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(PHOTO: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports) With just days remaining until the New England Patriots close out the 2023 regular season at Gillette Stadium against the Jets, it feels like this one certainly has an ominous feel, given what may also soon follow.
Head coach Bill Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft clearly have a conversation coming at some point to discuss the long-time coach’s future, which appears to be in doubt. How that will go remains to be seen, but NBC Sports analyst Tom Curran has already reported that a move is coming that will likely see the future Hall of Fame coach’s time in New England come to an end.
At this point, it feels like it’s just a matter of how amicable the split – if that’s indeed what happens – will ultimately play out.
Meanwhile, for Belichick, it’s been business as usual. Watching the club battle it out in recent weeks, it’s been easy for a few hours to forget this is a 4-12 team. Once the ball has been kicked off, it’s been a gutsy effort week in and week out, with his club performing as it has in more optimistic times. Even against what’s been a tough group of opponents over this final stretch, there hasn’t been any quit in a team that hasn’t had much to play for since early November.
Despite losses to both Kansas City and Buffalo in recent weeks, each of those games could have been won with even an adequate performance on the offensive side of the ball. However, injuries have further weakened a group that wasn’t all that talented to start with, leaving Bailey Zappe to try and make the best of what’s obviously been a bad situation.
Still, the former Western Kentucky quarterback hasn’t done himself any favors. He’s been picked off in each of the club’s last two losses, including three times Sunday in Buffalo as the club committed four turnovers and squandered an unbelievable performance by its defense.
In that game, they held Josh Allen to one of his worst performances of the season. Allen completed just 15-of-30 for 169 yards along with zero touchdowns and an interception. That game was the first time all year that Allen failed to throw a touchdown pass, with the last time that happened in the regular season coming back on November 6, 2022 in a game at MetLife against the Jets in a 20-17 loss. The other came in a playoff loss last January against Cincinnati.
They also held Allen to just 3-of-9 passing on third down, including a first half where he completed just 1-of-7 on third down and 7-of-20 overall for 46-yards and an interception as the two clubs went into the locker room with the Patriots trailing at just 20-14.
The worst part was that they had the Bills on the ropes but managed to get points on just two of their nine first-half possessions, which included a 47-yard miss by Chad Ryland with just under two minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Unfortunately, Buffalo opened the second half with a touchdown drive, and at that point, it was essentially over, even despite the fact the defense pitched a shutout the rest of the way.
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It’s definitely disappointing. Zappe has given them somewhat of a spark since replacing Mac Jones, but after trending in the right direction the last two weeks leading up to Sunday’s game, the second-year quarterback’s first-half performance was certainly a setback.
For a player who had a chance to make a statement against a good football team and potentially seize the moment, Zappe, unfortunately, came apart and let another big opportunity slip through his fingers.
It’s yet another reminder that this Patriots team still has serious issues heading into this offseason, which will likely see Zappe with some – hopefully – significantly better competition at quarterback next July.
In the meantime, New England heads into Sunday’s game against the Jets looking to an extend a streak of 15 straight wins, having won the earlier meeting this year back on September 24th at MetLife. Some would probably prefer to see Belichick add another loss to their total this weekend, ideally for the sake of improving their draft position.
Belichick hasn’t shown any signs of that happening. If this is his last time stepping onto the field in Gillette Stadium as Patriots head coach, he’s likely hoping he’ll at least go out making it 16 straight over the team he originally spurned to come here.
As ESPN’s Rich Cimini pointed out on Thursday, this weekend marks the 24th anniversary that Belichick departed the Jets in his infamous resignation where, instead of taking over for Bill Parcells, he ultimately took over in New England. That move obviously kicked off what has been an incredible 20+ year run that may be finally coming to an end after the final whistle blows on Sunday.
The Jets have certainly suffered while he’s been here. New England has lost a total of just 10 of their 47 meetings going back to Belichick’s first season, with their current streak seeing their last defeat coming back on December 27, 2015 in overtime.
Overall, the Jets have never been able to string any wins together, with the last time New York swept the Patriots in the regular season coming all the way back in Belichick’s first year in New England in 2000.
Needless to say, should he depart, the Jets likely won’t be among those sorry to see him go.
Either way, fans at Gillette Stadium may end up witnessing history again on Sunday, with Belichick potentially joining Tom Brady as the second door of their dynasty looks like it may be coming to a close.
For now, just like he always has, Belichick remains focused on the task at hand for what could be his last time. Hopefully, fans at least give him the proper sendoff if this is indeed his final game. He’s definitely earned it.
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