To say that things are going poorly in New England would be an understatement. The Patriots fell to 2-7 on the season Sunday following a 20-17 loss to the Washington Commanders at Gillette Stadium. That defeat hands them the worst record in the AFC puts them tied for the second-worst mark in the NFL. These are uncharted waters for a Patriots team that has spent the early part of this century contending for Super Bowls but is now five games under .500 for the first time since the end of the 2000 season.
All of this has now led to some hard questions being asked around Foxborough, largely squared at Bill Belichick. While the head coach (and de facto GM) has been the architect of the franchise's dynastic run of six Super Bowl championships, it's also led to the 2023 version of the team. This current iteration of the club doesn't have a high ceiling of talent, holes in various parts of the roster and has also endured some questionable coaching decisions. From top to bottom, the season thus far has been a failure.
But what does that mean for Belichick going forward? Does this rock-bottom season lead to Robert Kraft taking drastic measures and moving on from the legendary head coach? Well, Belichick himself was asked if he felt like he was coaching for his job when speaking to reporters on Monday morning following the loss to Washington. As you may expect, the head coach wasn't extremely chatty about his situation and merely put the focus on New England's Week 10 opponent in the Colts.
When asked if he's been given any assurances from ownership about his job status for the rest of the season, Belichick said, "Yeah, my focus is on getting ready for the Colts." In a follow-up, he was asked if he personally believes he could be coaching for his job. To that question, he answered, "I'm going to control what I can control and get ready for the Colts."
Of course, Belichick isn't accustomed to being where his team currently sits. Earlier on Monday during his weekly appearance on WEEI, he did have a candid moment when saying that it is "probably up there" when specifically asked if this has been one of the more frustrating seasons of his career. With him looking at what would be his age-72 season in 2024, it's fair to wonder if this downtrodden season has him thinking more about retirement.
"I do the same thing I always do," Belichick said when asked during his presser if this season has diminished his desire to continue coaching, "I try to do the best I can to help our team every week."
New England is in the softer part of its schedule at the moment with an international game against the Colts in Germany set for Sunday before hitting the Week 11 bye. After that, the Patriots will face the New York Giants on the road before hosting the Chargers in Week 13.
