It's been 10 years since the Patriots lost three straight games. It was early in the 2002 season, while the team was in the midst of losing four straight.
A decade later, New England faces the very stark possibility of dropping three in a row this Sunday in Buffalo.
But first, they need to put the last loss behind them.
Easier said than done, perhaps?
"No loss is easy to get over. It's just something you have to do," safety Patrick Chung observed. "Stay focused, stay positive, just keep playing your ball. If you're a very passionate person, it's going to linger for a little bit, but if you're a ball player, you're going to get over it. You have to get over it or it's going to alter your game.
"Just get over it. Take it day by day, game by game. We can't worry about things we can't control. Just have to go out there and play ball. That's the best we can do."
"We definitely need to… get out there and get a win," added Chung's defensive backfield mate, Steve Gregory. "You can't look at the big picture, you need to look at one week at a time, one day at a time. We're focused on today, getting better today, and when Sunday comes, focus on getting one win against Buffalo."
How difficult is it, though, to remain confident knowing a dubious distinction is on the line?
"We just have to keep playing. Coach Belichick says we just have to keep working hard… there's nothing special we can do to turn it around right now. Just keep working," cornerback/co-captain Devin McCourty remarked.
The Buffalo Bills will be no push-overs, either. Last year, New England's AFC East foes broke a streak of defeats to the Patriots dating back to 2003 in a wild September game at Ralph Wilson Stadium, where this week's game will take place.
And the Bills are an improved team over last year, albeit one that's hobbling right now. Running backs C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson are hobbling, but could still suit up Sunday. And healthy players like wide receiver Stevie Johnson are a major concern for the Patriots' secondary.
"They have a lot of threats, man, but he's definitely one of those guys you've got to contain as much as we can," Chung noted. "He's fast, he's quick, he can catch the ball, and he's very confident, too. They're a very confident team."
"He's tough to defend," added McCourty. "He does some different things, especially at the line of scrimmage, that you don't see every week from a receiver. He's going to be a big challenge for us this week.
"We're excited. We're going to enter this practice week, get ready to go, be excited to play. A lot of stadiums we walk in, we know crowd's going to be jacked up, teams' going to be ready to knock us off. We kind of expect that each week. This week, really no different. I think we have our mindset that we have to work hard this week and try to get a win."
For details about today's Patriots practice and more locker room tidbits, please visit the PFW blog.
