Patriots lose to Jets, 17-3, in what may be Bill Belichick's last game with New England
FOXBORO -- It's over. The 2023 Patriots season is over, as is the team's 15-game win streak over the New York Jets.
Both came to an end Sunday with the Patriots falling, 17-3, to the Jets on a snowy day in Foxboro. Now, everyone is left wondering if Bill Belichick's run in New England is also over.
The Patriots finish their disappointing season at 4-13, the team's worst record in Belichick's 24 seasons on the job. Belichick is set to meet with owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft in the coming days to discuss his future in New England.
Sunday was Belichick's 429th game as head coach of the Patriots, a run that saw him bring six Super Bowl titles and 296 victories (regular season and playoffs) to New England. But the Patriots have gone just 29-38 since Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay in 2020, and haven't won a playoff game since their Super Bowl LIII win over the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. New England has made it to the playoffs just once since Brady departed, and got crushed by the Buffalo Bills, 47-17, in the Wild Card Round to close out their 2021 season.
If Belichick's run in New England is over, it ends with the team's first loss to the Jets since 2015. It would end with a dud of a performance at the end of a dud of a season for New England.
In the silver linings department, Sunday's loss did secure a top-three pick for the Patriots in the 2024 NFL Draft. Now we'll wait to see who will be making that selection come April.
Gillette Stadium looked more like a snow globe than an NFL stadium on Sunday, and both offenses struggled to do much of anything in the near-whiteout conditions. The Patriots started the game with four straight three-and-outs, and had a net total of negative-7 yards over their first 12 offensive plays.
New York went three-and-out on three of their first four possessions, but their third possession started at the New England 38-yard line after a shaky punt by Patriots rookie Bryce Baringer. That drive stalled at the three-yard line though after Trevor Siemian overthrew Tyler Conklin in the end zone on third down, and the Jets settled for a 21-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter.
The Patriots evened that score a few drives later, putting together a 10-play drive that was highlighted by a 33-yard connection between Zappe and receiver Jalen Reagor on a third-and-4. New England had the ball at the New York 12-yard line and Zappe hit Mike Gesicki in the end zone on third down, but Jets safety Tony Adams was able to rip the ball from the tight ends grasp before they hit the ground. Chad Ryland connected on his 30-yard attempt to tie the game at 3-3.
Greg Zuerlein gave New York a 6-3 lead with a 40-yard field goal later in the second quarter, but the blustery wind inside Gillette Stadium caused him to miss a 49-yard attempt late just ahead of halftime. The Jets took that 6-3 lead into the locker room as the Patriots' offense mustered just two first downs yards and 69 yards before the break.
Conditions worsened in the second half, and stadium workers had to use blowers to clean off the line makers between changes in possession.
That all led to plenty of dropped passes, iced-up cleats that required the use of snow brushes to clear up, and players slipping all over the field for both teams -- but very little offense. Neither team scored in the third quarter, with each punting three times. The two teams combined for just 56 yards of offense in the third, with two first downs apiece.
The Patriots had just 95 yards of offense entering the fourth quarter, the team's fewest yards through three quarters since the 2001 season. Reagor picked up 17 yards on an end-around carry on the first play of the fourth, giving him the two biggest plays for New England on the afternoon, but the drive ended a few plays when Zappe's fourth-and-1 pass to Pharaoh Brown fell incomplete.
Zuerlein added a 32-yard field goal midway through the fourth to make it a 9-3 game, and the Jets went for the kill on a fourth-and-1 at the New England 37 with 3:43 to play. But Anfernee Jennings stuffed Breece Hall for a two-yard loss, and the Pats took over at their own 40.
Zappe was picked by Ashtyn Davis a few plays later, but the Jets safety fumbled as he tried to race up field, and New England's Vederian Lowe at the New England 41-yard line. After both teams went turnover-free the first 57 minutes of the game, they each committed one on the very same play.
Fittingly, Zappe threw another interception on his next pass, sending it right to Tony Adams' breadbasket over the middle of the field as he went looking for Raegor. It was the 21st interception thrown by a Patriots quarterback this season.
Hall broke free for a 50-yard touchdown a few plays later, and finished his afternoon with 174 yards on the ground.
If this is the end, it's a disappointing finish to an incredible run for Bill Belichick. It's the worst season for the Patriots since the team went 2-14 in 1992.
