FOXBORO, Mass. So much for all the talk that Bill Belichick is a behind-the-times, yelling-at-clouds, 71-year-old NFL coach who cant keep up with what the cool-kid coaches are doing.

Think about it: Belichick possesses the stamina to prepare for not one but two big games each week. One of them is the next game on the schedule. The other is the chess match hes playing against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

But lets hold off on the breakdown of the watered-down-soup of a handshake that took place between Belichick and Kraft on Sunday and the Sunday morning report by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network that Belichick agreed to a lucrative multiyear new contract before the season started.

Yes, Belichick raised eyebrows with a handshake that I like to call the Mangini. And, yes, the contract extension begs all kinds of questions not just how much its worth, but also who blabbed it. Make no mistake: The big story coming out of Gillette Stadium on Sunday was New Englands thrilling 29-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills. The Pats didnt just win the game, they also won over a dispirited fan base (for the time being, anyway) in that third-year quarterback Mac Jones led his team to victory with one of those everythings-on-the-line, late-in-the-day drives that used to be a common occurrence around here when You Know Who was throwing the ball.

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The Pats were trailing 25-22 with 1:58 remaining when the final drive began with Jones throwing a short pass to Rhamondre Stevenson that resulted in a 34-yard gain. The drive ended with Jones delivering a 1-yard pass to tight end Mike Gesicki for what would be the game winner.

Eight plays, 75 yards, one touchdown. These new kids on the block delivered old-timey Patriots football, and Gillette Stadium rocked in a way that hasnt been felt, heard and seen all season.

So theres that, the football part of the story.

But during the weeklong run-up to this latest slowdown between two ancient American Football League rivals, the Patriots were just your basic, lousy 1-5 team, and everyone in New England was wondering what Kraft was wondering about his coach.

Would Kraft dare make an in-season coaching change? Will a move be made on Black Monday or soon thereafter? Kraft isnt talking. Such was the dispatch with which he was whisked out of the NFLs midseason meetings in New York last week that the only thing missing was a cartoonish sound effect and a puff of smoke rising from the floor where Krafts feet had been planted.

Fast forward to Saturday and the annual Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Belichick appeared on the stage and was seen shaking hands and embracing 2023 inductees Mike Vrabel and Dante Scarnecchia and other Patriots legends. When he came upon Kraft, however, Belichick pulled the Mangini, offering the quickest of handshakes and then moving on.

And then came Sundays report from Rapoport about Belichicks new contract extension. I cant discern who leaked it. What I can tell you is that two possible secret messages are being sent here.

Secret message from the Belichick camp: Oh, so theyre going to fire me, are they? Well, if they do its going to cost them a boatload of money which Ill be counting on the next boat to Nantucket.

Secret message from the Kraft camp: We believed in Belichick. We set him up to succeed. If we have to fire him, we wont care about the money because we will be doing whats best for the team. (Which would be rich if they actually said that, since theyd be stealing one of Krafts favorite lines.)

The debate about the Saturday (barely) handshake might not be as controversial as people want to make it. For all we know, Belichick and Kraft might have already seen each other several times that day, whereas Belichick was seeing all these Patriots luminaries for the first time in months.

I often wonder whether billionaires ever step into break rooms to make impulse purchases of Doritos. Maybe Kraft does. Maybe he sees Belichick in there. Translation: Its not worth getting worked up over the handshake, even if, yeah, it was a weakling.

But this contract thing is proof positive that the chess game between Kraft and Belichick is real and its fabulous.

Belichick, who notched his 300th regular-season coaching victory Sunday, tying him with George Halas, was predictably silent when asked about the report by Rapoport.

I never talk about my contract, Belichick said. I focus on the game, try to focus on Buffalo. And now we focus on Miami.

Or maybe he does talk about his contact but strategically, not anecdotally.

To repeat: The Patriots registered a much-needed and very exciting victory over the Bills on Sunday. For Jones (25-for-30 for 272 yards, two touchdowns and a big drive in the last seconds of the fourth quarter), it was a chance to walk off the field with his head held high, a winner.

Its just a crumb, and just keep picking up those crumbs and eventually you have a whole loaf of bread, Jones said. It was a line he very much enjoyed because he stopped to add his own little chuckle before continuing: Thats my goal, just continue to work, continue to be Mac like I said. Its just one game, right?

One deliciously entertaining, back-and-forth game.

But then we add the Belichick-Kraft chess match to the mix and it becomes clear the Patriots are going to continue being a ceaseless and intriguing lead story for the remainder of this NFL season and beyond regardless of how many games they win or lose.

(Top photo of Mike Gesicki and Mac Jones: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)

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Patriots thrilling win over Buffalo moves Belichick-Kraft chess match to second row - The Athletic