Analyst: No Super Bowl for 2022 Patriots because 'times have changed'

The "overreaction Monday" portion of the NFL calendar continues to spill into the remainder of the midweek. 

Days after the New England Patriots fell to the Miami Dolphins 20-7 in last Sunday's regular-season opener, former running back and two-time Super Bowl champion LeSean McCoy declared during a televised segment that "it's over" for legendary New England head coach Bill Belichick. For a piece published Friday, NFL Media's Marc Ross added his name to the growing list of individuals who believe there's little chance Belichick will hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy this coming February. 

"A juicy note from NFL Research: The Patriots' 20-season streak without an 0-2 start is the fifth-longest in NFL history and longest such streak that began after the 1970 merger," Ross explained before New England hits the road to play at the 1-0 Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday. "That streak ends Sunday in Pittsburgh, with the Patriots falling to 0-2 for the first time since 2001. And there won't be a Super Bowl in store at the end of this season like there was back in '01. Sorry, Pats fans: Times have changed." 

One piece of good news for Belichick and company is that starting quarterback Mac Jones returned to practice Friday after he sat out Thursday with an illness, per Mike Reiss of ESPN. Jones also hurt his back in the loss to Miami but wasn't listed on the team's official injury report ahead of the weekend. 

Regardless of Jones' status, McCoy made it clear during a recent appearance on Fox Sports' "Speak" program that he thinks Belichick is a six-time Super Bowl champion head coach more so because of all-time great quarterback Tom Brady than because the 70-year-old is a football genius. 

"It’s over. This is the real Belichick," McCoy said. "The winning percentage, playing with Brady, is 77 percent. Without Tom Brady, you wouldn’t even guess. 47 percent. He don’t win no games without Tom Brady."

One wonders what McCoy may say or think after the season's second weekend.