The New England Patriots took another step towards cementing their status as the worst team in the NFL for the 2023 season in Week 12 when they lost a battle of mediocrity with the New York Giants by a score of 10-7. After losing 10-6 to the Indianapolis Colts back in Week 10 prior to their bye week, it's clear that Bill Belichick's squad is the worst team in the league.

The 2023 season has been an absolute nightmare for the Patriots and their fans. This was supposed to be the season where Mac Jones and company took a step forward on the field. Instead, everything has fallen apart in Foxboro, and unfortunately, all roads lead back to Belichick when trying to figure out where everything went wrong.

Given all that he has accomplished with the Patriots since taking over back in 2000, Belichick is widely regarded as the greatest NFL coach of all time. And yet, the 2023 season cannot simply be ignored. This campaign has been so bad that it's fair to wonder whether or not it should, or will, have any sort of lasting impact on Belichick's coaching legacy in the game of football.

The struggles of the 2023 Patriots fall on Bill Belichick's shoulders

Bill Belichick with a sunset behind him

Ever since the departure of Tom Brady, the debate among NFL fans over who was more important to the Patriots dynasty has raged on. While this writer is of the belief that comparing the legacies of the two most influential sports figures in the New England region is utterly pointless, it's probably time to assess how much Belichick's legacy has taken a hit based on this season, and what has transpired since Brady bolted for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A few poor seasons don't take away all the championships Belichick won, but it's tough to overlook the struggles of this since Brady left. In terms of roster building, Belichick tried, and failed, to recreate a similar defensive-minded team that could help their new quarterback in Jones grow into the team's starter of the future. And with his coaching, Belichick appears to have fallen a step behind, losing control of a locker room he has total control of over for the past two decades.

Every glaring issue on the Patriots leads back to Belichick. Jones is completely broken at quarterback, but that's typically what will happen when you shortchange him on offensive talent, constantly swap out his go-to coaches, and create a quarterback controversy for no reason. And since he's the general manager, all those decisions that have led to Jones' demise have come from Bill Belichick.

The 2023 campaign will get all the attention, but this is a season that has been years in the making. Belichick's roster building in recent years has been woeful, whether you want to look at his drafting or his strange decision to suddenly start shelling out tons of money for mediocre free agents. Say what you want about Belichick's coaching, but there's no way he can be the general manager of this team moving forward.

It was one thing when the talent was lacking in recent seasons and Belichick managed to keep the team competent, but he has completely lost his grip this season. Not only is this roster devoid of talent, but Belichick's coaching schemes are not working. This team makes so many mental mistakes, such as committing ridiculous penalties or making poor decisions (e.g. pretty much every interception Jones has thrown) that were not a part of Patriots football at one point in time.

There's no doubt Belichick is a football genius, but he's stuck in the past right now. He's managed to keep New England's defense somewhat competent this season, despite the rash of injuries they have dealt with, but what does it say that holding a Tommy Devito-led offense to just ten points is a bright spot? The Pats have spent the entire year throwing away games they probably should have won, thanks in large part to Belichick's poor coaching.

In terms of his legacy, again, you cannot erase six Super Bowls from his list of accomplishments. Brady becoming the best quarterback of all time obviously helped, but during the beginning of the Patriots dynasty, it's worth remembering that Belichick built a juggernaut around Brady to help him win his first three titles. Brady was obviously good, but for comparison's sake, nobody is going to say that Brock Purdy is the best player on the current San Francisco 49ers team, right? For a point in time, Brady was viewed in a similar light.

Belichick's contributions to the game of football have cemented his spot as a legend of the game, but it appears as if he may be set to leave New England a year too late rather than a year too early. There's no shame in that, but Belichick had a chance to prove that he could win without Brady after he left. Well, the results since his departure don't look particularly good, do they?

Again, debating who was more important between these two guys is futile, but in terms of Bill Belichick's legacy, he's probably going to suffer some blowback for this season, which is understandable considering how many NFL fans despise the dynasty he built in New England. But Belichick's prior accomplishments don't go away because of one bad season, and while this is a glaring mark on his resume, Belichick has done enough to overcome a nightmare season like this one that he can still be considered one of, if not the greatest, head coaches of all time.