Ted Johnson joins Phil Perry to react to the Patriots defense’s inability to get off the field during the Colts’ 19-play game-winning TD drive on Sunday.
The New England Patriots weren't a good team at the end of Bill Belichick's long tenure as head coach, but you could argue they've been even worse since he left the franchise back in January.
The Patriots went 4-13 in 2023, which was Belichick's last in charge. They are 3-10 so far this season entering their Week 14 bye, and if you look at their remaining schedule, it's tough to envision New England winning another game.
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Belichick was asked about the Patriots' struggles during Monday's episode of the Let's Go! podcast with co-host Jim Gray, and the eight-time Super Bowl champion gave an honest assessment of his former team.
“Yeah, just haven’t done enough to win very many games on any level,” Belichick said. “They’ve had trouble on defense. One of the last-ranked teams on offense, if not the bottom-ranked. Missed some key field goals and some kicking plays as well.
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"So I’d say all three areas of the game just haven’t been good enough to win. And they still got a couple games left against Buffalo, right? They have a bye week this week, so maybe they can get a few things straightened out, but it’s just been a pretty inconsistent year. Just haven’t been able to do enough to win when they needed to.”
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Belichick then admitted he feels for the players on the current roster who are enduring this difficult season.
"There are a lot of people there that (I'm) very close to," Belichick said. "A lot of them that I brought there, especially defensively. Almost all those players are re-signed and most all the offensive skill players, too. So it's hard to see them going through that type of a season.
"There's nothing I can do about it, I mean, just sit back and watch it. But, of course, yeah, I feel bad for a lot of those guys, especially the defensive players. I know those guys work hard. They're tough and they care and they put a lot into it."
Belichick's criticisms of his former team are fair.
The defense has absolutely taken a step back from last season, although that unit has missed a lot of important players due to injuries and departures. Christian Gonzalez is playing like an All-Pro cornerback in his second campaign, but there aren't many other players exceeding expectations on that side of the ball.
The offense has looked much better with rookie quarterback Drake Maye under center, and his development has been very encouraging for the franchise. But aside from Maye, there's not much to like from the offense.
The young wide receivers have largely been ineffective. More specifically, rookie wideouts Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, who the Patriots selected in the second and fourth round, respectively, look like busts. New England's third-down offense and red-zone offense have been issues, too.
The Patriots have the toughest remaining schedule in the league, based on their final four opponents having a combined .708 win percentage. If the Patriots don't win another game, they will have back-to-back seasons of four or fewer wins, which hasn't happened to this team since 1967 through 1970.
