EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Bill Belichick moved into sole possession of second place on the all-time wins list as the visiting New England Patriots defeated the New York Jets 22-17 on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Belichick now has 325 wins (regular season and postseason), with Sunday’s game breaking a tie with Hall of Famer George Halas, the longtime Chicago Bears coach (40 years). Don Shula holds the all-time mark with 347 victories.
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, one of Belichick’s close friends, acknowledged Belichick being on the cusp of passing Halas, saying: “It’s an amazing number. It’s so well deserved, for the effort he puts in. He’s a relentless worker. I can see how it’s been done because he’s a heck of a football coach.”
Belichick is in his 23rd season as Patriots coach and 28th overall when including his tenure with the Cleveland Browns (1991-95).
The Patriots needed a comeback Sunday to help Belichick break the tie, initially falling behind 3-0 in the first quarter and then 10-3 in the second quarter in a mistake-filled first half.
After closing to 10-6 at halftime — following a stunning turn of events in which quarterback Mac Jones had his interception returned for a touchdown negated by a roughing the passer penalty — the Patriots outscored the Jets 13-0 in the third quarter to take control of the game.
Breaking a tie with Halas by beating the Jets might have some added meaning for Belichick, who was a Jets assistant from 1997 to ’99 and was primed to take over for Bill Parcells as the franchise’s head coach before he shockingly resigned as “HC of the NYJ.”
That ultimately led Belichick to the Patriots, who surrendered a first-round draft choice to hire him from the Jets as their head coach in 2000.
The Patriots (4-4) next host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.