Patriots DT Vince Wilfork and company hope to find that killer instinct against the Rams in London. (US Presswire)

Most of the talk engulfing the New England Patriots this week has centered on whether or not they are middling team or simply slow starters.

Their three losses were all tightly contested games, and last week’s slim overtime victory over the Jets has been lumped in with those disappointments and used to illustrate a lack of “killer instinct.” But that’s only among those hovering around the outside of the team.

On the inside, the Patriots remain steady and confident heading into Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Rams in London.

“This is the NFL. You can’t get bummed out by winning the ball game by one. I’m pretty sure Seattle or Baltimore or Arizona wasn’t bummed out by beating us by a couple points, trust me on that one,” defensive tackle Vince Wilfork said. “You get paid to produce. This was a big one of us. I don’t care how we got it, we got it.”

And maybe there isn’t reason to worry. New England entered the midway point last year with a 5-3 record after dropping back-to-back games to the Giants and Steelers. It didn’t lose another game until the Super Bowl.

“It’s a game of attrition. It’s for the mentally strong, and it’s for the mentally tough and the physically tough,” Tom Brady said. “That’s where the good teams begin to separate themselves.

“Kids aren’t even trick-or-treating yet, so we’ve got a lot of football left.”

Practice report: LB Jerod Mayo (illness/elbow) returned to practice after being sidelined Wednesday, though TE Aaron Hernandez was forced to sit out Thursday’s practice with an ankle injury.

It was the Patriots last practice at Gillette Stadium before heading to London.

Did not participate: RB Brandon Bolden (knee), CB Ras-I Dowling (thigh), S Steve Gregory (hip), TE Aaron Hernandez (ankle), LB Jerod Mayo (illness/elbow), DL Trevor Scott (hamstring), LB Tracy White (foot). Limited: LB Jerod Mayo (illness/elbow), DL Ron Brace (back), S Patrick Chung (shoulder), WR Julian Edelman (hand), TE Rob Gronkowski (hip), LB Dont'a Hightower (hamstring), WR Brandon Lloyd (knee), OL Logan Mankins (calf/hip), OL Nick McDonald (shoulder), CB Sterling Moore (knee), RT Sebastian Vollmer (back/knee), RT Sebastian Vollmer (back/knee), WR Wes Welker (ankle). Full: DL Kyle Love (knee).

Nick Underhill covers the Patriots for MassLive.com. Follow him on Twitter @CBSPats or @Nick_Underhill.