Bill Belichick Is Reaching 'Dark Knight' Territory With Another Ugly Result

When we're talking about NFL greatness, it's fairly standard to focus on the modern era. Bill Belichick, however, has the resume to compete with any coach that's ever prowled the sidelines. If you needed to win one single contest for all the marbles, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone better than the eight-time Super Bowl champ.

These days, though, things are a bit different. While his rings can't be taken away, Belichick is making a different sort of history. His records now concern losses, rather than wins.

And, on Sunday, he put himself on track to cross another historically bad threshold and further underscore his painful fall from grace.

Belichick Is On Pace for a Historically Bad Season

When Tom Brady left New England, the question on everyone's lips was whether he or Belichick was more responsible for the Patriots' success. While the answer is probably "both," the head coach has certainly found himself in a tough place since the duo parted ways.

Since TB12 headed south, the Pats have hung around the .500 mark. They made the postseason in 2021 after winning 10 games, but finished 2020 (7-9) and 2022 (8-9) on the outside looking in. The 2023 campaign, however, won't feature any playoff questions.

Through 12 games, New England sits at an ugly 2-10. The club is scoring a league-worst 12.3 points per outing, and the defense, while sitting in the middle of the pack, can't pick up the slack. The team simply looks devoid of top-tier talent, especially under center, where Mac Jones has finally been replaced by Bailey Zappe.

Take, for example, the Week 13 contest against the Chargers. The Patriots posted 257 yards on the day (Zappe threw for 141 of them), but failed to put a single point on the board. The final score was an ugly 6-0.

And as if that wasn't painful enough, the loss put Belichick in a historically bad place. As noted by NFL Media's Tony Holzman-Escareno, the hoodie-wearing head coach is now on pace for the lowest winning percentage a coach has ever posted at a club where he previous won the Super Bowl. Tom Landry, the current record holder, went 3-13 in 1988 and lost his job at the end of the year.

And when you consider that the Patriots remaining schedule features the Steelers, Chiefs, Broncos, Bills and Jets, things might not get much better.

Belichick Is Facing Coaching Mortality

As the Patriots' record indicates, this wasn't a one-off stinker. And for Belichick, this isn't his only piece of unwanted history this season. Earlier this year, he set a personal record for his worst-ever defeat, falling to the Dallas Cowboys by 35 points. And, to add insult to injury, the head coach suffered his worst home loss (34-0) the following week.

But ugly losses and unwanted records aren't the extent of Belichick's season. He's also faced criticism for his general managerial skills and, in a move that would have previously seemed unthinkable, could lose his job before long.

As the famous line from The Dark Knight says, "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain." And while you could argue that the coach always played a villain role on the larger NFL stage, he could be transitioning into the latter category from a Patriots' perspective, too.

For a time, Belichick was on top of the world. He built a dynasty that was the envy of the NFL, and his duties didn't stop there. From a coaching perspective, he seemed able to cook up schemes that could slow down any opponent. And from a leadership standpoint, he created a culture that could elevate bit-part players into key contributors.

During the peak of the Patriots, no one was bigger than the system. If someone left town, it always seemed like there was someone waiting in the wings to fill the void. Belichick, however, was irreplaceable.

But now, in a twist that feels like something out of Greek tragedy (or a Batman movie), the one irreplicable piece seems like a burden rather than an asset. His presence prompts questions, anger and ugly history rather than wins.

And, on a larger level, that's kind of sad.

As mentioned above, Belichick was always viewed as something of a villain. If you weren't a Patriots fan, you probably wanted to see him humbled. This season, however, doesn't feel like comeuppance. Instead, it's more like watching someone who's past their prime getting beaten down over and over again.

That's not to absolve the head coach/general manager from his role in this. He's in charge of building the roster; he creates the game plans. And, if he felt so moved, he could take a step back and cede personnel duties to someone else. Or, if nothing else, he could adopt a softer touch in public.

But that's not usually how pride works. Pride isn't pro-change. It says that you've done it before and can do it again. There's no reason to call an audible.

And whether you prefer an Ancient Greek or a DC Comic-based example, that's the arc of a tragic hero. There has to be some good trait that get taken a bit too far.

Belichick, to be clear, is a living legend. His resume will go down in NFL history. The way things are trending in New England probably won't tarnish that on the grand scale.

But, with that being said, it's still a jarring reminder of pro sports' way of humbling just about everyone.

Even a head coach with eight Super Bowl rings to his name.