Patriots Called Out by Fans After Loss to Giants Despite Improving NFL Draft Order

At this point in the season, it's understandable to see teams out of the playoff race playing for draft position. However, the New England Patriots appeared to make it a little too obvious in Sunday's game against the New York Giants.

The Patriots made mistake after mistake on their way to a 10-7 loss at MetLife Stadium and fell to 2-9 this season. It was New England's fourth straight loss, and this one led many to believe the team is tanking to improve its position in the 2024 NFL draft.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick benched quarterback Mac Jones for the fourth time this season after he threw for 89 yards and a pair of interceptions in the first half. His replacement Bailey Zappe wasn't much better, finishing with 54 yards and an interception of his own.

Still, the Patriots were in a position to force overtime when they drove deep into Giants territory on their final offensive possession. Unfortunately, kicker Chad Ryland missed a chip-shot 35-yard field goal with six seconds left in the fourth quarter.

The loss now has the Patriots in line to earn the No. 2 pick in 2024, per Tankathon. The Carolina Panthers have the worst record in the NFL at 1-10, but their first-round pick is headed to the Chicago Bears.

Fans on social media weren't happy with the effort from New England on Sunday, with many calling out the team for tanking:

The Patriots have a slew of deficiencies on their roster, but it's still surprising to see a Belichick-coached team struggle this much. It's fair to wonder if New England is already looking ahead to the future, which may or may not include Belichick, Jones and other key members of this year's team.

It won't get any easier for the Patriots in Week 13, as they will host star quarterback Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers (4-6) on Dec. 3.