The chatter of Bill Belichick possibly being on the hot seat seemed to be louder than ever before after the New England Patriots' 0-2 start.

Belichick's team might have simmered down some of that heat though on Sunday, defeating the New York Jets 15-10 to earn their first win of the season. As many questioned Belichick's approach to the season through the first two games, that feeling wasn't shared by those in the Patriots locker room following Sunday's win.

However, the outside noise was still heard, as Patriots captain Matthew Slater acknowledged following the win. But it wasn't used as a rallying cry to get the victory.

“It’s not really something that we talk about,” Slater told reporters, via NESN's Dakota Randall. “It’s kind of hard not to be aware of it now, just because of the way our society is with media. But it’s not a motivator for us. We’ve got plenty of motivation to do our job, and we take a lot of pride in it.

“No one in here is questioning what Bill’s doing. He’s our leader. He’s got a proven track record. We all have a ton of faith in him. He’s still the best coach in the history of football. So, regardless of what people say, they can’t argue that fact.”

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While Matthew Slater didn't use that outside noise to criticize their coach as a motivating factor, he used their record to help galvanize his team to victory on Sunday. In a separate interview with the Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan, Slater shared that he was aware of the tough spot the Patriots would be in if they lose against the Jets.

“I just felt like we were at an important part of the season, even though it’s early in the season,” Slater explained. “I try to be a football historian, and I’m aware of the situation that we’re in. Teams that have gone 0-3 to start the season, it doesn’t bode well. So, I just wanted to encourage the guys to have a heightened sense of urgency, a heightened sense of pride in what they’re doing.”

Slater's message was received by his Patriots teammates.

“Personally, I just think that we knew,” Vederian Lowe, who started at right tackle for the Patriots in Week 3, told Callahan. “We knew we really needed this game. The last two weeks, we know that those losses are on us; the ball security and not being able to finish out those drives that we should’ve. (Slater) said it best.”

Now, the Patriots must turn the page and prepare for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. Falling to 1-3 is certainly not ideal, but it isn't a death sentence, either. The Patriots made it to the playoffs in 2021 after a 1-3 start and could've made the playoffs last year if they won their final game following a 1-3 start to the as well.