Keller @ Large: Silver Lining Playbook

BOSTON (CBS) - WBZ's Dan Roche put the question to Devin McCourty in the Patriots' locker room after their first loss of the season to the Denver Broncos.

"Some people say maybe a loss is good for the team so there's no pressure about 16-0, what do you think about that?"

"We'll have to see," replied McCourty. But recent history suggests Sunday's loss may be a blessing.

Related: Leftover Patriots Thoughts

Remember the 2014 Kentucky Wildcats mens basketball team? They went 31-0 in the regular season, but coach John Calipari correctly feared it would leave them unprepared for adversity in the tournament. Sure enough, they lost to Wisconsin in the semifinals.

And no one around here needs reminding of what happened to the undefeated 2007-2008 Pats when they reached the Super Bowl.

So could there be a silver lining in the end of the Pats' winning streak?

"Success is really built out of failure," notes Dan Lebowitz, executive director of Northeastern's Center for the Study of Sport in Society. "Tasting failure early in a season might be something that prepares you to taste even greater success as the playoffs come forth, and I think that's what you're gonna see with the Patriots."

And Lebowitz says the end of the undefeated season may also provide a teachable moment for the young athlete in your life.

"When kids see failure, they can understand success against the backdrop of that failure. And again, this isn't really a failure, they played an amazing game."