FOXBORO -- When Sam Bradford went deep down the middle of the field to Chris Givens for a 50-yard touchdown pass on the first drive of Sunday's game against the Patriots in London, people in New England reacted the most logical way they could.
It wasn't anything new. It was the same old Patriots secondary getting burnt by a speedy receiver, and a quarterback airing it out to him.
Fortunately, for the Patriots defense, they aren't heading the bye week while having that one play weigh too heavily on their minds. Because after that 50-yard touchdown pass, New England didn't allow another point for the rest of the game, leading to a 45-7 win.
Even with that one play, questions still exist.
But Patriots cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer pointed out on Thursday that, sometimes, it's not always what it seems.
"I think in each game, whether it looks bad, there's always some good things out there," said Boyer. "And whether it looks good, there's always some bad things out there. So, there's always stuff for us to improve on. There's always stuff for us to work harder on and get better at. And there's always some good things in there that we feel good about, that we're building upon as well."
The Patriots' secondary built upon a bad experience in that first drive on Sunday, exemplifying exactly what the coaching staff preaches to them. Play with patience, not panic.
"The most important play is the next play, whether the play that happened is good, bad, or indifferent, you need to move on," said Boyer.
New England's defense did just that on Sunday. And while that first-drive touchdown from Bradford may have looked bad, sometimes, you just have to tip your cap to the quarterback and receiver.
Boyer said there was some of that on Sunday, with regards to Bradford's money throw. Still, even he knows there could have been less separation between Givens and the Patriots' secondary on that given play.
"Our focus, from a defensive perspective is, no matter what the offense does, we always look at, are we in the best position? Did we play it correctly? I think that's where it starts," said Boyer. "There's some plays out there, where the quarterback makes a good throw and a receiver makes a good catch, and stuff like that. But even then, there's always a way to finish the play. And that's what we're always talking to our guys with. We've got to finish the play."