Patriots Preview: Belichick’s Job Not on the Line

Things just don't seem to be getting any better for the Patriots.  After losing last weekend's game to the lowly Washington Commanders, the team is at another level of low.  This is a team that traded away two of their best defensive players, yet still made the Patriots offense struggle to get out of its own way.

Looking ahead to Sunday morning's matchup with the Colts, I asked ABC 6 Sports Director Nick Coit if the team might be out of sync because of the change of routine.  Coit didn't think so.  "It's not worse than a Thursday Night Football game.  At least they are still playing on Sunday.  They may be thrown off a bit by jet lag, but that's something that both teams will be dealing with, so it is an even playing field," said Coit.

The Colts are only 4 and 5, another sub .500 team.  A supposedly winnable game, right?  But the Commanders were supposed to be a winnable game last week.  "Here's the thing, you can't say that anymore about the Patriots.  You're thinking like it's the old days when you'd look at the schedule and count up the winnable games and for the most part you'd be right.  I hate to say it, but the Patriots are now the team that the other clubs circle on their schedule.  THEY are now the game other teams circle as "winnable."  Ouch.  That hurts.

Nick Coit has lost faith in the 2023 Patriots.  He can't see how anything substantial will change for the remainder of the season.  He's picking the Colts on Sunday.

Coit also addressed the growing rumors that a loss in Germany could spell the end of the long marriage between the Patriots and Coach Belichick.  "I can't imagine any scenario in which the Patriots fire Bill Belichick in the middle of the season.  Not as long as Bob Kraft is still running the show.  Not with the amount of respect Robert Kraft has for Belichick and the 6 Lombardi trophies sitting inside the Patriots Hall of Fame."

Is it time to start thinking about next season?  Translation should the Patriots start making decisions that would best set them up for a high draft pick?  In other words, should the Patriots start tanking games.

"Absolutely not.  These draft picks don't always pan out, and by tanking games you might be denying an opportunity for a young player to step up and become a star," said Coit.