Minus Brady, the Patriots fall one year short of that. In essence, the Patriots lost more than their winning ways when they lost their quarterback. New England hasn't needed to develop a young starter at the most important offensive position since Brady was in his early 20s. Regardless, in a year played during a pandemic that strongly impacted the Patriots, Belichick and his staff can spend January not game planning but re-evaluating. They might even have time to tune in to watch Brady and the Buccaneers in the playoffs.

Source: Fox News December 21, 2020 14:04 UTC