Pats have shown ability to overcome early-season upsets

What happened to the Patriots on Thursday night was a surprise. But it was also not all that shocking. Over the last decade-plus, New England has a history of being on the losing end of some surprising early-season upsets.

2003: A 31-0 shellacking at the hands of the Bills in the regular season opener was the unquestioned low point of the season.
2005: The Patriots were upset twice in the first month, a 27-17 defeat in Week Two against the Panthers and a 41-17 home loss to the Chargers in Week Four.
2008: A 38-13 loss to the Dolphins in Week Three.
2010: A 28-14 defeat against the Jets in Week Two.
2011: A 34-31 loss to the Bills in Buffalo in Week Three.
2012: Prior to Thursday night, the last loss in a home-opener, a 20-18 defeat at the hands of the Cardinals.
2014: Two defeats in the first month included losses against the Dolphins in Miami (33-20) and the Chiefs in Kansas City (41-14).
2016: With third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett at the controls, the Patriots lost 16-0 to the Bills in Week Four.

The most notable games on that list? The two from 2014; the latter of which sparked the “On To Cincinnati” moment that jumpstarted the run to a title.

If you’re a New England fan, you can take comfort in the fact that in many of those years, the Patriots were able to figure things out over the first month and had all the puzzle pieces click neatly into place so they were where they needed to be when the stretch drive began. The last three times the Patriots have lost the season opener — in 2001, 2003 and 2014 — they’ve gone on to win the Super Bowl. Basically, under Bill Belichick, they have a track record of overcoming early defeats and turning them into character-building lessons that help pave the way for a title run.

But as Devin McCourty said after the game, New England can’t simply rely on history or reputation to get them through this rough stretch.

“We can’t think it’s just going to get better just because we’re the Patriots,” he lamented.

Was Thursday’s game a speedbump, one that will provide the 2017 Patriots with their own “On To New Orleans” moment? Or is it symptomatic of bigger issues that needs to be addressed? The next week will provide some answers.

“The thing that’s going to define this team is how we react to this loss,” said left tackle Nate Solder after the game. “We have a long season. We have a long ways to go. And we all know that’s not how we want to play. We have to improve, and it’s all up to us.”