FOXBORO — Even though the calendar says August, the Patriots are starting to move into regular-season mode.

In the wake of Thursday’s win over Tampa Bay, training camp came to an end. And with the third preseason game now less than a week away, the day-to-day focus starts to move away from teaching and technique that usually dominate camp to game prep and film work in anticipation of real football, which is now roughly three weeks away.

While things change, you still need to keep that edge that was cultivated with three-hour padded practices under the hot summer sun.

“We’re still in training camp mode,” said defensive lineman Vince Wilfork. “Even though it broke, we still know what we have to do.”

Now, the mental challenge becomes the biggest hurdle, according to cornerback Devin McCourty. Game plans become team-specific, and you have to start moving your own focus toward preparing for your opponent.

“The tone and tempo doesn’t change in practice, but mentally, yeah, it changes a little bit, as far as preparing for an opponent,” said McCourty, who will be heading into his second season. “It’s not all about just yourself. You have to mentally prepare, know who’s on the other side of the ball, know strengths [and] know weaknesses of the other team. That changes from a mental standpoint, but basically we’re still going out there and trying to get after it in practice.”

That’s not to say you want to forget about self-improvement. In fact, those personal practice habits that are instilled over the next couple of weeks often set the tone for the start of the regular season, according to linebacker Rob Ninkovich.

“I think that you know the regular season is approaching fast,” Ninkovich said. “You’re definitely just making sure you’re getting yourself ready for that first week of preparation and making sure you’re fine-tuning some things and still working on some of the those you need to work on before that first game of the year.”

“We’re grinding,” Wilfork said. “Practice is tough — [Bill Belichick] always challenges us. Bill always challenges us, and we have to be prepared for it.”

One of the reasons that the downshift is so dramatic this week is that the third preseason game is also — at least, traditionally — the game where the starters play the most minutes of the preseason. In past years, starters have gone deep into the second half in preparation for the regular season before sitting out of the preseason finale. As a result, it’s often easier for teams to take this week and treat it like a regular-season game.

While the focus is on the starters in the third preseason game, for many, Saturday’s game will be the last chance for many players to get something on film for the coaches — the first round of cuts comes on Aug. 30, when teams are forced to go from 90 to 80 players. (The final cuts come on Sept. 3, when teams need to get down to 53.)

A player on the fringes of the roster might have a desire to try and stand out in hopes of catching the eye of the coaching staff. But according to Ninkovich — who’s been on the bubble before — a player on the fringes of the roster can’t change their approach because they might be in danger of being cut.

“Football’s a sport where anytime you’re out on the field, you’re always going to have energy and wanting to go out there and play your best, so I don’t think it’s as cuts are coming, guys are going to want to play harder,” Ninkovich said. “I think guys are going to play hard the first day to the last day, I think everyone is out there playing hard, and you have to do that in the NFL.”

While the veterans are always prepared for a curveball — they played a sizable chunk of the fourth preseason game as well last year — the age-old Patriots’ maxim still stands: Be ready to play all 60 minutes.

“I don’t know — Bill, he runs that around here,” said offensive lineman Logan Mankins with a laugh when asked about the personnel plans for the third preseason game. “I doubt he’d give you any insight into what his plans are. We’re usually in the dark like you guys, so I don’t know what the plans are. Whatever he feels is best for the team, we’ll agree with that.

“We’re prepared to play 60 minutes, and if you get to come out early, you get to come out, if you’re in the game for the whole time, you’re in the game the whole time. You go into the preseason game like it’s a regular season game ready to go, and if you get to come out, you get to come out.”