Patriots prove they weren't playoff-worthy in season finale vs. Bills

BOSTON -- By several measures, Sunday was the best showing of the season for the New England Patriots. And, considering the performance came in a 12-point loss, that is quite telling.

They scored 23 offensive points, they converted third and fourth downs, they capitalized on red zone trips, and they looked actually capable of competing with a top-tier NFL team. For a while, anyway.

In the end, the Patriots showed they weren't good enough to really go toe-to-toe with the Bills, proving they weren't really worthy of securing a spot in the AFC playoffs.

Their kickoff team was so bad that it resorted to having Nick Folk try to sneak a squib kick down the field to prevent the chances of a third kick return for a touchdown. That the squib itself sputtered out of bounds only accentuated how dire the kickoff situation was for Bill Belichick's team.

The offense showed plenty of life, but in the end, three of seven second-half possessions ended with interceptions, and two ended with punts. That came after the Patriots laid down their arms before halftime instead of trying to score. The offense looked as functional as it has in months ... and it still wasn't nearly competent enough to carry the Patriots to a win or anything close to one.

And after starting 3-for-5 on third down, the Patriots converted just one of their final eight third downs of the game. As it has for most of the year, a step forward was followed by a step back.

The defense can be forgiven for allowing an unbelievable touchdown connection between Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. But letting practice squad call-up John Brown get behind the defense for a 42-yard score? It's the type of lapse that non-playoff teams make.

And that, really, is what the Patriots are: a non-playoff team.

Many have said that for weeks ... or months. But now it's official. For the second time in three years, the Patriots will be spectators in the playoffs. And their stretch without a postseason win has been extended to four seasons.

In some sense, that may be the ideal outcome for the Patriots with regard to their long-term health. Team owner Robert Kraft issued a mandate of sorts prior to this season that a playoff win was needed for this year to be deemed successful. Getting blown out in Buffalo last January made that matter seem urgent. Now failing to even qualify for the postseason when almost half of the conference reaches the playoffs? It certainly drives home the reality that the Patriots aren't good enough.

Competing for a Super Bowl? Not even close.

Competing as a top team in the AFC? Not in that class.

Competing for just a playoff spot? That's about the ceiling for this team at the moment. For a franchise that got accustomed to hanging banners since the turn of the century, that's just not going to cut it.

What it means, exactly, we'll find out in due time. Certainly, Bill Belichick's experiment to implement Matt Patricia as the offensive play-caller was a failure. There's not one measure that could say otherwise. Massive changes on the offensive coaching staff have to be expected. 

Special teams, too, will need an overhaul, after the Patriots allowed three of the six kick returns for touchdowns in the NFL this season. Perhaps Joe Judge -- a good special teams coach who was improperly assigned to quarterbacks coach duties this year -- could take back his old position from Cam Achord.

At quarterback, Mac Jones was unable to make any progress after a very promising rookie season running Josh McDaniels' offense in 2021. While that's not what anyone wanted to see, his adverse coaching situation should be reason enough for the 24-year-old to get another chance running the offense for a capable offensive coordinator, with a complete offensive coaching staff there to support him and his teammates.

In terms of player personnel, Sunday sure did feel like a farewell for Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater. Two of the only players on the roster to have been a part of a Super Bowl season -- let alone multiple Super Bowl seasons -- their assumed retirements will leave a void in the locker room that can't easily be replaced. While some strong leadership can be found in some high-character players on the team, the departures of those two players will unofficially-but-also-kind-of-officially bring a close to the banner-hanging days in New England.

In the most important spot, Bill Belichick will turn 71 years old in April. The Krafts have said that Belichick has earned the right to coach the Patriots as long as he wants, so it's unlikely that anything has changed in that regard. Still, the Patriots have more or less been treading water since pushing Tom Brady out the door three years ago, as they're now 25-25 in the regular season and 0-1 in the playoffs in the post-Brady era. Failing to win a playoff game for four years is a normal reality in most NFL locales, but the standard established by Belichick for 20 years was much, much different. 

The appetite -- or lack thereof -- that Belichick has for a continued rebuild as he advances into his 70s will be the primary storyline surrounding this team in the coming weeks and months. And the leeway he's been given to run the team however he sees fit may have to be limited and adjusted by ownership. Because for three years running, the Patriots clearly have not been good enough.

That Sunday's game was both a 12-point loss and one of the Patriots' better performances of the season says all that needs to be said about the state of the team. Some significant changes are sorely needed.

You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.