Belichick’s Patriots fell to 2-7 Sunday after losing to the Washington Commanders, increasing the pressure on the once-dynastic team.
Bill Belichick is a coaching legend, but his team's struggles this season have invited criticism and raised questions of how long he will last in New England. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Bill Belichick has never been a pleaser, and he is as slit-eyed and lip-curled in these bitter end days with the New England Patriots as he ever was in his most triumphant ones. If the man is going out — and he may well be — it won’t be with any show of sentiment.
This was a hinge game, a clear flex point for two franchises fighting to find their identities and weighing whether to clean house.
At his best, Belichick’s teams had a mechanistic, comprehensive excellence that could not be attributed to the virtues of any one player, no matter how great Brady was. Example: During their run of dominance, the Patriots committed fewer penalties than any other team in the league. In 18 playoff games between 2011 and 2017, they were whistled for infractions at about a 25 percent lower rate than their opponents. Think about that.
Sure, maybe Belichick’s manner is the main problem. But it seems far more likely that the Patriots are playing inconsistently simply because they’ve had a cycle of poor drafts that cheap unheralded sweat couldn’t make up for, coupled with an extraordinary amount of coaching staff churn. It’s not just that Brady is gone.
Another possibility, of course, and one that can’t be discounted, is that Belichick could simply be more tired than he shows. But if that’s the case, don’t expect him to voice it.Stats of the week: The fading Patriots dynasty can still be dangerous
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