AP Photo/Michael Dwyer
The Patriots 2023 season ended in disappointing fashion with a 17-3 loss to the New York Jets. The loss snapped the Patriots 15 game winning streak against New York and it put a bow on one of the most disappointing and frustrating seasons in team history.
The team faces several questions as they embark on the off-season, most notably the future of Bill Belichick who is not expected to be back with the team. After the game in the post game press conference, Belichick sounded sick but also tired.
Here are seven points on today’s game.
1. Seemed like Belichick’s last game: I do not know if this was Bill Belichick’s last game but it certainly seemed that way both during the game and after the game with the post game press conference. There was definitely a sense of finality today. We will know more later this week but today could have been the last game of one of the greatest coaching tenures in NFL history.
2. End of the road for Slater: Today was Matthew Slater’s final game with the Patriots. Slater has not officially announced his retirement yet but you can tell before and after the game that this was probably his final game. Slater thanked reporters after the game and had poignant words for Bill Belichick and the organization in his post game press conference. If this was indeed his final game, it was an honor to cover him. Slater was not only a terrific player but more importantly, he was a terrific person. A class act.
3. Weather a factor: The weather was a factor in this game. It affected both teams. The Jets handled it better because they had the better offensive line and the better back in Breece Hall. Hall had a career high 37 carries for 178 yards and a touchdown. The Jets leaned on their defense and run game to win in ugly fashion.
4. Offense was abysmal: The offense was abysmal. The had 119 yards of total offense and only 6 first downs. The Jets defense is good but they are not that good. The weather was a factor but even if it was a nice day, the Patriots still lose this game because the offense simply had no answers for New York’s front seven. New England was 1 of 14 on third down. You cannot win playing like this. That is embarrassing. It was a fitting end to a terrible season offensively.
5. Winter wonderland: It didn’t seem too bad this morning when I came in but right before kickoff, the intensity of the snow picked up and the weather ended up becoming a factor like we knew it would be. It was the first snow game at Gillette Stadium since 2009 when the Patriots smashed the Tennessee Titans 59-0.
6. Defense plays hard once again: The defense once again played tough and kept the Patriots in the game but like most of this season, it wasn’t enough as the offense struggled to move the ball and only managed a field goal. The defense was good all season long. Unfortunately, the lack of offensive support wasted much of their effort this season.
7. Shoutout to the fans: Shoutout to the fans who weathered the elements and showed up today. It was tough sledding out there but the fans sucked it up and showed just how loyal they are to this Patriots team despite their record.