Through nine weeks this season, the Patriots are off to their worst nine-game start since 2000.
(In 2000, Bill Belichick started his New England head coaching career 2-8 before getting his third win against the 2-8 Bengals in Week 12 that season)
At 2-7, and a trade deadline that came and went with no significant activity, head coach Jerod Mayo told the media that he preached a “sense of urgency” during his team meeting Wednesday morning.
“Win, lose or draw, on Wednesdays it’s all about changing the page,” said Mayo. “You know, my message to the team today is really just about a sense of urgency. A sense of urgency in everything that we do. We have a huge test coming up, another road game going out to Chicago.”
With the team currently in the top position for the number one pick in next spring’s NFL Draft, Mayo was asked if he’d ever consider making changes to his coaching staff.
He took that question as an opportunity to make it clear that his message of urgency to turn things around wasn’t just for his players.
“No, I would say, look, we all have to get better,” said Mayo. “It starts, you know, with me, and it starts with your coaches. And that’s part of coming together as a staff. So we all have to get better, we all want to win games, and we need to win games now.
“I think the sense of urgency message wasn’t just for the players, it’s also for the coaches. And nothing in this world - no matter who you are, myself included - is guaranteed.”
While the offense has looked better in some aspects since rookie Drake Maye took over the starting quarterback job ahead of their Week 6 loss to Houston, they’ve completely lost the ability to get any production out of their running backs in recent weeks. And it’s that running game on the other side of the ball that has continued to be an issue, as opponents continue to control the line of scrimmage against a Patriots front seven filled with veterans with shiny new contracts from this offseason.
It’s natural to wonder if a change in coaching could help wake up either one of these units with eight games left in the season.
But with that not being on the table - according to Mayo - they’ll lean on “urgency” as a possible recipe for improvement.
Veteran tight end Hunter Henry told the media before practice that a sense of urgency, regardless of the team’s record, is something they should have at all times.
“I think there’s always - you always gotta have a sense of urgency in this league,” said Henry. “And, you know, where we are as a team, we need that desperately from everybody, especially myself. And it starts with this week in practice, I think. Trying to attack this week head-on.
“We’re playing a really good football team in a really cool environment, hostile environment, so we got to be ready to go.”
Chicago comes into Week 10 having lost two in a row, with Week 9’s loss coming in blowout fashion on the road in Arizona. Before this two-game skid, the team had won three in a row, and was living-up to the preseason hype surrounding number one overall pick Caleb Williams being handed the keys to one of the NFL’s crown jewel franchises.
Now, the .500 team is in need of a get-right game, and they’re being served just that on a platter at Soldier Field in the way of 2-7 New England.
“I think the Bears' defense, they're always going to be a physical defense,” said Maye during his media availability ahead of Wednesday’s practice. “They're good up front. They have some good edge guys. I feel like every D-line has got some good guys on the edge. They're going to go after the football, we’re preaching ball security.”
Ball security is something Maye told the media he needs to do a better job of moving forward, saying Wednesday that it’s the area of his game he feels he can most improve on as he heads into his fifth career start.
“I've got to protect the football,” said Maye. “That's the biggest thing. I think there's times where my decision-making, whether it's ball security in the pocket, and knowing when that timer goes off in my head, little things like that.
“Other than that, just taking the right play is the biggest thing. Taking an incompletion, that last first down knowing the situation, or that third down around midfield, the first interception I threw. Sometimes the punt is not the worst thing there. Maybe you go try to make a play, check down, and get a broken tackle and pick up the first.”
Maye went on to say that this type of growth will ultimately show itself through improved situational awareness.
“Knowing the situation, what's the best play for this football team, instead of being as aggressive in certain situations,” said Maye. “I think you're growing that and storing these situations in my memory bank for times when, ‘Hey, I did this last time, maybe try a different thing.’ Or maybe try to be more conservative, knowing when to attack these football teams because I'm going to be aggressive. I’m that kind of quarterback.”
Hearing this type of rhetoric from the rookie QB after a three turnover day in Week 9 is certainly positive, but actually seeing that type of growth on the field is what will show that Mayo’s message of “urgency” actually made an impact in the locker room.
The Patriots are currently 6-point underdogs at both BetMGM and FanDuel for Sunday.