FOXBORO, Mass. — One of the most surprising storylines of the New England Patriots’ 2018 season is the recent struggles of longtime consistently dependable safety Devin McCourty.
McCourty has let up four touchdowns over the last two weeks — two against Indianapolis Colts tight ends in Week 5 and two against Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill in Week 6.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick still believes in McCourty, however.
“Devin’s still one of our best players,” Belichick said Friday.
Belichick continued his answer, though his message was unclear.
“Yeah, three bad plays cost us 21 points,” Belichick said. “Two on defense, one in the kicking game, so hopefully we can — I mean, there were plenty of other plays too, but 21 points — throw 21 points out there on three plays, it’s hard to have a good day when you do that.”
It’s likely Belichick is talking about his team’s performance against the Chiefs, in general. Cornerback Jason McCourty allowed a 67-yard touchdown catch to running back Kareem Hunt, and safety Duron Harmon let up a 75-yard touchdown catch to Hill. Kansas City’s Tremon Smith returned a kickoff 97 yards that set up one of the touchdowns given up by Devin McCourty.
The question was about Devin McCourty, however. So, it’s possible Belichick is talking about the two touchdown catches allowed by Devin McCourty, plus the 97-yard kick return. Devin McCourty was supposed to be the last line of defense on the kickoff coverage unit, but he whiffed on a tackle on the sideline then had to chase Smith down the field to the Patriots’ 3-yard line.
Regardless, Belichick publicly stated his confidence in Devin McCourty, a veteran who’s highly unlikely to relinquish his role as a starter anytime soon.
