Bill Belichick ties worst season of coaching career with 11th loss
Bill Belichick is one of the most decorated and accomplished coaches in NFL history, but the 2023 season has pumped the brakes on the coach’s glory train.
With the New England Patriots’ 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, the team has 11 losses, tying for the most defeats he has been handed in his 29-year career as a head coach. With three games left in the season, the Patriots are now 3-11 with a .214 winning percentage, the lowest of Belichick’s career, which includes five seasons with the Cleveland Browns and 24 in New England. Belichick went 5-11 during his final year in Cleveland in 1995 and his first season with the Patriots in 2000.
The Patriots went up 10-7 in the first quarter after rookie linebacker Marte Mapu intercepted Patrick Mahomes. But New England couldn’t keep up with the defending Super Bowl champions from there.
Belichick has made his mark in the NFL history books as the only head coach with six Super Bowl rings. This season, he became the third coach in the league to reach 300 regular season wins with an upset of AFC East foe the Buffalo Bills. The win put him in the company of Hall of Fame coaches Don Shula and George Halas.
New England was eliminated from playoff contention in Week 14. Despite capturing a road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Patriots were knocked out due to the Cincinnati Bengals defeating the Indianapolis Colts. Per CBS, it’s the earliest the Patriots’ postseason hopes have been dashed since 2000.
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The 2023 season has been marred by a quarterback carousel between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. After a promising start to the campaign, a Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys rattled the defense. Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez suffered a season-ending shoulder injury and veteran linebacker Matt Judon was placed on injured reserve after hurting his biceps.
Bill Belichick’s performance without Tom Brady
The Patriots have been a shadow of themselves since Tom Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 season.
Belichick’s record without his star quarterback is 28-36. He has not won a playoff game since Brady’s departure.
In 2020, the Patriots’ first season without Brady under center, they went 7-9. It was Belichick’s worst season since he went 5-11 in his first year with the franchise. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
The Patriots went 10-7 in 2021, the first year played with 17 regular season games. They went back to the playoffs and lost in the wild-card round to the Bills.
In 2022, New England went 8-9 and missed the postseason.