„I think our whole team showed a lot of mental toughness. All week, all year.“
Even a coach as experienced as Bill Belichick had to acknowledged the reality of the Patriots’ dramatic Christmas Eve win over the Broncos on Sunday.
“That was a wild game,” he said after New England’s 26-23 victory. “Really proud of our guys.”
“Got off to a rough start, but those guys really battled back, hung in there,” Belichick continued.
Noting that it was “good to come out here and win,” Belichick was asked what he thought of rookie Chad Ryland’s game-winning 56-yard field goal.
“Big kick,” the Patriots’ coach replied. “I think our whole team showed a lot of mental toughness. All week, all year.”
The Patriots were propelled at times throughout the game by a dominant defense, specifically defensive tackle Christian Barmore.
Barmore, 24, registered three sacks and two tackles-for-loss on a career night.
Asked about the defensive tackle’s contributions in 2023, Belichick cited Barmore’s consistency dating back months.
