MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Slater quickly sounded the alarm.
The consistent thread in the final three New England losses of the regular season — all of which came in the Patriots’ final four games — was slow starts, and another one doomed them Sunday in a 33-24 defeat at Miami.
So, a few minutes after the Dolphins game was over, the veteran receiver and locker room leader made it clear: The slow starts have to end, or the season probably will much sooner than the Patriots would like.
“Whether it’s energy, focus, execution, you name it, we’re not doing anything well enough early in the games to give ourselves a chance to get in a rhythm and remain competitive early on,” Slater said.