New England Patriots
Elite firm for Drake Maye, a slice of historical past for Mike Vrabel, and a number of other record-setting alternatives are on the desk.
SAN FRANCISCO – Mike Vrabel saved a straight face when requested whether or not Tremendous Bowl LX is a must-win sport.
“A must-win? Yeah, I feel each time that we exit is a must-win sport,” Vrabel stated at Monday’s Opening Night time. “That’s sort of the angle that I’ve at all times taken within the Nationwide Soccer League.”
Make no mistake, although, there can be big stakes when the Patriots take the sphere towards the Seahawks on Sunday on this Tremendous Bowl rematch.
The Patriots have a possibility to set the NFL document for many Tremendous Bowl wins by a franchise. A seventh Tremendous Bowl title would additionally tie them with Tom Brady, who received all six of the Patriots titles and grabbed an extra one in Tampa Bay.
There’s no higher solution to shut out 12 months 1 of the Mike Vrabel-Drake Maye period than a Tremendous Bowl victory. There’ll virtually actually be speak concerning the potential rebirth of the Patriots dynasty in the event that they pull it off.
In the event that they lose, it’s again to the drafting board with a youthful, promising core intact, after ending one win wanting claiming the last word soccer prize.
So, what is going to Sunday’s sport imply for the franchise going ahead? Listed here are 5 issues at stake for the Patriots throughout Tremendous Bowl Sunday.
Win or lose, information can be set
No person has performed within the Tremendous Bowl greater than the Patriots. They have already got the document with 11 Tremendous Bowl appearances. They’ll push that document to 12 as soon as the sport kicks off on Sunday.
The Patriots have a 6-5 document in these 11 video games. A win on Sunday would break New England’s tie with Pittsburgh for essentially the most Tremendous Bowl wins by a franchise of all time.
Then again, a loss to Seattle would drop the Patriots’ Tremendous Bowl profitable share all the way down to .500 and break the Patriots’ tie with the Broncos for many Tremendous Bowl losses by a franchise.
So, relying on how the sport goes, they’re assured to have both essentially the most Tremendous Bowl wins or essentially the most Tremendous Bowl losses ever.
Elite firm for Drake Maye
There have solely been 9 quarterbacks to succeed in the Tremendous Bowl of their second season. 4 of them misplaced the sport, 4 of them received it.
A Tremendous Bowl win would put Maye on the second-year winner’s checklist with Brady, Kurt Warner, Ben Roethlisberger, and Russell Wilson. Brady and Warner went on to win a number of league MVPs. Brady and Roethlisberger have a number of titles. Maye would turn into the primary second-year quarterback to win the Tremendous Bowl since Wilson in 2014.
A Tremendous Bowl loss would put Maye on the second-year Tremendous Bowl losers checklist with Dan Marino, Colin Kaepernick, Joe Burrow, and Brock Purdy. None of them has a Tremendous Bowl title. Marino is the one one with a league MVP.
A possible first for Mike Vrabel
A Patriots win would make Mike Vrabel the primary individual to win a Tremendous Bowl with the identical franchise as each a participant and a coach.
Vrabel was a member of the Patriots’ first three championship groups in 2001, 2003, and 2004. That is his first Tremendous Bowl as a coach. He made an AFC title sport teaching the Titans in 2019, however fell to the eventual Tremendous Bowl champion Kansas Metropolis Chiefs
The Patriots went from a disastrous 4-13 document to an look within the Tremendous Bowl in a single 12 months below Vrabel’s management. He was named the NFL’s Coach of the 12 months earlier within the week.
A spot among the many NFL’s finest defensive playoff runs
Sunday’s sport could have so much to do with how this Patriots protection is seen traditionally.
To date, via three video games, they’re permitting 8.7 factors per sport, which is the most effective mark within the league this postseason.
The document is 3.3 factors per sport, which was set by the 1985 Bears. The final time a crew allowed fewer than 12.5 factors per sport in a postseason was the 2002 Buccaneers.
New England is 12-0 in video games (regular-season and playoffs mixed) the place Milton Williams and Christian Gonzalez had been each wholesome, according to ESPN.
The best single-season turnaround of all-time
A New England win would make these Patriots the primary crew to win the Tremendous Bowl after going 4-13 the earlier 12 months.
The Rams received the Tremendous Bowl in 1999 after going 4-12 in 2008. The Patriots received the Tremendous Bowl in 2001 after going 5-11 in 2000. The 49ers received the Tremendous Bowl in 1981 after going 6-10 in 1980.
However nobody has ever finished what these Patriots are trying to do on Sunday. Going from 4 wins to 18 wins, together with a Tremendous Bowl victory in a single season, is unprecedented.
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