FOXBORO - The New England Patriots know firsthand how not playing a full 60 minutes in a football game can come back to haunt you.
In last year's AFC Championship Game, the Patriots blew an 18-point lead to the Colts and lost, 38-35, so New England coach Bill Belichick made sure that the Patriots played 60 minutes every time they stepped on the field this season.
"I think in the National Football League you've got to be ready to play 60 minutes every week," Belichick said. "I think every team knows that, so no matter what the score, situation or conditions are, you play for 60 minutes, whichever side you're on.
"That's what the competition is in this league. There's a lot of close games, a lot of them come down to one possession, a lot of them come down to the final possession, so you just have to be ready to go for 60 minutes every week."
There were several games in which the Patriots didn't need to play the full 60 minutes. The Patriots won their first eight games by an average of 25.5 points per game.
Belichick was criticized for keeping his star players on the field the entire game.
But he defended himself, saying at the time that one day the Patriots would need to play a complete 60 minutes and if they weren't used to doing that, then they might lose in the end.
He was right, and thanks to Belichick's philosophy of not taking any players off, the Patriots were prepared to go the distance in those games.
The first close game the Patriots had this season was against the Colts. The Patriots overcame two Tom Brady interceptions, 141 yards in penalties, and a rowdy Colts crowd to win, 24-20, as Brady led a furious fourth-quarter charge to come back from 10 points with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Playing the full 60 minutes was the theme in that contest.
"You know, I think we just kept on playing," Patriots receiver Wes Welker said after the game. "No matter the score or what was going on, we just kept on playing, kept on executing and made sure everybody was just doing their jobs out there, and making sure we were doing things that would make us successful."
Against Philadelphia two games later, the Patriots once again needed the full 60 minutes to win. The Eagles had a chance to win late in the fourth quarter, trailing 31-28, but Asante Samuel intercepted an A.J. Feeley pass in the end zone.
"Hey, man, '60-minute men,' that's what it had to be in Indianapolis. That's what it had to be today. That's what it's going to have to be for the rest of the season," cornerback Ellis Hobbs said after beating the Eagles.
"That's what it's about. Making plays in the NFL," Samuel said. "You never know what kind of game you are going to have. You try to help your team out, going out and playing hard for 60 minutes, and that's what we did."
The next week against the Ravens, the Patriots faced their toughest challenge but they pulled off a 27-24 come-from-behind victory in the final minutes as Brady connected with Jabar Gaffney for an eight-yard touchdown strike with 44 seconds left to grab the victory.
"Bill does a great job of putting us in those situations in practice," Gaffney said. "When they happen, it's all about your keeping your composure."
The Patriots squeaked past the Giants, 38-35, in their last game of the regular season to become the first team in NFL history to post a perfect 16-0 regular-season record.
The Patriots have won three Super Bowls in the last six seasons and all three of them were decided by a field goal, which speaks volumes to Belichick's motto of playing 60 minutes.
"I mean, honestly, do you think we would ever tell our team, 'Just 50 this week, fellas? That's all we need. Just 45 and then we'll take a quarter off.' We always try to play 60 minutes," Belichick said.
The 60-minute motto has been a mainstay both in and outside of the Patriots locker room. The Patriots, and lineman Jarvis Green, have "60-minute men" T-shirts, sweatshirts, and key chains for sale.
"I think anyone can play well when it's the first, the second, the third quarter, when things are tight. But it's those critical moments," safety Rodney Harrison said. "That's what we live for and that's what we prepare for - situational football, making sure that we have a tough, physical group that plays well under pressure. And that's Bill's philosophy. He's preached that ever since I've been here.
"You have to have that because you have to have the ability to have confidence in yourself, as well as others, to go out there and make plays and to do things when it counts and when it matters most and that's in those critical situations."
Robert Lee is a writer for the Providence Journal. Contact him at robleeprojo.com.
