FOXBORO \u2013 Get ready for it.<\/p>\n
The Patriots are done. Sunday\u2019s game just proves that this group, which couldn\u2019t beat a team at home that they blew out in Week 2 by a 43-0 score, doesn\u2019t have what it takes to move on in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
All the naysayers will be out in force this week after the Patriots gave them an excuse to throw dirt on the grave with a 27-24 collapse to the Dolphins Sunday at a stunned Gillette Stadium. As a result, the Patriots will play without a week of rest and take on old friend Mike Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans next week in Foxboro.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere in New England, we\u2019ve been a little bit spoiled, having byes yearly but look, we\u2019re blessed to be in the playoffs and we should be excited about that,\u201d Matthew Slater said in the aftermath.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should look forward to our opportunity and try to seize the opportunity because look, the reality is there are guys on this team that may not see the playoffs again over the rest of their careers so we need to make this opportunity count and it starts by trying to have a good day (Monday) and trying to stack them together. And the next time we play, we need to play our best football.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the risk of reading too much into those words, some of those guys could include some of the leaders of the team, including a certain quarterback who re-wrote more of the NFL record book Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, it was a great chance for us to not play next week,\u201d said Tom Brady, who completed just 16 of 29 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. \u201cSo, we didn\u2019t take advantage of it. We just didn\u2019t play good enough and we all wish we would have done a better job. Certainly, I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
This feels like something different. This loss certainly has ominous overtones to it. The Patriots did things we just haven\u2019t seen them do over this glorious 19-year run. They blew a lead late with the strength of their team on the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to dig deep this week, we\u2019ve got to look ourselves in the mirror and get ready to go,\u201d Devin McCourty said. \u201cNo one feels sorry for the Patriots not getting a first-round bye in the playoffs. It is what it is. We talk about it each year, each team has their own journey, and this is our journey to go out there next week, Wild Card weekend and have an opportunity to continue to play. If we want to earn the right to play next week, we\u2019ve got to go out there and play well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n“We’ve got to dig deep this week. We’ve got to look in the mirror and get ready to go. No one is going to feel sorry for the #Patriots<\/a> not getting a first-round bye.” Devin McCourty #GoPats<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rB5x6d7gNk<\/a><\/p>\n