Patriots fans didn’t have much to smile about during Sunday’s 24-17 loss to the Dolphins, but Bill Belichick inadvertently provided some entertainment in the third quarter.
With New England trailing Miami, 17-3, Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson ran on third down but was ruled short of the first down.
Belichick clearly didn’t agree and tossed the challenge flag right in front of the official — a move that ignited an onslaught of social media commentary, with some likening the Patriots head coach to a “toddler.”
“When a toddler is all done,” a viewer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A separate X user quipped: ” When you don’t cut the crust off the toddlers sandwich.”
One account remarked how the hurl “might be the sassiest Belichick moment of all time.”
“All time challenge flag toss,” former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman posted.
Although the Patriots rallied, New England still lost to Miami and dropped to 0-2.
The game ironically ended on an overturned call when lineman Cole Strange was ruled short of a first down after the ball was lateraled back to him by tight end Mike Gesicki.
“Well, not too much to say after that one,” Belichick said of the “tough loss” in his postgame press conference.
“But got to learn from it. And, you know, just keep working harder and move on. So, there’s really not too much to say.”
Quarterback Mac Jones, who is in his third season in New England, completed 31-of-42 passes for 231 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
Much like Belichick, Jones emphasized doing more and moving forward.
“Obviously, it sucks. But, really, when you’re close, you just have to do more, I think. Weight room, film, practice. Like, everyone just has to do more,” Jones said. “And hopefully, if you do that, I mean, you know you did everything you could do, right? So at that point, some of it’s out of your control. Some of it is luck, some of it’s other things. But for us, just got to do more.”
The Patriots travel to MetLife Stadium next Sunday for another AFC East showdown, this time against the 1-1 Jets.
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