'Frostboro' Farewell: Belichick, Patriots Buried By Snow, Jets
Enduring a Sunday snowstorm wearing a heavy coat, hood and balaclava, Bill Belichick was barely recognizable. Unfortunately - in what was perhaps his final, futile game as head coach of the New England Patriots - his team looked all too familiar.
One of the most remarkable and successful coaching eras in the history of professional sports might have come to an end with a dreary climax at Gillette Stadium: Handcuffed by driving snow and one of the worst offenses in franchise history, Belichick's Patriots absorbed the indignity of losing to the New York Jets, 17-3.
It was the Pats' first loss to the Jets since 2015, breaking a 15-game winning streak. The defeat also shoved Belichick into a dubious mark: His 165th regular-season loss and 178th overall both tying records for the most in NFL history.
The combination of wintry weather and a woeful offense totally buried New England into a snowbank. After a failed Patriots' fourth-down attempt from midfield, Greg Zuerlein's 32-yard field goal pushed the Jets' lead to 9-3 with 8:08 remaining.
As it has been for almost half of the season, asking the offense to score a touchdown was a task too tall. Finishing last in the NFL in points scored for the first time since 1990, they were shut out twice at home and held to one touchdown or less in eight of their 17 games.
Quarterback Bailey Zappe - who was sacked six times and threw only 12 completions - was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter before Breece Hall's 50-yard touchdown run with 1:47 remaining finally put the Pats out of their misery.
In this one, snow was the big winner, hampering both teams. But while Hall slid his way to 174 yards rushing on 36 attempts, the Patriots could only manage 120 total yards and six first downs on 58 plays.
A season that began four months ago at Gillette Stadium with a tribute to legendary quarterback Tom Brady, ended mercifully with flurry-filled Foxboro farewell to Belichick's sad snow angel.
The most important "final score" comes Monday, when Belichick meets with owner Robert Kraft in a summit that will determine the future of the coach and the direction of the franchise. The consensus opinions - and reporting - point to Belichick and the Pats parting ways, whether via firing, a trade or perhaps even an unlikely retirement by the future Hall-of-Fame coach.
In an unprecedented 24 seasons in Foxboro, Belichick is 296-133 including a record 31 playoff wins, 17 AFC East titles, nine Super Bowl appearances, six championships and three Coach of the Year awards. The 71-year-old has coached in the NFL in some capacity for 49 consecutive years, dating back to being a special assistant with the Baltimore Colts in 1975.
This season, however, was hideously horrible.
In the worst season of Belichick's 29-year career as a head coach, the Pats went 4-13 to finish last in the division and the AFC. Among the lowlights: It's the most losses ever for Belichick in a season, most defeats for the Patriots since they went 2-14 in 1992 and the worst campaign of Kraft's tenure as owner.
The Pats last won a Super Bowl in the 2018 season, and since the departure of Brady after the 2019 season they are 29-39 and without a playoff win. For the first time since 2000, New England has no players going to the Pro Bowl.
Belichick fell to 38-12 against the Jets in New England, finishing with a worse record than New York for the first time since 2000.
The Patriots' offense capped a disastrous season with a fittingly hapless performance. New England went all 18 games without scoring 30 points. They scored only 236 points, tied with the 2-15 Carolina Panthers for fewest in the league.
Injuries, of course, helped de-fang the Pats. They played in this game without their leading rusher (Rhamondre Stevenson), receiver (Kendrick Bourne), tight end (Hunter Henry), offensive lineman (Trent Brown) and Week 1 starting quarterback (Mac Jones). Benched multiple times during games and finally demoted behind Zappe, Jones was inactive for this finale as a healthy scratch.
The Jets took a 3-0 late in the first quarter on a 21-yard field goal. Their possession was set up by a wobbly 37-yard punt by Pats' rookie Bryce Baringer, one of the team's lone bright spots this season with a 50-yard kick in all 18 games and a 63-yarder on a previous boot.
In the first quarter the paltry Pats' offense ran 12 plays for minus-7 yards, their lowest total since 1992. In the first 15 minutes New England had no first downs and four punts.
The Patriots tied it a 3-3 early in the second on rookie Chad Ryland 30-yard field goal, capping a drive set up by Jalen Reagor's 33-yard catch. The Pats thought they had a touchdown, but tight end Mike Gesicki's attempt at a miraculous, sliding catch in the end zone ended with the ball being jostled onto the snowy turf.
New York countered with a 40-yard field goal by Zuerlein for a 6-3 lead. Zuerlein's 49-yard attempt caromed off the left upright just before halftime.
The Pats had a chance at a big play early in the fourth quarter, but on 4th-and-1 from midfield Zappe's pass to open tight end Pharoah Brown was woefully underthrown and broken up for an incompletion.
