FOXBOROUGH – The chants began with 11:06 on the clock in the fourth quarter.

“Fire Mayo!” »

The words echoed lightly throughout Gillette Stadium one after another. Patriots punt.

Those two words were shouted again at 4:35 of the fourth quarter. This time, it happened following a Patriots turnover on downs that led to a Chargers field goal.

“Fire Mayo!” »

As the clock struck zero, the singing broke out once more. Following the Patriots lose 40-7 At the Los Angeles Chargers, a group of fans let everyone know how they felt.

“Fire Mayo!” »

On the sidelines, the players tried to drown out the noise. After the match, Jerod Mayo admitted to hearing the chants. Although several players denied hearing the calls to fire their head coach, several spoke about the situation in the post-game locker room.

Davon Godchaux said he thought there might have been “best class” fans.

“I heard it. A lot of fans are – I get it. They’re upset,” Godchaux said. “They pay their money for season tickets to see the Patriots… My first year I got here, we had some success. Then the last three years have been more of a horror show. Let’s call it that.

“That’s what a wise man told me: ‘I’m on board with rebuilding the Patriots because I’ve seen success over the last 20 years.’ I’m fine, but a lot of people can’t stand it. I know we don’t tank here. But the “Fire Mayo” chants are just ridiculous. in his first year, his first season It won’t be golden. We didn’t expect to win a Super Bowl this year. I get it, no one wants to get beat 40-7, but the “Fire Mayo” chants are just that. ridiculous.

This season, the players supported their head coach. Many blamed the 3-13 record on themselves, the players. On Sunday, the Patriots were beaten on all sides of the ball. After the game, many pointed fingers at each other, not the coaches.

When asked if they felt they had to play well to save Mayo’s job, many veterans said they felt pressure regardless.

“We play football. As a coach, it’s something that’s completely out of our control, out of his hands,” Antonio Gibson said. “I don’t feel any pressure. I don’t know how he feels as a coach about it. , but I’m pretty sure he heard the chants. We can’t do anything as players. It’s up to them. them.

“I think we just have to go for it and not show any abandonment,” Rhamondre Stevenson added. “As a team, we have to show that we are behind everyone on our coaching staff and go out there and finish.”

Keion White said he was preparing for the change.

“I think you should play well every game. That’s the bottom line at the end of the day,” White said. “Are we doing it now?” No, so ultimately something has to change.

After a close loss at Buffalo, many thought the Patriots and their coaching staff were on the right track. Instead, a resounding defeat at home upset many people, which is why fans called for Mayo to be fired.

“We had probably the best team in the NFL currently playing on the ropes last week. Now everyone’s talking about the ‘Fire Mayo’ chants,” Godchaux said. “The Bills are probably considered the best team in football right now. I mean, they’re definitely the hottest team in football. We had them 14-0 and should have won the game. A game or two played better and we beat the Bills. I don’t believe in all these other ridiculous things. The guy is in his first year. It’s just ridiculous.

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