Belichick used 'loophole' in NFL rule book to kill clock vs. Jets

Bill Belichick's genius was at work again Monday night as he showcased his knowledge of the NFL rule book while leading the New England Patriots to a 33-0 blowout of the New York Jets.

Facing fourth-and-2 with 11:13 left in the game and the Patriots needing to merely kill the clock, New England's punt team took to the field and let the play clock run out. The Pats were assessed a delay of game penalty, which the Jets declined.

The play clock and game clock resumed. The play clock nearly ran out for a second time before Patriots running back Brandon Bolden purposely took a false start penalty, which the Jets declined. The clocks started again and the Patriots finally punted. By the time the Jets returner called for a fair catch, 9:43 remained.

After the Patriots successfully killed 1:30 off the clock, Belichick was seen on the television broadcast suppressing a wry smile.

Belichick said postgame that he was merely taking advantage of the rules that are currently in place.

"We were able to run quite a bit of time off the clock without really having to do anything," Belichick said. "That's probably a loophole that will be closed and probably should be closed but right now it's open."