Pathetic Patriots: NFL Promo Sadly Showcases New England's Lone 'Star' - Bill Belichick
The New England Patriots' season has gone so awry that they're taking losses on their days off.
Amazon Prime Video's latest edition of Thursday Night Football, featuring a crucial NFC matchup between Dallas and Seattle, brought about another sign of the Patriots' downfall ... this one all too literal.
New England (2-9) is set to play in next week's edition of TNF, facing the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Few, if any, will likely give the Patriots a prayer against the Steelers, who are in the thick of the AFC playoff picture.
That premium will dwindle even further if an Amazon promo delivers what it's advertising: an on-field matchup between fierce pass-rusher T.J. Watt and ... Bill Belichick.
Bill Belichick starred in the latest sign of the Patriots' downfall
Amazon Prime Video
Having Watt represent the Steelers is hardly surprising considering his status as the NFL's sack leader and former Defensive Player of the Year. But Belichick's inclusion in a spot normally reserved for star players is simply another source of gridiron schadenfreude for a football-loving public frequently bullied by New Englanders who might've occupied that spot years prior.
In defense of Amazon's marketing department, it's hard to advocate for any current Patriot to have replaced Belichick in the promo: Ezekiel Elliott certainly has name recognition, but has done little to resemble the player that won two rushing titles earlier in his career. Several potential young stars have emerged for the Patriots in the midst of the carnage but those breakthrough candidates (i.e. Matthew Judon, Demario Douglas, Christian Gonzalez) have fallen victim to injury.
A desperate case could perhaps be made for whoever gets the starting nod at quarterback for Thursday's game ... but even the Patriots themselves appear to be unsure of that. Neither Mac Jones nor Bailey Zappe are magnetic personas and players that will command eyeballs.
The NFL's television partners haven't been kind to the Patriots this week: on Wednesday, the league announced that a Monday night game between New England and the defending Super Bowl champion, current AFC co-runner-up, and Taylor Swift-approved Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 18 would be removed from ESPN's airwaves.
In its place goes another prime time game featuring the Seahawks, one where they'll face the NFL-leading Philadelphia Eagles. The Patriots-Chiefs is the first Monday night game in league history to be "flexed" out of its spot since the concept of swapping such games was introduced prior to this season.
Six days later, New England is still set to partake in yet another prime time game, as they're due to face the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve. In the meantime, they'll open December with a Sunday tilt against the Los Angeles Chargers (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
