FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Stringing wins together has been nearly impossible for the New England Patriots for the better part of the past three seasons.
New England hasn’t posted back-to-back victories since a three-game winning streak in 2022. The Patriots will attempt to accomplish the feat on Sunday when the Los Angeles Rams roll into Massachusetts.
The Patriots (3-7) suffocated the Bears last Sunday, notching a season-high nine sacks from their defense in a 19-3 win. They held Chicago to 142 yards of total offense and 1 of 14 third down conversions.
However, considering they haven’t had consecutive wins in almost two years, New England coach Jerod Mayo has made it clear to his team that it needs to play with a sense of urgency to stay in the win column.
“Big win from there, and just build on it,” Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said. “Sense of urgency, what coach Mayo is preaching. I think it starts with cleaning up from the game (last) Sunday, cleaning up some little things that I think we could have ended up being a bigger margin of victory for us, especially offensively.
“I think we’ve got another chance here at home. L.A.’s coming off a short week, so we’ve got to prepare for them. They’re good up front on defense, so we’re preparing for them.”
Los Angeles has a quicker-than-usual turnaround following a 23-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. The Rams (4-5) were never able to find the end zone, getting five field goals from Joshua Karty to at least keep the game competitive.
It marked the end of a three-game winning streak for Los Angeles, which is still within striking distance of the Arizona Cardinals (6-4) for the lead in the NFC West. Rams linebacker Jared Verse realizes that time is of the essence when it comes to making a playoff push, though.
“We can’t dwell on this (loss against Miami), ‘Oh no, woe is me,’ ” Verse said. “We have to move on.”
Verse was among the few bright spots for Los Angeles against the Dolphins. The rookie had four tackles (two for loss), one sack, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Still, Verse believes he can be even better against the Patriots.
“I’ll never be satisfied with the way I play,” he said. “I think there were definitely a couple plays here and there that I could have made if I did a little bit more.”
Offensive linemen Joe Noteboom and Rob Havenstein are both dealing with ankle injuries that forced them to miss practice on Wednesday. Cornerback Charles Woods (ankle) and defensive lineman Neville Gallimore (neck) did not practice as well. Linebacker Byron Young (knee) was limited during the session.
Four Patriots players did not practice on Wednesday, including defensive end Deatrich Wise (foot) and linebacker Sione Takitaki (knee). Safety Kyle Dugger was limited by an ankle injury and tight end Hunter Henry was limited because of a foot issue.
New England and Los Angeles are facing each other for the first time since Dec. 10, 2020, when the Rams beat the Patriots 24-3.
–Field Level Media