The New England Patriots have been a non-factor in the AFC playoff race for weeks, but Sunday marked their official mathematical elimination from contention. The timing of that elimination, however, is proving noteworthy.
The Patriots were officially eliminated by the Cincinnati Bengals’ 34-14 win over the Indianapolis Colts, even though they actually won Thursday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Week 14 elimination is the earliest the Patriots have been out of playoff contention since 2000.
2000 was, of course, the year before Tom Brady became the Patriots’ starting quarterback. It was also Bill Belichick’s first season as New England’s head coach, which nicely illustrates how remarkably consistent the organization has been for nearly a quarter-of-a-century.
To say the Patriots are not used to this sort of thing would be an understatement. That is why they are likely to take a long, hard look at things after what has been a very ugly season. That could even involve moving on from Belichick in some fashion.
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