The Patriots fell to 1-2 on the year Sunday afternoon with a 28-13 loss to the Saints, in what was a tough performance all the way around.
The offense struggled to move the ball early and then had three turnovers, all interceptions by Mac Jones.
“Obviously, just overall we just have to execute better offensively and in all phases of the game," Bill Belichick said Monday on The Greg Hill Show. "Stay out of third-and-long, do a better job in the red area and so forth.”
Despite the three picks, Belichick does seem pleased with where the rookie is mentally through three weeks.
“Good. For a young guy, he handles a lot," he said. "He works hard at it. Well-prepared and there’s not too much on the field that’s happened so far that he didn’t see — the things he should have seen.”
Things don't get any easier for the Patriots as they will host Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers this Sunday night, who are coming off a loss to the Rams.
“[Sunday] was disappointing, just like the Miami game was disappointing," Belichick said. "We’ll all have to find a way to learn from it, put it behind us and start getting ready for the next one. That will happen by the end of the day [Monday].”
He added: “We can’t worry about the rest of the season. We need to have a good day [Monday] and correct some of the mistakes from [Sunday], correct all of them if we can, and then start getting ready for Tampa. I think everybody recognizes the situation and we’re all determined to improve and do better. Nobody is satisfied or happy with where we’re at.”
This is the first time the Patriots are 0-2 at home since 2000.