The future Hall of Famer conceded that the Patriots had fallen well short of the mark in a 41-14 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, the final game of week four in the NFL, but feels his side will produce a positive response to the setback.
"If you play poorly you're not going to win many games, especially on the road against good football teams," said the three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
"So I think we need to find a way to play better and I think that's the lesson that we learn from it. You know, confidence, I'm not worried about whether it goes up or down.
"There's going to be a lot of negativity, everyone is going to tell us how terrible we are, that's just the way it goes in the NFL.
"But we've got a lot of character in our locker room, we've got a lot of guys who are going to work hard for each other and we are certainly going to see where we can make the improvements individually that can help the team."
A return to Gillette Stadium - where the 2-2 Patriots beat the off-form Oakland Raiders 16-9 last time out - will offer Bill Belichick's men some cause for optimism, but the size of the task they face in Massachusetts should not be underestimated.
With the Bengals boasting three wins from three and having enjoyed a bye week, the Patriots are up against it and Belichick urged his players to be psychologically prepared for the challenge.
He said: "We've got to have mental toughness.
"We've got to have a good week in a short amount of time. Cincinnati had a week off so I'm sure they'll be ready to go.
"We're going to have to really work hard and try to make up for that ground."
While the gaze of NFL fans was diverted to London's Wembley Stadium for the Miami Dolphins' dominant triumph over the Raiders - who fired Dennis Allen this week and replaced him with Tony Sparano on an interim basis - in round four, those two sides now have a bye week.
And the Raiders' fellow AFC West side, the Denver Broncos - reeling from a 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl XLVIII - face one of the toughest fixtures of round five, tackling an Arizona Cardinals outfit that boasts the only other unblemished record.
The action begins with Mike Zimmer's Minnesota Vikings on the road at Green Bay Packers on Thursday and closes with the Seahawks' trip to the Washington Redskins on Monday.
Sunday's action sees the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost their perfect record following a surprise 26-21 reverse to the San Francisco 49ers, meet the St Louis Rams.
The 49ers, fresh from that much-needed win, take on the Chiefs in California having seen safety Husain Abdullah controversially penalised for his celebration - a knee slide followed by a prayer - during the victory over the Patriots.
Also on Sunday, the Buffalo Bills meet the Detroit Lions, the Indianapolis Colts face the Baltimore Ravens, the Chicago Bears travel to the Carolina Panthers, the Tennessee Titans host the Cleveland Browns and the Houston Texans take on the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington.
Elsewhere, the Jacksonville Jaguars face the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New Orleans Saints are in action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New York Giants welcome the Atlanta Falcons and the San Diego Chargers host the New York Jets.