New England Patriots links 1/17/22 - Belichick, Patriots on to better, brighter 2022

TEAM TALK

• Post Game Notes: Patriots at Buffalo. Mac Jones is the first Pats rookie QB to make a start in the postseason; More.
• Erik Scalavino’s Game Observations: Patriots get the cold shoulder in Buffalo.
• Mike Dussault gives us four keys from the playoff loss. 1. Slow start again.
• Mike Dussault says the Patriots must renew their focus on their divisional opponents this offseason.
• Post Game Quotes: Patriots
• Sunday Press Conference: Bill Belichick.
• Post Game Pressers: Matthew Slater - Mac Jones - Bill Belichick - Devin McCourty - Matthew Judon - David Andrews.

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike D’Abate (PatriotMaven) Patriots’ lessons-learned from Wild Card Weekend loss to the Bills. Though quarterback Mac Jones finished the game completing 24 of 38 passes for 232 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, the story of the night for New England would be the inability to make plays when most needed on both sides of the ball.
• Evan Lazar tells us ten things we learned from Patriots’ season-ending loss to the Bills. For fans that are either new to the experience or haven’t felt like this in decades, welcome to reality in the NFL, where Rome wasn’t built in a day, and there’s constant uncertainty about the future.
• Mark Morse (PatsFans) 15 Observations from the Patriots’ playoff loss to Buffalo Bills.
• Mike D’Abate (PatriotMaven) Patriots Wild Card weekend snap counts: Interpretations and implications. Plus, some possible insight on New England’s future game-planning.
• Evan Lazar explores whether the Patriots’ bully ball style is a winnable formula in today’s NFL. Do the Patriots steer into the skid, and Tokyo drift their way through the rest of their rebuild or change their roster-building and schematic approach?
• Matt Dolloff asks what the hell happened to the Patriots defense?
• Zack Cox poses 7 big questions facing the New England Patriots as they head into the offseason. 1. Fix the defense.
• Michael Hurley serves up some not-so-tasty leftover Patriots thoughts: The one resounding message left after the 47-17 drubbing is simple: The Patriots are not in the upper class of the AFC. In fact, they’re not particularly close.
• Justin Leger says the Pats are on to 2022: What went right, what went wrong and what’s next.
• Ryan Hannable’s Sunday 7: Gap between Patriots, Bills is bigger than many thought.
• Clare Cooper (PatsPropaganda) The not so grand finale to the Patriots season.the Patriots weaknesses were made rather obvious under the late night lights, and they just couldn’t get it done.
• Steve Atkinson (NutsandBoltsSports) Mac Jones was ready to play, the rest of the team was not, in season ending loss to Bills.
• Jason Mastrodonato concludes Mac Jones wasn’t the problem for the Patriots, but he’ll need to do more in 2022.
• Ryan Hannable channels Pink Floyd. ‘Hey, people, leave Mac Jones alone!’ The Patriots defense was reason the season ended the way it did.
• Mike Reiss sees the lack of fight from the Patriots’ veteran-laden defense was beyond troubling on a disastrous overall night for the team.
• Dave D’Onofrio says Saturday’s blowout loss to the Bills gave the Patriots a reality check they were overdue – and that might be a good thing. ‘It’s plain as day that the division is no longer New England’s purview.’
• Andrew Callahan explains how a Bill Belichick-led Pats defense allowed the NFL’s best offensive performance ever.
• Zack Cox takes a look at the Patriots free agents to see who stays and who goes ahead of the 2022 season.
• Conor Roche talks about how the Patriots’ free agent and draft pick situations look going into the 2022 offseason.
• Conor Roche reviews the Patriots big-money offseason.
• Karen Guregian hears from Mac Jones and teammates expressing hope for the 2022 season
• Tom Shaw-Mellors (PatsPropaganda) Ups & downs Wildcard Weekend. Up: Mac Jones: I came away from the game feeling better about Mac Jones. Sure, he didn’t play great, but for me he was an up overall on the night.
• Mike Reiss talks about Bill Belichick saying he plans to continue coaching as he approaches 70.
• Matt Pepin notes Bill Belichick praised the Patriots’ effort, and is already focused on turning the page to next season. “I think we need to, and will, go back and take a longer view of everything.”
• Zack Cox considers potential coaching staff changes for the Pats in 2022.
• Logan Mullen writes “the Patriots aren’t in a rebuild” and suggests that now is the time for Robert Kraft to nudge Bill Belichick out and bring in Brian Flores.
• Zack Cox tells us where New England will draft. First pick is at 21.
• Darren Hartwell looks ahead to the 2022 draft: History of No. 21 pick bodes well for Patriots.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Albert Breer (SI) Monday Morning QB: Kyle Shanahan leans into 49ers-Cowboys history before Wild-Card win; Plus, the Bills’ big night, more playoff winners, coach/GM hiring updates, Eric Weddle’s return and more.
• Peter King (ProFootballTalk) FMIA Wild-Card weekend: 49ers survive, Cowboys crumble, Bills dominate in opening of NFL playoffs.
• Rodger Sherman (The Ringer) The winners and losers of Wild-Card Weekend.
• Staff (NFL.com) NFL announces Divisional Round schedule.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) After disastrous playoff loss at Buffalo, what changes will be made in New England?
• Russell S. Baxter (FullPressCoverage) What happened to the New England Patriots defense?
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Bill Belichick: “We just couldn’t keep up with them tonight”.
• Tyler Sullivan (CBS Sports) Ranking New England’s worst playoff losses under Bill Belichick. /Ha! Salt in the wound.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Bills ended every possession with a touchdown or kneeldown, unprecedented in NFL history.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Jerome Boger, not Walt Anderson, should have handled the Raiders-Bengals pool report.
• Kevin Seifert (ESPN) NFL playoff officiating decisions: What happened on controversial calls — right and wrong — and what came next. Why the officials got it right on Dallas’ walk-off loss; More.
• Tim Crean (Sportscasting) NFL referee Jerome Boger gets benched by league after controversial call in Cincinnati Bengals vs. Las Vegas Raiders game.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Jim Harbaugh’s wandering NFL eye arises from desire to win a Super Bowl.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) San Diego plots potential litigation over Chargers relocation.