The New England Patriots struggled mightily on the road in 2018, posting a 3-5 record away from Gillette Stadium en route to their first season in which they didn't win 12 or more games since 2009.
The Patriots' road issues ultimately didn't cost them in the playoffs -- they beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium -- but it did make the road to Super Bowl LIII more difficult.
The defending Super Bowl champs have played much better on the road in 2019. They are 3-0 entering Monday night's Week 7 matchup versus the rival New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
What's led to the Patriots' improved performance away from home this season?
"I think coming out and playing well early, trying to get off to a good start and continuing to do that," Patriots safety Devin McCourty told reporters Thursday. "Playing for four quarters is something we’ve been talking about since training camp when we went on the road against Detroit and Tennessee of starting our mentality early of playing well on the road because we saw how much that hurt us last year of just not doing it.
"But, I think in this league, it’s not about being 3-0. It’s about how do you get to 4-0? How do you do it the next week? How do you prepare and play well again on the road? Just because you’ve done it doesn’t matter. Last year, we sucked on the road. We had to go to an AFC Championship game on the road. All that mattered was how we played in that one game. So, I think that’s the mentality we have to keep throughout the season."
New England Patriots
The Patriots' road opponents through six games have mostly been pretty weak. Aside from a tough game in Buffalo against the Bills, the Patriots have played two easy matchups against the winless Miami Dolphins and the 1-5 Washington Redskins.
New England's schedule will get tougher, including difficult road matchups versus the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles, but the early success away from Gillette Stadium is an encouraging development for the Patriots as they continue toward locking up the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
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