The party may still be on in New Orleans, but Tom Brady said Wednesday the hangover is over in New England.
“The mourning period is over,” Brady said Wednesday. “I’m not so concerned with last week’s game at this point. I’ve moved on to Miami. That game has come and gone. We can’t do anything to change it. Let’s go play Miami, I think that is the attitude in the locker room.”
Brady said Tuesday was used by the team “to get their mind back in the right perspective.”
They better do it fast. Coming off a short week, the Patriots travel to Miami to face a Dolphins franchise they have swept only twice in the Brady/Belichick era. After New England’s last devastating loss -- to Indianapolis -- the Patriots handled their rival New York Jets at home.
This matchup presents a tougher test.
“The goal this week is to beat Miami and to play a better game than we played last week. We’re 7-4, you know? We’re ahead two games in the division. The season is not lost, by any stretch,” Brady said.
“When you don’t play good football you lose games. I don’t think that is a new revelation for any of us. . . . We’re still trying to make improvements over the courseof the next five weeks. There’s a lot of football to be played. A win this week would do a lot for us.”
The Patriots have traditionally closed strong, but they also traditionally haven’t been blown out after Thanksgiving. That’s only happened twice in the Brady era before Monday.
The last time: A 21-0 December loss to the Dolphins in 2006 in Miami.