Bill Belichick Foreshadows Patriots Changes After Latest Blowout Loss

Bill Belichick said the Patriots needed to “start over” after the Patriots suffered the two worst losses of his coaching tenure in rapid succession. Exactly what that meant, he wouldn’t say.

But one day after New England was spanked 34-0 at home by the New Orleans Saints, Belichick hinted that changes to the roster and/or coaching staff could be coming.

“We need to make some improvements from where we are, so we’ll see what all that entails,” Belichick said in his Monday morning video conference. “Haven’t gotten into it yet, but we will.”

The Patriots were outplayed in all three phases Sunday by a .500 Saints team that hadn’t scored more than 20 points all season. The previous week, they trailed the Dallas Cowboys 28-3 at halftime and went on to lose 38-3.

The combined margin of defeat in those two games: 72-3, with New England surrendering 69 unanswered points. The Patriots have gone 10 consecutive quarters without scoring a touchdown of any kind and sit at 1-4 for the first time since 2000.

“The main focus here is to get things better,” Belichick said. “To move the ball, to take care of the ball. To move the ball and score points. So, that’s really what we’re going to focus on.”

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The Patriots swung a trade last week to patch a defensive hole, reacquiring cornerback J.C. Jackson after losing stud rookie Christian Gonzalez to a season-ending shoulder injury. Two offensive positions in need of a boost are right tackle, which has been a problem spot since last season, and wide receiver, where the Patriots lack high-end talent and separation ability.

New England also could be shorthanded at the latter this week after Demario Douglas and JuJu Smith-Schuster left Sunday’s game with head injuries.

Smith-Schuster has been a major disappointment in his first Patriots season, but Douglas is an offensive bright spot, flashing more explosiveness and playmaking ability than any of his fellow New England wideouts. It was unclear as of Monday morning whether either will be able to play when the Patriots visit the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday.

If the Patriots’ current slide toward the NFL doldrums continues, Belichick himself could be on the wrong end of one such change. Team owner Robert Kraft said publicly in each of the last two offseasons that he expected New England to be at least winning playoff games, and this current squad doesn’t look anywhere close to postseason contention.