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Bill Belichick takes blame for crushing Patriots loss: 'It starts with me'

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick took the blame for his team's crushing last-second loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Many were quick to point fingers at Belichick's decision-making after Miami was able to score a 69-yard touchdown featuring two lateral passes as time expired, ultimately getting by the Patriots' questionable last line of defense: Rob Gronkowski.

Gronkowski, a 6-foot-6, 265-pound tight end who has missed three games this season due to injuries, was on the field for the final play in anticipation of a possible Hail Mary pass attempt. However, the Dolphins went with a different strategy, and it had New England completely fooled.

See photos from the play:

"It starts with me," the notably stoic coach said in a conference call the day after the game. "We have to play better situational football."

However, it doesn't sound like Belichick is losing any sleep over his decision to play Gronkowski over a more agile defender.

"It's the National Football League, so nobody died," he said on local sports radio station WEEI on Monday. "We’ve got a big game this week against Pittsburgh. We’ve got a two-game lead in the division. There’s a lot of football left in the season."

They're on to Pittsburgh — that sounds a lot more like Belichick.

The Patriots will have another chance to clinch a playoff berth this weekend when they take on the 7-5-1 Steelers, while Miami's thrilling win has them on the cusp of a Wild Card spot as they travel to take on the Minnesota Vikings.