The New England Patriots haven't been world-beaters this year, but surely they must've felt embarrassed going into halftime down 20-10 to the winless New York Jets on Monday.
Josh McDaniels wasn't fretting, and it was for good reason.
The Patriots ended up mounting a comeback in the second half, including the scoring of the game's final 13 points in a fourth-quarter comeback. When the dust settled, the Patriots earned a 30-27 win thanks to a game-winning Nick Folk 51-yard field goal as time expired.
So, what was the message at halftime? Cam Newton revealed what McDaniels told the offense during the break.
"First thing Josh McDaniels says -- no arguing, no screaming, no yelling -- at halftime, the first thing Josh McDaniels says to the offense is: 'Hey, we're going to win this game,'" Newton said Tuesday morning on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show.
"And those words," Newton continued, "that statement kind of put everything into perspective and registered a lot of things in everybody's mind, I know it did for me."
That'll have to resonate with the 3-5 Patriots as they gear up for a much taller task this Sunday: A date with the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium.