HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, October 31, 2021

Opening statement:

"A really good win for our team today. The Chargers are a good football team. Coming here and getting the win is a great feeling. Certainly, there are some things that we could have done better. We left some plays on the field, some penalties and non-penalties. We could have coached better, could have played better. We could have taken advantage of a couple of opportunities that we missed on. Again, all and all, we made the plays that we needed to make in the fourth quarter, which is something that we hadn't done as well earlier in the year. It's good to see that. It's good to come out here and get a win. Looking forward to the big game against Carolina. The team had a good week. It's a big challenge coming here. Two weeks in a row we've had fresh teams coming off the bye. The Chargers had a lot of energy. [Chargers Head] Coach [Brandon] Staley does a good job. We put the ball down the field. I thought we played better in the second half until the last two-minute drive, defensively. Offensively, we moved the ball. We would just like to come out with a few more points. I thought [Patriots K] Nick [Folk] kicked well, like he always does. [Patriots WR] Gunner [Olszewski] had some. The punt return team, not just Gunner, had some good returns to put the offense in good position. Obviously, [Patriots DB Adrian Phillips] AP's two picks were big differences in the game, really counted for 10 points there. That's pretty much the story."

 

On DB Adrian Phillips' interceptions:

"He does a good job of seeing the routes, seeing the quarterback, having vision on the ball. Just good awareness. He's a good football player. He did that when we opened last year against Miami, the first game in the 2020 season where he made the play on the slant route. He makes those plays in practice, too. He knows football and has good hands."

 

On the team's 'growth' week-to-week:

"We're just trying to get better every day."

 

On Staley's impact on the Chargers:

"It was one of those days last year where everything went right for us. There aren't many days like those in the NFL, but we had one last year. We didn't really put much stock in that. It's a new game. It's not the same players. It's a totally new offensive line. Some of the key players like [RB Austin] Ekeler and, obviously, [WR Keenan] Allen. [TE Jared] Cook is a good addition. Defensively, [OLB Joey] Bosa. We played against [S Derwin] James [Jr.], he certainly makes a difference. Some of the players are the same, some of them are different, but this is a different team. They are playing with a lot of energy. Coach Staley has them on the right track. You see what they have done already this year. They're going to be a hard team to deal with throughout the rest of the season. They have a good offense, good defense. I'm sure they're helping the return game. They addressed some areas and I'm sure that it will make them better."

On the defense's performance against QB Justin Herbert:

"We did some good things. We gave up some big plays. We need to coach better and play better more consistently. We did enough things to win, so that's good. On offense, we ran the ball, we moved the ball, we got enough points to win. There's certainly a lot of room for improvement and we will work on that this week."

On why the team will stay tonight in Los Angeles:

"A few things. It's the best thing to do."

On the 'improvement' of Patriots QB Mac Jones:

"Every game is a new game. Each one is a different experience, different defense, different players, different gameplan. Week by week, he can stack them together. He has done a good job of that. Each week is a challenge. This defense is different than any defense we've seen this year. Carolina will be different next week, too. Mac has done a great job. He prepares. He works hard. He definitely knows what to do. Some things he needs to see and experience. There's really no substitute for that other than getting out there and doing it."

On Phillips' interception return for a touchdown:

"I didn't really see the whole play. I'll take a look at it on film. It looked like [Jared] Cook wasn't looking for the ball. Adrian saw it and made a good play on him. You would have to ask somebody, I don't know."

On the Patriots displaying 'resilience' defensively:

"The same thing on the goal line stop down there. We got stopped on the one and had to punt, then they returned the ball and had good field position on the punt return. Then, we had the fumble and got the ball back after that. I thought our players showed a lot of resilience today, all the way across the board. Not just on defense but in all three phases. The Chargers are a tough team. They put a lot of pressure on it. They are an explosive offense. [Derwin] James and [Joey] Bosa, starting with those two guys, they are really good players on defense. They are centerpieces. Coach Staley obviously is a great defensive coach. He has proved throughout his career, and certainly last year. I thought, as a team, we showed a lot of resilience and toughness. Defensively, it was good after the first drive, settled things down a little bit. We gave up an 80-yard run or whatever it was, but there were some big plays that kind of skewed some of the good plays in there. We did a good job keeping Herbert in the pocket in the second half. That definitely helped us."

On the offense's final scoring drive:

"It's always great to see the offense move the ball and score points. I love it."