Bad coaching decisions cost the Patriots a victory over the Eagles

The Patriots fell behind 16-0 right out of the gate and it looked like it was going to be a long evening. As it turned out, the Patriots came down to a toe tap by Kayshon Boutte on the 9-yard line from pulling off a monumental upset. Sometimes I wonder, in situations like this, if it would have been better if the Patriots got blown out instead of losing in the fashion they did - with poor coaching decisions.

This one hurt. And it hurts because it wasn’t the Patriots’ players that cost them the victory. They all played exceptionally well. This loss was all on the coaches, and more specifically, Bill Belichick.

Belichick made a few dubious decisions in the fourth quarter, but none was bigger than going for it on 4th and 3 at the Eagles’ 17 with 9:32 left in the game and the Patriots down eight, 22-14. A converted field goal would have cut the lead to five, relieving the Patriots of having to not only get a touchdown, but also a two-point conversion. It also gave the defense a little margin for error. If they gave up a field goal, the Patriots would have been right where they started out, down by eight, instead of being down two scores.

The Patriots were fortunate minutes earlier in the same drive when Hunter Henry made an amazing one-handed catch on 4th and 8 at Philly’ 36 yard line to keep the drive alive. The Patriots could have opted to go for a 53-yard field goal there, but it would have been difficult to trust rookie Chad Ryland making his first NFL field goal from that distance in that spot. The Patriots got lucky to convert that fourth down. A few plays later Belichick tried to push his luck and push all his chips in again on fourth down and let it ride.

The Eagles showed the importance of having a good kicker they trust. Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott made four field goals, including three in the second half from 56, 48, and 51 yards out. The 56-yarder tied the record for longest kick in Gillette by an opposing kicker.

Yet, the Patriots were averse to letting the kicker they spent a fourth round draft pick on to attempt a chip shot 34-yarder. Why make such an investment in a kicker if you are not going to use him? Had Nick Folk still been on the team, would Belichick have kicked a field goal in that spot? Folk, by the way, made five field goals for the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Would it have been more beneficial, if Belichick didn’t have faith yet in Ryland, to, I don’t know, keep Folk and cut one of his special team specialists like Ameer Speed or Chris Board? Did you hear either of their names at all on Sunday? Maybe keep somebody that could have made a difference?

Bill O’Brien wasn’t without blood on his hands, as the two plays leading up to the fourth down play were abysmal. Jones appeared to be in a rhythm passing the ball, but O’Brien chose to call two running plays on second and third down which got stuffed in the middle.

Belichick was reluctant to explain his decision making process after the game, mumbling something under his breath about there only being six minutes left and being concerned his team wouldn’t get the ball again in such good field position. You’d have to listen very closely to hear Belichick say that. But he was wrong. There were nine minutes left. And the way the Patriots defense was playing, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to get the ball back twice.

As it turned out, Jabrill Peppers would force Jalen Hurts to fumble two possessions later giving the Patriots the ball again, already in Philadelphia territory, after the Patriots had scored another touchdown, and the score now 25-20. The Patriots had a costly penalty negating a converted two-point conversion by Mac Jones.

There were other decisions, like the decision to go for it on 4th and 17 with a little over two minutes left and the Patriots with all their timeouts. There was the decision to give the ball as much as they did to Ezekiel Elliott who showed no explosiveness or burst whatsoever.

The players were not without blame as they committed some dumb penalties and dropped some balls. Mac Jones made some bad throws and showed no velocity on his throws. I still can’t believe Dietrich Wise so obviously lined up offsides on the second play of the game - a play in which the ball was snapped past Jalen Hurts and would have resulted in a big loss.

You are going to hear a lot about “moral victories” this week, but when I look at the standings I see columns for wins, losses, and ties. I don’t see a MV column for moral victories. These are the Patriots, not the Texans or Panthers. We, as a fan base, have come accustomed to excellency from the Patriots. Nice losses are not in our DNA.

Patriots' fans have long criticized GM Belichick for his poor drafts and failed acquisitions over the last decade. Is it now time to question if Coach Belichick has lost it as well?