Watch Bill Belichick's Postgame Speech After Patriots' Win Over Texans: 'Needed 60 Good Minutes Of Football, And We Got 30'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Bill Belichick likely wasn't happy at all with his team at halftime on Sunday, as the Patriots trailed the Texans 15-9. His mood likely soured a little more early in the third quarter, when an interception and a flea flicker had his team down 22-9.
But over the course of 60 minutes, the Patriots proved to be better than the Texans. Thus, Belichick was a bit happier in the locker room after the game than he was at halftime.
"All right, that's the way to keep fighting, OK? We needed 60 minutes of good football, and we got 30. That's what we said at halftime. We got the 30 we needed," Belichick said in the celebratory postgame locker room, in a video released by the Patriots.
Belichick credited the "blocked punt" as a major momentum swing, though that was more of a Texans-punting-the-ball-off-their-own-guy play than it was a blocked punt. And he gave credit to the defensive performance after that Houston touchdown early in the second half.
Belichick also gave a special shoutout to the offensive line, which was without four starters yet performed well in the win.
"How 'bout this offensive line?" Belichick asked, drawing a roar from everyone in the locker room.
Longtime team captain Matthew Slater addressed the team after Belichick, and he had vocal praise for the O-line and for kicker Nick Folk.
"Brother Folk? Steady Eddie, man," Slater said.
The video concluded with the trademark "Aww yeah!" celebration, which began with Tedy Bruschi in the early 2000s and has been carried on by Slater for many years. The Patriots may not have been celebrating as many victories as they're used to since the start of the 2020 season, but the celebration remains the same.
