NFL Open Thread: Nothing beside remains edition
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A commenter noted that this is the best NFL day of the week and there should be a thread, so here you go. Let us now acknowledge the end of the Patriots dynasty, so aptly symbolized by the dumbest play in NFL history:
It never feels good to count the Patriots out, given their time-honored tradition under Bill Belichick of simply finding a way. And at 7-7, following their baffling last-second loss to the Raiders on Sunday, the Patriots still technically have a shot at the playoffs, albeit a slim one seeing as the Bengals, Dolphins, and Bills are their final three opponents. But it’s time to call it–really, it has been time.
New England has never eclipsed average this year and it was all there to see even before the season started. Belichick was not playing four-dimensional chess by trusting the offense to Matt Patricia; it was a decision that played out exactly as everyone except Belichick expected it to. They are who you thought they were.
The surprise in all of this is that the Patriots seem like a poorly coached team. They’re sloppy—Belichick’s team is tied for the 10th most penalties, has committed the fourth most offensive penalties, and is tied for the eighth most presnap penalties. They don’t play to their strengths; despite being one of the better play-action offenses in the league (11th by total expected points added, according to TruMedia), they’ve run fewer snaps using play-action than every other team besides the Saints. They got caught tipping plays against at least two opponents this season. The quick game has been accused of sucking. They are particularly bad situationally; they’re 29th in third-down percentage, ahead of only the Panthers, Texans, and Broncos, and last in the league in both red zone percentage and fourth-quarter success rate. On Sunday, before losing a game on a play that became an instant contender for dumbest in NFL history, New England had would-be touchdowns called back on two straight plays because of a poorly timed timeout and a false start penalty on tight end Jonnu Smith. They also had a punt blocked that set up a Raiders touchdown before halftime.
Hiring Patricia was a disaster because there was no reason to believe he had any ability to run an NFL offense, but in a sense an even bigger disaster because it was clear evidence that Belichick had lost his compass. It might be time for a new challenge, and either way there needs to be fewer inept cronies if he keeps coaching.