New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick doesn’t regret most of his decision-making in his team’s 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, including his questionable decision to go for it on fourth-and-3 instead of kicking a field goal on a red zone drive in the fourth quarter.
But there was one play he admitted he might like to have back, when appearing on “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday morning.
That play was the decision to go for it on fourth-and-17 instead of punting the ball back to the Eagles in the fourth quarter.
“Fourth-and-3, down by eight—I don’t have any regrets on that one. Fourth-and-17, looking back on it, you know, we had three timeouts—might have punted that one,” said Belichick. “I don’t know how much field position we would have gained, but fourth-and-17…that was tough.”
Bill Belichick explains the decision behind the Patriots going for it on 4th down. pic.twitter.com/PHoRMSoMMr
— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) September 11, 2023
It was a heartbreaking season-opening loss for a Patriots team that put up a serious fight against an opponent many believe to be the favorites to win the Super Bowl.
Some of the decisions were questionable, and there were plenty of self-inflicted mistakes that likely cost the Patriots a monumental upset victory in their home opener.
But lingering in the rearview is detrimental to the progress the team displayed on both sides of the ball. As CBS analyst Tony Romo put it on Sunday, this Patriots team could be “for real”.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]