FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) - The New England Patriots used their bye week to rest, take their minds off of football and most importantly, not lose a game.

They haven't won in more than a month, and lost three straight games before coach Bill Belichick gave them three days off. They returned to work Monday, and had their fourth practice of the week Friday.

"Even though you're away I'm still thinking about football, thinking about what I need to do, what we need to do as a team to win football games," linebacker Tedy Bruschi said.

Their next opponent isn't a pushover. Denver (5-2) has the NFL's top rushing defense. And quarterback Brian Griese has thrown for more than 300 yards in four consecutive games.

Also, the Patriots (3-3) haven't fared well after bye weeks.

In 1999, they won two straight games before the break then lost their next three under Pete Carroll. In 2000, they lost two straight before the bye and the first two afterward under Belichick.

Last season, the Patriots' bye was supposed to be on the last weekend of the regular season. But the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 added a week to the schedule and the Patriots won their season finale after their break.

This year, the break came when the Patriots needed plenty of time to pinpoint and correct problems.

"We definitely were looking ahead to Denver last week, but we had to go back to basics," linebacker Roman Phifer said. "We kind of re-evaluated ourselves in the first six games. We tried to sew up the things that hurt us."

The Patriots were losing one-on-one battles in the secondary and on the lines. They committed too many turnovers and penalties. They never led at halftime in their last four games.

So, the coaches worked hard to correct that.

"Things got a little intense last week during practice," before the three-day break, running back Antowain Smith said. "But we're professionals. We know what we need to do to get back on the winning track. Maybe we needed that (intensity) to get some of those frustrations out."

Now they must transfer that intensity to the game if they want to have a legitimate chance against the Broncos.

Denver has a speedy defense and dangerous passing attack with wide receivers Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey and tight end Shannon Sharpe and a good running attack with Clinton Portis and Mike Anderson.

"Whatever you do in practice shows up in the game and that's the feeling we're trying to get back to," defensive end Willie McGinest said. "You can't just stay the same in this league. You have to get better each week."

Bruschi said he doesn't have any more motivation after three straight losses.

"I'm preparing just as hard right now as when we were 3-0," he said. "We had a good time off, but I need to go out there and practice and get better."

Belichick agreed.

"The only games that aren't important are the ones you don't play in," he said.

The Patriots might have more energy after getting their bodies and minds away from football.

Now, with 10 games left and their playoff chances in jeopardy, they'll learn if they'll also have more success.

"I just went home and tried to relax and clear my mind of everything that's going on, "just try to renew my thought process and get ready for these next 10 weeks," defensive tackle Steve Martin said.