Bill Belichick is on the verge of hiring a new offensive coordinator at North Carolina.
Via Pete Nakos of On3.com, Belichick is finalizing a deal with Bobby Petrino to replace Freddie Kitchens as the man in charge of the UNC offense.
Petrino previously served as the head coach at Louisville and Arkansas. He also coached the Falcons in 2007, abruptly resigning in December of his first season to take the Arkansas job.
Petrino and Chip Kelly reportedly were the two coaches Belichick was eyeing the most closely.
The move, in our view, has no relevance to a potential return by Belichick to the NFL level, if an opportunity arises. The question is whether an opportunity will arise. For now, and despite reports seemingly aimed at breathing life into the possibility, it seems like a long shot.
The one place we’re watching the most closely isn’t any of the teams that have been mentioned elsewhere. We’re keeping an eye on Tampa Bay, for various reasons.
First, Todd Bowles wasn’t hired by a traditional source; he landed in the job by default after Bruce Arians resigned in late March. Second, the Buccaneers have imploded, going 1-6 after a 6-2 start. They’re now at risk of yielding their four-year hammerlock on the NFC South to the Panthers and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Third, the Bucs have a history of creative (to put it kindly) and/or unusual (to put it less kindly) coaching hires. Fourth, Belichick (we believe) has been eyeing that job.
Last year, his consigliere, Mike Lombardi, tried to start a rumor that Bowles would be retiring. It seemed to be an effort by Lombardi to speak an opening for Belichick into existence.
Regardless, that’s all to be determined. For now, Belichick has determined to hire Petrino.
The Patriots found themselves trailing with the ball late in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game against the Ravens and that was familiar territory for quarterback Drake Maye.
They followed a different path over the first three-plus quarters to get to the same spot against the Bills in Week 15 and Maye was not able to lead them to the win. On Sunday night, he was more successful.
Maye engineered a nine-play, 89-yard drive that gave the Patriots a 28-24 win in a game they trailed by 11 points with less than 13 minutes to play. Maye was 12-of-14 in the fourth quarter and said after the game that the memory of the loss to Buffalo loomed over his effort in the final minutes.
“It was kind of a wake-up call last week — we got a chance to win the game with a game-winning drive, and this week it was like, man, let’s not have that feeling two weeks in a row,” Maye said, via Noah Trister of the Associated Press. “It was kind of the elephant in the room.”
The Patriots’ win guaranteed them a playoff spot, but there’s still plenty on the line in the final two weeks. The Patriots still have to sew up the AFC East and the Broncos’ loss to the Jaguars on Sunday leaves the top seed in the conference up for grabs.
Week 16 has been full of comebacks, and the Patriots provided the viewing audience with another on Sunday Night Football.
Down 24-13 after Derrick Henry’s 2-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, New England rallied to score two unanswered TDs and come away with a 28-24 victory.
The win clinches a playoff berth for the Patriots — their first since the 2021 season — in Mike Vrabel’s first season as head coach of the club.
Notably, the Ravens dropped the game but also lost their quarterback to a back injury, as Lamar Jackson exited the contest late in the second quarter and did not return.
But as for the comeback, Patriots went right down the field after Henry’s second TD, getting in the end zone with Drake Maye’s 37-yard touchdown to Kyle Williams with 9:01 left in regulation. Maye hit Rhamondre Stevenson for a successful two-point conversion, making the score 24-21, Baltimore.
The Ravens managed one first down on their ensuing drive, but did have to punt after taking 3:59 off the clock.
New England started its possession at the 9-yard line, with Maye immediately connecting with Mack Hollins for a 20-yard gain. The officials then missed a clear defensive pass interference penalty when Marlon Humphrey tackled Kayshon Boutte before the ball arrived on a deep shot down the middle of the field that would’ve put the Patriots inside the red zone.
But it was no matter, as the club converted fourth-and-2 with a Maye pass to Stefon Diggs for 21 yards.
A couple of plays later, Rhamondre Stevenson put the ball in the box with a 21-yard touchdown to give New England a four-point advantage.
With Tyler Huntley in the game for the injured Jackson, the Ravens had a chance to get down the field and win. But linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson punched the ball out of Zay Flowers’ arms with Marcus Jones recovering it for a turnover.
The Patriots scored a couple of first downs to seal the victory, as Maye ran it for 16 yards on a second-and-14 to seal the victory.
Maye finished the contest 31-of-44 for 380 yards with two touchdowns, an interception, and a lost fumble. It was the first 300-yard game of Maye’s career.
Diggs finished with 138 yards on nine catches — his fourth game of at least 100 yards this season for the wideout.
Jackson suffered his back injury late in the second quarter on a designed run. Jackson was able to stay in for one more play before the Ravens called a timeout to get him out, sending him to the locker room for further evaluation before halftime. Jackson finished 7-of-10 for 101 yards plus two carries for 7 yards.
Huntley ended the game 9-of-10 for 65 yards plus two carries for 2 yards.
Henry had 18 carries for 128 yards with two touchdowns. But he was not in for Baltimore’s penultimate or final drive, presumably because it was a known-passing situation.
With the win, the Patriots will now be in the postseason and have the inside track to clinching the AFC East with two games to go. New England will be on the road to face the Jets in Week 17 before finishing the season at home against Miami.
The Ravens now fall to 7-8. While they haven’t been officially eliminated from playoff contention, it will now be difficult for the club to win the AFC North, especially with Pittsburgh’s victory over Detroit on Sunday. The Ravens finish the season on with a road matchup against Green Bay and a road contest against the Steelers.
With the way Week 16 has gone in the NFL this is no surprise, but the Patriots certainly aren’t out of it yet.
Quarterback Drake Maye put together an excellent drive, capped by a 37-yard touchdown to receiver Kyle Williams and a successful two-point conversation with a pass to Rhamondre Stevenson, cutting Baltimore’s fourth-quarter lead to 24-21.
Maye was 6-of-6 on the possession, while also running for 5 yards. The Patriots did not face a third down on the drive, as Maye hit the deep shot down the right sideline when it presented itself.
Maye has thrown an interception and lost a fumble, but is 25-of-36 for 312 yards with two TDs.
Additionally, Ravens left guard Andrew Vorhees is questionable to return with a foot injury.
The Ravens have expanded their lead early in the fourth quarter.
Derrick Henry has rushed for his second touchdown of the game, powering his way in for a 2-yard touchdown to give Baltimore a 24-13 advantage with 12:50 left in the final period.
The run capped a seven-play, 44-yard drive that took 4:03 off the clock after a Patriots failed fake punt.
Henry now has 128 yards on 18 carries with two TDs.
On fourth-and-10, linebacker Marte Mapu received a direct snap as one of the protectors in the punt formation. As he rolled to his right, he looked as if he was searching for an open receiver back toward the left. But with no one open, he kept the ball and was brought down, fumbling in the process. Baltimore recovered the loose ball at the 44.
On the injury front, Patriots cornerback Charles Woods (ankle) and defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga (foot) have been downgraded to out.
