Bill Belichick has lost his fastball.
Add in the changeup, cutter and curveball. He’s lost those, too.
He used to own rookie quarterbacks. Now, Tommy DeVito, an undrafted third string rookie and pride of Cedar Grove, N.J., can tell all of his friends and relatives that he took down Belichick’s team.
Just when you think the Patriots have hit rock bottom, they sink to new depths.
But this game wasn’t so much about what DeVito did to Belichick’s defense, which held the Giants to 10 points in a 10-7 loss, the fourth straight for the Patriots.
It was more about the offense. It was about Mac Jones’ continued struggles, and Bailey Zappe not being much better in relief. It was about Belichick coaching scared because of his quarterbacks, and because he has little to no faith in the offense he assembled.
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The Patriots, now 2-9 with the worse record in the AFC, can’t compete when it comes to the most important position on the field. And because of that, they need to continue their losing ways so they can land one of the top quarterbacks in the draft.
If that wasn’t painfully obvious before, it should be by now.
As for Belichick, whatever has worked for him in the past, or whatever new tacts he’s attempted to try and get the team out of the rabbit hole, have all failed.
He’s out of pitches to throw.
Here’s the grades from the Patriots Week 12 loss to the Giants:
Quarterback : F
Bill Belichick tried to shake things up by not naming a quarterback. It didn’t work.
Mac Jones was just as bad as he’s been all year. And while Bailey Zappe provided an immediate spark, he had his problems as well.
After seeing Jones the whole year, you have to wonder what it’ll take to have him sit for a whole game, or find himself benched permanently.
It’s not working with him under center. He’s cooked. That seems obvious to everyone but Belichick.
His confidence is shot. He panics under pressure. He’s a turnover waiting to happen.
He threw two more against the Giants in one half. Both were terrible, ill-advised throws. He overthrew Demario Douglas on the first. His second came with the Patriots at the Giants 23. Instead of taking a sack, he threw the ball fading backward, and was easily picked off. He made a bad play worse. He just can’t get out of his way. His 12 interceptions are tied for the second-most among all QBs.
He’s now been pulled four times in 11 starts.
Zappe came in at the start of the second half, and immediately led a 60-yard drive. He didn’t do anything flashy, but was efficient and turnover-free. That didn’t last. He also threw a bad pick midway through the fourth quarter, with Giants defender Xavier McKinney essentially baiting him into making the ill-advised throw, stepping in front of JuJu Smith-Schuster for the swipe. That set up the game-winning field goal.
Zappe was actually lucky he didn’t have more interceptions. He had a tipped pass on the next drive that could have been picked off, and Bobby Okereke nearly had pick on a slant Zappe threw before Chad Ryland’s missed field goal.
Between Jones (12-for-21, 89 yards, no TDs, two picks, 27.8 passer rating) and Zappe (9-for-14, no TDs, one pick, 42.0 passer rating), it wasn’t nearly good enough on any front.
Running backs: A
Rhamondre Stevenson has quietly turned his season around. After a tough start, he’s really come on during the last three games.
While he still hasn’t notched a 100-yard game, he gave the offense a chance against the Giants by effectively pounding the rock between the tackles. He also did a good job gaining extra yards after contact. It was his best effort of the season, as Stevenson finished with 98 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and had the team’s lone touchdown. That came in the second half when he finished off an 11-play drive with a seven yard touchdown run.
Ezekiel Elliott added 46 yards on nine carries, as the Patriots rushed for 147 yards on 31 carries. Elliott also gained yards after carry, notably pushing for a first down after catching a pass. Tyquan Thornton also had one carry for three yards.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, the offense isn’t just about running the football.
Wide receivers: C-minus
Not very much to see here with the exception of Demario Douglas, who caught six passes for 49 yards and consistently moved the sticks before leaving with a head injury.
Since Kendrick Bourne went down to injury, Douglas has been the go-to-guy. But he’ll probably miss time after being on the receiving end of a vicious clothesline by Giants linebacker Cam Brown. If it’s a concussion, it’d be the rookie’s second of the season.
DeVante Parker, returning after missing time with a head injury made a few plays. He was targeted five times, caught three passes for 42 yards. As for JuJu Smith-Schuster, he had two catches for 10 yards, with one of those converting on fourth-and-four to keep the final drive alive in the fourth quarter.
Tyquan Thornton wasn’t quite as invisible as he’s been, but only caught two passes for 19 yards. He was targeted five times.
Kayshon Boutte added one catch.
Tight ends: D
No catches from this group. None. That was a first this season.
Mike Gesicki and Mac Jones weren’t on the same page. Gesicki was targeted twice by Jones. It appeared Gesicki didn’t run the right route on one play, but the throws also weren’t very good.
