Sports
Patriots lose to Jets in Belichick's potential last game
Coach Bill Belichick’s potential final game with the New England Patriots was one for the record books — in a way he won’t want to remember.
The Patriots lost to the Jets 17-3 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, ending New York’s 15-game losing skid to New England. The Patriots recorded 119 yards of offense, marking the fewest of the Belichick era. The team’s previous low was 149 against the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 7, 2001.
Rumors abound — as they have for much of the fall — that Belichick and the Patriots may part ways at the end of the season. Answers about the franchise’s future are expected to come following a sit-down with owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft and Belichick shortly after Sunday’s game.
Asked about his future postgame, Belichick said he’d only talk about Sunday’s contest.
“Disappointed in the way the game finished,” Belichick said when asked whether he thinks he’ll be back with the Patriots. Belichick added that he “still enjoys coaching.”
The team’s struggling offense traded off between quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe this fall before settling on Zappe as the starter in late November. He went 12-of-30 with 88 yards, no touchdowns and two fourth-quarter interceptions against a Jets team that’s had a dramatic season of quarterback issues.
The Jets’ Trevor Siemian — starting for Zach Wilson who was moved to injured reserve with a concussion Saturday — also failed to throw a touchdown. He finished 8-of-20 with 70 throwing yards.
With Sunday’s loss, the Patriots finished the season at 4-13 and are last in the AFC East for the first time since 2000, Belichick’s first year on the job.
Belichick is one of the most successful coaches in NFL history, building a dynasty with quarterback Tom Brady and winning nine AFC championships and six Super Bowls (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018). Under Belichick, the franchise has had a winning record in 20 of his 24 seasons.
However, the relationship between Brady and Belichick was fractured by the end of the 2019 season, and Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency. The following season, Brady led the Bucs to a Super Bowl title, the seventh of his storied career.
Over the last four years, the Patriots, meanwhile, tried quarterbacks Cam Newton, Jones and Zappe as their offense slowly became one of the league’s worst.
After arguably the best 20-year run in league history, the Patriots haven’t won a playoff game since the 2018 Super Bowl and have gone 30-37 since Brady left.
Bill Belichick walks off the field as the Patriots head coach for potentially the final time.
In typical Belichick fashion, there was no extra emotion, no wave to the fans, no grand exit. pic.twitter.com/0uMYlj7IQL
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) January 7, 2024
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What’s next for Belichick?
All eyes turn to Belichick. He brought more success to one franchise than any coach ever. But the Patriots just finished their worst season since 1992.
They’ve had a losing record in three of the four years since Brady left, leaving Belichick’s future very much up in the air. He’s expected to meet with the Krafts on Monday to discuss their path forward, but at this point, a “mutual parting” of ways is very much possible — if not likely. Belichick and Robert Kraft have had their differences for years, but now the success that smoothed over those rough patches has dried up.
The Patriots run their franchise far differently from any other, a siloed organization where collaboration is often discouraged in favor of whatever avenue Belichick seems fit. What he’s chosen in recent years hasn’t worked. That could lead to the Krafts desiring change and a more modern approach to the organizational structure. News of Belichick’s future could come as early as Monday. — Chad Graff, Patriots staff writer
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What’s next for the Patriots?
It was a fitting end to the season for the Patriots offense, which closes with the fewest points scored of any team. No matter who the coach is, the Patriots need a major overhaul on that side of the ball, including (but not limited to) a new quarterback, multiple new wide receivers and at least one new offensive tackle. — Graff
The Jets, finally, ended the skid of 15 straight games lost to the Patriots and Belichick. The game was meaningless in the grand scheme of things — these were two bad teams playing a game that didn’t matter at the end of disappointing seasons for both of them — but at least the Jets finally got this monkey off their back. They did it on the back of running back Breece Hall.
The Jets star set a career-high with 37 carries for 178 yards and he surpassed 1,500 total yards for the season with his performance, the first Jets running back to do that since Thomas Jones in 2008. The most impressive part is that Hall did it in his first year post-ACL surgery. Hall clinched the win with a 50-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Now the Jets go into the offseason with a lot of questions — but Hall is not one of them. Expect the Jets to build their offense around his talents both as a runner and pass-catcher, and — if he stays healthy — should have a shot at 2,000 yards with Aaron Rodgers next year. — Zack Rosenblatt, Jets staff writer
NFL playoff bracket, scenarios, projected matchups and seeding live updates: Full Sunday schedule
Required reading
(Photo: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
CITY SECTION BASEBALL FINALS
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
At Stengel Field
DIVISION II
#5 LA Roosevelt 5, #6 South East 3
At Fremont
DIVISION III
#7 Fremont 2, LA Hamilton 0
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
At Dodger Stadium
FINALS
OPEN DIVISION
#2 El Camino Real (21-9) vs. #1 Birmingham (26-4), 1 p.m.
DIVISION I
#10 Taft (13-17) vs. #13 Verdugo Hills (13-18), 10 a.m.
Sports
Giants’ key defensive tackle tears Achilles tendon during practice, out for the season: reports
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The New York Giants lost a key piece of their defensive line for the season on Thursday.
Defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris tore his Achilles tendon during the Giants’ OTA practice, according to multiple reports.
Robertson-Harris, 32, was in line for a big role after the Giants traded star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals earlier in the offseason. He started all 17 games last year and played 56% of the snaps, which was second only to Lawrence among defensive tackles.
