As tension and uncertainty mount inside Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots are staring down a tense run that will have historic ramifications for the direction of the franchise.
Many in the building looked over their shoulders, recognizing that head coach Bill Belichick’s job was at risk and wondering who else was hearing for jobs in Foxboro or elsewhere.
Even an upset against the Pittsburgh Steelers only seemed to steady the ship for a few days. The mood was somber, an obvious byproduct of a 3-10 record, which is second-worst in the NFL.
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Signs pointed to this being the final four games of Belichick’s unprecedented tenure with the Patriots, according to sources close to the situation. The Patriots, who are already eliminated from postseason contention, will go a fifth straight season without a playoff win, and that has been compounded by a poor draft record, largely unsuccessful and expensive attempts to fix the roster in free agency and now a group that has become. broke up after a month.
However, there are still some in the building who wonder if an improbable winning streak — or even three wins in their final four games against rivalry opponents — could change the narrative surrounding Belichick’s future. While it certainly appears that owner Robert Kraft is ready for a split after the season, a continued string of strong defensive showings, signs of life from quarterback Bailey Zappe’s offense and an eradication of game-swinging mistakes could conceivably sway Kraft’s thinking in the other direction . Games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets still carry weight with the old guard of the Patriots.
Bill Belichick gave the same answer to three different questions about his future and whether he will continue coaching/be with the Patriots.
“Getting ready for Kansas City,” he said each time. pic.twitter.com/SszHKNHMWA
– Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) December 13, 2023
Kraft, as he hinted during recent offseason media appearances at the NFL’s annual meetings, wasn’t happy with all this losing. He preached the importance of winning. He called for more competitive playoff results than the 47-17 embarrassment in Buffalo. He wanted more value from the hundreds of millions in contracts he handed out during free agency in 2021.
Instead, the Patriots have the 12th-worst record in the league since 2020 (28-35), and it’s gotten worse every season since 2021 — a similar fate that sealed coach Pete Carroll’s tenure after the 1999 season. New England is one of 14 teams without a playoff win since 2019.
It’s one thing to lose. It is another to become irrelevant.
This week’s Patriots-Chiefs game at Gillette was the first ever to be bent from “Monday Night Football.” Sunday morning of Week 13, just before the Los Angeles Chargers’ 6-0 win at Gillette, tickets on the secondary market were listed for $5. In October, Belichick followed up the wettest defeat of his career (38-3 in Dallas) with the second-most lopsided loss of his career (34-0 at home to the New Orleans Saints).
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It was one disaster after another, and Kraft became apoplectic. The Patriots later fell to 1-5 with a dead loss to the faltering Las Vegas Raiders, then to 2-8 during another turnover party in a 10-6 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany. That performance was meaningful to Kraft in front of an international audience, and the Patriots served up another stale offensive showing that all but sealed the fate of quarterback Mac Jones in Foxboro. It also began a stretch in which the Patriots became the first team in 85 years to lose three consecutive games despite not allowing more than 10 points in any of the games.
There was tension from all reaches of the organization, from the top between Belichick and Kraft to the locker room between the offense and defense. And while last Thursday’s win against the Steelers provided a brief spark, the good vibes largely dissipated this week once it was time to get back to work preparing for Kansas City — a sign the team recognized it was still locked in a losing season with the probability of widespread change looming.
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Belichick has been open in the past that it’s hard to play for him and prominent players from Super Bowl teams echoed that sentiment, but they mostly enjoyed the environment as the wins flowed like confetti in the crisp February air as yet another Super Bowl parade through . Boston. But winning needs a unified drive, and that’s been lacking recently due to the harsh demands increasingly questioned by the players – not all, sure, but enough to make an impact.
Even those who question whether a strong termination could save jobs recognize the obstacles in place. The Chiefs, Broncos and Bills jockey for a championship seeding, while the Jets just beat the playoff-contending Houston Texans 30-6.
And sure, the win in Pittsburgh was impressive, but it’s fair to wonder if it was a smoke screen. The Steelers’ offense was also broken, and backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky didn’t help the cause. Because just as Zappe played in the first half with three touchdowns, the Patriots only mustered three first downs on six second-half possessions.
Credit the Steelers’ stout defense for adjusting, but recognize that the Chiefs, Bills and Jets also have eight-point defenses while the Broncos have surrendered the second fewest points in the NFL since Week 6. The opposition isn’t getting any easier for the. lowest scoring team in the league.
Perhaps, that’s where the opportunity lies. Kraft may find it hard to dump Belichick if the Patriots somehow use their win against the Steelers to propel them into some more face-saving action in the last month.
It just feels like too strong of an if with too much to overcome – a roster with too many holes, an offense without an identity and a building that seems more focused on the future than the present.
(Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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