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Sports · Football (NFL) · published 2026-09-03 · via The Athletic

Belichick's video board trick may have skewed opposing kickers' accuracy at Gillette Stadium

Image via The Athletic
Image via The Athletic

A former Eagles analytics staffer revealed that the Patriots displayed a reverse view of the goalposts on their video boards, with off-center yellow uprights, during opposing field goal attempts. From 2010 to 2023, opponents made just 77.6 percent of field goals at Gillette Stadium, well below the league average and road-game norms. The tactic appears to have been legal and may have contributed to New England's home-field advantage.

Expanded Detail

EXPANDED:

The deception involved showing opposing kickers a mirror-image view of the goalposts, with the yellow uprights deliberately shifted off-center on the stadium's video boards. This visual trick was in place from 2010, when the screens were installed, through Belichick's final season in 2023. New England's own kickers saw a different display and converted at 88.2 percent, notably outperforming their opponents.

The statistical gap is striking when compared to other cold-weather venues

Expanded detail and Context are AI-generated analysis; the linked article remains the authoritative source.
Read the full article at The Athletic →
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