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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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