Bill Belichick made puzzling decision at end of first half

Bill Belichick’s decision to let the clock run out at the end of the first half says everything.

The Patriots had three timeouts and potentially 90 seconds to take the lead in a 10-10 game before the half expired. Belichick let the clock bleed and ran the ball with no sense of urgency. Instead of the Patriots utilizing this crucial moment (like they always do), they played conservative and it haunted them at the end of the game.

Belichick clearly saw the risk higher than the reward, and that’s all that can be said about this stagnant offensive unit. He spoke about it after the game and gave an answer that didn’t really explain much.

“We’d see what kind of field position we got, and then if we could advance the ball, then we’d take them,” Belichick said. “But, we didn’t want to give the ball back with their timeouts at the end of the half, either.”

Brady offered a very simple response to it.

“We weren’t executing great, so I can understand the decision.”