The Patriots are no longer undefeated as they fell to the Ravens on Sunday night, 37-20.
New England takes an 8-1 record into a bye week in which it'll have plenty of time to mull over what it can improve on after getting run over by Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore offense. But is a team's mindset heading into a bye week really any different following a loss than it is following a victory?
Ex-Patriots backup quarterback Matt Cassel and NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran discussed that very topic on the latest edition of the Patriots Talk Podcast.
"It's always difficult. You always want to go into a bye week with a win, obviously," Cassel said. "But at the same time, they're going to break down the film, digest it, and this whole week has always been historically one of those that's a self-scout and there's a lot to digest at this point in the season because they had such a late bye. They're going to evaluate everything in terms of run defense and the pass game and how they're running the ball, what they can do better.
"But that's really no different than any other week even after a win. There's always stuff that is being corrected, that's being harped on, that's being points of emphasis of what you have to get better at. So it's one of those things that it is what it is and there's a lot of learning that's going to take place over this week about, what they did well and how other teams might try to attack you in the same manner if they can.
"But at the end of the day, once it's all set and done, just like a win you close the door on it and you move forward. You get out of there for a little while and you try to refresh yourself and reset. And get ready to go for the rest of the season because you've got a big stretch coming up."
New England Patriots
After a tough matchup vs. the Ravens, things aren't about to get much easier for the Patriots as their next four games will be against the Eagles, Cowboys, Texans and Chiefs.
The Patriots will practice on Wednesday, then have Thursday-Sunday to rest up before preparing for their Week 11 matchup vs. Philadelphia.
Also discussed by Curran and Cassel on the podcast is whether the Patriots would ever hold back on an opponent to save their scheme for the playoffs, the addition of Mohamed Sanu to the offense, and team awards heading into the bye.
Listen to the full episode below:
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