What Bill Belichick Told Patriots During Locker Room Speech After Last-Second Win

Bill Belichick was in a jolly mood Sunday night, and who could blame him?

The Patriots had every reason to mail it in Sunday night against the Broncos, but instead, they left Denver with one of their most dramatic victories in recent memory. New England shook off a slow start to build a 16-point fourth-quarter lead that evaporated before Chad Ryland delivered a game-winning field goal in the final seconds.

It was a feel-good win, even though it damaged the Patriots' chances of landing a top-two pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

During his postgame locker room speech, Belichick gave shoutouts to Ryland, Bailey Zappe, DeVante Parker and Christian Barmore -- among others. He also embraced cornerback Myles Bryant and asked him if he had "anything left" after playing 54 defensive snaps.

Zappe and Parker connected on a 27-yard pass that helped set up Ryland's field goal, while Barmore posted three sacks in a dominant performance.

"Great job, fellas," Belichick told his players, as seen in a video provided by the Patriots. "That's some toughness. That's some toughness. Key plays right there -- we had to have them. B-More, three sacks. ... Big kick, Chad. Big kick. Good throws, Zappe, to get us down there. DP. Defense, I mean, (expletive). Hey, fellas, all I have to say is Merry Christmas."

Sunday's victory moved the Patriots to 4-11 on the season. They'll finish the campaign with a road game against the Buffalo Bills and a home matchup with the New York Jets.

If the win over Denver taught us anything, it's that New England refuses to play out the string despite its terrible record. Perhaps the Bills should be on upset alert.