Al Michaels was just like the rest of us as he watched the Patriots do some very un-Patriots-like things during their 24-10 loss to the Bills on “Thursday Night Football.”
At the end of the first half, with the Patriots holding the ball and under a minute left, they faced second and 1 with two time outs. However, they called two consecutive run plays – first a handoff to Rhamondre Stevenson that was stuffed at the line of scrimmage, then a QB sneak on third down that forced Bill Belichick to burn his final time out.
Michaels, broadcasting for Amazon Prime Video, was stunned.
“We’re so used to seeing such judicious use of timeouts by New England. That was very odd,” Michaels said. “Not New England-like.”
As a result, the Patriots were forced to work the sidelines, and quarterback Mac Jones was only able to complete one more pass for four yards. They were forced to attempt a 48-yard field goal, and Nick Folk banged it off the crossbar, no good.
It’s not as if the field goal would have made much of a difference; Buffalo still ended up winning by two touchdowns. Still, Michaels was right – Belichick rarely makes these mistakes in-game.
New England is still having a solid season, currently sitting at 6-6 and one game out of the final wild-card spot. But perhaps Belichick – who has yet to win a playoff game since Tom Brady left – is starting to lose a step.
Or, perhaps he needs someone other than Matt Patricia, a former defensive coordinator and head-coach flameout, calling offensive plays. Mac Jones certainly seemed to think so.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
