A day after the Patriots' disappointing loss to the Bills, Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels checked in with the media after assessing the film and preparing to move on to the team's final contest of the season.
Bill Belichick didn't mince words when asked if anything new stood out from the review.
"Same things we talked about last night," said Belichick via conference call. "Buffalo did a good job in all three phases of the game. They out-coached us and out-played us in every area. We just weren't able to keep up with them."
The offense has been particularly lackluster in recent weeks, bottoming out against the Bills with a season-low 56 passing yards. Josh McDaniels reiterated how offensive football is a group effort and that they're collectively falling short, not just because of one player at one position.
"Good offense is the product of many things being done right," explained McDaniels. "It starts with a game plan in preparation, practice, fundamentals, technique. We have to have eleven guys on every play to do those things right on offense in order to have success.
"We've had stretches where we played well and moved the ball fine. We've had stretches where we've certainly struggled and that's what the last few weeks have been."
"I think it's a combination of things that we all can do better," said Belichick in his own assessment of what ails the team, currently on a three-game losing streak. "So, that's what we'll work toward this week and work toward in the future. You know, look at everything, try to improve everything, whether it's design, execution, protection, route running, decision-making, etcetera."
Despite the challenges, the coaches remained committed to finishing the season the only way they know how, by competing.
"We're all in this to do one thing and that's to succeed and win and try to win championships," said McDaniels. "We've got one more week, that's six more days here, to put in a bunch of work and try to finish with our best effort on Sunday against the Jets."
