FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In the NFL, it’s hard to make up for lost time. Sony Michel can speak to that.

The Patriots’ first-round pick, selected 31st overall, suffered a knee injury in August, missing all four preseason games and most of training camp. Now he is simply trying to take advantage of his opportunities. It’s clear that he’s had plenty over the past two weeks.

After missing the first game and being limited in the second and third games, Michel has been one of the most active running backs over the past two weeks with 43 rushes, second only to Ezekiel Elliott of the Cowboys.

Michel enters this week averaging 73.5 rushing yards per game, which puts him eighth overall in the NFL. He’s also on pace to rush for 900 yards, but this rookie knows there’s a lot to improve on.

“All areas. Listen, that’s the good thing. That I know I have so much to improve on,” Michel said. “I’m excited because any time I see that there’s room for improvement, that’s an opportunity for me.”

After rushing for 112 yards against Miami and 98 yards against Indianapolis, it would appear Michel is in game shape.

“I’m able to go out there and play football. Go out there and cut and not be able to think about it,” Michel said. “Can I improve? Yes. You can always improve your body. You can always get better with explosiveness, cutting, changing direction.”

The rookie has struggled in short-yard situations this season with four handoffs inside the 5-yard line and no scores.

Michel says his execution in the red zone needs to be better while his teammates and confidence remain confident in his abilities.

“Well he’s a guy who’s willing to learn. He’s working extremely hard,” running back James White said.

“He’s making progress. He’s got a long way to go. Making progress,” said Coach Bill Belichick, who admitted Michel is still playing catch up. “Well, I think every rookie is playing catch-up all year… He’s improved every week. He’s improved every day he’s been out there. He’s a hard-working kid, he’s smart, he picks things up well.”

STEPHON GILMORE has quietly become one of the Patriots best defensive players over the past year. The cornerback, who has a laid-back demeanor, typically lets his play do the talking. On Wednesday, however, Gilmore took a shot at Jacksonville cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Gilmore was asked about Ramsey’s comments on Kansas City receiver Tyreek Hill. Last week, leading up to the Jaguars matchup with the Chiefs, Ramsey referred to Hill as a return specialist. (He’s actually the Chiefs’ leading receiver.)

Said Gilmore: “I feel like a lot of guys that talk, they’re mostly zone guys, so they have a lot of energy to do that.”

Shots fired.

Ramsey, a 2017 Pro Bowler, isn’t a stranger to trash talk. Earlier this season, he told ESPN he thought Rob Gronkowski was overrated. Meanwhile, Gilmore has excelled in man coverage for the Patriots and has been lights out this season. Currently, he’s second in the NFL in passes defensed (eight).

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