On Monday night, the New England Patriots won 30-27 on a last-second Nick Folk field goal as time expired. They got the victory and improved to 3-5 on the season, and as quarterback Cam Newton stated after the game, that's the important takeaway.
"It wasn't pretty, but it was a win," Newton told ESPN's Lisa Salters (h/t NFL.com's Jelani Scott).
Yes, the win is important for a Patriots team trying to maintain some respectability. However, there's plenty more to be gleaned from a close game against the league's lone winless team.