A future hall-of-fame career hit an even bigger milestone as Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick secured his 300th victory.
Belichick is the third coach in NFL history to reach the milestone. He trails only George Halas (318) and Don Shula (328).
300 regular season wins for Bill Belichick! 🐐 pic.twitter.com/1K2dgplCFM
— NFL (@NFL) October 22, 2023
Memorable Victories
It is hard to mention Bill Belichick without mentioning quarterback Tom Brady. In their time together, the duo went to nine super bowls, while wining six of them. Belichick also has 17 AFC East titles, 13 appearances in the AFC championship game and of course the six super bowls.
Super Bowl XXXVI (2002): New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams
This game would be the first super bowl that Belichick would win, and he did so by defeating quarterback Kurt Warner. The Pats were leading 14-3 at half, and quickly scored a field goal from kicker Adam Vinatieri to bring it to 17-3. However, Warner and the Rams did not go away easy.
The Rams fought their way back to tie the game at 17 with 1:37 left in the game. Brady and the Patriots moved down the field to set up Vinatieri once again for a 48-yard attempt to win the Super Bowl. He nailed it, and Belichick and the Pats secured their first Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LI (2017): New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons
At the time, Belichick had four Super Bowl titles to his name and this game could potentially be his fifth, which would catapult him over Steelers Head Coach Chuck Noll. The Patriots had arguably one of the worst first halves in Super Bowl history as they found themselves down 21-3 at halftime.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Patriots trailed the Falcons 28-9 and quickly needed a change. The Patriots easily owned and dominated the fourth quarter. The Patriots scored on all three of their drives in the fourth quarter, including a two point conversion to tie the game at 28.
The game would go to overtime and the Pats would win the toss. After moving down the field, running back James White scored on a two-yard rushing touchdown to complete the comeback. The Patriots would win 34-28, and Belichick secured his fifth Super Bowl.
Would you still consider Bill Belichick the best #NFL HC ever?
All-Time record: 299-157
Playoff record: 31-13
Super Bowl record: 6-3
Record w/Brady: 219-64
Record w/o Brady: 80-93 pic.twitter.com/RWtBGf4Hv8— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) October 18, 2023
2019 AFC Championship Game: New England Patriots vs Kansas City Chiefs
In a game that featured what seemed to be the GOAT vs. the future GOAT, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes would battle to the end. New England held a sizable lead entering the fourth quarter as they would be in front 17-7. But the fourth quarter is when the real fireworks started.
A combined 38 points were scored by both sides. Meanwhile, Chiefs running back Damien Williams helped lead the Chiefs back into this game by scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Kansas City would go up 28-24. With 1:57 left in the game, Brady and the Pats marched down the field and quickly score a touchdown to put them up 31-28.
However, with 39 seconds left, Mahomes and company got the ball back. Quickly moving down the field, KC set up kicker Harrison Butker for 39-yard game tying field goal. Moving to overtime, the Patriots won the coin toss and won the AFC Championship. Also, a birth in the Super Bowl. They would face the Rams and win. This would be Belichick’s sixth and most recent Super Bowl victory.
Oct. 22, 2023: New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
In a game where the Patriots really needed to find a win, they faced a division rival in the Bills. The Patriots seemed to be in control of the game all the way up until the 5:32 mark of the fourth quarter. After leading 22-10 in the fourth quarter, the Pats were slowly starting to choke the game away.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen led the way for the Bills as he would be responsible for both of their Bills’ two touchdowns in the fourth. Leading 25-22, the Bills were firmly in front with only 1:58 left in the game. Patriots quarterback Mac Jones needed to move down the field quickly if he was going to help Belichick capture his 300th victory.
After the Pats moved down the field, Jones found tight end Mike Gesicki in the endzone with 12 seconds left in the game to put the Patriots up 29-25. The Bills could not do anything with the time remaining and Belichick and New England were victorious.
MIKE GESICKI ON #NATIONALTIGHTENDSDAY‼️@MacJones_10 | @mikegesicki
📺 on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/4MWKEuAN3X
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 22, 2023
Belichick didn’t have much to say about his milestone, but he did say what he credited the win to: