Patriots

Sunday’s game might be the Patriots’ best chance to get a win after the bye, but many experts don’t expect them to win.

COMMENT

Bill Belichick hasn’t been able to draft for the last 10 years, and the University of North Carolina thinks he’ll do a good job of recruiting upperclassmen to play for him? (I would say, “Play for the Tar Heels,” but we all know that has nothing to do with it.)

You could call it a sneaking suspicion that the former Patriots coach won’t be on the sidelines for many games as UNC head coach, a job Belichick officially accepted on Thursday. For all its faults, a six-time Lombardi champion coaching in the same football conference as Boston College (no offense) is a dramatic fall. I half expected Belichick to wear the Hitter.net hat at his inaugural press conference on Thursday.

Since Belichick’s ego can’t seem to cope with retiring or simply joining the Mannings every week at their cozy ESPN appearance with King’s Hawaiian pretzel bites, he takes the only job given to him by people who are stupid enough to give him full control of the operation. There was no NFL team stupid enough to do the same. Because they all saw the Patriots roster.

But sometimes teams are desperate, in this case the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones, who fit Belichick’s needs exactly. The Cowboys have a good draft, should be a Super Bowl contender, and for some reason still have Mike McCarthy as coach. If the fight between Jones and Belichick is about gaining control, the owner will never give up on that path. But could you imagine Bill in Dallas? It would be ESPN’s next LeBron.

Belichick has no intention of staying in Chapel Hill, although he claimed Thursday, “I didn’t come here to leave,” which was followed by an odd round of applause that marked the introduction of this week’s guest star on “Who’s the Boss?” “was appropriate. According to the details in his contract, Belichick’s buyout is for $10 million, but on June 1, 2025, it drops to just $1 million. So will Jerry Jones get nervous and pay the $10 million or will he survive another year of McCarthy and get Belichick in return? $9 million less than he would have by June?

Or maybe this is retirement for Bill, trading ACK for UNC. He will spend time with his Lombardi-Patricia girlfriends and his girlfriend will finally have people her age among the players’ girlfriends. It’s exactly how we all imagined it would be.

This week’s predictions:

Jeremy Cluff, Republic of Arizona: Cardinals 24, Patriots 20. “The Cardinals’ postseason chances hang by a thread. They’ll find a way to keep her alive for at least another week.”

globe Personnel: Four of the six like Arizona (-6).

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Cardinals 28, Patriots 20. “The Patriots have a bye to play a team that has lost three in a row. Kyler Murray hasn’t played well the last three weeks, but that’s about to change here. Arizona’s offense will get back on track if they get a win that keeps them in the playoffs.”

CBS Sports Staff: Split (Cardinals -6).

NFL.com Staff: All cards.

Jimmy Kempski, PhillyVote: Cardinals (-5.5). “A few weeks ago, the Cardinals were considered favorites to win the NFC West, but after three straight losses they only have a 7 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Inpredictable. However, they should be able to handle this bad Patriots team at home.”

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times: Cardinals 23, Patriots 20. “The Cardinals have lost three straight after a four-game winning streak. New England’s defense is pretty tough and physical. The Cardinals have more weapons on offense.”

Vic Tafur, The athletic one: Patriots. “Last week was a huge opportunity for the Cardinals to take control of the NFC West, and of course they suffered big losses because no one can predict their games this season. The offensive slide might just be permanent. The Cardinals posted an overall offensive EPA per game of 0.15 (second best) in Weeks 7 through 10 to -0.08 (27th) in Weeks 11 through 14, while their points per game fell from 26.3 ( eighth) fell to 15.3 (29th). Kyler Murray wasn’t good last week, but this is a bounce-back game against a 28th-ranked Patriots defense that can’t stop the run. The Cardinals couldn’t stop the run last week, so there’s a clear game plan for the Patriots here too. I don’t want to pick either team, so give me the points.”

Greg Cote, Miami Herald: Cardinals 24, Patriots 21. “New England is goodbye; Zona is playing for its playoff life after three consecutive defeats. There’s too much at stake for the Cardbirds and Kyler Murray to pass up this game, but Drake Maye’s continued improvement has helped the Pats cover in four of the last six games and we’re seeing that “This trend will continue here too.”

Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: Cardinals 24, Patriots 20. “Jerod Mayo will prepare his team well after a bye, and Drake Maye should have more confidence passing and running. Kyler Murray is back in a strange slump as Arizona’s offense continues to be inconsistent. The Cardinals’ run defense can also keep the Patriots in the game until their pass defense makes the game-winning play late against Maye.”

Bill Bender, The Sporting News: Cardinals 20, Patriots 19. “Arizona is 4-3 S/U at home this season and is looking to end its three-game losing streak. The Patriots have been hit-or-miss on the road this season, but they have covered in four of their last six games. Drake Maye continues to improve with each start and that maturation will continue in another close race on the road.”

Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: Cardinals 23, Patriots 10.

Chris Simms, Pro Football Talk: Cardinals 28, Patriots 21.

It says: Cardinals 35, Patriots 30. The Patriots could take an improved offense with them to Arizona, but Jerod Mayo is still the coach.