NEW ORLEANS — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had some harsh words, by his standards, for his team after their Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. They appeared to resonate.
Brady called out his team’s urgency last Thursday and said the Patriots needed to dig deeper than they did in their 42-27 loss to the Chiefs. He also implied the team didn’t have a winning attitude in Week 1.
The Patriots looked like a different team in Week 2 as they toppled the New Orleans Saints 36-20. It’s easy to listen to and respect Brady, who’s been winning Super Bowls for 15 years.
“It was a good four quarters of great competition,” Brady said Sunday. “We got off to a good start. We did some good situational things. We left some out there, I think, but it was a good win. To be 0-1 with a 10-day break felt like a year, but it was good to go out there and get a win.
“I think our veterans had a chance to say what they wanted to say to their different group, whether it was your own unit or your offense or defense or the whole team.”
The Patriots carved up the Saints’ defense for 555 yards as Brady went 30 of 39 for 447 yards with three touchdowns. That was after he completed just 44 percent of his passes in Week 1. The Patriots also looked strong for all four quarters and didn’t allow the Saints, who still have a dangerous offense, to come back.
“From start to finish, the 60 minutes we talked about playing, I thought in a tough environment, I thought everyone played really well today,” wide receiver Chris Hogan said Sunday.
Hogan added: “It was something that we harped on coming into this week. Urgency was definitely a major key for us, coming into this game, getting out of the huddle and getting us going, starting fast, putting points on the board.”
Even Patriots coach Bill Belichick was pleased with his team after he worked them hard over the week during practice, noting there were “not many problems.” That’s a compliment coming from Belichick.
“We had a good week of work,” Belichick said. “We practiced hard. We had a good week of preparation. We came down here, played hard. That is what we needed to do.”
Thumbnail photo via Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports Images
