NFL fans know that the New York Jets are the worst team in the league. Entering Week 9, they held an 0-8 record, which means they were in prime territory to secure the first-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Obviously, the Jets would use this pick on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has been dubbed a once-in-a-generation prospect. All they had to do was lose out for the remainder of the season.
On Monday night, the devised plan for Jets fans almost blew up in their face, as New York shockingly dominated the New England Patriots for the majority of the contest. A 51-yard field goal from Nick Folk as the clock expired capped off a 13-point turnaround in the fourth quarter to give New England the win, but a lackluster performance and some questionable decision-making had us wondering: Was Patriots head coach Bill Belichick pulling a galaxy-brain move to get one up on his former team?
Patriots almost sabotaged the Jets-Lawrence plan?
Look, we’re not seriously accusing Belichick of trying to sabotage the Jets’ plan to draft Lawrence. But, it will keep you thinking.
Remember back on Jan. 4, 2000? The Jets were set to officially name Belichick as their new head coach after Bill Parcells retired. However, Belichick wrote “I resign as head coach of the NYJ” on a piece of paper, and handed it to team officials before speaking at the press conference. He joined the Patriots shortly afterwards, and he turned the team into a dynasty, at the expense of the Jets.
The Patriots are obviously in need of a quarterback of the future. Jarrett Stidham has underperformed when seeing regular-season action in 2020, and Cam Newton hasn’t been able to accomplish much with a lackluster receiving corps. New England would be in good position to get their true Tom Bray heir if they are to miss the playoffs this season. Could former Patriots offensive lineman Matt Light be right in his belief that Belichick views the 2020 season as “a joke?” The Patriots have been hammered by injuries, a staggering amount of player opt-outs due to the coronavirus pandemic and the lack of quality depth due to cap space. It’s something to think about.
Since the Patriots now have three wins on the season, they would need the 0-9 Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Houston Texans and the Washington Football Team to win games for them to leapfrog to the top spot.
This would be some next-level, big-brain stuff from Belichick, the smartest mind in the game. Let’s be honest, they might not get Lawrence now, but they almost prevented the Jets from staying in pole position for him.
