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New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick supported quarterback Tom Brady's decision-making when asked Tuesday about the final drive of Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, Belichick gave a lengthy answer regarding Brady turning the ball over on downs to seal New England's second consecutive loss:

With 20 seconds remaining in the game, Brady threw a pass intended for wide receiver Julian Edelman toward the end zone rather than checking it down to running back James White to potentially pick up the first down.

Belichick said, "I would certainly not second-guess his judgment," and expressed his belief that nobody makes a better "split-second decision" than Brady.

The loss was a significant one for New England since it fell to 9-5 and dropped to the No. 3 seed in the AFC behind the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans.

If the Patriots are unable to get back inside the top two, they will be forced to play on Wild Card Weekend for the first time since the 2009 season when they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.

New England can clinch the AFC East for the 10th consecutive season with a home win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, plus they will host the New York Jets in Week 17.

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The Texans have a tougher road ahead with an away game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16 before hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17.

Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but he has seemingly been a bit off in 2018.

After being named MVP last season, the 41-year-old has thrown for 3,979 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions through 14 games.

He hasn't thrown as many as nine interceptions in a season since 2014, and his 97.6 quarterback rating is his lowest since 2014 as well.

The demise of Brady and the Patriots has long been discussed by NFL pundits, and while two losses in December could be ominous, Belichick clearly has no concern about his quarterback's ability to get the job done in big games.