Does Bill Belichick deserve Coach of the Year?

Bill Belichick has been touted as one of the best NFL coaches in the NFL for well over a decade. That said, his body of work in 2021 could be his best work yet.

With awards season ramping up, fans and pundits are starting to make judgements across the league, including with coaches. Here's why Belichick has done enough to secure the title of coach of the year.

Why Bill Belichick deserves coach of the year

World-class Defense

At his core, Belichick is a defensive coordinator wearing a head coach's hat. The defense he has put together this season has been nothing short of dominant.

At this point, no one wants to face this defense. The Patriots are currently ranked fourth in the NFL through 12 games.

The Buffalo Bills are ahead of them, but they have only played 11 games.

The Patriots are ranked third in passing defense and first in points per game. They've given up five points less per game than the next-closest team that has also played 12 games.

They've given up nearly a full point per game less than the next-ranked team, even though the Patriots have played one more game.

Put simply, the defense has been outstanding.

Mac Jones

The Patriots were written off by most as early as Week 3, when Mac Jones threw two touchdowns and three interceptions in three games. Belichick groomed Jones better the following part of the season.

The Mac Jones of Week 13 is a far cry from the Mac Jones of Week 3.

After starting with two touchdowns and three interceptions, Jones now has 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He looks like an industry veteran and is coming off a week in which he earned a higher passer rating than every other quarterback in the NFL, according to PFF.

Turnaround from 1-3 start

Like Mac Jones, the NFL wrote off the Patriots after a rough September. Over the course of the next part of the season, Belichick coached up the defense, the coaching staff, and the quarterback.

The result has become the Patriots being the hottest team in football.

It has arguably become clear that no other coach other than Belichick may be able to handle the circumstances the way the Patriots have in 2021. Other teams with rookie quarterbacks and lackluster rosters may have folded after a 1-3 start, let alone jumping to the top of the AFC.

New York Jets v New England Patriots

Put simply, Belichick has essentially repeated his work from 2000-2001 in 2021 to state his case for coach of the year.