FOXBORO, Mass. — Morale was high New England Patriots locker room two days after their humbling Sunday night loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
After all, while they’re no longer undefeated, the Patriots still enter their Week 10 bye with the AFC’s best record.
“I mean, we’re 8-1,” linebacker Kyle Van Noy said Tuesday afternoon. “Of course we wanted to be 9-0, so it’s always tough. But facts are facts: We’re 8-1. So that deserves a smile, right?”
Special teams captain Matthew Slater agreed.
“(We’re in) a good mood,” Slater said. “We’ve got a lot to be thankful for. We’ve been pretty decent — above average, I think — over the course of the season thus far, so there’s no reason for anyone in here to be in the tank. Let’s just take advantage of the opportunity we have to improve this week, try to get healthy, and then hopefully come back against Philly and play a little bit better than we did on Sunday night.”
The Patriots did not practice Monday or Tuesday after falling to the Ravens 37-20 late Sunday night. They’ll hit the practice field Wednesday but will be off Thursday through Sunday, allowing the players to enjoy a long weekend away from Gillette Stadium before dialing back in ahead next Sunday’s matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
New England’s bye week falls late in its schedule, as eighteen NFL teams already have had theirs. Van Noy called the break “much-needed.”
“I think we regroup, get healthy and try to continue to work toward improving,” Slater added. “Obviously, what happened last week is last week, so you’ve got to be able to turn the page. You’ve got to try to learn from your mistakes and realize that we’re still in good position to be competitive down the stretch. But we’re going to have to do a lot of things better, starting tomorrow.”
