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By Robert Read
Life & Trends Reporter
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A bad New England Patriots season just got worse, and the fans calling for head coach Bill Belichick to be fired aren't going to get any quieter.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor scored the lone touchdown in a 10-6 win over the Patriots in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sunday. A pair of Patriots (2-8) quarterbacks—Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe—both threw interceptions on New England's final two offensive drives of the day to seal a Colts (5-5) win.
Jones was sacked five times and threw for only 170 yards in a performance the former first-rounder would likely prefer to forget. However, his worst throw of the day may unfortunately end up being a memorable one for Patriots fans. With the Patriots trailing by 4, with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Jones lobbed a pass to the end zone, intended for tight end Mike Gesicki, but right into the hands of Colts safety Julian Blackmon.
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Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew completed a 28-yard pass to Josh Downs after the goal-line interception and Indianapolis proceeded to milk the clock. The Patriots did end up getting the ball back. But Jones' day was done.
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Zappe, New England's backup, replaced the starter for the third time this season as 1:52 remained in the game. After a late fourth-down conversion, Zappe attempted a fake spike. However, Dan Marino he is not. The second-year QB fired a pass into triple coverage, which Rodney Thomas snagged for the game-sealing interception.
And Patriots fans are not happy.
'Fire Bill' Trends on Social Media After Patriots Loss
The Patriots dropped to 2-8 with the loss, matching the worst record for the franchise through 10 games since Belichick's first season in 2000. Belichick put his hands on his head in disbelief in the moments after Zappe's interception.
"Obviously it was a disappointing game," Belichick said postgame. "Similar theme that we've had to other games this year. "...Just too many missed opportunities in all three phases of the game. Just got to play better situational football and do a better job taking advantage of the opportunities that we have. We just didn't do a good enough job today."
New England fans may be just as upset as the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach.
"Fire Bill" was a trending term on X, formerly Twitter, in the aftermath of the game. There have been multiple reports this season that Belichick, who won his 300th regular-season game earlier this year, could be on his way out in New England. Patriots owner Robert Kraft joined NFL Network on Sunday morning and expressed his disappointment with the season during his interview. And the most recent loss certainly didn't help things.
"Bailey Zappe off the bench in a 2 minute drill in Germany with a fake spike horrible pick to end it... this is how the Belichick Era should probably end," Bill Simmons, founder of the Ringer and noted Boston sports fanatic, wrote on X.
"I know you can't fire Bill mid season but for everybody's sake and reputation let's mutually part ways tonight," X user CharlieF3795 wrote on Sunday.
"me when i realize that even if they fire bill we have to rely on kraft bringing us into the future," user redsoxandstuff wrote, while sharing a GIF of Kraft's disappointment.
"Never in my life did I think I'd see Fire Bill trending on Twitter," user @RodgersRocks22 posted.
"Fire Bill is trending," user chachou305 commented, with a variety of laughing emojis.
"I don't care how much it costs fire Bill do not let him on the plane back to the states," user @ognineiron wrote.
Meanwhile, this was the Patriots' third game without a touchdown already this season, tying their most such games in a season in 24 years under Belichick. Rich Eisen and Jason McCourty of the NFL Network expressed their surprise at a wildly disappointing ending for New England.
"A Bailey Zappe fake-spike leads to a game-sealing interception," Eisen said. "Words that I didn't wake up this morning here in Germany think that I'd be saying."
"I'm in disbelief of just the sequence," McCourty added. "... [Belichick's] look right there sums up their season."
Former Patriot Defends Belichick After Game
Tedy Bruschi, who won three championships with the Patriots under Belichick in the 2000s, didn't want to hear any talk of a potential firing after Sunday's game. The former linebacker, who now works as an analyst for ESPN, said the Patriots are not the type of organization to fire a coach—a future Hall of Famer at that—midseason.
"We are not the Las Vegas Raiders, and that is not Josh McDaniels right there," Bruschi said on ESPN, referring to McDaniels' recent firing from the Raiders and speaking for the portion of Patriots fans who aren't ready to part with their longtime coach. "...That discussion is asinine."
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