Belichick’s greatest hits
On the precipice of 300 wins, here are his 10 best regular-season wins
FOXBORO — With a victory against the Browns today, Bill Belichick would notch his 300th victory as a head coach. Currently, he has 268 regular season wins and 31 in the playoffs.
Only Don Shula (347) and George Halas (324) have more total wins than the Patriots head man.
Of course, there would be added significance to Belichick hitting the milestone against the franchise that gave him his first head-coaching job in 1991. He’s had a lot of success against his former team, beating them 37 times.
While Belichick has 299 overall wins, NFL records only count regular-season victories. That still places him third behind Shula (328) and Halas (318).
Who knows what number Belichick will ultimately land on. He’s 67, with no end in sight.
So with him on the precipice of 300, here’s our list of the Top Ten most important regular season wins in Belichick’s head-coaching career:
No. 10
Week 2, 1991 season vs. Patriots. Browns win, 20-0.
From 1991 until 1995, Belichick was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. It was his first head coaching gig. During his tenure in Cleveland, he compiled a 36–44 record, leading the team to the playoffs in 1994, his only winning year with the team. It’s interesting to note his first win as a head coach, and first playoff win both came against New England. He beat the Pats in the wild card round later that year. For head coaches, you never forget that first victory.
No. 9
Week 12, 2012 season vs. New York Jets. Patriots win, 49-19.
This was another milestone. It was Belichick’s 200th victory as a head coach. Aside from winning championships and AFC East title, there might be nothing the Hoodie likes better than to beat the Jets. And his team didn’t just beat Gang Green, they crushed them.
No. 8
Week 11, 2017 season vs. Oakland Raiders. Patriots win 33-8 in Mexico City.
The win allowed Belichick to sit alone for the third-most wins in NFL history, passing legendary Cowboys coach Tom Landry on the prestigious list. It was win No. 271. As he always does, Belichick deflected any praise and was quick to credit the players.
“Players win games,” he said. “They’re the ones who go out there and make the blocks, the tackles, the runs, the throws, the kicks. I think what it means is, No. 1, I’ve been doing this for a long time, and No. 2, I’ve coached a lot of great players. I’ve been very fortunate to have a great coaching staff, great assistant coaches and great players. I’ve had a great opportunity to direct those people and, really, the credit goes to the players. “They won the game tonight and they deserved to win because they played better,” he said of Sunday’s victory. “That’s the way it’s been on those 270 games or whatever it is. I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great players.”
No. 7
Week 17, 2003 season vs. Buffalo Bills. Patriots win, 31-0.
At the beginning of this season, the team supposedly hated their coach according to one ESPN analyst. Belichick just dumped one of the most respected locker room guys, releasing Lawyer Milloy right before the season started, and Week 1, the Patriots got smoked by the Buffalo Bills, 31-0. Milloy coincidentally signed with the Bills. Fast-forward to the final week of the season. The Pats had lost one other game aside from the Bills game, and were on an 11-game win streak before facing the Bills on the final game of the regular season. Interesting they would beat the bag out of the Bills by the same 31-0 score as Week 1. So much for hating the coach. They went on to win their second Super Bowl that year.
No. 6
Week 9, 2007 season vs. the Indianapolis Colts. Patriots win, 24-20.
The Patriots and Colts were both undefeated, and it was one of the most highly anticipated and hyped up mid-season games in league history. The Colts had beaten the Pats in the previous year’s AFC Championship Game, but Belichick reloaded his team with offensive stars for Tom Brady, namely Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker. Moss caught 9 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown in this game with Brady leading a fourth quarter comeback in Indy.
No. 5
Week 13, 2003 season vs. Indianapolis Colts. Pats win, 38-34.
Willie McGinest’s stop of Edgerrin James on a fourth-and-goal gave the Patriots home-field advantage throughout the 2003 AFC playoffs. The Colts thought McGinest had faked an injury earlier to give the Pats a breather. But he was on the field to make the play and force Peyton Manning to play the Patriots in the snow in the AFC Championship Game.
No. 4
Week 7, 2004 season vs. New York Jets. Pats win, 13-7.
This was win No. 21 of the Patriots 21-game winning streak that spanned over two seasons. It began Week 5 of the 2003 season, and moved seven games into the following year, playoffs included. It stands as pro football’s longest winning streak, regular season and post-season combined. The Patriots finally lost Week 8 in Pittsburgh, 34-20, and in true Belichick fashion, picked up another sixgame winning streak to follow, winning 11 of the last 12 including the Super Bowl.
No. 3
Week 5, 2014 season vs. Cincinnati Bengals. Pats win, 43-17.
This is the infamous “we’re onto Cincinnati” game, where Belichick was defiant with reporters after getting crushed in Kansas City, and refusing to say if he had a quarterback problem. There were questions about Tom Brady hitting the age wall, and perhaps moving on to Jimmy Garoppolo. Belichick wasn’t hearing it. He was onto Cincy, and so were the Patriots, who smoked the Bengals behind Brady’s hot hand. They rode that game all the way to the Super Bowl.
No. 2
Week 2, 2007 season vs. San Diego Chargers. Pats win, 38-14.
The walls seemed to be crumbling all around with the emergence of Spygate after the Week 1 Jets victory. Most teams would have folded under the pressure and microscope the cheating scandal brought, along with having people devalue past championships. Not the Patriots. Not with Belichick leading. The first game post-Spygate, they absolutely crushed the Chargers in Foxboro. It was like nothing ever happened.
No. 1
Week 17, 2007 season vs. NY Giants. Pats win 38-35.
Only one team has ever gone 16-0 during the regular season. And Belichick’s team hit the mark. While the Patriots didn’t get to 19-0, falling just short by losing in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants, they did accomplish something special with a perfect regular season. Tom Brady broke Peyton Manning’s touchdown record, while Randy Moss did the same with Jerry Rice’s record for TD catches. They might have a sour taste from the end, but that doesn’t diminish completing the rarest of feats and getting through the year unbeaten.