3 Patriots Who Saved Their Jobs in Week 3 Win Over Jets
By Tyler Maher
There was an unusual amount of pressure for the New England Patriots to beat the New York Jets in Week 3.
With the Patriots off to their first 0-2 start since 2001, New England desperately needed a win against its division rival. In light of the Patriots’ recent dominance over the Jets, falling to 0-3 with another loss would have been unacceptable.
Fortunately, New England pulled out a gritty 15-10 victory against New York, although we had plenty of help from Zach Wilson. Still, this game couldn’t have come at a better time, and it probably saved some people’s jobs in the process.
Here are three Patriots who saved their jobs with Sunday’s win over the Jets.
3 Patriots Who Saved Jobs in Week 3
1. Bill Belichick
Following New England’s 0-2 start, many (myself included) were quick to point fingers at Belichick.
Yes, the six Super Bowl titles were awesome, but sports is a “what have you done for me lately?” business, and Belichick hasn’t done a whole lot. The Patriots haven’t won a playoff game in over four years and have a losing record dating back to late 2019. Patience is growing thin in New England, and there’s a sense that for the first time in decades, Belichick is coaching for his job this year.
While losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins were understandable (but still frustrating), a loss to the woeful Jets would have been major cause for alarm. Belichick has always dominated New York and hasn’t lost to the franchise since 2015. If you can’t figure out how to beat Wilson, who can you beat? Robert Kraft might have fired Bill on the spot if New England had lost.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Belichick topped the Jets again, extending the Patriots’ winning streak against them to 15 games. New England is in the win column and suddenly has a bit of hope heading into a tough road matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
Belichick is still on thin ice, but his job is saved (for now).