A win's a win, but not all of them build confidence.
FOXBOROUGH – It was an odd scene. Tom Brady standing at the podium, fielding questions about his makeup and whether or not he felt like he silenced his critics by leading the Patriots to a comeback victory over the Jets Sunday night.
Most quarterbacks who have won three Super Bowls, played in two others, and led 35 comeback wins over the years don't have to field questions about their makeup. But that's how bizarre New England has been this season.
The offense is on pace to set a franchise record for net yards, but hasn't been able to execute consistently in clutch situations. And the defense is still suffering from the same problems that plagued it most of last season.
Expectations aren't being met. Things used to look simple. Now they don't.
"I wish it were that easy. And maybe there were times when it has looked that easy," Brady said during a sports radio interview Monday. "I think you appreciate it when it does work. You realize that preparation that you put into it – that it pays off. Maybe we've just spoiled some people in the meantime."
Maybe the expectations are unreasonable, but many of the issues have been birthed through mental gaffes.
Twice the Patriots had 10 men on the field during Sunday's 29-26 win, including on the Jets first touchdown. The other instance caused New England to call a timeout on a first-quarter punt.
New England also had to burn a timeout last week against Seattle after taking the field with the wrong number of men.
Those mental lapses are problematic and easily avoidable, but the problems are deeper than that. New England needs to find a way to close games if it hopes to get back to the Super Bowl. If not, the season will end in a cloud of smoke early in the playoffs.
This is why Brady's credentials were pulled Sunday night. If not for Rob Ninkovich forcing game-securing fumbles against Denver and the Jets, the Patriots could very well be 1-6. They blew it against Arizona. They blew it against Baltimore. And they blew it against Seattle.
They temporarily blew it against the Jets, too. Brady and his comrades got the ball back with a little more than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, up three points, with a chance to put the game away.
Offensive pass interference, an incompletion, a four-yard run and another incompletion followed. The Jets tied the game and eventually took the lead. Then, and only then, did Brady wake up, completing 9 of 13 passes for 95 yards on the final two drives of the game. If Jets wide receiver Stephen Hill had caught a pass in the fourth quarter that would have secured victory, Brady's shot at redemption wouldn't have existed.
It was one of those wins that feel like a loss, a feeling that is starting to become all too familiar in the Gillette Stadium locker room.
"We can't really put ourselves in that situation," Brady said. "We all have to do a better job of executing our plays. There's no easy way out. It's not like there's a special magic play that you save for those situations. It's about doing your job and doing a better job of it."
What's the fix? The Patriots don't know. Getting Rob Gronkowski (hip) and Aaron Hernandez (ankle) fully healthy will help, but the team is still searching for an identity and say it's too soon for any definitive answers.
And they may be right. The season has nine weeks left. But after playing St. Louis in London this week, and going on a bye the next, the end will be closer than the beginning.