Patriots will bounce back after Miami meltdown: Brady

Los Angeles (AFP) – New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady insisted his team would bounce back on Monday following their spectacular last-gasp defeat to the Miami Dolphins.

The Patriots fell victim to what has been dubbed the “Miami Miracle” on Sunday, when the Dolphins conjured a remarkable winning touchdown off the final play of the game to snatch a 34-33 victory.

The sweeping 69-yard score, which featured two lateral passes before Kenyan Drake raced over in the corner, prevented the Patriots from clinching a 10th straight AFC East division title.

Brady however is confident the Patriots will pick themselves up for what is a traditionally daunting fixture against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field next Sunday.

“We’ve had a lot of tough losses over the years. We lost pretty important games,” Brady said Monday on Boston sports radio station WEEI.

“What’s the difference between losing by 14 down there, losing by 50, or losing by 1? They all count the same.

“Mental toughness is mental toughness. You realize that a lot of things had to go right for them to win, and they did. You know, give them credit. They made some important plays.”

While the Patriots remain firmly in charge of their destiny, the defeat to Miami has lengthened the odds on Bill Belichick’s team managing to wrest homefield advantage from the Kansas City Chiefs during the playoffs.

Brady said the Patriots would look to finish strong over their final three regular-season games.

“We still have a lot of football to play,” he said. “There was a lot of positives from yesterday’s game that we have to kind of use going forward, that we will use going forward.

“Our whole season is ahead of us, so let’s make the most of it.”

Brady also shrugged off suggestions that the defeat was further evidence to support the theory that the Patriots are fallible on the road. 

“We had every opportunity to win that game,” Brady told WEEI.

“So it’s not that I don’t think we can win on the road. We’ve won on the road, played well on the road. We just have to close the deal,” added Brady.