with quarterbacks Cam Newton, Jones and Zapp over the past four years as their offense slowly became one of the worst in the league.
After arguably the best 20-year run in league history, the Patriots haven’t won a playoff game since the 2018 Super Bowl and are 30-37 since Brady’s departure.
Bill Belichick may be leaving the field for the final time as Patriots head coach.
In typical Belichick fashion, there was no unnecessary emotion, no waving to the fans, and no grand exit. pic.twitter.com/0uMYlj7IQL
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) January 7, 2024
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What’s next for Belichick?
All eyes turned to Belichick. He has brought more success to a team than any other coach. But the Patriots were coming off their worst season since 1992.
They’ve had a losing record in three of the four years since Brady left, leaving Belichick’s future uncertain. He is expected to meet with the Kraft family on Monday to discuss their path forward, but at this point, a “mutual parting of ways” is likely — if not unlikely. Belichick and Robert Kraft have had their differences for years, but now success in bridging those differences has dried up.
The Patriots operate very differently than other teams, as an insular organization that often discourages collaboration in favor of whatever path Belichick sees fit. His choices in recent years haven’t worked out. This could lead to the Kraft family looking to make changes and adopt a more modern approach to organizational structure. News about Belichick’s future could come as early as Monday. –Chad Graf, Patriots staff writer
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What’s next for the Patriots?
It was a fitting end to a season for a Patriots offense that finished with the fewest points of any team. Regardless of who the coach is, the Patriots are in need of a major overhaul on that side of the ball, including (but not limited to) a new quarterback, multiple new receivers and at least one new offensive tackle. — Graf
The Jets finally ended a 15-game losing streak to the Patriots and Belichick. This game means nothing in the long run – these are two bad teams playing an inconsequential game at the end of two disappointing seasons for them – but at least the Jets are finally getting away with it This monkey. They did that on the back of running back Breece Hall.
The Jets star set a career high with 178 yards on 37 carries, and his performance pushed him to over 1,500 yards this season, the first person since Thomas Jones in 2008 to do so of Jets running back. What’s most impressive is that Hall did it in his first year after ACL surgery. Hall sealed the victory with a 50-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Now the Jets enter the offseason with a lot of questions — but Hall isn’t one of them. The Jets are expected to build their offense around his talents as a runner and pass catcher, and if he stays healthy, he should be on pace to hit the 2,000-yard mark next year with Aaron Rodgers. –Zach Rosenblatt, Jets staff writer
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(Photo: Winslow Townsend/Getty Images)
