“When you lose, it feels a little different because you just lost the ballgame and I think the mistakes are more compounded and exaggerated.”
Kevin Byard John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
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FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots received, in safety Kevin Byard’s words, an “old-fashioned a– whooping” last Sunday during a 35-6 loss to the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
The way the Patriots respond to such a beating will show a lot about what this team is made of, he said. A win against the Bills this week would bring them back to .500. A loss would drop them to 1-3.
Now is the time for urgency from the Patriots. New England narrowly edged out the Bills for the AFC East title last year. This undefeated Buffalo team is playing well in a brand-new stadium while the Patriots are reeling from their biggest loss since the 2024 season.
During an appearance on NBC Sports Boston Tuesday, safety Kevin Byard said the team had a 45-minute meeting on Monday, during which they went over their mistakes with a critical lens.
“I don’t know how many plays we watched, but we watched a lot of plays [Monday] and it was a lot of that coaching,” Byard said. “Not necessarily on loafs or guys not running but just making sure we’re holding everybody accountable, and then get to the practice field. If it’s not looking how it needs to look, ‘hey let’s address this right now.’”
“We’re not going to wait until we get 2-3 plays into practice and nobody’s saying nothing. No, we’re going to coach you right then, right there and now. If Vrabel’s doing it, then we have to do it as players as well, and that’s how we’re going to continue to take the next step.”
There had been speculation that the meeting Byard referenced was a players-only meeting. Speaking at his locker Wednesday, wide receiver Mack Hollins said that wasn’t the case.
“I mean, most team meetings after games are that long,” Hollins said. “Y’all are getting the thought that it was, like, some players meeting or something? No, it was just a team meeting. We just kind of watched tape. We go watch the majority of the offense, the defense, and the special teams, so it ends up being a long team meeting on those.”
Byard was asked for more context on his comments on Wednesday in the locker room.
“It’s just like what I said,” Byard said. “At the end of the day, just not to necessarily give a peek at what’s going on, but it’s like every Monday … [Vrabel] is going to put that film up. He’s going to coach everybody hard.”
“When you win, he’s going to coach us hard. When you lose, it feels a little different because you just lost the ballgame and I think the mistakes are more compounded and exaggerated.”
Byard said the Patriots are not taking this moment lightly. The Patriots made the Super Bowl after starting 1-2 last year, but as Vrabel often says, every journey is different. This matchup against Buffalo is a “huge” game, he said.
“Just knowing the situation we are in right now, we have to get back on track,” Byard said. “So, obviously, I think the sense of urgency of everything is accelerated. We have to find a way to go up there on the road and get a win to get back into the race.”
The expectations are different this year. The Patriots aren’t sneaking up on anyone anymore. They want to avoid digging an even bigger hole than the one they’re in now.
“I just think as we prepare this week, we know what’s at stake. We’re all professional football players … we know what’s going on. I think it’s just all about going out there and executing at a high level and playing team football.”
Khari A. ThompsonSports Reporter
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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