Hunter Henry, meanwhile, couldn’t help either quarterback, which was a rarity. He couldn’t get open. Ditto Pharaoh Brown, who has completely disappeared as a receiver, even though he had some early season success.
Outside of that, the trio provided some help blocking for the run game. Gesicki had a nice block on a 20-yard gain by DeVante Parker. Hunter Henry cleared out Kayvon Thibodeux for Rhamondre Stevenson’s 7-yard TD run. Henry and Brown were also used quite a bit to help keep Thibodeux away from the quarterback.
Offensive line: B
There was daylight in the A gaps all game long. Cole Strange, David Andrews and Sidy Sow did a nice job clearing paths for both Stevenson and Elliott. The group as at its best when grounding and pounding the football.
Strange was also Johnny on the spot, diving on a Mac Jones fumble to prevent another turnover.
Conor McDermott started at left tackle, but Trent Brown, who has been battling knee and ankle injuries, eventually was inserted in the third series of the game and played well.
Jones and Zappe were sacked once each. Jones was pressured on his second pick. While pass protection has improved, there were still a few leaks causing pressure for both quarterbacks. If Zappe didn’t miraculously escape the rush and shovel the ball to Stevenson for a gain during one drop back in the third quarter, there would have been another sack.
Defensive line: A
The Giants offensive line is one of the worst in terms of pass protection, but that shouldn’t necessarily diminish the Patriots six-sack effort. The defensive line generated plenty of push up front throughout the game.
Christian Barmore continues to be a force in the middle of the D-line. He had a sack, three tackles for loss, one pass defensed, and a quarterback hit.
Deatrich Wise posted a half sack while Keion White had a sack, along with five tackles including one tackle for a loss.
Perhaps more importantly, the Patriots were able to stop the one guy they set out to stop at the outset – Saquan Barkley, holding the back to just 46 yards on 12 carries. In all, the Giants were only able to rush for 58. That put the ball in DeVito’s hands.
Linebacker: A-minus
The linebackers worked well In tandem with front line, with Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai leading the charge. In all, it was probably the best game the front seven has played since losing Matthew Judon to injury Week 4.
Bentley, who missed the game in Germany, had a sack, while he and Tavai both had tackles for loss.
Anfernee Jennings, meanwhile, was in on the sack parade (1.5 sacks) while also adding four tackles.
Secondary: B-minus
Safety Jabrill Peppers once again made his presence felt. He had a sack, getting home on a blitz. He also recovered a fumble.
As for the corners, J.C. Jackson was a bit of a mixed bag. He bit on an out route, and that led to a 41-yard gain Jalin Hyatt. He also had a nice pass break up of a pass down the sideline to Hyatt. But Hyatt still managed five catches for 109 yards.
Jackson also led the team with six solo tackles. Myles Bryant also had a pair of tackles for loss.
Jonathan Jones, meanwhile, missed a tackle on Isaiah Hodgins touchdown, as Hodgins ran right through him. In all, DeVito was held under 200 yards passing.
Specialists: D
Chad Ryland could have tied the game at 10-all, but cranked a 35-yard attempt wide left in the closing seconds.
Keion White was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a punt that was fair caught, leading to the offense having poor field position.
Demario Douglas, meanwhile, lost hold of two punts, but neither fumble resulted in a turnover.
Bryce Baringer had six punts, leaving two inside the 20. He saved the grade from hitting the gutter.
Coaching: F
Bill Belichick had his offense playing scared.
There were no attempts made in the end zone on the final drive that resulted in a missed field goal. There was plenty of time on the clock. The offense was well within field goal range on the Giants 23, but didn’t take one shot to try and score a touchdown. What was the harm in going for the end zone once to try and win the game.
Belichick was playing for a tie. Not a win. And he didn’t even get the tie with Ryland missing the field goal. That’s what happens when bad teams play conservatively. They lose anyway.
In the first quarter, Belichick also opted to punt, instead of try a 54-yard field goal attempt.
Why draft Ryland, who is known for his big leg, and not make that attempt? Made no sense.
Beyond that, the Patriots had two weeks to prepare. Belichick used to rarely lose after a bye. Only he was beaten by an undrafted rookie third string quarterback.
And his “everyone be ready to play” ploy with theh quarterbacks didn’t work. Both Jones and Zappe weren’t good.
And what was that wild cat formation with Zeke Elliot, then Hunter Henry under center and Bailey Zappe out wide trickery trying to drive the Giants offsides on a 4th-and-1? All that did was take away a timeout the Patriots might have used late in the game.
Not the coaching staff’s finest hour.
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