New York Giants defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris leaves the field after a loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill., on Nov. 9, 2025. (David Banks/Imagn Images)
Robertson-Harris suffered the injury while rushing the passer in an 11-on-11 period. He went down and immediately grabbed at his leg, according to The Athletic.
The Giants signed Robertson-Harris to a two-year, $9 million contract before last season. He had 35 tackles and three tackles for loss in 17 games last season.
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New York Giants defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., on Dec. 28, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
The Giants, whose defensive tackle group was already thin because of the Lawrence trade, will be forced to rely on a mix of veterans and young players. The team signed veterans DJ Reader and Shelby Harris in free agency.
Reader started all 17 games for the Detroit Lions last season and played the run well, recording 28 tackles. Harris played in 17 games, starting five, for the Cleveland Browns last season and recorded 32 tackles, seven tackles for loss and a sack.
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New York Giants defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris and defensive lineman Bobby Jamison-Travis participate in a drill during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J., on May 21, 2026. (John Jones/Imagn Images)
Darius Alexander, the Giants’ third-round pick last season, will also be counted on to pick up some of the slack from Robertson-Harris’ and Lawrence’s absences. The 25-year-old played in 16 games, recording 20 tackles with four tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
The Giants drafted Bobby Jamison-Travis in the sixth round out of Auburn in last month’s NFL Draft.
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On the eve of the City Section championship baseball game at Dodger Stadium, let’s explore a sometimes forgotten character trait: Patience.
When JJ Saffie walks onto hallowed ground Saturday as a starting left fielder for 10-time City champion El Camino Real High in the Open Division championship game against Birmingham, he will be finishing a journey few want to travel these days.
He spent three years on the junior varsity team waiting and grinding before getting his chance to start on varsity this season.
“Very patient,” he said. “Freshman year, played frosh-soph, called up for a few JV games. Sophomore year, on and off starter on JVs. Junior year is when it started clicking for me. I found my bat, I found the style I like to play, I started hitting real good.”
He was part of an outstanding JV team his junior year, called up as a pinch runner for the playoffs. He developed power and a knack for hitting balls over El Camino Real’s left-field fence during batting practice.
“I’ve hit two windows and six cars,” said the 18-year-old, who likes to cause mayhem for insurance companies.
El Camino Real celebrates a 4-3 win over Granada Hills to earn a trip to Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
(Craig Weston)
He’s hit two home runs this season and become a key player for the Royals.
Now he gets to start at Dodger Stadium, a moment every high school baseball player in the City Section dreams of reaching. He’s batting .409, tops on his team.
“I’m a big believer in good things will come to those who are patient,” he said. “I knew I needed to be patient, work on my game and eventually success would come my way and I’d have my opportunities and here’s my opportunity. I’m trying to prove that Saturday.”
El Camino Real needed a two-run single by RJ De La Rosa in the bottom of the sixth inning on Wednesday to defeat Granada Hills 4-3 in the semifinals at Cal State Northridge.
“I saw my pitch,” De La Rosa said. “I wanted to take advantage. It was the bottom of the sixth. The team needed me most and I pulled through. It was an amazing moment. These boys are my brothers. I will fight for them. I will do everything for them. I can’t wait to make some memories at Dodger Stadium.”
For Saffie, staying and fighting to get better rather than running away from a challenge is a great lesson for others.
JJ Saffie of El Camino Real has emerged as one of the team’s best hitters after three years on the JV team. He leads the team with a .409 average.
(Craig Weston)
“I had a few people tell me to transfer,” he said. “But my sister came here, my dad. I want to prove myself at this school.”
Top-seeded Birmingham will have junior Nathan Soto starting on the mound in the 1 p.m. game. It’s a big assignment and he’ll be working on his mental part of the game.
“It’s just another game,” he said after the Patriots’ 4-1 semifinal win over Carson. “I think it’s everyone’s dream to pitch there, but you have to keep it as a normal game.”
Pitcher Carlos Acuna grinded out a complete game in Birmingham’s 4-1 win over Carson to send the Patriots to Dodger Stadium.
(Craig Weston)
Birmingham can thank Carlos Acuna for putting together a sophomore season to remember. His pitching season is done. He finished with an 11-0 record after a complete-game win against Carson.
“It’s an amazing season he’s having,” coach Matt Mowry said.
In six of the seven innings on Wednesday, Carson got the leadoff batter aboard, forcing Acuna to work extra hard while throwing 102 pitches.
“He was on the edge of coming out,” Mowry said.
Acuna wouldn’t let him.
“I love this team,” Acuna said. “I want to play one last game.”
He’ll start on Saturday at second or third base in a game matching two of the most successful programs in City baseball history. El Camino Real is seeking a record 11th title. Birmingham wants its ninth title.
The 10 a.m. game at Dodger Stadium has Verdugo Hills taking on Taft in the Division I final.
Fans will come for the sun, the hot dogs, the fun of cheering on someone they know or enjoying a moment of distraction at Los Angeles’ most sacred stadium.
Just remember those are teenagers out there who’ve sacrificed and spent years working toward this moment. There’s no losers when you get to play at Dodger Stadium as a high school kid.
For Saffie, it validates his belief in trusting the process and trusting himself. He didn’t run when the going got tough. He persevered and learned a valuable lesson: patience still pays off.
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