It's not every day that Bill Belichick finds himself on the wrong end of headlines. Unfortunately for the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach, that's been the recurring theme all season long for him and the 2020 New England Patriots. After officially being ruled out of this year's playoffs with a tough loss against the Miami Dolphins in Week 15, New England dropped another L on Monday after the visiting Buffalo Bills blew them out of the Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots' 38-9 loss against Buffalo on Week 16 now guaranteed that for the first time since 2000, New England will finish the regular season with a losing record. To make matters even worse, their loss on Monday night was their third straight defeat.

After losing Tom Brady this offseason, everyone knew that this season will be the ultimate test for Bill Belichick and the rest of the Patriots organization.

Belichick and Brady put the Patriots on the map with 19 consecutive winning seasons from 2001-2019 winning six of their nine Super Bowl appearances. With Brady departing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season, the ship has clearly turned the other direction and even a future Hall of Famer in Belichick can't steer it back. Not even a former MVP in Cam Newton could help them.

With one game left in their 2020 season, the Patriots have a chance to at least end on a winning note as they face the 2-13 New York Jets. The Jets are riding a two-game win streak ahead of their Week 17 match-up against the Patriots while New England is looking to avoid their second four-game losing streak this season.

Though it might be way too early to call this the end of an era for Belichick and the Patriots, it sure feels like it.