5 Patriots on the Hot Seat Over Final Four Games of Season

Something rare happened in Week 14: the New England Patriots actually won a game. Thursday's 21-18 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers was something that Patriots fans were waiting a long time for (seven weeks, to be exact) and it's given some of the fanbase a sense of optimism as the 2023 NFL season nears its end.

As for how rest of the campaign will play out, here's a look at New England's remaining schedule:

• Week 15: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
• Week 16: @ Denver Broncos
• Week 17: @Buffalo Bills
• Week 18: vs. New York Jets

While it's been nice celebrating a win for the first time in nearly two months, ending the regular season on a high note — especially against the above teams — is another question. After all, the Patriots have yet to win back-to-back games this season, meaning a single victory isn't enough to erase the 13 previous weeks' shortcomings.

With that in mind, here are five Patriots who are still on the hot seat over the next four games.

5 Patriots on Thin Ice Over Final Four Games

1. Bill Belichick

It isn't a secret that Belichick has been on the hot seat throughout the 2023 campaign. Despite all he's done for the franchise, fans have grown increasingly frustrated by his decisions on and off the field, which both played a role in the Patriots' abysmal 3-10 record through Week 14.

Belichick deserves credit for overcoming the Steelers on Thursday, but that's hardly enough for the fanbase to start believing in him again. Even after the win, New England is still scoring the fewest points (13.0 PPG) with the fourth-worst average scoring margin (minus-7.9 in the NFL).

The final four games of the year will reveal whether or not Belichick has much of a future with the Patriots. New England will most likely be the underdog in each of those matchups, meaning the 71-year-old head coach must find a way to stay competitive in each outing if he wants to keep his job.

While hanging with teams like the Chiefs and Bills will be tough, it's worth noting that seven of the Patriots' 10 losses this year came by only one possession. If Belichick can figure out how to keep that trend going, Robert Kraft & Co. might be inclined to give him another shot.

Otherwise, it could be a sad ending to one of the best coaching career's in league history.

2.Mike Gesicki

Despite having yet to miss a game this season, Mike Gesicki has been invisible more often than not in his debut season with the Patriots.

After a down 2022 season with the Miami Dolphins, Gesicki hoped a change of scenery would get him back on track. Instead, the former Penn State product has been less productive, hauling in only 21 catches for 182 yards and a touchdown through 13 games. His 14.0 receiving yards per outing is a drastic decline from the 45.9 he averaged in 2021, highlighting just how uninspiring he's been.

It's at the point where he's only averaged 14.3 offensive snaps over the last three games.

Even though you can blame the Patriots' quarterback struggles for some of Gesicki's woes, he isn't blameless. After all, fellow TE Hunter Hunry has still found a way to score five TDs thus far — tied for his second-best total over the last seven seasons.

Whether or not Gesicki turns things around, the good news is that he likely isn't a part of New England's long-term future. He's currently playing on a one-year, $10.9 million deal, meaning the only thing at risk here are Gesicki's chances of similar paydays down the line if he can't figure things out soon.

Hopefully, the 28-year-old TE figures out a way to help the Patriots look competitive down the stretch.

3. Josh Uche

Patriots fans had high hopes for Josh Uche after breaking out last season. Playing 15 games without a start, the promising linebacker finished his third NFL campaign with 11.5 sacks, 23 solo tackles, nine tackles for lost yardage, and two forced fumbles.

Fast forward to 2023 and Uche hasn't been nearly as effective. He's played 11 games (2 starts) thus far, tallying only two sacks, five solo tackles, and one tackle for a loss. You can't even blame a lack of playing time for the decline considering that he's averaging 22 defensive snaps per game this season compared to 24.9 last year — hardly a big difference.

After looking special in 2022, Uche has looked mediocre more often than not this time around, highlighted by the shift in the below Pro Football Focus grades:

Taking the Patriots' offensive struggles into account, chances are that Uche and the rest of the defense will see the field quite often across the next four games. His rookie contract expires at the end of the season, meaning he must use every opportunity he gets to prove that he belongs in New England's future plans.

4. Mac Jones

Like Belichick and many other Patriots, Mac Jones has been on thin ice for the majority of the season.

Once expected to be New England's quarterback of the future, Jones has been anything but that in his third professional season. He's played to career worsts in multiple statistical categories, including passer rating (77.0), completion percentage (64.9%), interception percentage (3.5%), and passing yards per game (192.7).

Jones might not have the best weapons or offensive line surrounding him, but he's done little to prove that he can win games on his own. That's why the Patriots are rolling with Bailey Zappe as their starting QB after the ex-replaced Jones four times this season.

Time will tell if the Pats give Jones another crack as the QB1 going forward. New England's offense plays much more confidently with Zappe under center, but Belichick is known for making head-scratching decisions and it wouldn't be that shocking if he gave Jones — whom the team drafted 15th overall in 2021 — one more chance in one of the final four games.

5. Chad Ryland

The Patriots made several changes over the offseason, including shaking up the kicking situation.

New England moved up at the 2023 NFL Draft to select Chad Ryland 112th overall, who soon became the starter when Nick Folk ended up being traded to the Tennessee Titans for a 2025 seventh-rounder in August. Considering all of Folk's experience, it was clear that the Pats had a lot of confidence in their rookie special teamer.

Unfortunately, it's beginning to look like the Patriots should've used that fourth-round pick on someone else back in April.

As of Week 14, Ryland has only connected on 66.7% of his field goal attempts. That's tied with Matt Ammendola for the second-worst in the NFL, only trailing Graham Gano (64.7%). The rookie kicker has also missed several crucial kicks throughout the season, including two of his three attempts from 50-plus yards.

Furthermore, the Patriots' 66.7% touchback percentage ranks 10th-worst league-wide, which drops to 61.9% at Gillette Stadium.

What hurts even more is that Folk has been balling out for the Titans. The 39-year-old kicker has nailed 96.0% (24-of-25) of his FG attempts with his lone miss coming from 51 yards out. That's without mentioning how his 56.6% touchback rate is the second-highest mark of his 16-year career.

Unless Ryland looks like prime Adam Vinatieri over the final four games, I won't be surprised if the Patriots explore other kicking options this offseason.

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