LONDON >> In his post-game locker-room address Sunday, Jerod Mayo called the Patriots soft and selfish.

Among the players listening, at least one of them agreed.

“Jerod just said everybody’s gotta check their egos when they come in. And I agree with him,” defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale told the Herald after a 32-16 loss to Jacksonville. “I feel like a lot of guys think too highly of themselves, and have to check their egos and come in and just play as a team.”

Ekuale and the Patriots defense allowed more than 160 rushing yards for a third straight game, the first time the franchise had done that since 1993. Ekuale’s comments came less than three weeks after fellow defensive tackle Davon Godchaux called out teammates for selfish play, and playing outside the system. Despite Godchaux’s comments, the Pats allowed a season-worst 193 rushing yards to Miami the following weekend, the same game Kendrick Bourne made his season debut.

On Sunday, Bourne and the Pats offense were held under 20 points for a fifth time this year. The veteran receiver sensed a lack of energy, and ascribed it to players failing to adjust their body clocks for what would have been a 9:30 a.m. kickoff on the east coast.

“The energy could’ve been better, a lot better. We’ve got to find ways from within to fight adversity,” Bourne told the Herald. “We know we’re going to play at 9:30. Through the week, we need to understand that.”

How can that mentality change?

“That’s (by making) personal decisions. Rather than staying up all night, or eating whatever,” Bourne said. “Whatever it is, whatever makes us be better, we have to make those decisions to be better, so when we get (to the game), we can be better.”

Bourne indicated he’s sensed less than a complete commitment from his teammates.

“There’s certain things we need to figure out that’s within. That’s how the energy feels. … There’s self-evaluating we need to do,” he said. “I don’t know who specifically, it’s just as a group it feels like that.”

Maye accountable

Sunday’s loss hardly fell on Drake Maye, but that didn’t stop the rookie quarterback from shouldering some of the blame after his second career start.

“Proud of the guys for starting fast,” he said post-game. “I think I had (wide receiver Kendrick Bourne) open on the third down, down there, on the second drive; maybe punch another one in, (it) may be a different ballgame. Couple throws here and there for me as well.”

After their fast start, the Patriots went three-and-out on three straight drives and punted on four straight possessions as the Jaguars took a 25-10 lead. They had a chance to cut that lead to one score after Maye threw for his second touchdown pass, but rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk slipped and fell while targeted on a two-point conversion attempt. On those four drives, the Patriots ran the ball on first down four times for a loss of one yard.

The Patriots were also penalized seven times for 35 yards in the loss. Three of those penalties were false starts on the Patriots’ offense. Maye even took the blame for those and not communicating well enough with players on the sideline.

“Yeah, I think the little things like the false starts, that falls out on me,” Maye said. “We got to be more clear and upfront with the cadence with the O-line and and those guys.”

Maye got the Patriots out to a 10-0 lead and finished 26-of-37 for a career-high 276 passing yards with two passing touchdowns and three scrambles for 18 yards. He also took two sacks for 19 yards.

Douglas details illness

Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas missed long stretches of Sunday’s 32-16 loss to Jacksonville due to an illness the team first reported early in the second half.

Douglas told the Herald after the game it was a stomach bug that had him feeling dizzy and unable to stand at times.

“I was throwing up all day today,” he said. “I couldn’t eat nothing, can’t keep anything in right now.”

Douglas played most of the first half before he was replaced by veteran wideout K.J. Osborn for four plays before halftime. He later sat on the sideline for the end of the game, when Osborn caught a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“It just got worse as I kept playing. So I made a business decision,” he told the Herald. “I wasn’t trying to get messed up out there. I couldn’t focus, nothing like that.”

Fellow wide receiver Javon Baker popped up Friday with an illness, and missed both practice that day and Sunday’s game. Douglas said he didn’t know if his illness was related to Baker’s.

The 23-year-old entered Sunday’s game as the team’s leader in receptions and receiving yards. He was not listed on any of the team’s injury reports during the week. During the game, Douglas sat on a water jug with a towel over his head and rode a stationary bike.

“Yeah, I couldn’t stand for a long time. I had to sit down,” he said. “Felt like I was getting nauseous.”

Douglas played just a single snap in the second half, according to Pro Football Focus, and finished with two catches for 14 yards.

More O-line woes

Patriots staring right guard Layden Robinson suffered an ankle injury late in the first quarter Sunday, which put him in a walking boot after the game.

Robinson described the injury as a “slight sprain” to the Herald, and indicated he would return relatively soon. He was originally deemed questionable to return, tested the ankle out on the sideline and determined he couldn’t go back into the game.

Sunday marked his first start since Week 4. Robinson returned to the starting lineup because the Patriots had to shuffle their offensive line with left tackle Vederian Lowe out with his own ankle sprain. That moved backup tackle Demontrey Jacobs to left tackle, right guard Mike Onwenu to right tackle and pulled Robinson off the bench.

Sunday brought the Patriots’ seventh different offensive line combination in as many games. Pending his status, they could be forced into an eighth lineup next weekend at home versus the Jets.

Extra points

The Patriots’ inactives: LB Sione Takitaki (knee), DT Jeremiah Pharms (healthy scratch) and QB Joe Milton III (emergency third QB). … Backup linebacker Christian Elliss took on a larger defensive role with Takitaki out and made nine tackles, second-most on the team. … Defensive tackle Eric Johnson, an August waiver claim who was inactive last week, filled in for Pharms and made the fourth-down tackle to force a turnover on downs in the second half. … The Patriots opening-drive touchdown was their first opening-drive score of the season. In the first half, they also staked their first double-digit lead since Week 1. … Running back JaMycal Hasty and wide receiver K.J. Osborn both scored their first touchdowns as Patriots.