| One of the rarest artifacts in professional football is a Bill Belichick smile, and even when it comes, it’s not the kind of thing fit for a toothpaste commercial. The New England Patriots head coach doesn’t beam or grin, even when Super Bowl rings are collected or monumental victories attained. Yet it’s not often Belichick smiles at all during the regular season, so you knew something notable had gone down in freezing, wind-blasted Buffalo on Monday night, as the 69-year-old had a twinkle in his eye and happiness plastered across his face after a seventh straight win took his team to 9-4. Only Belichick himself knows what goes on inside his brain — that treasure trove of pigskin wisdom — but it was impossible to resist reading a little into how he reacted at Orchard Park as time wound down. The way he lit up with animation and genuine delight. The way he allowed himself to celebrate at a time of year when he usually doesn’t do so. Could it be that this was the night Belichick realized that what the statistics and standings now say is actually true — that the Patriots, a franchise seemingly destined for years of mediocrity and with a first-year quarterback at the helm, are actually the best team in the AFC and a real Super Bowl contender? Disbelieve it at your peril. The Patriots have now shortened to +750 with FOX Bet to win the Super Bowl, and they’ve figured out, well, basically everything. Remember the last time they lost? That was an overtime nail-biter against the Dallas Cowboys way back in mid-October. The discussion has changed a bit since then. Do you remember how the narrative played out when Tom Brady headed south in search of Florida sunshine? How the parting would give us insight into whether it had been Brady or Belichick who was most responsible for their six Super Bowl titles? And then, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won it all, how the question appeared to have been resolved? It was a moderately silly query to begin with but perhaps now we can get a bit closer to the truth. Maybe an all-time brilliant quarterback or an all-time exceptional coach can manufacture one Super Bowl with the weight of their own ability. To complete the ridiculous feat of doing it six times? Well, surely that takes both, which we should have realized all along. No one is questioning Belichick now, and this season has evolved into an absolute masterpiece. He’s playing the game at a different level, turning the potential weakness of a young and inexperienced quarterback into a strength. It’s been pure Belichick — evaluating the scenarios, calculating the probabilities, figuring out the best possible spot to put his team in at any given moment. That’s the nuts and bolts of NFL coaching, and he has more chops at it than anyone. “Belichick understands the assignment of NFL head coach on a week-to-week basis better than any coach in NFL history and exponentially better than any active head coach,” FS1’s Nick Wright said on “First Things First.” “Belichick coaches individual games as if before the game his family was kidnapped and the hostage-taker said, ‘The only way you’re seeing them again is if you win this game.’ “He doesn’t allow any superfluous details to cloud the singular vision of winning this game.” It doesn’t always look the same. The previous week, Mac Jones threw for a career-best 310 yards on 32 attempts in a free-flowing victory over the Tennessee Titans. On Monday, as the frosty gusts came in sideways, Jones was given license to toss it just three times, for two completions, against 46 run plays. It was the fewest pass attempts in franchise history and the lowest number any team had tried in the past 47 years. “We didn’t throw it a lot in high school,” Belichick deadpanned when asked if he remembered another game from any time in his career when passing was so out of vogue. The plan worked well enough to post 14 points, well enough, when combined with the ongoing excellence of the defense, to grind out yet another win. And well enough to take a firm grip on the AFC East and the overall No. 1 seed in the conference. And here the Patriots are again, primed for yet another divisional title, poised to strike, playing at their peak with the playoffs approaching and with Belichick’s tactical nous working at its optimal level. Sound familiar? It should. It’s the reality the NFL has lived with for the best part of two decades. Monday’s contest was one of the more unusual games you’ll find all season, but make no mistake about this: normal service has resumed in New England. A valid reason for a rare coach’s smile, if ever there was one. |
