New England Patriots: Bill Belichick facing his greatest challenge

Following a shocking Week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots will take the road less traveled to the Super Bowl.

Don’t let the 12-4 record fool you.  This is a flawed New England Patriots football team and just about everyone, including fans know it.

Following what most would consider the worst regular-season loss in two decades, the genius that is Bill Belichick will have to gather his troops and prepare to go on an epic four-game run if they hope to capture their seventh Lombardi Trophy while the Belichick and Tom Brady duo are still in tack.

With a really good defense that was exposed the last few weeks, including to the Ryan Fitzpatrick led Miami Dolphins (gasp), and an offense that has yet to find an identity, Belichick and his coaching staff will certainly be put to the test.

That first test: The Tennessee Titans.

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In hosting an unfamiliar Wild Card game against a hot team coached by Mike Vrabel, the Patriots have to come to play or else they can see a similar fate as they did back in 2009 when Ray Rice and the Baltimore Ravens ran them out of Gillette Stadium and the first-round of the playoffs.

In ways, this 2019 version of the New England Patriots is similar to that 2009 team. But, unlike that team, Bill Belichick has confidence in this team.  Most importantly, he believes they can put a run together despite not getting the first-round bye.

"“I have a lot of confidence in this team,” Belichick said during his appearance on Ordway, Merloni & Fauria Monday, via WEEI.  “These guys have been through a lot.  They work hard.  Nobody feels good about (Sunday’s game).  I think they will move on.  I think they will respond, and they will compete the right way.”"

In all, Sunday’s shocking 27-24 loss should’ve wakened this team up, especially the defense that started to buy into all the hype.  It should’ve also put some energy into the coaching.  That’s right, the coaching needs to be better in getting these players in the right positions and making sure they are ready.  That does include Bill Belichick.

As great as a coach that he is, there are times that his genius can get in the way of victories.  That decision not to use three timeouts before the first half of Sunday’s game was a head scratcher.

With the team ultimately losing by a field goal, the lack of trust (or whatever it was) in the great Tom Brady and the offense to at least move the ball in range for a Nick Folk field goal ended up being just as costly as Brady’s pick-6 that put the team down 10-0.

But as Bill Belichick himself would say, it’s onto Tennessee and he has the great task of getting a team that is used to having that bye up and ready to battle physically and mentally.

"“This is the National Football League.  There are disappointments over the course of the season, that’s part of it,” Belichick added.  ‘There are ups and downs.  You have some big wins and you have some tough losses.  Moving on is part of what a good football team can do, or does, or needs to do.  Hopefully we’re in that category.”"

Hopefully, there is another run in this football team.  If last season’s run was masterful, this year’s potential run would be epic with the Titans, Patrick Mahomes, possibly Lamar Jackson and any one of a handful of great teams in the NFC standing in the way.

If Bill Belichick pulls this off, the “In Bill We Trust” mantra will never be challenged again.