Now standing at 2-9, the final few games of the Patriots’ season are a chance for coach Bill Belichick to “show why he should remain in charge of making all football-related decisions” for the team, according to Chad Graff of THE ATHLETIC. It “can’t just be about resting on his six Super Bowl rings” -- not when the Patriots have “become a laughingstock.” The results so far have been “downright embarrassing.” Even if owner Robert Kraft “hasn’t said anything publicly” about the job security of Belichick, anyone following the team “knows that Belichick’s seat is plenty warm.” Kraft “expected this season to end with a playoff berth,” but instead, his franchise has “become a mockery” (THE ATHLETIC, 11/26).
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY: In Boston, Ben Volin wrote it has “gotten so ugly” in Foxborough that it is “fair to ponder if there is a stare down” between Belichick and Kraft. QB Mac Jones, who “crossed the coaches in 2022 but is a favorite of Kraft’s, should have lost his starting job weeks ago.” Yet Belichick keeps “trotting out Jones as the starting quarterback, only to see him get embarrassed each week.” Yesterday’s game against Giants marked the “fourth time that Jones was benched this season for performance.” Belichick also has “become a piñata, getting bashed each Sunday and losing a little more luster with each defeat.” Volin wrote the “humane thing” would be for Kraft to “fire Belichick now and let the future Hall of Fame coach keep his dignity.” Instead, Kraft is “letting Belichick twist in the wind, and appears ready to let Belichick end his tenure with a humiliating record” (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/26).
Bill Belichick's hot seat continues to get warmer as the team sits at 2-9 after owner Robert Kraft expected to be a playoff contender this yearGetty Images
