The New England Patriots haven’t finished last in the AFC East since 2000, coach Bill Belichick’s first season.
That 22-year streak will probably end this season. The Patriots are two games behind the New York Jets in the standings with games against Buffalo and Miami in the next two weeks.
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Belichick has only himself to blame. After all, he’s done a poor job of picking players.
Belichick, a defensive genius, has neglected the Patriots’ offense for the past five years, and the result is one of the NFL’s worst offenses this season.
This is a team devoid of playmakers.
Quarterback Mac Jones, benched two of the last three games, is passing for 201.3 yards per game with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. Starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson has 278 yards and a 3.0 average per carry. Kendrick Bourne, their top receiver, has caught 28 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns.
The Patriots rank 27th in total offense (282.7 yards), 29th in yards per play (4.46), 26th in rushing (83.7), 22nd in passing (190.0) and 31st in points (12.0).
This should not be surprising.
Bill Belichick has used two first-round picks on skill position players in the last five years, and neither has worked out.
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N’Keal Harry, the 31st pick in 2018, caught 57 passes for 598 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons with the Patriots. Jones has no long-term future in New England. Tyquan Thornton, a second-round pick in 2022, has one catch for six yards this season.
Former New England Patriots players critical of Bill Belichick
New England’s inept offense means the Patriots frequently play from behind. They trailed Philadelphia 16-0 in the first quarter and Miami 17-3 at halftime. Dallas led the Patriots 28-3 at halftime, and New Orleans was up 21-0.
Even Las Vegas led 13-3 at halftime before winning 21-17.
“It’s hard to play from behind. That’s not the way you want to play in this league or any competitive sport I can think of. We have to do a better job,” Belichick told reporters. “It’s a team thing. It’s not one particular thing. When we get opportunities early, we haven’t taken advantage of them. We have to do a better job. It’s coaching. It’s playing. It’s all of that.
“We haven’t done a good job of getting control of the game early, and that’s made the rest of the game harder.”
Understand, only seven players remain from the team that won Super Bowl LIII in 2018: center David Andrews, receiver Matthew Slater, linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, cornerback Jonathan Jones, defensive tackle Lawrence Guy, defensive end Deatrich Wise and long snapper Joe Cardona.
The New England Patriots are so bad some of Belichick’s former players are criticizing him.
“This is just my personal feeling on what should happen,” former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi said on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown. “I want him to coach his ass off this season and get six, seven wins, right?
“Have them playing respectable by the end of the season, and walk away. That’s what I want my former coach to do. … Shula doesn’t matter. You’ve got multiple Super Bowls over Shula. You’re a better coach.”
Don Shula has 347 wins, and Belichick has 330.
Former linebacker Ted Johnson blamed Belichick’s motivation skills.
“I’ve always said the good coaches, the best well-rounded coaches, are coaches that are not only the smartest guys in the room from a schematic standpoint, game-planning, scouting, in-game management standpoint but also really good motivators,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to be able to motivate and push buttons and get guys to play above themselves if you can.”
None of that matters, though, if there’s a talent deficit.
Jean-Jacques Taylor is the NFL Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter. He’s the author of Coach Prime: Deion Sanders and the Making of Men.