Belichick on kick controversy: ‘Don’t really understand what the issue is’

No team benefitted more from the Patriots’ decision to kick off in overtime than the Jets (10-5).

Bill Belichick won the coin toss and didn’t want the ball at the start of overtime, didn’t want Tom Brady to have the ball at the start of overtime to try to score a touchdown to win the game and ruin the Jets’ season. Ryan Fitzpatrick led another game winning drive, and helped the Jets get a victory in a virtual “must win” game. But in the end (we) just couldn’t quite make enough plays.

But it still doesn’t matter. Chris Chase wrote about this earlier, but the Broncos (10-4) still have the No. 1 seed in play, if they win out and the Dolphins beat the Patriots. Winning in the playoffs with A.J. McCarron or Brock Osweiler doesn’t inspire confidence, though the Bengals hope Andy Dalton is back and healthy come the playoffs.

It’s an interesting showdown between the two in Denver on Monday night, but one that ultimately has less to do with the Patriots than you might imagine.

But Belichick did, indeed, want to select to kick it off, and even said he informed officials before the coin toss that he wanted to kick to avoid any confusion.

The action spilled into overtime, which started off in bazaar fashion.

But no matter what, the first leg of the road trip to Santa Clara will go through Foxborough. The Patriots couldn’t pick up the first down and ended up losing the game, and that crucial decision was heavily criticized and ridiculed. The defensive line was able to get a lot of pressure on Brady. It was really more of a field position consideration, similar to other overtime games that we’ve been in, regardless of which way the wind was going.

He gambled that instead of giving Brady the ball somewhere around his own 20 at the start of overtime, he could get Brady closer to midfield, making things easier on his offense.

“They’ve been doing that the past couple of weeks”, Bowles expressed in his post-game presser. “I’m speechless”, Brandon Marshall said as he trudged off the MetLife Stadium turf, minutes after the Jets had beaten the Patriots 26-20 and seized control of their playoff destiny before 78,160 hoarse witnesses who weren’t quite sure whether to faint or dance back home. “Don’t we get to choose?” “Lucky for us it didn’t work out”. Unprecedented warmth in the East has pretty much put a stop to that. “Bad play by me”, Douglas said.

Was Belichick doing a little scoreboard watching?

Steelers (9-6). What an ugly loss to the Ravens and one that will haunt the Steelers all offseason if they miss the playoffs.

It effectively took the ball out of Tom Brady’s hand.

But then again, if anyone would do it, it would be Belichick.

The topic of conversation following the game was all about Belichick’s curious decision after New England scored 17 of the final 20 points of regulation to climb out of a 17-3 deficit and force overtime. After such a coronation, that darling inevitably falls flat come the postseason. The Cards have won nine straight and are dominating good teams (38-8 over the Packers on Sunday).

Stu Woo: The Patriots leave the playoff door open for the Jets.

SO-SO BRADY: New England was surprisingly conservative on offense in the first quarter, then went the other way in the second period. Which is why whatever happened on Sunday, whatever happens next weekend, and anything that happens with regular-season implications doesn’t matter at all.