Coach Bill Belichick’s potential last game with the New England Patriots was etched in the record books in a way you won’t want to remember.
The Patriots lost to the Jets 17-3 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, ending New York’s 15-game losing streak to New England. The Patriots recorded 119 yards of offense, the fewest of the Belichick era. The team’s previous low was 149 against the Miami Dolphins on October 7, 2001.
Rumors abound, as they have for much of the fall, that Belichick and the Patriots could part ways at the end of the season. Answers about the franchise’s future are expected to come after a meeting with owners Robert, Jonathan Kraft and Belichick shortly after Sunday’s game.
When asked about his future after the game, Belichick said he would only talk about Sunday’s game.
“Disappointed with the way the game ended,” Belichick said when asked if he thinks he’ll be back with the Patriots. Belichick added that he “still enjoys coaching.”
The team’s struggling offense traded between quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe this fall before settling on Zappe as the starter in late November. He was 12 of 30 with 88 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in the fourth quarter against a Jets team that has had a dramatic season of quarterback issues.
The Jets’ Trevor Siemian, starting in place of Zach Wilson, who was placed on injured reserve with a concussion on Saturday, also failed to throw a touchdown. He finished 8-for-20 with 70 yards passing.
With Sunday’s loss, the Patriots finished the season at 4-13 and are 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, forming a dynasty with quarterback Tom Brady and winning nine AFC championships and six Super Bowls (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018). Under Belichick, the franchise has had a winning record in 20 of its 24 seasons.
However, the relationship between Brady and Belichick fractured at the end of the 2019 season and Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency. The following season, Brady led the Bucs to a Super Bowl title, the seventh of his storied career.
Meanwhile, over the past four years, the Patriots tried quarterbacks Cam Newton, Jones and Zappe as their offense slowly became one of the worst in the league.
After arguably the best 20-year streak in league history, the Patriots haven’t won a playoff game since the 2018 Super Bowl and are 30-37 since Brady left.
Bill Belichick walks off the field as Patriots head coach for potentially his last time.
In typical Belichick fashion, there was no extra excitement, no greetings to fans, and no grand exit. pic.twitter.com/0uMYlj7IQL
—Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) January 7, 2024
NFL coaching change live updates: Coaches fired, on the bench, latest Belichick news, rumors and job candidates
What’s next for Belichick?
All eyes turn to Belichick. He brought more success to a franchise than any coach. But the Patriots just finished their worst season since 1992.
They have had a losing record in three of the four years since Brady left, leaving Belichick’s future very much up in the air. He is expected to meet with the Krafts on Monday to discuss their path forward, but at this point, a “mutual parting” of ways is very possible, if not likely. Belichick and Robert Kraft have had their differences for years, but now the success that softened those difficult times has dried up.
The Patriots run their franchise much differently than any other, an insular organization where collaboration is often discouraged in favor of whatever avenue Belichick sees fit. What he has chosen in recent years has not worked. That could lead the Krafts to want change and a more modern approach to the organizational structure. News about Belichick’s future could come as soon as Monday. —Chad Graff, Patriots beat writer
GO DEEPER
Why the Patriots’ Bill Belichick-Robert Kraft partnership is on the verge of breaking down
What’s next for the Patriots?
It was a fitting end to the season for the Patriots offense, which closed with the fewest points scored of any team. No matter who the coach is, the Patriots need a major overhaul on that side of the ball, including (but not limited to) a new quarterback, multiple new wide receivers and at least one new offensive tackle. —Graff
The Jets finally ended a streak of 15 consecutive games lost to the Patriots and Belichick. The game made no sense in the grand scheme of things (it was two bad teams playing a game that didn’t matter at the end of disappointing seasons for both), but at least the Jets finally got this monkey off their back. They did it on the back of running back Breece Hall.
The Jets star set a career high with 37 carries for 178 yards and surpassed 1,500 total yards for the season with his performance, the first Jets running back to do so since Thomas Jones in 2008. The most impressive part is that Hall did it did. in the first year after anterior cruciate ligament surgery. Hall got the win 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. Expect the Jets to build their offense around his talents as a runner and pass catcher, and if he stays healthy, they should have a shot at 2,000 yards with Aaron Rodgers next year. —Zack Rosenblatt, Jets beat writer
NFL playoff bracket, scenarios, projected matchups and live seeding updates: Complete Sunday schedule
Required reading
(Photo: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
