The New England Patriots are 8-4 and in first place in the AFC East division.
In a season where everything feels like it is upside down from one week to the next in the NFL, and it is hard to figure out who are the best teams, the Patriots are emerging as one of the best.
Because of this, it is not hard to make a case that Patriots coach Bill Belichick would win NFL Coach of the Year.
Oddsmakers have Belichick as the favorite to win the award over Arizona’s Kliff Kingsbury and Green Bay’s Matt Lafleur.
Bill Belichick is now +300 to win NFL Coach of the Year‼️pic.twitter.com/ASohLTnyWQ
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) November 30, 2021
Here are three reasons why Belichick should win the award.
3. Patriots Are Most Consistent Team In AFC
Can anyone stop the @Patriots? pic.twitter.com/t6RqAzE0uo
— NFL (@NFL) November 30, 2021
No-Loss November. pic.twitter.com/OZ67nSI8BK
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 29, 2021
The Patriots are riding a six-game winning streak.
They are getting better every week.
The team has the third-most points scored in the NFL through Week 12 with 336.
Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who played 11 games) with 347 and Indianapolis Colts with 340 have scored more.
2. Patriots Defense Is Great
The #Patriots defense continued their hot streak, holding the Titans to just 13 points in their Week 12 victory.
New England's elite pass defense has driven their current six game win streak, leading the NFL in various pass rush and coverage metrics.#TENvsNE | #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/QRJLxummEw
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 29, 2021
Belichick has his defense firing on all cylinders.
They have allowed the second-fewest points against through Week 12 with 190.
Only Buffalo has been better with 182 points against.
The Patriots are ranked fifth in sacks with 30.
They also have an astounding 19 interceptions which is three more than the second place Bills who have 16.
1. Mac Jones Is Having A Blockbuster Rookie Year
The NFL leader in Passer Rating in November was the 5th QB selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.
His name is Mac Jones (117.2). pic.twitter.com/yqfzqs0voQ
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 30, 2021
Remember all of those discussions about the rookie quarterbacks prior to the 2021 NFL Draft?
Mac Jones from Alabama fell down in the rankings and was the fifth quarterback drafted behind Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, and Justin Fields.
He landed right into Belichick’s and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ hands at No. 15.
Arguments could be made for Jones being the NFL MVP in addition to the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
That’s how great he has played.
Through 12 games, he has a 70 percent completion rate with 16 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and 2,850 yards.
McDaniels knows a thing or two about good quarterbacks and is very impressed with Jones.
When asked about his impressions of Jones recently, McDaniels said:
“He’s a very good listener. He’s in-tune with what happened. He usually gives me very good feedback from what he saw, which is a great sign for a young player. You say, ‘Hey, did he rotate late?’ (And Mac says,) ‘Yeah he rotated late.’ Then you look on the picture and see that he did. So we always try to tell the young guys: don’t make something up if you’re not sure. He usually has a really good grasp on the series that he just was out there for, and we have a good dialogue about it. He has good answers to any questions that I have.”
For all of the above reasons, Belichick has a very good chance at winning his fourth NFL Coach of the Year award and the first once since 2010.
NEXT: Is Mac Jones An NFL MVP Candidate?