Getty Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
The Week 4 Sunday night homecoming game featuring Tom Brady’s return to Gillette Stadium was everything we hoped it would be, unless of course, you’re a die-hard New England Patriots fan.
Despite a strong performance from rookie quarterback Mac Jones, Bill Belichick and company fell short to the G.O.A.T and the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 19-17, in a hard-fought and entertaining battle.
The Patriots had a chance to take the lead with under a minute remaining, but Nick Folk’s 56-yard field goal attempt smashed against the left upright to seal New England’s doom.
After the game, NFL Twitter exploded with reactions.
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Belichick Saw His Share of Post-Game Criticism
Author Aaron Gouveia immediately went after Belichick for his decision to kick a long field goal with Folk, who was nursing an injury to his plant leg.
There was no hesitation on Belichick’s part when it was time to make the decision to kick the long field goal, despite Folk’s injury and the rainy conditions. The Patriots could have tried to go for it on fourth-and-3, but rather than risking it, they elected to go for the ill-fated long field goal.
Props should go to the Bucs’ Lavonte David whose deflection on a third-down pass from Jones set up the fourth down. It was a huge play that not enough people are discussing.
CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones defended Belichick’s decision to kick the field goal.
I believe Bill Belichick knows his kicker. Definitely knows his offense was getting its teeth knocked in on third downs all night (and no fourth tries). He’s not above criticism but I’m not upset about the decision to kick.
David Abramo of Inside the Loudhouse took umbrage with Belichick’s “robot” approach to the postgame presser. After Jones’ strong day (31-for-40 for 275 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception) he felt Belichick should have gushed over his rookie a bit more.
Jones Held His Own vs. Brady
Ryan Spagnoli of Pat’s Pulpit lauded Jones’ performance. He acknowledged that while the loss was tough, Jones’ performance and that of the defense was reason for optimism.
This might be the truest take of the night. Almost no one expected the Patriots to stick this close to the Bucs on Sunday night, October 3. The fact that they did was a testament to the defense, which limited Brady to 269 passing yards and no touchdowns, and Jones who played about as well as you could’ve expected from a rookie.
The Patriots are 1-3, but the foundation is there.
Patriots’ Pass Defense Was Stellar, But Not So Much The Run Defense
Doug Moore of the Gridiron Experts gave the Pats’ defense its due, especially against the pass.
The #Patriots defense played really well, all things considered. They gave up only one touchdown & really limited the Bucs passing game. Brady completed just over 50% of his passes.
Judon & Barmore are going to be fun to watch (amongst others) on that defense for years to come.
The Patriots’ run defense was another story. While it appeared to be an all-hands-on-deck approach to slow down Brady and the Bucs’ passing game, Tampa Bay–like some of New England’s previous opponents this season–did their damage on the ground.
Tampa Bay lodged 119 yards on the ground for one score, and that included 90 from Leonard Fournette.
Patriots Get a ‘Gold Star’ in Defeat
All in all, NBC Sports’ Tom E. Curran came away impressed with the Patriots’ performance on a whole. He gave them a “gold star.”
I’d have to agree with this assessment. It’s hard to get excited about a team that is 1-3, but quite honestly, they probably should at least be 2-2, and with an extra yard or so on Sunday night, maybe even 3-1.
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