Bill Belichick Reacts To Patriots 12-18 Loss Against Broncos

The New England Patriots had just two practices between their Week 4 trip to Kansas City and the Week 6 game against the Denver Broncos. The coronavirus forced the team to place a few players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Many would agree that the situation was less than ideal for every team in the NFL. The league rescheduled the game twice and Broncos players didn’t like it a lot. The Patriots placed three players on the COVID list the day before their match against Denver. It was a loss for head coach Bill Belichick and his team. Some would say there’s no excuse for the Patriots and their loss to the Broncos.

Patriots players looked a bit rusty on the field. They looked disorganized throughout the game. In the 18-12 loss to the 1-2 Denver team, the Patriots committed three turnovers and scored just one touchdown.

Head coach Belichick discusses the problems Patriots had in their loss to the Broncos

Coach Belichick spoke to media members following the loss. He emphasized the need for more practice. Well, every NFL coach would agree with this one.

“We need more time together,” Belichick said. “We need to practice together. We need to execute and do everything better. No question about that. … It’s the same for everybody on the team. Nobody’s practiced. We all need to do more practice. We need to get our execution levels up a lot higher.”

Eight Patriots players earned a spot on the COVID list in the last two weeks. They tested positive or had close contact with a positive player. Belichick kept Patriots players away from the team facility in order to protect them from the virus.

Instead of the usual Wednesday session, Patriots players had off-field workouts and rotated players throught the facility by position group. Thursday was a normal session, but the team canceled Friday after Ferentz’ positive test.

The Patriots stayed home throughout the entire week and had just one low-intensity practice last Sunday before the NFL postponed their match against Denver.

According to coach Belichick, the lack of practice affected the offensive line mostly because players had injuries and illness in the past few weeks.

“It was a big challenge,” he said. “Playing without guys, getting guys hurt, moving around, had some guys that hasn’t played together much, hadn’t practiced together much. So we need to get on the field, we need to practice, we need to develop some continuity as a team, but especially there.”