Bill Belichick worst losses: The biggest blowouts of legendary coach’s NFL and college career originally appeared on The Sporting News
Bill Belichick’s start at North Carolina hasn’t exactly gotten off to a hot start. Entering Week 5, the Tar Heels were 2-2, with wins coming over non-power conference schools in Charlotte and Richmond.
Advertisement
UNC’s three losses so far have been complete blowouts—the Tar Heels lost in Week 1 48-14 to TCU, and lost 34-9 on the road to UCF. Before the first quarter was even over against Clemson in Week 6, UNC lost 38-10, and was down 28-3 before the first quarter was even over.
Yes, Belichick has come back from big deficits before—like his team overcoming the 28-3 score in the infamous 2017 Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons. But Tom Brady wasn’t coming out of the locker room for UNC at halftime. Clemson’s offense finished with 488 total yards of offense, compared to UNC’s 213.
Given that Belichick’s losses have seemed to come in blowout fashion, let’s take a look at some of the biggest blowouts of his coaching career.
MORE:Nick Saban tells Bill Belichick he’s full of ‘s—’ on ESPN’s ‘College Gameday’
Advertisement
Belichick’s worst losses as head coach
Belichick’s first two losses at UNC were pretty bad—a 34-point drubbing by TCU and a 25-point road loss to UCF. In Week 6, Clemson looked to be on its way to delivering another blowout loss to Belichick, leading 35-3 at halftime.
Here are Belichick’s worst losses as a head coach by margin of victory:
Season
Margin
Final score
2023
35
Cowboys 38, Patriots 3
2023
34
Saints 34, Patriots 0
2025
34
TCU 48, North Carolina 14
2003
31
Bills 31, Patriots 0
2021
30
Bills 47, Patriots 17
2020
29
Bills 38, Patriots 9
2025
28
Clemson 38, North Carolina 10
2014
27
Chiefs 41, Patriots 14
2008
27
Dolphin 38, Patriots 13
1995
27
Oilers 37, Browns 10
UNC’s season-opening loss to TCU is just one point shy of Belichick’s worst loss as a head coach.
But Belichick’s early UNC losses still weren’t as bad as some of his last couple when he was still with the New England Patriots. In 2023, he closed out his Patriots tenure with two of the worst losses as a head coach of his career. New England lost 38-3 to the Cowboys before getting shutout by the New Orleans Saints 34-0 one week later.
Advertisement
As you can see, Belichick has only been shutout just a few times in his career, and just four games in his 24-year career with the Patriots were losses of at least 30 points.
MORE:Full Bill Belichick-Jordon Hudson dating timeline
Most points allowed by Bill Belichick-coached team
Here is each 40-point outburst allowed by a Belichick-coached team:
Season
Points
Opponent
2025
48
TCU
2021
47
Bills
2017
42
Chiefs
1991
42
Redskins
2005
41
Chargers
2012
41
49ers
2014
41
Chiefs
2017
41
Eagles
2005
40
Colts
2018
40
Chiefs
The 48 points that Belichick’s defense surrendered in Week 1 to TCU was the most ever by a Belichick-coached team. The Tar Heels entered Saturday’s matchup against Clemson ranked 59th overall in total defense, and 58th in scoring defense, giving up 22.9 points per game.
Advertisement
And it’s important to note Tom Brady was only under center for one of Belichick’s five worst losses as an NFL head coach, and two of his eight worst losses.
MORE:Miami vs. Florida State players in the NFL: Which school’s all-time pro roster wins head-to-head?Â