FRANKFURT, Germany — Another painful loss, more difficult questions.

After Sunday’s 10-6 loss to the Colts, several Patriots were asked about their confidence in coach Bill Belichick, whose job security has been widely questioned in recent weeks. Their answers were nearly unanimous in offering support.

“I think coach Belichick has plenty of respect in this locker room,” Pats running back Ezekiel Elliott said. “Just a lot of things haven’t gone our way, we haven’t executed the best. We haven’t taken care of the football the best. We haven’t played sound enough. We haven’t played disciplined enough.

“We have too many penalties. We just gotta find a way to go out there and play better football.”

Turnovers were again an issue for the Patriots in Germany, where Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe both threw devastating interceptions and Hunter Henry fumbled. Belichick repeatedly stressed the importance of protecting the ball, which the team failed to do over its 1-5 start. His message only recently began to sink in, most notably during an upset of the Bills, though this weekend marked a major step back.

The Patriots also went 0-for-4 inside the red zone, which highlighted their struggles with situational football. Despite that, captain and center David Andrews backed his head coach.

“I have a lot of confidence in him. I’ve had a lot of success. I believe in what he says, what he does because I know it’s helped me out in my career and turned me into a better football player,” Andrews said. “Sitting in Germany, I never thought a kid from Georgia would be sitting in Germany playing in an NFL game, so coach gave me an opportunity when that’s all I wanted. And the good Lord was good to me.”

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks on from the sideline during an NFL football game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts at Deutsche Bank Park Stadium in Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

The Patriots are hoping their upcoming bye will be good to them. It’s unclear what, if any changes, will be made during the down time to turn around a 2-8 season. Before the game, team owner Robert Kraft said he hoped Sunday’s game would offer a chance to reset the season.

The NFL Network also reported Sunday that Kraft is “not inclined” to fire Belichick midseason. Firing Belichick would prevent the team from trading him this offseason, assuming he wants to continue coaching. His contract reportedly runs through next year.

Special teams captain Matthew Slater, the Patriots’ longest-tenured player, is among those steering blame away from Belichick.

“I have as much faith in coach Belichick as I’ve ever had,” Slater said. “There’s no reason to be doubting who he is as a leader and a coach for this football team. The struggles that we’ve had on the field this year are due to us and our inability to execute. It’s got nothing to do with coach Belichick.”

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Defensively, the Patriots performed to the level that’s come to be expected in the Belichick era. They held the Colts to 264 total yards, despite missing starting linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and cornerback J.C. Jackson. Indianapolis quarterback Gardner Minshew went 18-of-28 for 194 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, while All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor was limited to 69 yards.

Pats safety Jabrill Peppers helped power that effort with five tackles and later stood up for his coach in the locker room.

“That’s one of the best to ever do it, you know? We don’t take it for granted, playing for him,” Peppers said. “You know, we’ve just got to play better. That’s really it.”

Over the last three and a half years, Belichick and the Patriots are 27-34. They will need to win the remainder of their games to finish above .500 and avoid three losing seasons in the last four years. They are currently tracking for a top-5 pick in next year’s draft, at which point the franchise could be under new leadership facing a whole new set of questions.