"Belichick intentionally f**king the draft order on his way out": Patriots fans in disbelief as team pulls 26-23 win on SNF

New England Patriots fans are convinced that their latest 26-23 win over the Denver Broncos is a masterplan by coach Bill Belichick to rob their franchise of a good draft position.

In a terrible season where they have long been out of playoff contention, New England seems to have found a new lease of life. Over the last three weeks, the Patriots are 2-1. They have defeated two postseason contenders from the AFC, dealing an almost fatal blow to both teams' chances.

Two weeks ago, they went to Pittsburgh and defeated the Steelers on the road. And now in Mile High City, they have come up with a win against the Denver Broncos. Belichick outsmarted two coaches who used to jostle with him in prior years for championship rings: Mike Tomlin and Sean Payton.

With their latest upturn in form amid reports of the head coach departing at the end of the season, the Patriots fans are convinced that Belichick wants to sabotage their draft position on the way out.

They took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to give their views on the whole affair. Here are some of the best responses on the platform.

Do Patriots really need a QB in the draft?

All this hand-wringing about the draft position comes because the New England Patriots are desperate to find Tom Brady's successor. They want to be in a position toward the top of the draft to get the best quarterback and build the future around him.

But a question must now be asked whether Bailey Zappe, who has engineered the upturn in fortunes on the field, should be given a chance to stay on, irrespective of whether Bill Belichick stays or goes. The concern there, though, is that Mac Jones looked good in his rookie year and made the Pro Bowl, only to regress from there.

With players like Caleb Williams and Drake Maye available, the Patriots may want to go down that route. But there is no guarantee it will lead to success. The Carolina Panthers ended up with Bryce Young as their first pick in the 2023 NFL draft and sit with the worst record in the league this season.