Bill Belichick Fires Shot At Patriots For ‘Questionable’ Decisions

Patriots fans were perplexed to see Bill Belichick not mention his former team’s Week 1 victory, but that tune changed after New England’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Belichick’s lone mention of the Patriots’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 was his praise for Keion White. But when he was on ESPN2’s “ManningCast” on Monday, he referenced New England’s Week 2 matchup while discussing the Atlanta Falcon’s game plan before halftime.

“We saw several games this weekend where that was really a factor, certainly the New England-Seattle game where Seattle scored right before the half, ultimately took it into overtime,” Belichick told Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, per Audacy. “That was a big three points they picked up there with some, let’s say, questionable clock management.”

The Patriots started their final drive of the first half with 1:28 to go on their own eight-yard line. Jacoby Brissett and the offense had one timeout to work with, but after a two-yard run, the quarterback threw two incomplete passes. New England punted the ball with 35 seconds to go, and Seattle got a solid return to set up its offense with three timeouts. The Seahawks’ field goal before the half put them up 17-13, which set them up well when they got the ball in the second half.

That might not have been the sole reason the Patriots lost in overtime, but it was a strange moment for an offense that came under scrutiny after Sunday.

Belichick’s comment Monday showed he is willing to talk about his former team, but how he does so and what he says might not please all New England fans.