This has been a rough season for Bill Belichick

If it feels like years since the Patriots were last under .500 this late in a season . . . well, it has been.

A four-game losing streak? The last time it happened was almost two decades ago.

But here they are, seven games into life after Tom Brady, and the Patriots are in unfamiliar territory at 2-5.

Bill Belichick hadn’t coached a sub-.500 team this late in the year since 2002. That’s also the last season they suffered a four-game losing streak, which came a year after they earned the first of six Super Bowls victories in the Brady-Belichick era.

Incredibly, the Patriots were the only team since the start of the 2003 season not to have a four-game losing streak, according to ESPN. There had been a total of 284 such streaks.

Now the Patriots will face the Jets (0-8) on Monday night at MetLife Stadium amid speculation that Belichick might even consider tanking the rest of the season to secure a high draft pick to find Brady’s full-time successor.

Belichick has said nothing of the sort publicly and sounds very much like a coach who will try his best to continue winning games despite having a roster depleted by Brady’s departure and eight veterans opting out because of COVID-19 concerns.

"I’ve coached for 45 years, and I just don’t do it that way," Belichick told Newsday when asked if he has approached this season's team any differently because of all the roster turnover. "I can’t coach that way. You approach each year as its own year and do the best you can every year. You can’t control the teams you play. There’s a lot of things you can’t control that go on during the year. You try and make each day as good as you can."

Belichick conceded on Monday that the Patriots "sold out and won three Super Bowls" in Brady’s final years by pushing the envelope with the salary cap. That partly explains this year’s dip. But that doesn’t make it any easier for Patriots fans who now see Brady leading the Buccaneers to a 6-2 record and the potential to make yet another Super Bowl run with a more talented cast of skill players in Tampa.

Cam Newton started off well enough, winning two of his first three games with the Patriots. But he was diagnosed with COVID-19 last month and missed a start. His play has slipped noticeably since his return in Week 6: He has no touchdown passes and five interceptions.

"Our message has been pretty much the same for everybody [including Newton]," Belichick said. "Everybody’s working hard trying to improve, trying to get better and have better results. [Newton] feels that way and so does everybody else. We need to find a way to coach better and play better and have more to show for it."

Newton says it’s on him.

"October wasn’t good for me," he said. "We have to make sure November doesn’t feel like October."

Belichick is willing to admit that Newton’s absence and COVID-19 protocols that limited the team’s practice time took a toll.

"That wouldn’t help any team, not practicing, having virtual meetings and so forth," Belichick said. "I don’t think that’s a formula to high performance. We’ll try to avoid that happening again."

It didn’t help with the opt-outs, as players including linebacker Donta Hightower, safety Patrick Chung and tackle Marcus Cannon sat out the season. Belichick won’t use that as an excuse, though.

"There’s an element to [roster turnover] every year," he said. "There’s always new players on the team and always some players on the team from the year before that aren’t on it this year. It creates opportunities for other players. Depending on how different players do and their competition for their playing-time opportunities, that’s how we handle it."

The Patriots may be on the outside looking in come playoff time. They’ve missed the playoffs only once since 2003, but this time it looks as if Belichick is in for a long year.

A Giant lift for Ryan

Logan Ryan is on a one-year deal with the Giants and has no assurances of being back next season. But even if it’s a one-and-done for the 29-year-old safety, he already has been worth his $7.5 million salary, and not just because he has been terrific in the secondary.

His unsolicited commendation of the Giants and coach Joe Judge for their support during his wife’s medical emergency this week adds to the team’s already impressive reputation. It’s something players around the league notice, something that often can mean the difference for a veteran free agent such as Ryan.

Ashley Ryan was suffering severe abdominal pain, and after speaking with Logan, who solicited advice from the Giants’ training staff, she was urged to go to the hospital immediately. She was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy and required immediate surgery to avoid life-threatening complications. The pregnancy was not viable, but Ashley and her husband appreciated what the Giants did.

"I’m extremely grateful for this organization and for Joe and for everyone to understand that there are things bigger than football," Ryan said. "I know we care about X’s-and-O’s and winning and losing, but there are really good people here. That’s why I came here."

Good stuff.

Antonio Brown’s return

Antonio Brown will return for the first time in more than 14 months as the former All-Pro receiver gets yet another chance after serving an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy. Brown, now with the Buccaneers, was released by the Patriots after one game last season and spent most of the year on the commissioner’s exempt list after being accused of rape by his former personal trainer. Brown has countersued, and a trial is set for next month.

"I took a lot of time off from the game to re-evaluate myself, to look within, to get a better perspective of myself and working on myself within and without," Brown told reporters this week.

We’ve heard this before from Brown, who vowed to make the most of his time with the Raiders after forcing his way out of Pittsburgh in 2019. Instead, he got into several disputes with coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock before the team released him.

Brady has gone out of his way to help Brown after the two bonded in New England last year. But no one should be under any illusions about Brown, 31, who will make his debut in Sunday night’s Brady-Drew Brees showdown.

Brown's track record of me-first behavior has adversely impacted whatever locker room he’s in. It won’t be a surprise if it happens again.

Brees-Brady, Part II

When Brady signed a three-year deal with Tampa Bay, he immediately elevated the Buccaneers to the Saints' level as a potential Super Bowl contender. Which is precisely the case as the teams meet Sunday in Tampa, when Brady and Brees do battle with first place in the NFC South on the line.

The Saints (5-2) won the opener, 34-23, in New Orleans, but it’s advantage Tampa Bay in this one. And not just because the Bucs (6-2) are at home.

Brady has recovered from some early-season inconsistency — three interceptions in his first two games — and is one of the NFL’s hottest quarterbacks. He has 17 touchdown passes and one interception in his last six games.

Brees has had a muted season with 13 touchdown throws and three interceptions. He is dealing with shoulder soreness that limited him in practice during the week.

"Hey, I’m 41 years old," he cracked. "I’ve got a lot of stuff going on. Just keep ticking."

But Brees has at times looked as if he’s lost something off his fastball, so it’s worth keeping a close eye on the shoulder. And if Brady has his way, Tampa Bay will take a major step forward in the playoff race.

Around the league

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes scorched the Jets for five touchdown passes last week and is poised to surpass Dolphins legend Dan Marino as the player to reach 100 career touchdown passes the fastest. Mahomes has 11,727 passing yards and 97 TD passes in 39 career games, both the most by a player in that span. Marino threw his 100th touchdown pass in his 44th game . . . Colts quarterback Philip Rivers needs 231 passing yards on Sunday against the Ravens to surpass Marino (61,361) for the fifth-most passing yards in NFL history. Only Brees (79,314), Brady (76,760), Peyton Manning (71,940) and Brett Favre (71,838) have more . . . The Cardinals' Kyler Murray leads all quarterbacks with 437 rushing yards this season and the Ravens' Lamar Jackson is next at 411. It’s the first time two quarterbacks have at least 400 rushing yards going into Week 9 … The Seahawks' Russell Wilson, who is having an MVP-caliber season, can surpass Manning (92) for the most wins by a quarterback in his first nine seasons. Wilson faces the Bills on Sunday in Buffalo.

By Bob Glauber

Special to NewsdayBobGlauber

Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”