Getty Bill Belichick looks on from the sidelines during Saturday's Wild Card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
The only thing chillier than the air during the Buffalo Bills’ blowout win over the New England Patriots may have been the postgame handshake between the coaches.
After the Bills sent him to the worst playoff loss of his career on January 15, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick didn’t appear to be in any mood for postgame pleasantries with his counterpart.
Video caught an abrupt exchange between Belichick and Bills head coach Sean McDermott after the final whistle, leading to some criticism for the Patriots coach.
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Belichick Criticized for Behavior
Just seconds after the Bills closed out the 47-17 blowout win over the Patriots with three kneel-downs — the only time the Bills touched the ball all day without scoring a touchdown — players and coaches took to the field for postgame greetings. McDermott made his way to Belichick, but the Patriots coach made a quick exit instead, leaving no time for the two to share any words.
Video of the exchange made its way to Twitter, where many criticized Belichick for his behavior.
“Unsportsmanlike conduct unbecoming a Coach,” one fan wrote.
Another fan on Twitter wrote, “Enough is enough with this guy. This is an almost 70 yr. old man that acts like a child half the time. The sorest loser ever. Treat coaches that best you w/ the same respect that coaches show you when you beat them!! Grow up & learn how to face the music in defeat!”
This is not the first time Belichick has come under fire for his postgame actions following a loss. He was criticized for not shaking Tom Coughlin’s hand after the New York Giants upset the Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl, and again for refusing to do a postgame interview after the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Patriots in the 2013 AFC Championship Game.
That snub earned Belichick some criticism from football analyst and former tight end Shannon Sharpe, who noted that other coaches have been willing to speak to reporters after difficult losses.
“There’s something to be said about being gracious in defeat,” Sharpe said, via CBS Sports. “We’ve seen the New England Patriots five times in the last 12 years be victorious. And we’ve seen the opposing coaches that lost come out and talk to our Steve Tasker. Coach (Bill) Cowher did it when [the Steelers] lost to them. We saw this last week [when the Patriots beat the Texans].”
Belichick may have been frustrated at his sudden turn of fortune against McDermott and the Bills. After dominating Buffalo for close to 20 years, the Patriots have now dropped four out of the last five including Saturday’s shellacking.
There could also be a simpler explanation for Belichick’s curt postgame interaction with McDermott on Saturday — the temperature. The game was one of the coldest in Buffalo’s history, played in single-digit temperatures with wind chills that dropped into negatives. Belichick had been outside for more than three hours by the time the clock hit zero, and the outcome was not in doubt for much of that time.
Belichick Shares Some Modest Praise for Bills
While he may have not made much time to chat with McDermott immediately after the game, Belichick did have some good things to say about the Bills after the game.
“They were too much for us tonight,” Belichick told reporters during his postgame presser.
The three biggest losses of Bill Belichick’s career all came against the #Bills.
1. 31 points, 9/7/03 vs. Buffalo
2. 30 points, 1/15/22 vs. Buffalo
3. 29 points, 12/28/20 vs. Buffalo
When asked about the poor performance for the Patriots on the field, Belichick instead deflected to praise the Bills and McDermott.
“We just couldn’t keep up with them tonight,” he said. “[They] certainly deserved to win, well-coached, team executed well, and we just couldn’t – just couldn’t do much of anything.”
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