How ‘Mental Toughness’ Helped Patriots Solve One Major Problem In Week 4

The New England Patriots failed for a third straight time to jump back in the win column, this time against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4, but the 30-13 defeat wasn’t a complete dud — although it dropped the AFC underdogs to a division-worst 1-3.

New England watched as starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett, again, struggled to get the offense going while also being sacked six times by San Francisco’s defense. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson, again, fumbled to give the 26-year-old four thus far, the same total Stevenson logged in his first three NFL seasons combined. But in the darkness that was Week 4 at Levi’s Stadium, the Patriots were able to solve one of their many issues, courtesy of kicker Joey Slye.

“I would say just mental toughness,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters Monday, per team-provided video. “He came in here during training camp and they battled it out and he ended up winning the job and I was so happy for him. Yesterday, hitting the 63-yard field goal but this is a guy who has great energy in the locker room. They guys love him and he’s performing well for us.”

Slye drilled a franchise-record-setting 63-yard field goal — topping Stephen Gostkowski’s 62-yarder from 2017 — to get New England on the board in the final seconds of the first half in San Francisco, cutting the 49ers’ lead down to 20-3. It also marked the fourth-longest, ever, in NFL history and paid off for all sides involved.

“I do think kickers are able to hit 60-yard field goals,” Slye told reporters, per team-provided video. “Everyone’s getting substantially stronger than other kickers. I just think that a lot of times analytics and stuff like that that’s going on with the NFL, they’re putting us out there for a lot more of those situations. I don’t know maybe, historically, the reason behind maybe not kicking some of them. … I wouldn’t say that kickers now more than ever have just been able to hit 60-yarders at a different rate than other kickers.”

New England will work to avoid a fourth straight defeat when returning home to host the injury-riddled Miami Dolphins in Week 5 on Sunday.