For the first time since 2000 - Bill Belichick's first season in New England - the Patriots will finish in last place in the AFC East. As this is year four of life without Tom Brady, to say this is going in the wrong direction would be an understatement, but here they are, with a significant decision looming at season's end, and then the trickle-down effect from the coaching staff to the roster. Very few should feel safe. That's what 4-12 dictates.
In the interim, the Pats continue to give effort, even as the defense has had to clean up one mess after another created by both the offense and special teams. Today in Buffalo was no different. The four first-half turnovers were the most in a single half in the Belichick era, almost singlehandedly responsible for the 6-point halftime deficit. And Chad Ryland proved unreliable one week after his Christmas Eve miracle, missing a 47-yard field goal before halftime, then a 53-yarder a quarter later (though a delay of game call erased it).
"Obviously a terrible first 20 minutes," said Belichick. "Turnovers are a big story of the game. ... they had a big edge there."
"It was more about us than it was about them," said David Andrews, "There's an old saying, you (can't) win til you keep from losing around here. That first half was just - you can't do that. You can't turn the ball over four times."
"If you take away those four turnovers, what happens?" asked Bailey Zappe. "Who knows? Can't go back. Can't change it. Just gotta move on. Gotta fix those mistakes and get ready for another great team and another great defense in the Jets."
The Pats have been harping on fixing those issues since week one. No such luck. They are a minus 10 in turnover differential, another first in Belichick's tenure. They had never once finished in the minus category in all prior years. You could - and did - heap a lot of that blame on Mac Jones for the first 12 games of the season. But Zappe has also been responsible for a fair share in two of his five starts. Considering how impotent this offense has been for the better part of the year, you generally know how the game will play out.
"We're putting them in impossible positions," said Andrews. "Obviously, last week started the game off that way, and they made a great stand. Then, to make the stands they did this week, they can't do anything about the pick-six... They were playing their tails off. That's more on us than it was on them. They kept us in the game."
The burden placed on this defense has been borderline ridiculous for much of the season, and even with improved production under Zappe, it's remarkable that very few fingers haven't been pointed publicly.
"You gotta have mental toughness," said Deatrich Wise when asked how the defense has handled the constant pressure. "Wherever the ball is placed, our job is to defend the end zone and the red zone and prevent them from scoring the ball. It's not really challenging for us. We are built on mental toughness. We have tough, strong, and dependable players. That's kind of our motto here. We don't really care where the ball's put. Just put it down, and let's play ball."
They've done that and kept their competitive edge, even as all they are left to play for is personal pride and the next contract or next coaching staff (if, in fact, there is one).