Spirits in the New England Patriots’ locker room were high after Sunday’s dramatic win over the New York Jets. But there wasn’t much time to celebrate.
In his address to the team after its 10-3 victory over New York at Gillette Stadium, head coach Bill Belichick was quick to point out that the Patriots’ next game was just four days away.
“All right, look. I’m going to make this quick here,” Belichick said, as seen in a team-released locker room video. “Tonight’s Wednesday night. Tonight’s Wednesday night. That’s the kind of schedule we’re on here. Quick turnaround.”
The Patriots will visit the Minnesota Vikings this Thursday night in their first Thanksgiving game in 10 years. Then, they’ll play on Thursday night again the following week, hosting the Buffalo Bills in a key AFC East matchup.
Sunday’s win over the Jets improved the Patriots to 6-4 on the season, just one game back of the Miami Dolphins and Bills for first place in the division. The Vikings are an impressive 8-2, but they’re coming off a humbling 40-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and likely will be without starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw, which could prove problematic against New England’s ferocious, Matthew Judon-led pass rush.
Here’s the full locker room video, which also includes a clip of defensive end Deatrich Wise wrapping team owner Robert Kraft in a bear hug and lifting him off the ground:
