The New England Patriots’ playoff hopes officially died Sunday when they lost 22-12 to the Miami Dolphins.
The Patriots will miss the postseason for the first time since 2008, the last year Tom Brady was not New England’s starting quarterback for the majority of the season. The Patriots won’t finish with a .500 record or better for the first time since 2000, the year before Brady became New England’s starting QB. The Patriots also missed the playoffs in 2002.
“I’m disappointed, but we didn’t deserve to win today, so,” Belichick said Sunday about missing the playoffs.
The Patriots are 6-8 on the season, so they could still avoid a losing record by winning out over the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. The Patriots last had a losing record in 2000, when they finished 5-11 in Belichick’s first season as head coach.
The Patriots were 6-6 and still in playoff contention two weeks ago after consecutive wins over the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers. They’ve now lost consecutive games to the Los Angeles Rams and Dolphins.
The Dolphins remain in the playoff hunt after Sunday’s win. The Bills won the AFC East this season.
