But it was also about a month after they suffered a 24-3 blowout at the hands of the Jets at MetLife Stadium. That night, the Patriots — especially their run defense — were humiliated to the tune of 133 rushing yards allowed.

The numbers weren’t overwhelming Sunday, though New England’s 112 rushing yards allowed included just 42 in the second half. But they were much more acceptable to Godchaux, who was asked about the difference between the performances.

“It’s really cutting out all the cuteness and really getting back to the basics,” Godchaux said. “Return football. Play our mission. Not many calls. Do what we do and stop running.

“I know they went over 100 yards today, but I thought they did a pretty good job in the running game. They had some running schemes, some things we didn’t see. But for the most part, I thought I did well.”

“There is no magic pill or magic potion or anything like that. It’s a mentality that we’re going to stop the run,” head coach Jerod Mayo said. “I thought, for the most part, I stopped the run. That being said, we will go back and watch the movie. There were a few that went a little over our heads. We will correct them.”

Godchaux and other members of the defensive front expressed optimism last week that the run defense will improve. To be fair, it’s hardly been worse than the last five weeks, when New England gave up an average of 167 yards on the ground.

But whether it was the unpleasant thought of losing to the Jets, the desire to change the script against a division rival that had beaten them twice in a row, or to prove their coach’s “soft” comments wrong, the mentality changed.

Especially among Godchaux and the rest of the defensive front.

“I’m just trying to get back to the basics,” Godchaux said. “I’m not trying to get a lot of guys to think about. The simple (expletive). Over, stacks, king. (Expletive) I ran for years and was successful. Just get rid of it and stick to the basics. I think we will do the same this week. We’ll add some (expletives), but at the end of the day, we’re going to play the basics and win football games around here by being a tough defense.

“Once you have the right mindset that you’re going to get a (expletive) back and you’re not going to let him chase you off the ball. . . I mean, double teams will sometimes win. And they get paid,” he added. “But you have a mindset, you’re going to be disruptive and knock a guy back and throw blocks, it’s all in the mind. There’s not much technique you can do for this. It’s really a mindset.”

Before the game, the mindset was also to contain Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was able to escape when things broke down in the first meeting, but the 40-year-old was not as nimble on Sunday.

“We tried to take advantage of that and be a little more aggressive in our rush,” defensive end Keion White said. “Just press him and everything else.”

“(Expletive), I could take him down and catch him. It doesn’t look mobile at all,” Godchaux said. “I think he’s struggling right now. Quarterback Hall of Fame only . . . hate to see him go like this, but you’ll always get a win against him for your resume.

“But yeah, he sure doesn’t look the same.”

Was Sunday the start of a new trend for run defense or just an outlier? Considering their next two opponents, Tennessee and Chicago, are statistically worse than the Jets running the ball, there might be reason for optimism.

As long as there’s no cute (expletive).

“Same thing next week; we got to play Tennessee,” Godchaux said. “I’m looking forward to going out there and building another ‘W.’ “

Run Jets game bodies

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson continues to return to form.

Stevenson, who dealt with a foot problem and ball security issues, finished with 48 rushing yards. But he was the man who made it all work in the red zone, delivering a pair of short-yardage touchdowns, including the game-winning 1-yarder with 22 seconds left.

“I knew I had to go in no matter what happened,” he said. “And I’m glad I did.”

“Rhamondre is one of our best players,” Mayo said.

Mayo praised Stevenson and the rest of the ground game, saying the 3.6 yards per carry isn’t entirely indicative of their work.

“I always say that in the running game, there are certain philosophies where a 3-yard run is not a good run,” he said. “But if it’s physical for me, I liken it to boxing. They are body blows. If you get enough of those body shots, you get into the second half, you start making some bigger runs. I think that’s what happened today.”

“I ran the ball. We ran the ball a lot,” Stevenson said. “We were physical up front, the o-line moved people. I think we had a nice physical game. I’m glad it ended the way it did.”

Uche is healthy scratch

The Patriots’ inactives included a surprise: outside linebacker Joshua Uche. The pass-rusher, who was a healthy scratch for the first time this year, is a candidate to be dealt before the trade deadline early next month. Joining Uche on the sidelines were safety Kyle Dugger (ankle), wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk (concussion), offensive lineman Layden Robinson (ankle) and defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale (abdomen). Rookie Joe Milton III was the third emergency quarterback. . . Bryce Baringer extended his 50-yard punt streak to 25. It’s the longest current streak in the NFL. . . Linebacker Christian Elliss was whistled for a costly defensive pass interference call, but he also finished with nine tackles and had his first career sack in the fourth quarter. . . Former Patriots legend Adam Vinatieri was the light keeper, rang the bell before the game and sat with owner Robert Kraft during the contest.

Christopher Price can be reached at [email protected]. Follow L @cpriceglobe.