02 November 2023 , 15:22
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The Washington Commanders may turn to iconic New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick in the offseason.
Despite new ownership, results have mostly stayed the same on the field. The franchise has managed just three wins from eight games so far this season. And when taking over, Josh Harris decided to keep Comamnders head coach Ron Rivera and his staff in charge for this season.
But the Commanders sit third in a strong NFC East and are a considerable distance behind second-place Dallas Cowboys and top team the Philadelphia Eagles, who have the best record in the NFL. With the pressure on coach Rivera heating up, his days may be numbered.
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CBS Sports believes the franchise may acquire the services of Belichick for next season. And that at the end of the season Harris is going to put in a call to the Patriots to ask how much Belichick's services would cost.
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A senior insider at The Athletic reported that the ownership group has played a leading role in the decisions made since their arrival, even going against those within the franchise who know more about the game, including Rivera. That may explain why star edge rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat were traded ahead of the deadline with many tough games coming up.
And with all signs pointing toward a rebuild, it now appears they may want Belichick in charge as his struggles with the Patriots this season continue. After recording a shock victory over the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots suffered their sixth loss of the campaign and second to the Miami Dolphins in Week 8.
Commanders coach Ron Rivera is under pressure this season (Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)They are at the bottom of the AFC East and their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. To illustrate the dire position that the Patriots find themselves in, there have been 191 teams that started 2-6 in the Super Bowl era, and only three qualified for the postseason.
"It's not the record we want," said under-fire quarterback Mac Jones. "It's hard, right? You don't want to be here. But at the end of the day, we're playing football and we got to go out there and figure it out."
The team's longest-serving player, Matthew Slater, who has won three Super Bowls under Belichick, said it is the 71-year-old’s job to set the tone for players, but acknowledged that only goes so far and those on the field need to step up.
"Coach can do everything until he's blue in the face, but if we don't go out and execute, then it doesn't matter," he said. "I think we've shown some commitment, especially with a tough set of circumstances, the way the season has started for us. Now we'll really find out. You can't hide when you're 2-6. We'll see."
The Patriots taking on the Commanders this Sunday is a must-win game for both. It will provide the latter with an opportunity to have a closer look at Coach Belichick and further analyse him if he is to be their future leader.