FOXBORO, Mass. — Sunday’s New England victory was significant for both the Patriots as a team and Bill Belichick on a personal level.
By taking down the Jacksonville Jaguars and getting some help from the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots earned a spot in the 2021 NFL playoffs. The victory pushed New England’s season record to 10-6, which signaled the 20th time a Belichick-coached team has notched 10-plus wins on a campaign. Belichick matched the record set by a fellow titan of industry, Hall of Famer Don Shula.
Belichick was informed about the highly impressive feat after his team’s Week 17 triumph, but he did not bask in the glory.
“It’s flattering, but again, it’s really the players,” Belichick told reporters. “Players win games. Been fortunate to coach a lot of good, a lot of great players during that time. When you have good players, they can go out and win games for you, so it’s really — they’re the ones that win them. I’ve been lucky.”
Belichick on Sunday also took another step toward reaching Shula’s record for all-time coaching wins. The former now has 321 (including playoffs), only 26 behind the latter.
