FOXBORO – Players were donning their new AFC Champion t-shirts and hats. This came after the Lamar Hunt Trophy was passed around.

The Patriots were in celebration mode inside the visiting locker room at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday when Stephon Gilmore was asked a question. Quickly, the cornerback’s face changed when asked about last year’s Super Bowl run.

"I don’t want to feel like that again," Gilmore said. "To go that far and come up short, I [...]

FOXBORO – Players were donning their new AFC Champion t-shirts and hats. This came after the Lamar Hunt Trophy was passed around.

The Patriots were in celebration mode inside the visiting locker room at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday when Stephon Gilmore was asked a question. Quickly, the cornerback’s face changed when asked about last year’s Super Bowl run.

“I don’t want to feel like that again,” Gilmore said. “To go that far and come up short, I want to win.”

As the Patriots begin to prep for their Super Bowl LIII matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, the veterans in the locker room know that getting there is only half the battle. After losing Super Bowl LII, against Philadelphia, players made sure to remind themselves to not take these moments for granted.

This week, Kyle Van Noy said last year’s experience, and loss, was a humbling one.

“I feel like, defensively, we didn’t play well,” Van Noy said. “It’s just humbling to go through that opportunity like that. Yeah, it was humbling.”

“It was a bad taste for sure,” added Rex Burkhead. “Even though we just won the AFC Championship, that’s not our ultimate goal. Our ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl. We need a great two weeks of preparation. It’s a great opponent we’re facing. [Ndamukong] Suh, [Aaron] Donald, [Marcus] Peters, [Aqib] Talib – all of those guys on defense. We’re going to have to do great things throughout the week and have some good practices.”

Of course, the Patriots don’t like to focus on the past. David Andrews said that fretting over the past isn’t his style. He’s hoping to make the most out of this year’s opportunity.

“I wouldn’t say that’s a driving factor because it’s Super Bowl 53. That’s really what I’m focused on,” Andrews said. “It’s a while different team. This is a whole different opponent. Whole different city. It’s completely different. You really have to dive in and attack it. Why not put everything you have into it? We’ve got two weeks to do that or whatever it is, 11-10 days. That’s what we’ll do and see where the chips lie after.”