Wins were hard to come by for New England over the campaign’s first two months, as it owned a 2-7 record going into last Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. The poor results were compounded by unnecessary distractions, perhaps none greater than Mayo calling the Patriots “soft” after their embarrassing showing in London.

The series of lowlights led many to wonder whether Mayo only would last one season at the helm in Foxboro, Mass. But according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the former linebacker’s leash is longer than that.

“My understanding is they remain solidly behind Jerod Mayo,” Breer said on “Patriots Pregame Live,” as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston.”They have sympathy for some of the things that he’s had to deal with this year, some of the noise on the outside. Obviously, the roster is what it is. But they have done some research over the last few weeks on how to handle a young quarterback. Obviously, they failed with Mac Jones from 2021 through 2023. …So that, I think, is the next piece of it.

“I think Jerod Mayo is on solid ground to be the head coach in 2025 and from there, you have to continue to evolve on your quarterback plan.”

Sunday’s game in Chicago indicated Mayo still has a strong hold on the locker room. The Patriots excelled in all three phases in an upset win over the Bears and checked the standard boxes of a tough football team. Players seem to buying into the idea of growth in New England, and Mayo deserves some credit for that.

Mayo will try to secure back-to-back wins for the first time as a head coach Sunday when the Patriots host the Los Angeles Rams.