FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England’s Dion Lewis had just become the first player to rush for a touchdown, catch a touchdown pass and return a kick for a touchdown in an NFL playoff game.
But after the Patriots’ 34-16 victory over Houston on Saturday night, Lewis was more focused on what he did wrong and what he needs to do to get better.
Despite his historic performance, his speech, his posture and the look on his face all suggested he had done something wrong. And in his eyes, he had.
Forget that Lewis, making his playoff debut, left Houston linebacker Benardrick McKinney grasping at air as Lewis skittered past him for a 13-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter, or that he return a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown later in the quarter.
What Lewis cared most about was that he fumbled twice, losing one on a kickoff that Houston turned into a quick touchdown to pull within 14-13 in the second quarter.
“I feel like this was my worst game ever, actually,” he said, when asked about the three touchdowns.
How so, a puzzled reporter asked?
“The fumbles,” said Lewis, his voice low. “I put my team in a bad position. I don’t think this was my best game.”
And that reaction is why the Patriots are playing in a sixth consecutive AFC championship game next weekend.
Despite his touchdowns, what Lewis will remember – what he will focus on in practice this week – is his mistakes. The lost fumble was eating him up after the game and is sure to drive him as the Patriots prepare to host the winner of Sunday night’s game between the Chiefs and Steelers.
“I know what I’ve got to do,” he said. “It’s fixable. I know that. And I’m going to do whatever I can. Because if I don’t, I’m not going to play. I’ll get it fixed.”
This is a team that is driven to always get better, to learn from every mistake – no matter how slight – and to fix them. Yes, they’ll take the wins, no matter how ugly, especially at this time of year. But they strive to be better every game, every day.
“Let’s not get this thing confused or twisted,” said special teams captain Matthew Slater. “Dion played a heck of a game. Was it perfect? No. None of us played a perfect game. But we don’t win this game without Dion Lewis.
“But, again, we’re never complacent, never satisfied. We’re always looking to play better, to do better. I think that’s what makes this team go.”
Lewis obviously isn’t alone in that mind-set.
“That’s what makes an athlete,” said veteran linebacker Rob Ninkovich. “You’re not thinking about the good plays. You’re thinking about the bad plays.”
Everyone?
“You ask Tom (Brady),” said Ninkovich. “He’s going to tell you everything he did wrong, not the things he did well. I don’t even know what I did (two tackles, one sack, a quarterback hit and a pass defended). I probably messed up at least three plays. There’s always a handful of plays that you want back.”
Brady completed only 18 of 38 passes and threw two interceptions – after throwing only two in 12 games during the regular season. In his postgame press conference, he stressed the problems the Patriots had more than their successes.
“It was just very inconsistent for us all the way around,” he said. “We just didn’t do good enough in any area.”
And, still, the Patriots won. By 18 points.
The mood in the locker room was muted because the Patriots know they can play better, that they have to play better.
So the Patriots practice for perfection, knowing that they may never achieve it.
“You always want to be perfect,” said Ninkovich. “You try to be perfect in a game that’s almost impossible to be perfect. It is impossible to be perfect.”
But they try anyway, because that’s what drives them.
“We have to play better, we have to coach better than we did (Saturday), or there won’t be much left in our season,” said Coach Bill Belichick.
That message seeps through the entire locker room, to veterans and young players, to starters and practice squad players.
“We play for each other and hold each other accountable,” said rookie linebacker Elandon Roberts. “That’s the culture of our team … We know it’s the little things that get you wins in the playoffs.”
The Patriots have been the most successful team in the NFL for more than a decade now not just because they have Brady at quarterback and Belichick as head coach, though those two certainly have a lot to do with it.
No, they are successful because they don’t accept mistakes.
“We know in football there’s going to be mistakes, there’s going to be ups and downs,” said Slater. “But that doesn’t mean it’s OK with us when those mistakes happen.
“I feel we didn’t play our best football (Saturday), and I don’t think anyone feels (we did). But we won the game and we’re playing next week.”
Lewis will be ready. Of that you can be sure.
For him, there was only one redeeming quality in Saturday’s game.
“We won,” he said. “And that’s the most important thing.”
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