Jerod Mayo Offered This ‘Reminder’ To Patriots’ Defense After Jets Loss

After the Patriots suffered their first loss of the season in overtime against the Seattle Seahawks, Jerod Mayo noted one thing he would like to see from the defense in upcoming games — turnovers.

After failing to force any turnovers in New England’s 24-3 loss to the New York Jets in Week 3, Mayo reiterated that the defense’s effort is there, but getting one turnover can change the tide for the Patriots.

“We’ve definitely seen that same effort. I would say as a player, no matter what level you’re at, turnovers come in bunches,” Mayo told reporters on Monday, per team-provided transcript. “That’s how it happens. You get one, and then all of a sudden, you’re getting three here, four here, but they definitely come in bunches. My reminder to those guys is to keep attacking the ball, and they’ll come.

The defense forced two fumbles in the Patriots’ shocking road win over the Cincinnati Bengals to begin the season, but it hasn’t recorded any additional turnovers in the two losses to Seattle and New York.

Failure to create turnovers wasn’t the only defensive statistic to stand out to Mayo following the Patriots’ loss to the Jets. The defense also missed 14 tackles on Thursday night.

“It was very uncharacteristic,” Mayo said immediately after the game, per team-provided transcript. “It’s one of the things I’m very disappointed in as a defensive-minded head coach — especially the second level.”

Mayo is also keenly aware of how bad the offensive line has been playing and is hoping the unit can get on the same page heading into the Week 3 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.