With their 27-13 win over the visiting Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the New England Patriots earned their eighth victory of the season and tightened their grip on the top seed in the AFC.
They also earned head coach Bill Belichick the 300th victory of his career, pushing him into rarified air that only Hall of Fame coaches Don Shula (347) and George Halas (324) have reached.
After notching the win, Belichick said it has been “a privilege” to coach the Patriots for the last 20 seasons. “Fortunately I didn’t play in any of those games,” he joked. “That’s a good thing for us.”
Quarterback Tom Brady was a little more verbose when talking about what it’s been like to play for Belichick for the past two decades.
#Patriots QB @TomBrady on Bill Belichick getting 300 wins.
"Best coach of all time & it's a privilege to play for him."
"He's taught me so much."
"Amazing to think that he coached for another place & they didn't think he was good enough."
"Only thing better than 300 is 301." pic.twitter.com/bZ0dBwtkyF— Raul Martinez (@RaulNBCBoston) October 28, 2019
Ironically, Belichick’s 300th win (269 in the regular season, 31 in the playoffs) came against the team he coached to the first win of his career. On the losing end of Belichick’s first win in 1991? The Patriots.
New England owner Robert Kraft mentioned that fact, and took a shot at the Jets, while presenting his longtime coach with the game ball.
Robert Kraft presents Bill Belichick with the game ball after his 300th win. pic.twitter.com/Wy3h9geOGo
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 28, 2019
With how well the team is playing this season, it’s possible Belichick will collect enough wins to move within 40 (or fewer) of Shula by the end of the year. Should that happen, it’s possible he’d only need to coach for three-plus more seasons in order to pass Shula.
Belichick has already passed Shula on one list, as he’s coached the most postseason games of all-time with 42. Shula and Tom Landry are tied for second on the list at 36. Belichick has won 31 of those games, more than 10 more than his closest competitor (Landry, 20).
Of Belichick’s 300 victories, 37 came with the Browns over five seasons. The rest have came with the Patriots, the team he has coached since 2000.
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