This Brutal Patriots Stat Underscores Grim Reality Of Post-Tom Brady Era

No matter which way you slice it, the Patriots have fallen off a cliff since Tom Brady left Foxboro, Mass., in 2020. From the eye test to the stat sheet, New England has been a grossly inferior product without the greatest quarterback in NFL history under center.

But the Patriots, with Bill Belichick leading the way, don't really care about how things look. And they don't care about how their players fill the box score. All they care about are wins and losses.

To that end, we found a stat that perfectly illustrates the grim reality of New England's post-Brady era.

In 20 years with the Patriots, Brady posted just 64 regular season losses. In the three-plus years since Brady's departure, the Patriots have 33 regular season losses. So, just over half.

Yes, those numbers are a bit skewed by the introduction of the 17th game, and the fact that Brady didn't lose any games in 2007 (perfect season) and 2008 (ACL injury). Still, at this rate, New England would surpass those 64 losses sometime in 2027 -- if not sooner.

Overall, the Patriots are 27-34 since Brady left, including the playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills in 2021. At 2-8, they'd have to win out this season to finish the campaign with a .500 post-Brady record.

Not great!

However, the failures likely won't go unchecked. All signs point toward Bill Belichick departing as head coach this offseason, and Mac Jones' time as the starting quarterback appears to be over. New England also currently has a real shot at landing a franchise-altering pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

So, there could be better days ahead. But in the here and now, it's hard to imagine things getting any worse.