The worst season in the Bill Belichick era for the New England Patriots came to a painful end on Sunday against the archrival New York Jets.
A snowstorm swooped over Foxborough and gave way to an ugly four quarters of football that ended with Jets running back Breece Hall rushing for a 50-yard touchdown and doing snow angels on the ground.
With the win, the Jets ended a 15-game losing streak to the Patriots.
For New England, the loss guarantees a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and it could also spell the end for Bill Belichick as the Patriots’ head coach.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots played as tough as they have all season, holding Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian to only 70 yards passing in the game. But as great as the unit has been for New England, they struggled to slow down Hall, who cashed in on 178 rushing yards with a career-high 37 carries.
On the other side, the Patriots got away from their ground game and leaned too much on Bailey Zappe’s arm. The second-year signal-caller went 12-of-30 for 88 yards and two interceptions, while running back Ezekiel Elliott only had 13 carries.
It was a confusing game plan given the conditions on the field. If anything, it was simply a disappointing end to an overall disappointing season.
The Patriots’ coaching staff could look completely different in 2024. Their roster is also expected to get a major shake-up with the possibility of a new regime coming in, along with the bevy of money the team will have to spend.
Even if this was a cold, icy end to an era, a few good decisions will surely help this once esteemed franchise find sunshine and warmth once more.
