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Red zone work hasn't been good

FOXBOROUGH - Even without Tom Brady at quarterback, the Patriots haven't had a hard time finding the red zone, but when they get there, the end zone has proven elusive.

In Sunday's 38-13 loss to the Dolphins, the Patriots were 1 for 3 inside the red zone, the lone touchdown coming on a 5-yard pass from Matt Cassel to Jabar Gaffney that cut Miami's lead to 28-13 late in the third quarter. Cassel squandered one of the other opportunities with a first-quarter interception at the Miami 18.

Cassel and the offense had similar issues against the Jets in Week 2, scoring just one touchdown in five red zone chances. That turned out to be enough for a 19-10 win. But with the Dolphins going 4 for 4 in the red area, the Patriots needed to green-light TDs.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick credited Miami's defense but also said his team needs to execute better.

"It was probably both," he said. "I give them credit for playing good defense, but I think we had some opportunities in some plays that we could have gotten a little more out of. That would've helped us out.

"The bottom line is, we haven't done a good job the last two weeks of getting the ball in the end zone in the red area and that's something you have to do in this league. It will catch up with you sooner or later. We got by with it against the Jets but we didn't get by with it yesterday, along with a lot of other things. [We'll] continue to work on it."

The good news for the Patriots is that when they do have to settle for field goal tries, they've been assured of points, as Stephen Gostkowski is 7 for 7 on the season.

"As an offense, we always want to score, and when we get a chance to get down to the red zone, it's important for us to capitalize and get 6 points instead of 3," said tight end Benjamin Watson. "Thank God we got a great field goal kicker, though."

Moss is defended

While it may have been obvious that wide receiver Randy Moss was sitting alone on the bench a few times during the first half of Sunday's loss, what wasn't caught on camera or visible from the press box was that, later in the game, Moss, a team captain, gathered the offense on the sideline after a Miami touchdown and offered words of encouragement.

During his contractually obligated appearance on WEEI yesterday, Cassel said Moss has been positive.

"Randy is great in the locker room. He's great to me, and he's been a great support factor," said Cassel. "He's been working hard with me for us to get on the same page and to build chemistry. The same goes with all the rest of the receivers and the tight ends as well. Randy has been great to me and very uplifting, and he's a great teammate."

Belichick said he hasn't sensed any frustration on the part of Moss about not getting the ball the last two games.

"No, I think Randy is one of our most consistent players," said Belichick. "I think he's been like that since he got here last year. On a daily basis, practice, games, preparation, I think he's one of our most consistent players."

Up and running

Running back LaMont Jordan, who had six carries for 22 yards against the Dolphins despite a foot injury, said he felt good and sounded confident that with the bye this week, he'd have a chance to put the injury behind him. He praised the training staff for getting him ready to play after not practicing all week. "I think I've always been a fast healer with some injuries," Jordan said. "Sometimes it's just a matter of making sure that you take the proper amount of rest time. There was no pressure from the coaching staff to try to get back. With Laurence [Maroney] out, we were a little short at the running back spot, and as far as I'm concerned, unless I have something broken or torn, I'm never ruled out until I'm out. That's just my personal thinking. I'm always going to try to do what I can to get myself prepared. That's just the power of prayer and the blessings of treatment. That's just what it comes down to."

Scraping off rust

Both Watson and wide receiver Sam Aiken, who returned from right knee injuries to make their season debuts Sunday, said they felt a little rusty. "It was great to get back out there, it really was," said Watson, who had one catch for 6 yards. "I had some plays I wish I did better on, and some I did fine on, but the important thing for me is just getting back in the groove of things and getting a chance to go to work." Aiken, who had been out since the first exhibition game Aug. 7, had one catch for 9 yards and was a presence on special teams. He pronounced his knee fine. "It's good. It's real good," said Aiken. "No problems moving forward."

Getting a taste

Belichick said he put rookie quarterback Kevin O'Connell into Sunday's game with 6:05 remaining just to let him run the offense and get some experience. O'Connell was 3 of 4 for 25 yards in two possessions, one of which was just running out the clock . . . Linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who was shaken up during the third quarter, said on his contractually obligated WEEI appearance yesterday that he was OK. Bruschi said teammate Rodney Harrison hit him in the leg as both tried to tackle Dolphins wideout Ted Ginn . . . The Patriots released running back Kyle Eckel, who was signed last Monday as insurance with Maroney (shoulder) and Jordan hurt . . . The Patriots worked out six defensive backs yesterday, including former Jets cornerback Andre Dyson. The other five were cornerbacks David Pittman, Jason Craft, and A.J. Davis and safeties Terrance Holt and Vernon Fox . . . In case you're wondering: The last time the Patriots did not have at least a share of first place in the AFC East was after Week 4 in 2005. (Miami was 2-1, the Patriots 2-2).

Mike Reiss of the Globe staff contributed to this report.