New England Patriots' Bill Belichick Finally Gets Win No. 300
It only seems fitting that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick reaches a major milestone in arguably the most difficult season of his career.
With his Patriots upsetting the division-rival Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Belichick earned his 300th career regular-season victory. The win even came in classic Patriots fashion, with Mac Jones engineering a two-minute drill reminiscent of New England's glory days. To reach such an important milestone in such a poetic way only seems fitting for arguably the greatest coach to ever do it.
Belichick is now just the third coach in NFL history to reach 300 regular-season wins, trailing only Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318).
After the game, Patriots players were quick to congratulate their coach on his latest feat.
Belichick celebrates one of his six Super Bowl titles in New England.
USA TODAY SPORTS
"He's probably the best to do it," said safety Jabrill Peppers, who had a key interception early in the game. "He coaches the right way. He knows how to push the right buttons to get guys going."
For a coach as accomplished as Belichick, the 2023 season has not been kind to him. The Patriots' 2-5 start is their worst since 2000, Belichick's first year at the helm. Two of their losses, a 38-3 beatdown against the Dallas Cowboys and a 34-0 shutout against the New Orleans Saints, were the worst defeats of Belichick's career.
While the Patriots' continued to struggle, Belichick's job security came into greater question. It seemed unthinkable to fire arguably the greatest coach of all time, but many reports emerged that the Patriots were considering, if not planning, to move on at the end of the season. Belichick apparently signed an extension in the offseason to stick around, which was revealed on Sunday morning, but the media's questions about his job status likely won't stop any time soon.
For a moment, though, all of those questions faded away as the Patriots celebrated a key win and Belichick a historic milestone.
