FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) – The struggling New England Patriots looked nothing like the team that won the Super Bowl less than seven months ago.

Their performance in Saturday night’s 31-3 exhibition loss at Cincinnati was so bad that coach Bill Belichick wants to see a return to basics for a team that won its last 15 games last season.

“We’ve got to show the ability to do the fundamental things right consistently before anything else can happen,” he said Sunday. “We didn’t do a very good job with those last night at all.”

The Bengals scored on their first three possessions and led 21-0 before New England had a first down. They led 28-3 at halftime behind strong performances from quarterback Carson Palmer and running back Rudi Johnson.

And they seemed much stronger than the Cincinnati team that went 8-8 last season and missed the playoffs.

“I’m not really concerned about anybody’s record last year or anything else. I don’t think that’s what it’s about. It’s about being prepared for your opponent,” Belichick said in a conference call. “They were on their game and we weren’t on theirs.”

He gave his players Monday off before they prepare for next Saturday night’s game at Carolina, the team the Patriots beat 32-29 in the last Super Bowl on Adam Vinatieri’s 41-yard field goal with four seconds left.

Vinatieri also kicked a field goal Saturday night. But his 25-yarder made the score 21-3 in the second quarter and ended a drive in which the Patriots had a first down at the Cincinnati 3-yard line.

“They scored, stopped us, scored. So, certainly, there was some adversity,” Belichick said. “Collectively, we didn’t do much to change that course.”

The passing game was disappointing for the second straight game. Tom Brady was 8-for-13 for 126 yards and one interception, and backup Rohan Davey, who struggled in the opening 24-6 win over Philadelphia, played poorly again.

Even after that first game, Belichick wasn’t pleased.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” he said then, “in every phase of the game.”

But on Saturday, Corey Dillon ran 11 times for just 31 yards in his first game against the team he spent the past seven seasons with, often at odds with management and teammates.

The defense allowed 276 yards in the first half, although Belichick said the play of nose tackles Keith Traylor and Vince Wilfork was “probably the least” of the team’s problems on defense.

“Every time they handed the ball off, they got four or five yards, and you can’t stop anybody like that,” Belichick said. “We had problems in a lot of different positions and we missed some tackles and we didn’t key and read things well.”

He provided no update on the condition of rookie safety Guss Scott, who left the game with a knee injury. He was optimistic about linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, who missed all last season after breaking his left hip in the second game.

Colvin saw much more action than he did in the exhibition opener.

“He’s got a ways to go but he continued to make good progress,” Belichick said. “I think that was a real positive step for him.”

It was one of the few positive steps for the Patriots, who have less than three weeks to correct their problems before the regular-season opener against Indianapolis on Sept. 9 in Foxboro.

Perhaps teams are just geared up to play harder against the defending Super Bowl champions, who had won eight straight exhibition games before Saturday.

“We expect every one of our opponents to play their best. That’s what we expect every week. That’s what we prepare for,” Belichick said. Otherwise, “you’re setting low expectations for your opponents, and I don’t think that’s a good idea.”